Ace Up Her Sleeve

The Witch's Compendium of Monsters #1.5

by Genoveva Dimova

Set in the same thrilling world as Genoveva Dimova's The Witch's Compendium of Monsters series, Ace Up Her Sleeve is a standalone, spoiler-free story featuring the fire witch Kosara, who must match wits with the Tsar of Monsters in a high-stakes card game that is equal parts magic, skill, and subterfuge . . .

The first volume in Genoveva Dimova's The Witch's Compendium of Monsters series, Foul Days, is available now! Monstrous Nights, the next volume in the series, releases October 22, 2024 and is available to pre-order now wherever books are sold!

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Witches, Paranormal, Magic, Fiction

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 28, 2024

About the author

Genoveva Dimova is a Bulgarian fantasy author and archaeologist based in Scotland. Her debut novel inspired by Bulgarian folklore, Foul Days, came out in June 2024, and the sequel, Monstrous Nights followed in October 2024. When she’s not writing, she likes to explore old ruins, climb even older hills, and listen to practically ancient rock music.

To keep up to date with news and updates about Genoveva's books, join her newsletter.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 Free short story from Tor Reactor 📚

Kosara + her shadow =



😬

· Book 1: Foul Days ★★★★★
· Book 2: Monstrous Nights ★★★★★



[August 30, 2024]

Kosara is back!! And in a free Tor Reactor short story, too!!

[Alina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ace Up Her Sleeve by Genoveva Dimova - 2.5/5★

Apparently, this is a companion story in The Witch's Compendium of Monsters series - didn’t know this before reading it. Apart from the open ending (which maybe isn’t so open in the context of the series?), it can be read by itself, even if it doesn’t offer much background.

The short story is found in Some of the Best from Reactor: 2024 Edition and can also be read on REACTOR

[Karen ⚜Mess⚜ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was a banger! That means good Perfect appetizer to keep me going until book 2 comes out.

[Maria reads SFF · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A taste of "The Witch's Compendium of Monsters" that readers can enjoy either before or after reading "Foul Days".

[Genna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This game of cat and mouse 😂

[Angustia⋆Cósmica · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a nice little glimpse into the past, we get to see Kosara being a brave coward and snatching victory by twisting fate for a bit. A little white lie, if you will.

Did I know the turn of events ahead? Yes. Was my nose glued to my phone as I read this? Also yes.
The Zmey is a slimy, vile monster and I wanted nothing more than seeing him lose and whine.
This was a BLAST.

The second book is right around the corner so you can bet I'm waiting impatiently to see what's next.

[S.A Reidman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uhm ... Mam, how can you leave me hanging like that. What happens next? Now I gotta read the whole series - do I even have the time🤔I didn't start at the top, which was intriguing because now I just want to know what The Zmey does with the real Ace of Spades and take a peak into this world.

That Character:  Sofiyya Two Shadows
That scene:  The Shadow "bait n switch" scene
Favorite /Unique Quotes:
🖤  The new year had been born, but it hadn’t been baptised yet (Sounds stressful)
Curious/Unique Concepts:
■ Shadow Magic
■ domed city barrier
Cover Cause I'm a Bird: I didn't even see it really
Re-readability: well no, not really
GR Rating: 2.5⭐
CAWPILE:5
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2027
Challenge Prompt: 150 Short Stories Books by 2027

[Ashley Fetterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Good!!

Just as written, this is completely spoiler free of the series. In fact this gives a backstory to the card game mentioned. I loved this because I feel like I got a quick peak into the past and more interactions between Kosara and Zmey - and how much they hate each other. Well written, this gives me the excitement for book 2!

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should have waited till the end of the year to read this one, but once I've started, I had to keep reading. Can't say no to a good game of cards with a complicated background.

The story does a great job advertising the setting, and did convince me to try the author's full lenght novels.

[Anastasia Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute short story of Kosara and the zmey

[Per · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://reactormag.com/ace-up-her-sle...

[Sarah SG · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Kosara has no fans I’m deceased

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this short story is listed as 1.5 in the series, it is really .5, giving us the backstory of the fated card game between Kosara and the Zmey that is referred to in Foul Days.

I honestly can't decide if I would have preferred to read this first, so I'd already have the backstory, or if it fits better after we already know Kosara. Either way, it's a fun short story. I don't think it's quite as standalone as others do, but it certainly answers some unresolved questions from the first book, and based on description, serves as a nice setup for the second.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enter the Slavic fantasy world with a short story!

Short story of glimpse into The Witch’s Compendium of Monsters series (duology and this is novella but spoiler free). A cheeky short story involving a card game between Kosara and Zmey.

Love that it’s 32 pages long but enough to pull you into the world.

Magic? Yes. From the short story Kosara is a witch that can control her shadow— very intrigued with this whole new sort of world building and super happy to have a taste by reading the short story first.

[Z. reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loveee Kosara and the Zmey so much. I wish this was a bit longer but I'll take what I am granted. He is obviously insane and terrifies her but the dynamic is so delicious, I want them to be endgame idc.

"Until, desperate and tired of being alone, she returned to him." INSANITYYY. HE WANTS HER TO BE AS MISERABLE AS HE IS

It was nice getting in the Zmey's head, I would like more of that. Also, he has a soft spot for cats? 🤧

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a short story on Tor/Reactor and got to say, I am compelled to pick up the main series! The worldbuilding introduced in the novella is unmatched, a season where monsters spill out of the sky into a walled city where witches can ward others or hole up and protect themselves? Add in a villainous love interest who is also draconic with a focus on games and I am fully in.

[1stTimeReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable short addition to Foul Days and I enjoyed we got a different POV in this chapter! I really hope Monstrous Nights has multiple POVs as well!
Subtracting a star only because it was so short - it would have worked well as a bonus chapter in the first book, but as a standalone story, I felt it could have done more to add to the lore/story.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little tale of a witch who is trying to hide from the Tsar of Monsters in a city. But when she is eventually discovered, she has no choice but to play a game of cards. However, this time, with some luck, she may be able to cheat to win and get away with it. But the deception may have a costly consequence in the future.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like a little flashback-stinger after the credits roll on book 1
Makes one wonder -- are we really done with the Zmey?


Also, Kosara is intelligent, talented, and gutsy -- and she has still ended up in abusive relationships.
I realize this issue is the nail to my professional hammer, but still. If I could give out reading assignments, and if I thought they would help...

[Ariana Copeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful!

Dimova has an incredible way of writing monsters and tension. This short story gives us the background between Kosara and the Zmey, and it’s just as intense as her book!

[Mella aka Maron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy read that gives insight into the card game between Kosara and the Zmey. I wanted to give this a read before reading the second book. It’s not necessary to read but it was fun to get back into the world!

[Marizabeth Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good short story giving more details about what happened between Kosara and the Zmey a year before Book 1. It includes the pov of the Zmey which gives more perspective on how he viewed Kosara and their relationship.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super short story about the year Kosara managed to cheat the Tsar of monsters at cards. While there wasn’t anything wrong with this story, I felt as if it could have fit into Foul days as a fully flushed out flashback and it would have been fine.

[aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful little tale set in the Witch's Compendium of Monsters series and finds Kosara playing a game of cards with extremely high stakes with the Tsar of monsters. A good, quick read if you like the series.

[Laura Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stupidly thought this was 2.5 not 1.5 and thought huh this would've been good before book 2 🤦🏻‍♀️. So I am adding a star because it would've been perfect intro of charter and story before second book.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting "prequel" to Foul Days - what really did happen during that card game with the Zmey?

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. Didn't really make me want to explore the world of the other books in the series, I don't think they are really for me.

[Tiffany Lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very quick read, tells you about the card game they play and how she was able to cheat to win a lock of his hair.

[Sabine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fun short story set in this world! I thought it was really interesting reading from the Zmey's POV.

[readundancies · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars