Due to the nature of the format, there will be spoilers.
MY RATING:
Synopsis:
After Mamnik, it’s Lehusa’s turn! Evil once again looms over the Tran-region village of Vrakola. This time, border police officer Bozhana Gorneva and her colleague Mitko must confront demons connected to an ancient temple-well and a newly discovered Thracian treasure. Their investigation will even lead them to the mysteries of the Strandzha Mountains. Helping them unravel the case is archaeologist Laura Kadurina, a friend of Bozhana’s from their university days. But is the shapeshifter still alive…?
- Pages: 452
- Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Thriller
- Publication date: April 10, 2025 by Storytel
- Format: Paperback, Storytel, Hardcover
- Source: Owned
REVIEW:
After the first book, Mamnik I was very excited to continue with this series. I was eager to find out what happens next and if we will see Lazar make a return. In this sequel, there are more mysteries to be unravelled and new monsters to be fought. It was interesting to read about the lehusas and all the other mythology and historical events. Not going to lie, it did feel like we were not following the same story as in the first book anymore. I still enjoyed this one, but was expecting the original idea to stick. We did not get any of this, but I was hopeful that the 3rd book would get back on track. Overall, it was a solid 4-star read for me.
MY RATING:
Synopsis:
Water shortages and devastating wildfires have gripped the Strandzha village of Usoe, where, despite the ongoing water crisis, the number of women found drowned continues to rise. In the third book set in the world of Mamnik, border police officer Bozhana Gorneva and her colleague Mitko must unravel the mystery surrounding the azhdar (a dragon-like creature from Balkan folklore) and the submerged Asklepieion—an ancient healing sanctuary—that remains at the bottom of the reservoir along with the former village of Karaevren. At the same time, Yavor, Bozhana’s son, must learn to control his powers. Assisting in his training will be the svyatocer Branimir Dragnev.
- Pages: 688
- Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Thriller
- Publication date: October 23, 2025 by Storytel
- Format: Paperback, Storytel, Hardcover
- Source: Owned
REVIEW:
Hmm, well, as I mentioned, I was hoping this one would be returning to the original plot, and we would see more of the shapeshifter because it felt like he would be returning again. Oh well, this did not happen either. This book was also very shocking when it comes to the sexual encounters with the dragon creature and all those girls. It was giving me such mixed and weird emotions. Not a fan of those parts, also this totally reads as a different book. Again, the story per se was OK, but I definitely was not expecting this, hence 3.5 stars.
MY RATING:
Synopsis:
The dragon smiled and continued:
“But look, little Yavor, I can give you something priceless. An egg that my Saint keeps in the Underworld…
Yavor had no idea what cursed egg the demon was talking about.
“It can bring your father back. Lazar Karaivanov. Isn’t that what your little heart longs for? For your daddy to come back to you and your mother!”
The demons that emerged from the Karaevren Reservoir and the submerged Asclepieion continue to torment the inhabitants of the Strandzha village of Usoe. Bozhana Gorneva is only now about to confront their true power as she seeks to avenge the death of her friend Laura Kadurina and protect her son from the dragon. To defeat his entire demonic host, she will have to dive into the past—where a border guard will come to her aid…
- Pages: 1342
- Genre: Fantasy/Horror/Thriller
- Publication date: June 3, 2026 by Storytel
- Format: Storytel
- Source: Owned
REVIEW:
I will try to be as concise as possible because this was not it! What on earth was this? It feels like with some series, usually the first book is not so good, but as you keep going, the books get better and better. Here we have the opposite effect. Each book in line gets worse, and I am very sorry to say this, because I loved Mamnik and feel it should have been a standalone. And the rest of the books are a completely separate series, because they have nothing in common story-wise.
The characters are the same with some additions and subtractions here and there, but the plot, the story, the original idea has gone down the drain. From mamnik and lehusas we went to dragons sleeping with women, to a vitek, to a submerged village, to the thracians, to poisoned waters, to immigrants, to politics, to Iraq, and so on and so forth. I don’t have the time to count everything we went through with this final book.
I am so disappointed and mad about it. I am still traumatised by the vivid descriptions of how the Ottomans were killing the babies and all the other gory details. Which is fine to mention, but we spend way too much time on this.
I will end it here, my rating is 3 stars because I can acknowledge that there was a lot of research done.
In conclusion, I would still recommend this series because, as a whole, it incorporates our Bulgarian culture, traditions, folklore, and contemporary issues and topics. It still is a good series to consider, however, keep in mind that it feels all over the place, and it is not consistent with the original idea. Which is a shame because I still am thinking about the 1st book.
Lin's Perspective 
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