Foul Days by Genoveva Dimova

TL;DR: A unique urban fantasy that I think I read at the wrong time.
Source: NetGalley! Thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: I liked this! Kosara bargains away her shadow in a moment of desperation. And in attempting to retrieve it gets caught up in a plot that ties her past into the city’s futures.
Characters: The characters were very fun. I actually quite liked everyone in this.
Setting: The pitch on this one of ‘The Witcher meets Naomi Novik’ is very spot on. It feels very Slavic in origin, and unique in it’s setting.
Magic: I wish we had a bit more magic, but I suspect subsequent books will see more of that.

Thoughts:

Foul Days follows Kosara who in an attempt to outrun the monster that emotional abused her as a child, bargains away her witch’s shadow for safety. This causes her to loose her powers, and once safe she realizes the foolishness of this action. She sets out in what she hopes will be a simple attempt to retrieve the shadow. It’s not simple, not at all.

This book hit weird for me. I genuinely forgot I was reading it at times, I wasn’t incredibly excited to return to it when I put it down. Yet when I did pick it up I plowed through it, I wanted to know what was coming next and I found it creative, funny and fun. I genuinely think that was a me problem, I’ve been extra moody in my reading lately so I don’t blame the book for that. This one had a bit of everything and it was drawn together in a really fun way. Murder, a sweet and goofy ‘partner’, monsters, and humor.

I’d recommend this for anyone who enjoys urban fantasy that leans more fantastical. I don’t know if The Witcher is a good comp, but Naomi Novik in a urban setting seems spot on. It’s also the beginning of a series that I definitely would pick up again.

4 out of 5 missing shadows