Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the copy of this ALC!

Kosara is a witch in Chernograd, fighting off monsters during the Foul Days following the New Year. As a witch, she has no problem using her shadows, spells, and wits to defeat the onslaught of monsters... except the Zmey, who also happens to be her ex. When he finds her early in the Foul Days, she's forced to trade her shadow, the source of her power, to be transported to the safety of Belograd on the others side of the Wall.

Full of Slavic folklore, FOUL DAYS is the witch book I've been waiting for this year. Not only is the magic system unique and solid, but I just loved Kosara. She's stubborn and strong, but also a bit hesitant because she's been burned by those close to her a few too many times. I loved the sense of adventure in this book, the twists and turns, subtle love story, and sense of redemption for an MC who didn't always make the best choices in her former days.

The audiobook was spectacularly narrated by Zura Johnson - highly recommend doing a mix of audio and print on this one!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Tor for providing both an eARC and an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Witcher meets Naomi Novik? Say less. I need it now.

Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova is a fantasy novel set in the walled city of Chernograd. As a witch living there, Kosara has plenty of practice treating lycanthrope bites, bargaining with kikimoras, and slaying bloodsucking upirs. There’s only one monster she can’t defeat: her ex, the Zmey, known as the Tsar of Monsters. She’s defied him one too many times and now he’s hunting her. Betrayed by someone close to her, Kosara’s only choice is to trade her shadow—the source of her powers—for a quick escape. Unfortunately, Kosara soon develops the deadly sickness that plagues shadowless witches—and only reclaiming her magic can cure her. To find it, she’s forced to team up with a suspiciously honorable detective. Even worse, all the clues point in a single direction: To get her shadow back, Kosara will have to face the Foul Days’ biggest threats without it. And she’s only got twelve days. But in a city where everyone is out for themselves, who can Kosara trust to assist her in outwitting the biggest monster from her past?

What isn't there to love? There's monsters, magic, and a slow burn romance. Foul Days redefines the very genre it inhabits. And so much more!

Loved this one! In Foul Days we follow Kosara, a Chernogradian witch, as she tried to track down her shadow, the source of her magical powers and the only thing preventing he from disappearing, after she is coerced into trading it to be kept safe from the Zmey, Tsar of monsters and her abusive Ex Fiancé. While navigating a city hostile to Cheenogradian’s like herself she ends up reluctantly teaming up with Asen a police investigator who is looking for a murderer.

I was hooked into this story from the starting poker game, and it didn’t let me go till the last sentence. I loved getting to see both the bright and colorful city of Belograd, and the harsher and more brutal city of Chernograd. Seeing both cities really helped underscore the differences between Chernogradians like Kosara, and the wealthier Belogradians that looked down on her. I loved Kosara and her characterization, and how the effects of her past relationships have caused her to respond to her budding relationship with Asen in sometimes less than logical ways. Asen was also a delight, he starts out as a character that could be very one note but the longer we spend with him and getting to know him the more he shows himself to be just as interesting and complex of a character as Kosara. I also adored all the side characters and their little idiosyncrasies.

The narration of the audiobook was also top notch.
Zara Johnson does a wonderful job bringing the world to life, and her accent is well suited to this type of world. I enjoyed her various voices for the different characters and the accents employed.

Overall one of my favorites of the year so far, can’t wait for the sequel and to see what else is instore!

[4.5/5 stars!] One of my favorite things I’ve picked up this year – Foul Days is worth a second look!

One of those genre-bending novels, I loved this as both a fantasy and urban fantasy reader. Rich in Slavic folklore, it had an abundance of monsters and great cultural infusion. The marketing was pretty accurate when it advertised “Witcher meets Naomi Novik,” with a similar moodiness and feel of Novik’s works (especially Spinning Silver) and an loads of dangerous magical creature encounters. I found it wildly entertaining.

The book had great pacing, with plenty of exciting moments but also enough slow stretches to form connections with the characters. The characters! All fun profiles, and the relationships between them were especially well done and realistic – I actually felt the connections, which doesn’t happen often.

I also thought the staggering of certain reveals was particularly well-paced. There were several times throughout the book where I went, “oooh, okay, one more chapter.” It made the pages fly by, and had enough substance to the plot to make me feel like I was getting something satisfying. The writing was superb.

Foul Days was oozing with fun-factor. This is one of those books that makes it easy to talk about and recommend. I loved it – with so many great elements and a good sense of humor, after only one book I’m already convinced Dimova is going to be an auto-buy author for me.

There honestly wasn’t anything I didn’t like about it. The second half of this duology, Monstrous Nights, comes out October 22, 2024, and you’d better believe I’m already hounding for a copy!

Recommendations: for a fun-filled, culturally-infused, monster-tastic story, look no further! Foul Days was one of the best debus I’ve read in ages. I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for us next!

Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller

This was a great start to a new duology! I love the folklore-inspired world Genoveva Dimova created and I can't wait to see where Kosara and Asen end up next.

I'm still not sure whether I should give this book three or four stars, so I'm leaning towards the generous end. I did enjoy the overall reading experience.

First and foremost, this was a fun book to read. From beginning to end I was caught up in the world and the unfolding plot. The main character, Kosara, is in a heap of trouble from the get-go and it only gets worse from there. Dimova's world-building was strong, filled with fantastical creatures of legend and lush settings I could picture vividly.

Her characters weren't as strong, however. I enjoyed following Kosara as a protagonist but her consistent trait of "making bad decisions" got tedious after a while. Other characters, while not entirely flat, could have used more fleshing-out. Our villain in particular could have used more oomph.

I think my biggest gripe though is that I wish this had been a standalone novel. The loose ends at the conclusion of the book felt rushed and underdeveloped. I'm not saying that I won't pick up the sequel, but the existence of a sequel felt unnecessary to me.

Foul Days was marketed as a mix between the Witcher and Naomi Novik's works. I love both of those, so I had really high expectations.. I am happy to say that Foul Days lived up to them. There's a badass witch MC, monsters, and a handsome detective who is mysteriously impervious to magic. The monsters are so creepy, and I loved the descriptions of each in the "Practical Guide to Monsters" at the end of the book. I am so excited for Book 2.

Narration by Zura Johnson was incredible and really brought this story to life with her accent. I highly recommend the audio!

I received an ALC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the narrator for this. Perfect accent and great acting. I really enjoyed this and would highly recommend it

What I loved about this book was the world building and the vibe. I loved the dark feel of it and all the different monsters. It felt very immersive and the narrator was fantastic. She was easy to hear and her accents were great. However, for the story, I never really got attached to any of the characters. I didn't have any strong emotional reaction to any of them, so I wasn't really rooting for anyone. Also, the love interest wasn't very convincing and I didn't really feel any chemistry between the two. This is the first book, though, so things could change. Overall, my favorite part was the dark, creepy vibe and I'd reread just for that.

Foul Days was a unique an enjoyable fantasy read. The audiobook added to the slavic vibe of the book as the narrator's accent was enjoyable to listen to while still being clear and understandable. I loved how this book is slowly ramps up the tension and unfolded in ways I did not expect. The audiobook kept me involved and heightened the tense moments and I could really relate to the anxiety and fears of the main character. This is very well done and a very good story.

** Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of Foul Days in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.**
Review is now live on Goodreads 7/8/2024.

4.25⭐️

☆ magic
☆ monsters
☆ Slavic folklore

This was such a fun and enjoyable read, full of Slavic folklore, magic, shadows, and monsters. The main character, Kosara, is a witch, who helps her town every year during the days of monsters. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a dark adventure-- this does have some Witcher vibes, but more whimsical, if you can imagine. The audiobook lends a more immersive experience with accents and all. I will definitely be reading the second one!

⭐️ 4.5 stars ⭐️

Audiobook is well read (I’m just not sure of her “Slavic accent”).

I adored this medium-fast paced magickal adventure, and absolutely look forward to hearing the second book later this year)!

The characters are flawed, reactive and wonderfully awkward. The world-building invokes history, classism, racism and complex relationships so believably, while calling out its damaging and lasting effects.

As a Ukrainian-Canadian, I LOVE the embedded Slavic magick/demons/folklore, as written by this Bulgarian author. For some reason, Slavic mythology seems to having a moment right now (Though it is often brought forth by those enamoured by the stories, rather than those with Slavic Ancestry). The use of demons’ proper names and incorporation of deeper folklore made me so happy - as was the fact that our most powerful witch was simply called “Witch” (the original and absolutely most terrifying).

The writing continued to pull on my heart-strings throughout. The complexity of the relationships between all of the centred characters is perfection. No über-cringey YA romance sans real consequences, overwhelming the actual plotlines. Instead, deeply hidden secrets and alliances, plus the worst doggie ever.

I am now bc a fan of author Genoveva Dimova, and will pick up any book she graces the world with.

Huge Gratitude to Netgalley, and the publisher for an Audio-ARC of this amazing book, in exchange for my honest review.

I REALLLLLLLLY hope that I get an Audio-ARC of the sequel, when it’s available …………

**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒍 𝑫𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒗𝒂 𝑫𝒊𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒂


Release Date: June 25, 2024


3.5⭐️1🌶


Kosara is on the side of the wall in Chernograd that houses the witches and monsters. Her whole life and family are there, even though everyone wants to go to the other side and life a cheery happy life without fear of being attacked by  rusalkas, kikimoras, or lycanthropes.


Kosara is forced to sell her shadow to save herself and move across the wall to avoid the wrath of her ex. Once across the wall, she contracts the wasting sickness and must find a way to get her shadow back to regain her magic. She teams up with an undercover cop who is looking for a murderer who she believes is the same person who has her shadow.


A big thank you to @netgalley for approving me for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

This would be the perfect book for a cool autumn day with a cup of cider by your side! I loved the atmosphere of this book and the way that it builds such a unique world full of monsters both supernatural and human alike. My one complaint was that I felt the book was really slow for me, and I had trouble keeping my attention on it. It felt like it took me forever to finish the book and that things just kept dragging on.

I really loved the depth of this book and the way that it talks about toxic/abusive relationships and the journey it takes a person to come out of those and get to the other side. It was slowly built up and brought to the light, and I appreciated that because I think it mimicked reality really well. The characters are all so flawed, and that made everything so much more relatable and high stakes. It was easy to see yourself in any of their situations, struggling to find yourself and the right path to take.

I think this is a really beautiful world that is going to have a lot more coming for it. If you're looking for this kind of autumn night vibe, here's your book!

From the first page, FOUL DAYS dragged me in and didn't let go. The setting is as much a character as any of the others and Dimova did a wonderful job bringing Chernograd to life. The fantasy world is a blend of slavic tradition and a bit of cold war sensibility with a city divided in two by a wall. The monsters that plague Chernograd are fully realized and beautifully rendered, making a fascinating backdrop for this story about a witch trying to win back her power before she fades away to literal shadow. Memorable characters and a plot that hums along at just the right pace made this a fast and fun read. I'm looking forward to future books in the series.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an audio galley for review. All opinions are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed “Foul Days” by Genoveva Dimova, beautifully narrated by Zura Johnson. The story takes us to Chernograd, where Kosara, a witch, must navigate the perilous Foul Days—12 days when monsters roam free. Desperate and cornered, Kosara gambles away her shadow for a stranger’s help, leading to an adventure filled with monsters, mobsters, hunters, and curses.

The atmospheric and cozy Slavic-inspired setting drew me in, with rich lore and a captivating plot. Kosara’s journey was compelling, and the world-building, including the monster compendium, added depth. Zura Johnson’s narration was exceptional, bringing characters to life with distinct voices and accents.

Genoveva Dimova’s “Foul Days” is a fun paranormal mystery suitable for fans of Van Helsing and similar monster-story revisions.

Kosara is a witch who, one fateful night, must trade her shadow in order to escape from her former demon (dragon?) lover, Zmey the Tsar of Monsters. With the help of a copper from the other side of the wall, she must recover her shadow before she fades away completely. Together, they battle various monsters as they run to ground the clues to help save themselves and the city of Chemograd.

I really enjoyed this story. It was fun, action-filled, and the world-building was spot on. It felt like a soviet-era spy novel, but with witches, ghosts, and other ghouls. I would absolutely read any follow-ups.

The narrator, Zura Johnson, did an excellent job with the different characters’ voices and the emotion needed to tell this story.

I definitely recommend this book. It’s a fun summer read or listen and kept me engage from page one. I received a copy from NetGalley.

A strong start to a series that I will absolutely be following. Great world-building and a unique magic system that wasn't too bogged down in the mechanics. Interesting political and economic allegories, and I like the way this story framed abusive power dynamics and gaps in relationships. The narrator undoubtedly increased my sense of immersion and enjoyment of the book overall. There was a nice sense of resolution, but a perfectly frustrating cliffhanger to keep the momentum going.

I kept waiting for this book to hook me, but it never did. This is mostly due to weak characterization. This book gets so wrapped up in the worldbuilding (admittedly, cool) and the slow mystery of our protagonist's dark backstory (admittedly, interesting) that it forgets to give our protagonist emotions. Even when our protagonist has lost everything dear to her, the typical reaction is one line of, "She sighed," and then the story moves briskly along. We never stop for reactions, or anticipation, or planning, or emotions of any kind.

Oh, and don't even get me started on this romance. No chemistry. No emotions. Just the very occasional, "Wow, he's hot isn't he? But, I'm not here to make friends so I'm not going to think about it." The book is just expecting you to fill in the romance yourself based on the bare minimum tropes it hints at.

The audiobook is well performed. The narrator includes a Bulgarian accent for some of the characters, making the setting and people in the book come alive.

A video review including this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle.

Thanks to Netgalley, Tor Books, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I felt a little hesitant to start a longer book with fantasy themes often oppressive of some peoples. The pacing was good and with the character and world development at a reasonable amount of detail, I didn't have trouble.

Kosara was a great character. She was very relatable having her fears and desires. She was caught up enough in her own guilt and worry that she didn't pay close enough attention to others' manipulations. She lives in Chernograd which is on one side of a wall. Chernograd has witches, monster hunters, smugglers, thieves and some poverty. During the Foul Days at the start of the New Year, the monsters from Slavic mythology come out at night and so everyone must stay inside.

Belograd is on the other side of the wall, full of color and wealth. The wall keeps the monsters out so they have no fights, deaths or worries about monsters. There are smugglers and thieves though, and they are the ones who know how to get back and forth across the wall. People from Chernograd who manage to get to Belograd have to be quarantined (caged) during the full moon to make sure they don't turn into monsters. There are many kinds of monsters though.

Kosara because of her fear of a monster loses her witch shadow. The story focuses on her retrieving her shadow, her confidence. She finds out who her true friends and allies are. She makes a new frenemy, Asen, who is with the police in Belograd. They each have their own secrets and it is intriguing to watch them unfold and find common goals.

I love that this will be a series, The Witch's Compendium of Monsters, with Monstrous Nights in October 2024. I want to watch Kosara and Asen as they right wrongs and give more people a chance at a safe and comfortable life. There are more bad guys to put out of commission. And who doesn't want to learn more about monsters?

Narration:
I had not previously listened to this narrator. The voices felt authentic for the region along with the accents. I am not knowledgeable enough to say they are accurate but were comfortable for me. There were distinct voices for characters. I really enjoyed the emotional tones which added to the performance. I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.