Thank you so much to MacMillan Audio, NetGalley, and Genoveva Dimova for the ALC of this book; all opinions are my own!

It's always the most fun when the sequel hits and lands even harder than the first. I'm so glad to have journeyed back to Chernograd with Kosara and Asen. The continued explanation of magic, the continuation of the slow burn, and the continued underlying theme that power isn't always what it's cracked up to be were so fun to explore in this second installment. I'm honestly amazed by how well everything wrapped up and so happy with how it all ended. Justice was served to all who deserved it, and Kosara may finally be able to sit down for more than five minutes at a time. I think my favorite part of this duology is the magic, and how it's all intertwined with the monsters, world, and weather.

10/10 recommend this duology, and what a perfect season for it!

In Monstrous Nights by Genoveva Dimova we have the successful follow-up to Foul Days. This is a sold YA fantasy duology based on slavic folklore. Kosara, our FMC, is back in Chernograd. She has her shadow and eleven other witches shadows and she is powerful although she cannot control all the shadows. The shadows are making changes to Kosara and bad things are happening in Chernograd - it seems as if the Foul Days are happening, but it isn't the right time. There is, once again, a tiny bit of romance to go along with the world that seems dangerous once again. Impossible to review in more detail without spoiling the earlier book, but both books are well written with good world building, really decent character work and generally good pacing. I gave 4 stars to Foul Days and I give 4 stars to Monstrous Nights. Thank you to #netgalley and MacMillan Audio for my advance copy.

This was the sequel I really needed to Foul Days! Kosara is back and wrestling with her 12 shadows for control. A murder in Chernograd is similar to one in Belograd and it brings Asen back to Kosara. They work together to save their world as the barrier between worlds thins. Kosara’s ragtag group of friends is back as well to help them. I’ll miss this group of characters and this might just be a duology I’ll read more than once!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ARC of this book.

This audio is perfection. The narrators are absolutely perfect. They bring these stories to life with so much energy and passion. Both narrators encompass these characters so well that it almost feels like you are watching a movie play out in your head. The audio track its self was great no distortions or weird ticks.

This duology will forever be one of my absolute favorites. It always surprises me when a second book surpasses the first but this one defiantly exceeded my expectations. I loved the expansion of this world and being able to dive deeper. The world building is so lush and dark and its so easy to get lost in this world and forget that you are at home on your couch. The folklore in these books are absolutely fascinating and it was really cool to learn more about the different monsters. Kosara is a force to be reckoned with and is one of my favorite female MCs in the past few years. I do really love the relationship between her and Asen even though it is super awkward at times. I really enjoyed that we got to have so much of both of their POV so that the story was all encompassing.

Disclaimer: I read this as a tandem Kindle and Audio Book arc via NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I could not wait to sink my teeth into monstrous nights. I loved Foul Days and that was my first introduction to this author. I could not wait to finish up this duology. This is one of the peak duologies you should be reading during the fall and spooky season. It embodies the feeling of fall and winter so well. The audiobook is done spectacularly and the accent of the narrator is so spot on for how I feel these characters sound and present themselves.

Foul Days was a hands-down five star read for me. The characters were so spectacularly well done and fully flushed out. The storyline was compelling and interesting and the pacing was done absolutely perfectly for me. It's on the characters to be so interesting and I had a new emotional connection to all of them. The mystery and suspense storyline was so engrossing and complex. I never knew who to trust and just when I felt like I knew what was going on. I would get a curveball that would swipe me off my chair and keep me interested. All of this continued spectacularly within the second book. All of the things I loved and admired about the first book were absolutely present in the second.

I felt like the ending was very well done. It was not rushed. There was appropriate amount of attention and climactic build. I feel like the story was wrapped up very nicely and made sense and gave a very satisfying conclusion all things that I was looking to be present in the second book. I cannot wait to see what this author comes up next.

I read Foul Days just before starting this one. Both of these books have good world building and creative monsters. The villain is creepy and has all the typical dirty secrets behind the charm - and it works well here. The secondary villain is also cruel and corrupt. Both stories are pretty timely, I think. Our heroes Kosara and Asen are clever, sometimes to a fault.

Sometimes winning doesn't go exactly as planned. Beating the big bad, gaining unfathomable power, and resolving some issues doesn't land right. Especially when the sky starts to crack. "Monstrous Nights" from Genoveva Dinova concludes the Witch's Compendium of Monsters duology. Out October 22, 2024. Thanks Macmillan Audio for the copy.

Korsara has her shadow back. Along with 11 others, making her arguably the strongest witch jn Chernograd. Except the new shadows seem to have a mind of their own. Asen is still on the trail of the man who killed his wife, also his own daughter, Konstantin Karaivanov, on the otherside of the wall in Belograd. When a headless witch is found on either side of the wall these two wind up entangled once again. And sadly fireballs don't seem like the answer in this situation.

Narrated by Tim Campbell and Zura Johnson, I missed these characters and it was a pleasure to hear you both voicing them again.

Reasons to read:
-So I started blasting
-Comeuppance
-OH that's what's going on
-Slavic folklore and monsters
-Chicken house
-Dealing with problems permanently

Cons:
-Do I have to witness an employer doing a crime to get a job? Is that the answer?

I still remember finishing the first book and screaming „I want the second book ASAP!“
Well, I got my wish a lot sooner than I expected and I‘m so glad because this series has earned itself a special place on my shelf.
Monsterous Nights had to tackle the difficult task most duologies face: 1. Complete the story, 2. keep the high quality, and 3. give the reader something new.
I‘m happy to say Genoveva Dimova managed to deliver and then some. Monsterous Nights is a perfect conclusion to the duology and the satisfying sequel Foul Days deserves.

Talk about weaving a beautiful and fantastical tale! This is so fresh, unlike most other fantasy I’ve read. It’s modern without being “in the real world” and it’s full of ancient magics and witches and vampires and small town politics. In fact, I adore it.

Also, I didn’t read book 1 first, which makes me a dummy, but I just wasn’t that confused?! That’s how good the writing is. Shows me 😂 for not doing my research though. I just got excited about the hook and jump in! Highly recommend.

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 😆)

Regarding the narration: I loved both narrators! I loved that Asen had his own chapters and narrator this time around.

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, and of course what dual POV book would be complete without dual narrators? Zura Johnson was once again a compelling narrator who read Kosara perfectly! Tim Campbell as Asen was also an excellent choice. I would absolutely recommend listening to this book to anyone who is interested! Especially anyone who isn't familiar with Slavic folklore or names, breezing through the pronunciation by listening just makes the book that much more enjoyable.

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 Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

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.

I really really loved this duology, the narrators were perfection. They brought this story to life, at some points I was stressing out in a good way. I hope more people listen to the audio version because it really helps with the name pronunciation and story in general.

What a fantastic little series (The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters) this turned out to be. A wonderful Eastern European folklore inspired pair of novels, of which this is the second filled with fantastical monsters and positively dripping in ambiance and place.

I came to this series in an odd way. The first novel, Foul Days, was included in my “Caffeine & Legends” subscription box a few months ago. I purposely put off reading it until August when I desperately wanted fall to get closer and tried to “manifest it” if only in my mind. It absolutely hit the spot. In spite of a few “first novel” hiccups here and there I was utterly engrossed with the world of monsters and folklore from the eastern part of Europe – an area sadly underserved in the fantasy world. Here we see versions of the classic monsters of western fantasy (vampires, werewolves, etc.) but with wonderful differences that drip “Slavic” for lack of a better word. The sorts of things you might find in The Witcher novels…but also very different.

And then I saw the availability of this audiobook version of the sequel and jumped at the opportunity to read it. This time…I really was trying to manifest fall (it has been a “thing” with me lately, I guess). So I waited as long as I possibly could.

Here we have a world that is not quite our world and not quite “not” our world. The cities of Chernograd and Belograd come across vividly imagined – so much so that it is hard to believe that they’re not real places filled with witches, corrupt cops, smugglers, ghosts and monsters. There are so many memorable characters, main and side. And you are pushed right back into it – six months after the Foul Days of the prior novel. Asen and Kosara are both same and changed, but events are in motion that will change their world forever.

I won’t get into the plot – it has a number of twists and turns that you, as a reader, should simply sit back and enjoy. I loved that you are painted with different things where you say to yourself, “Ah! This is what the main plot will be!” only to discover that this is either a red herring or just tangential to what is going on. It has that wonderful feeling of a plot that was designed for two novels – they fit together like a glove. You don’t -have- to read the first novel, but you really should and the two novels should really be viewed as two parts of a whole story – one with a satisfactory ending and enough links to wonder…could there be more there somehow?

Fast paced. Brilliantly imagined. Very different from any other fantasy I’ve ever read, while also somehow feeling very familiar in hidden ways. And let me single out the narrators here: Tim Campbell and Zura Johnson are EXCEPTIONAL. This is clearly a tricky novel to narrate, given the difficult to pronounce locations, characters, monsters, etc. And yet they knock it out of the park. I found myself impressed at their seamless ability to get through some names that, reading the print version of the prior novel, I’d often struggled with.

If I had one real complaint, and it isn’t exactly a complaint, it would be regarding the guide to monsters present at the end of the novel in both books. Not that it exists – hardly! It is an essential inclusion to the novel. The problem is that for something so essential (given my unfamiliarity with these names – I still have no idea if they’re original or something from Balkan folklore), having it at the end of the audiobook is less useful. I might have considered putting it at the beginning. Or supplying it as a PDF. In the case of this book, I often found myself going back to my phyiscal copy of Foul Days to reference it and I wasn’t sure if it would be included here at all. It is less useful (even if interesting) having it at the conclusion of the book.

But that’s quite apart from the reality, which is that this is a wonderful addition to the fantasy genre by a terrific new voice. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a chance to read/listen to an advance reader copy of this novel. You can pre-order the physical copy here! Available everywhere October 22nd!

We are back with Kosara in Chernograd, after the Zmey has been dispatched, life should go back to normal. But a witch ends up dead, snow falls in the summer and Foul Days monsters appear at night. Kosara and Asen will join forces to get rid of the Zmey once and for all.

What I like about this series is its atmosphere, it’s cozy but gritty, and the characters are smart and interesting. The side characters add lovely interactions and few memorable moments (cake and wirkolak book club).

Slow burn romance between Kosara and Asen had me rooting for their happiness throughout. I also love all the magical moments and monsters, overall I’m a big fan of fantasy based on Slavic folklore! Looking forward to read more from Genoveva in the future.

Dual audiobook narration by Zura Johnson and Tim Campbell had great flow and I’m a huge fan of the accents, especially by Zura. It makes the story very believable and I wouldn’t want it performed any other way. Great use of voice acting to show emotions and distinguish each character, well done!

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for the audiobook to review.

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.

Dimova is officially one of my favorite authors now!

What this duology reminded me of:
T. Kingfisher
Naomi Novik
Katherine Arden
but then with rat pack/zoot suit vibes also

I really enjoyed Foul Days and even her shorty story, Ace Up Her Sleeve, and Monstrous Nights is no exception.
The story telling that Dimova achieved was phenomenal. I was glued to the pages the entire time. The monsters became more complex in the second book and the story was resolved in a satisfying way.
I loved all the folklore, the familiar and the unfamiliar.
Overall I am so excited to see what else she can come up with.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the audioARC of this book!

HANDS DOWN the best second book in a duology I've read in a VERY long time. This duology is actually a valid and complete story having two full books. It doesn't drag on and it doesn't try to introduce new random weird plot lines that don't make sense. We get satisfying conclusions to every plot and I am SO thrilled with everything.

Kosara and Asen were amazingly exceptional in this book. With interesting developments that twist their relationship different ways, we see them constantly drawn to one another in the most beautiful way. I absolutely loved their slow burn through these two books.

I also loved that this duology had so many morally grey characters and decision-making. "Who are we to decide the fate of others?" It's such a big theme throughout this book in particular. It's so hard to say too much without spoilers... I know most of what I'm saying is so generic haha

The narrators were very good; they do have accents but they're appropriate for the environment. As someone who sometimes has trouble with accents in narrators, I wasn't bothered by them at all.

Highly recommend to fantasy lovers, especially those who want something with no spice (as this has none!) but still want a lovely romance behind the very intricate main plot.

Once again I was brought back to a story full of folklore , monsters, and magic. This book was a super fun story with a quest full of twists and turns.

A perfect sequel. I loved this duology so much to the point both books are in my top ten of books read this year. The stakes were high, the characters at risk of danger so often, and yet there was something so cozy and comforting about it all. Will absolutely be reading everything from this author in future, especially if it involves werewolves in book clubs.