Foul Days

January 1, 2024

Launching a fantasy duology inspired by Balkan folklore, Dimova debuts with this story of witches and monsters. In order to fund an escape from her ex, the Tsar of Monsters, witch Kosara sells her shadow, the source of her magic, but she must reclaim it to survive a deadly sickness. With a 100K-copy first printing. Prepub Alert.

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Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2024

DEBUT In Dimova's energetic, witty debut, she weaves a world that feels familiar yet singular out of Slavic folklore. Kosara is a witch who has holed up in a pub to wait out the "foul days," the first days of the year, during which monsters are allowed to run rampant in her city of Chernograd, which has been walled off from the outside world to keep the monsters in. The arrival of Kosara's epically bad ex, the Zmey, Tsar of Monsters, forces her to do the unthinkable--give up her shadow, the source of her power, and flee across the wall to Belograd. On a mission to get her shadow back before she is consumed by the shadow sickness, Kosara finds herself saddled with a suspiciously noble police officer sidekick. Back in Chernograd, Kosara begrudgingly uses the duo's combined talents to craft a plan for retrieving her shadow. This twisty, fast-paced fantasy adventure feels like what would happen if Delilah S. Dawson and Naomi Novik teamed up to rewrite The Witcher. VERDICT Fans of folklore-infused fantasy with a romantic subplot and sassy, independent main characters will blissfully devour the coming duology.--Lacey Tobias

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2024
Dimova dazzles in her immersive fantasy debut. Kosara is a fire witch living in the walled city of Chernograd. Each year during the Foul Days, the 12 days after New Year’s Day, the city is plagued by attacks from terrifying folkloric monsters, among them Kosara’s ex, the Zmey, the “Tsar of Monsters,” who has hunted her since she left him seven years ago. Kosara loses her magical powers when she trades her shadow to a mysterious stranger in exchange for help crossing Chernograd’s Wall into the safety and opulence of Belograd. But witches who have lost their shadows eventually fade away until they are mere shadows themselves, and as Kosara begins ailing, she wonders if the trade was worth it. To retrieve her shadow and reclaim her magic, she reluctantly teams up with Asen, a by the book Belogradean cop, who’s investigating the murder of the man who smuggled Kosara into the city. It soon becomes clear that the Zmey has gotten his hands on Kosara’s shadow. As Kosara’s time winds down, she’ll have to face the literal and metaphorical demons of her past. Dimova’s atmospheric worldbuilding and well-shaded cast make it easy to sink into this fantasy adventure. Kosara is especially vividly rendered and her witty narrative voice is sure to get readers on her side. This is a standout.

May 1, 2024
A wall separates the denizens of Chernograd from their affluent neighbor city, Belograd, trapping them with monsters that become particularly violent during the twelve days following New Year's Eve. Kosara, a witch whose power comes from her shadow, intends to spend this year's foul days drinking in a pub. Having warded the bar against the creatures roaming the streets, she also hopes to protect herself from the Zemy. Kosara escaped his clutches seven years ago, but he returns every year to taunt her, showing up this time with a threat of retaliation if not invited inside. Desperate, Kosara trades her shadow to a visiting collector, who quickly teleports them both to Belograd, leaving Kosara alone and powerless in an unfamiliar city. While tracking down the collector, Kosara discovers he has been murdered; at the same time, her shadow is missing and a persistent Belogardian detective is hunting her. Contending with a supposedly honorable copper with secrets of his own complicates Kosara's mission to regain her powers and return to Chenograd where she can finally confront the Zemy. Dimova melds Slavic folklore, murder, and mystery into her fast-paced, magical debut, with detailed world building and thoughtful consideration of matters related to trauma, the immigrant experience, and trust.

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June 15, 2024
A young witch fights to regain the powers she lost in order to save herself, and her city, from the very real monsters that haunt them. On New Year's Eve, while the rest of the world celebrates, the walled city of Chernograd waits for monsters. The monsters of Dimova's debut fantasy, rooted in Slavic folklore, enter this world during the 12 days between the New Year and Saint Yordan's day, when the veil between worlds is thinnest. For a witch like Kosara, the arrival of the Foul Days means risking her life fighting monsters like upirs, samodivas, yudas, and karakonjuls to protect her city. As the monsters descend, Kosara distracts herself by playing a hand of cards with a stranger from Belograd, the city beyond the wall. Crossing the wall illegally during the Foul Days is highly suspect, but the stranger states his reason: He wants Kosara's shadow, the source of her power as a witch. This is a bet Kosara would never take--until tonight. Outside, the Zmey, known as the Tsar of Monsters, begins to call for her. Every year, he comes. Every year, Kosara evades him--but not without trauma. This year, he vows she won't escape. Trapped and desperate to survive, she surrenders her shadow. In return, the stranger hastily transports her outside the wall. Safe in Belograd, Kosara finds her mind spinning. Why did the stranger want her shadow? How did he possess magic strong enough to transport her to safety? How did the Zmey find her so quickly? While most Chernograd citizens would give anything to cross the wall, Kosara needs a way back in. Without her shadow, she's nothing, and while the Zmey wants her, she will never be truly safe. In Kosara's attempts to get home, she finds Asen, a Belogradian cop from the Supernatural Investigations Unit, looking for the stranger with her shadow. Together, their adventure takes them across the wall and beyond as they fight every monster on the Witch and Warlock Association's record as well as their own internal demons. The worldbuilding keeps the pages turning, as the fun of being immersed in moody Chernograd with ghosts in bathrooms and monsters lurking on corners distracts from thin plotting. Kosara calls herself a mediocre witch, which makes her character likable, but also provides a convenient excuse for the way she gets into a myriad of regrettable scenarios. Readers looking for more solid backstory--Why are the monsters only in Chernograd? What of the supernatural exists elsewhere?--can hold out hope for Book 2. This gritty, atmospheric fantasy brings folklore to life, but a lack of cohesion won't get past astute readers.

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