4 🐾/ 5

I really liked the first book in this series (Foul Days) so I was excited for this one to come out. (I needed to refresh myself on the monsters again, though- I love that there’s an actual guide at the end!) This was another fun read, and I was glad that Asen was back. And not only was he back, he had his own POV! I liked that there was a new narrator for Asen’s chapters, too. One thing I was a little disappointed about in the first book (and this is a ME problem) but there wasn’t a whole lot of romance between them. I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say I wasn’t as disappointed in that regard.

If you liked the first book in this series, I think you’ll enjoy this second one, as well. I honestly wouldn’t mind a whole spinoff series set in this same universe, because I do think the monsters and folklore are just so fun. (And I kind of want a karakonjul 😆)

There are few things I like more in a sequel than adding in another POV, and I was so excited to find that in Monstrous Nights! I quite liked Asen's character in Foul Days, so to have his POV too this time was excellent.

I devoured this book in less than 2 days, I find the world so interesting and love the way Genoveva Dimova writes with a touch of humor in the dark and dreary times. It's a comforting and fun read, and while there is so much going wrong and trauma and grief under the surface for the characters, I found both books so enjoyable. The ending was a satisfying conclusion! While I felt like I could have done without the bit of romance in Foul Days, I liked it in Monstrous Nights!

If you like the style of T. Kingfisher's internal monologues from Swordheart or the Saint of Steel series, you'll enjoy Kosara and Asen's thoughts about each other as well.

Thank you Tor for the ARC!

Oh goodness I think I loved this even more than the first! This was such an absolutely beautiful atmospheric novel, I want more of this world immediately!

Fun and inventive read! As with the first book, I couldn't put this down. i nice light but thrilling fall read that I would definitely recommend.

This had everything that I wanted from the conclusion in this series, it uses the overall feel from the previous book. I enjoyed how Genoveva Dimova wrote this and the other book. It was everything that I wanted and can't wait to read more from Genoveva Dimova. It uses the Slavic mythology element that I wanted and enjoyed from the first book.

Man, this was such fantastic reads! The synopses sounded really good, and once I picked Foul days up, I couldn't stop until I had finished Monstrous Nights! I was thoroughly entertained, and I had to know what was going to happen next in the story!

This Slavic inspired story, with the magic and the history, was really interesting, in the first book, the foul days, where this city has gotten used to the monsters coming, yeah, it was so interesting to read! I loved learning more about it!

Foul Days, I'd read the synopsis, but I didn't remember most of it, so it surprised me when she left Chernograd and pretty early on in the book. Watching her in this new town with new rules-and without her magic, yeah, that was so thrilling to read!

I loved seeing where these stories would go, and how the events for Foul Days changed things for Monstrous Nights, where she has her shadow back, but at what cost? There was just so much going on, and I had to know everything, and had such a great time reading them!

These were so fantastic to read, and I can't wait to read more by Genoveva Dimova!

👤🐺ARC REVIEW🐺👤

Monstrous Night (Book 2 in the Witch's Compendium of Monsters duology) by Genoveva Dimova
4.25/5 ⭐

Loved this duology! The second book follows a young witch dealing with the aftermath of the last 'Foul Day's where the monsters come out to play in her city. The main witch and her copper friend (😉) are racing against time as weird happenings take place.

Please read if you like the following:

🧹Slavic Folklore 🧚
🧹Monsters imprisoned in walls 🧱
🧹Witches determined to fix her crazy cities monster issues
🧹Werewolves 😉

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the opportunity to review this ARC!

🏷️ #NetGalley #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #books #booklover #bookworm #bookstagrammer #reading #bookish #bookaddict #booknerd

I have been dying to read Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova since I finished Foul Days earlier this year, so I was so happy to be approved for an ARC!

Since Monstrous Nights is a sequel that picks up 6 months after Foul Days ends, I won't go into too much detail about the plot here. Needless to say, everything I loved about Foul Days - the magic and monsters in Chernograd and the monster realm, Kosara and Asen's partnership, and the realistically high stakes - were just as present in Monstrous Nights. It was like returning to old friends and picking up where you left off.

I also loved how Monstrous Nights started with a murder mystery, giving Kosara and Asen something to focus on and bring their partnership back together. While the majority of the book is set in a magical world and magic plays a huge part in the book, Dimova does a fantastic job tying in elements of the real world to make Chernograd and her characters relatable to readers.

On the subject of relatable characters - I absolutely loved the characters in Monstrous Nights. I was so happy when Kosara and Asen teamed up again, and when Kosara began to truly trust other people. And come on - who would not love Ibrahim and Dancho? I loved how supportive and caring they were with both Kosara and Asen.

Overall, I absolutely loved The Witch's Compendium of Monsters duology! Monstrous Nights is out on October 22, so there's still plenty of time to read Foul Days before finishing the duology, and I would highly recommend that you do! Many thanks to Tor Books, Netgalley, and Genoveva Dimova for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cool sequel. It was so different from Foul Days, largely because the characters/settings/tone all grew and changed as a result of the events in Foul Days. This book picks up about 6 months later. Foul days was dark, snarky, and gritty, whereas this book lets in the light. There was no room for hope in the first book, whereas this book makes room only for hope. It’s a real testament to the author’s skill that she managed to make these books so different—while really clearly conveying the reason for that— and also bringing back the characters and things that we (I assume) loved about the first novel and staying true to their arcs.

This book was less fun (snark-wise) and slower paced than the first, but no less enjoyable to read. I actually think from like a literary perspective, it may even be a better book. I really enjoyed this!

Thank you so much to tor for my advance copy.

The second book and finale to Foul Days which released earlier this year and that I loved personally and made a whole YouTube video about! We are already getting the ending. This continues our story with Kosara tracking down an infamous smuggler in a really this city that is full of monsters. I find this world super fascinating and atmospheric. This was just as great! I really have no complaints and I can't wait to read more of this authors future books.

Monstrous Nights, Dimova’s second installment of The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters duology, continues Kosara and Asen’s adventures. This time, they’re thrown back into a monster-filled mystery, complete with beheaded witches, a giant bloodthirsty rooster, and far too many rebellious shadows. Filled with Slavic folklore and packed with nail-biting action, Monstrous Nights will transport you back into the world of Chernograd and its eerie environs. A dark but fun read for the chilly nights to come! Recommended for readers of Ava Reid and Hannah Witten, and those who want a little more eastern European mythology in their romantasy.

Kosara and Asen are back to save Chernograd again! The Zmey has been defeated and the wall can now be crossed, Chernogradians and Belogradians can mingle in harmony-but will they? When a string of murders on both side of the wall bear a striking similarity Kosara and Aden join together to work the case, which may have something to do with the monsters that are appearing outside the Foul Days...
I loved this sequel to Foul Days, Genoveva Dimova's world of monsters, magic and crime has become a new favourite.

MONSTROUS NIGHTS is the sequel to FOUL DAYS which I absolutely loved when I read it back in June so I was excited to learn we'd be getting the second book in the Witch's Compendium of Monsters duology so quickly! The story picks up where the first left off, and we're following Kosara (a witch) and Asen (a human detective) on opposite sides of the wall that divides the worlds of monsters and humans. Asen is investigating a series of witch murders which leads him back to Kosara's world.

I really enjoyed the relationship between the two in the first book along with the Slavic folklore touches and the humor the author brings in and all of that stays true in the new installment! It is a great book for the season with dark fantasy vibes which dips into horror elements.

Such a great ending to this duology!! Just as exciting and fast-paced as the first, and the conclusion was so satisfying, especially the endings of the two main villains - finally hearing the Zmey's backstory and how it related to Vila was SO good. I love a spunky heroine and Kosara is all that and more (she is both frustrating and relatable and I'm so here for it). I'd totally read more books set in this world, but I after all that, I think Chernograd deserves to rest... (so maybe one set in the monster realm? eh?)

I read Foul Days earlier this year, and when I learned Kosara and Asen would be back, I was thrilled. Although Foul Days had a satisfying resolution to the main plot, I definitely felt like there was room for more with these two.

Monstrous Nights picks up months later, with both Kosara and Asen too wrapped up in their own thoughts and assumptions about each other to act on their interest. Kosara’s dealing with a world that’s coming apart at the seams, literally, and things aren’t as they should be. Meanwhile, Asen’s lost his sense of purpose with the police but hasn’t given up on his vendetta against the man who took his wife’s life.

It’s almost a challenge to review these books separately, because so much of what I felt about Foul Days applies to Monstrous Nights. The world is unique and it’s expertly developed and we don’t get it all info dumped on the page. We get what we need to know when we need to know it, and little bits come out in drips throughout, until you realize the significance of the details expertly woven throughout the narrative. Even after two books, it’s a world that leaves me wanting more. Not because I want to see Kosara and Asen suffer, but because it is so intriguing.

I also love the fact that Dimova does not skimp on the internal arcs. While there’s a lot going on externally that eventually forces Kosara and Asen together again as they try to save the world, both have internal struggles and must work through their issues. That only adds to the suspense. I was wondering all throughout if these two were going to get their crap together before they blew their second chance.

And because Kosara is the type to keep things to herself, some of the developments come as real surprises, but it doesn’t feel contrived. We know all along she’s not sharing some things with those around her, and those revelations are significant moments that knocked the wind out of me.
I loved seeing these two wrestle with their personal demons, navigate the threats to their world, and figure things out. I also loved how Dimova picks up threads from the first book and brings a lot of familiar faces back, letting prior incidents have relevance in this book.

I loved it. A brilliant conclusion to an excellent duology I hope more people discover.

A wonderful finale to the duology! It was so much fun. I loved all the characters, even the Zmey, which can't possibly be a good thing.

As soon as I finished Genoveva Dimova’s “Foul Days,” I jumped online to see when I could expect the sequel. I was so happy to get it almost immediately. “Monstrous Nights” picks up right where the action in “Foul Days” ends, and it does not disappoint.

Kosara teams up again with Asen, working to finish the job of tracking down the infamous smuggler Konstantin Karaivanov while fighting off the city’s monsters. Along the way, Asen is thrown a major curveball, but finds belonging in unlikely company. Kosara has to learn to control her new-found powers while exploring her developing feelings for Asen.

This was, again, a very satisfying, atmospheric read that ticks all the boxes in an urban fantasy romance mashup. The use of Eastern European lore and folktale gives it a fresh spin. The characters are fun and varied. I would love to see these two books adapted into film or a TV series. I received this book from NetGalley.

I think it’s a safe bet that if you enjoyed Foul Days, you’ll love Monstrous Nights. It keeps the same vein of Foul Days while still being a new and fresh read. I actually enjoyed Monstrous Nights even more than Foul Days, so in my opinion, there’s no book two slump happening here. Dimova continues to excel with her world building, engaging characters, and surprising story lines. I especially love Kosara as she goes head to head with a certain individual. I just really enjoy her character as a whole, so I find anything having to do with Kosara fascinating, but I especially loved her unraveling the mysteries of the shadows she inherited. I also enjoyed getting to see more of Asen and watching him navigate challenges without Kosara. I read this via ebook and audiobook and loved that it was dual narrators to voice Kosara’s POV and Asen’s POV. This was a satisfying conclusion to the duology. I highly recommend checking it out but especially reading via audiobook.

This second book in the series is just as delightful as the first, Foul Days. I loved the characters and how they developed over the course of the two books, the world building is marvelously dark and scary, but it still has a lot of humor shining through. The slow burn romance from the first book continues on, maybe a bit too slowly but was just as sweet.

Kosara is still dealing with many of the same issues in this book as the first. She still doesn’t trust people to help her and she still feels like the town’s safety is her sole responsibility. But she does show growth over the course of this book, slowly realizing that she can’t do it on her own and that she can accept others help to save her town and the people she cares for. She is also still carrying a lot of grief and guilt about her past and about what she did in the first book. It also doesn’t help that the twelve witch’s shadows all have their own agenda and keep showing her visions of how truly bad the Zmey was. It is bad enough dealing with your own baggage without 12 others piling on as well.

Asen is just as wonderful in this book as the first, and here we have chapters from his point of view. He is just as sweet and adorable as the first book and I loved seeing his emotions and how he deals with his grief and guilt as well. He also shows his strengths when Kosara needs him most, even when she tries to leave him behind so he doesn’t get hurt.

I did enjoy the slow romance between Asen and Kosara, but it was perhaps a bit too slow. Of course it is hard to progress a romance when the kikimora of your first wife keeps showing up and trying to kill you. It does put a damper on things. But you could tell that these two were fated to be together and I kept rooting for things to work out between them. I would have liked a little bit more at the end between these two but I was still happy to see them finally admit their feelings for each other.

The writing was just as delightful as the first book. I loved the descriptions of the towns and the people that inhabit them. It really felt like I was right there with them. The blending of the slavic folklore into the story is also nicely done. The themes of guilt and grief are very prevalent throughout the story, but it is tempered with a nice sense of humor and witty banter from all of the characters. The monsters continued to delight me in their scariness and yet many of them often showed more humanity than the humans.

This is a wonderful dark fantasy duology that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys this type of story. It has lots of fun characters and dark and scary monsters that will still make you love them.

"Someone's on the hunt for witches' shadows. Again."

Kosara is back in Chernograd and more powerful than ever, but she discovers that even powerful witches are quite literally, losing their heads. 

It is difficult to review a sequel without spoiling both books for those who have not read the first, so I will try to keep this high level. 

The first book ended so nicely, I wasn't sure what to expect - but I found the premise intriguing and I didn't want to put it down! I flew through this whenever I had a chance to sit down, and I really enjoyed being back with this crew surrounded by (and including) monsters. There is just the right amount of humor sprinkled in amongst the grief and challenges. I would love a short story of "A Night of Passion With the Upir" and to join the varkolak book club. 

I would have enjoyed more challenging "battles" with Karaivanov & the Zemny, but needed to remind myself it is YA. I'm glad the romance remained a very small portion of the book, I think if it played a larger role it wouldn't have felt like a cohesive duology. 

This is a duology I will be recommending to friends!

I am definitely interested in reading more from this author!