Well, this was spectacular. 😩

Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair is the first in her new urban fantasy romance series: a feminist reimagining of the story of Lilith.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝.
𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬.
𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.

I loved everything about this book: the gritty, industrial setting, the world building and magic system, the bold characters, compelling mystery... and of course, the decadent slow burn that had me by the throat. I took my time reading but only because life's demands kept me away. When I wasn't reading it, I was craving it.

I adore Lilith. She wears her heart on her sleeve and doesn't bow to anyone, and in a world such as Eden and especially as the daughter of a leading family, this is rather problematic. She is impulsive and stubborn, naive and even petulant at times... but her heart and history allowed me to empathize with her and root for her. In my opinion, she is a realistically flawed female character and we need more of this kind of representation in romance. I can't wait to see how she evolves.

The structure of this book is really unique and impactful. It mostly features Lilith's perspective, but each chapter is followed by a little glimpse into Zarariev's. I love how this allowed me to learn so much about Zahariev while the focus remained on Lilith. This is her story, after all.

“𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐭,” …
“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝.

And Zahariev Zareth. Where do I start? He is a man devoted. Damn, Scarlett knows what she is doing. Zahariev has joined my list of all time top book boyfriends. He had me absolutely blushing and swooning and melting every step of the way.

The mystery, suspense and action in this book is also noteworthy. I was gripped by the mystery and the action-heavy scenes were so intense and cinematic!

I won't lie, the cliffhanger is pretty intense and cruel and has left me absolutely feverish for the next book. I might succumb to madness while I wait. Worth it, though. Thank you so much to Scarlett St. Clair, NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy.

I am saying right now that this book is going to reset the bar for dark fantasy/urban romance - this story is unique, it is engaging, you will be hard-pressed to put it down once you start.. many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing a copy of this book ahead of release.

First things first: check the content warnings, friends. There are some heavy subjects broached here and they are listed at the beginning of the book (and I expect eventually on the author's website where she has her other CWs listed).

There are elements of a mafia-styled patriarchy which governs the lessening hierarchy of the world, wholly supported by the religious organization that acts as the ultimate authority on things social and moral.. including the restriction of women and the innate magic they are born with. In this reader's opinion, the handling of religious trauma is raw, vulnerable, and honors the experience of many people who suffered at the hands of organized religion.

Lilith's life of pseudo-freedom is existing on borrowed time; as the daughter of one of the ruling families she has duties to fulfill and a rebellious streak that must be snuffed out indefinitely. As the walls close in around her, she begins to witness things that have her realizing that there is something more than just a corrupt leader meddling with things in Hiram. Her dynamic with her protector, Zahariev, encapsulates one of the best angsty, tension-riddled, back-and-forth relationships of any couple I've read in ages.

If you like:
- books that suck you in with the level of frustration experienced by the FMC within the first chapter (trust me, you're gonna be ready to b*rn it all down before you get 10% in lol)
- characters that jump head-first into their morally questionable inclinations and yet still manage to honor a code of honor that protects those who need it most
- unraveling a mystery that involves a heretical legend, a mysterious relic, and unlikely allies..
.. you're going to consume this book. I cannot wait to see where we go from here and I absolutely loved it!

Scarlett St. Clair is my favorite author for a reason—her meticulous attention to detail and extensive research shine through in every page.

I highly recommend this book, giving it five stars.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you enjoy urban fantasy with a strong, fierce female protagonist and a steamy male protagonist, this is the book for you.

The emotional depth of this book is heart-wrenching. It’s unsettling to realize how relatable those words could be to someone who has experienced loss firsthand. Only someone who has known the pain of loss can write such a profound story.

I had a slight concern about the faith element, as I’m new to faith and wondered if it might be too much for me. However, Scarlett delivers a well-crafted story that is definitely worth reading. Just be prepared to read the trigger warnings.

I finished this book a few days ago and have been sitting with it in my heart. Holding space, if you will. I am a big fan of Scarlett's writing, and this book was a standout. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I read when I really should not have been reading. I found myself dreaming about it. I was never pulled out of the story by anything. Not once.

If you loved her HadesXPersephone series, I really believe you will enjoy and love this book as well. It is not the same but it has some of the same energy. It gave me the same feelings that I got from the other series. I wasn't sure if Fantasy Mafia Romance was going to be for me, but it 100% is. Apparently, it's exactly what I needed in my life right now. I've always loved the "touch her and die" and "who did this to you" but mafia didn't always work for me. This works for me.

Terror at the Gates has some of my all-time favorite tropes, and they're done just so well. The romance is slow burn, he falls (HARD) first (and it's SO obvious), friends to lovers (this might be a new fav for me?). But the plot? Amazing. The inner workings of this world, the political intrigue, the what is going on and how are we going to manage and survive and fix it is just top tier. The slow burn romance aspects were fantastic, but the plot kept me. I had to know what was going on, how they were going to handle it, what is happening??

The religious aspects/inspiration was a nice addition. I often struggle with that being incorporated when it's not done "right" but this was done really well.

Honestly, this book is going in my top recs for 2025. I cannot wait to see where this story goes and how many books we get.

Holy moly I'm obsessed!!!! This book made me feel like how I did while reading A Touch of Darkness; like I'd found my new favorite book.

Terror at the Gates is so unique, fun, and full of captivating characters. Lilith is my queen. She's bratty but also a big softie. She wants to fight for what's right but isn't at full female warrior mode yet. It was refreshing. And Zahariev?! He's a dream man. He's pretty chill but don't mess with his woman or else. These two were the perfect combination. Their chemistry was electric and I devoured all their little moments. "I got you" moments like come on! I can only handle so much goodness haha. These two will steal your heart with their soft moments then set you on fire with their steamy ones. I couldn't get enough of these two.

The pacing and plot are a little slow moving at first, which is understandable since this seems like a first in a series. The pacing does pick up and once that happens you can't put this down.

The dialogue was so darn good too! I highlighted so much.

Cannot wait for the next one (fingers crossed)! Would highly recommend.

I had a difficult time getting through this one. I started out reading the eARC but was so bored I switched to the audiobook after I was approved for the ALC. It’s better than reading it in that it held my attention more than reading it but I still wasn’t too into it. It felt like a bit of a slog to get through with little plot and an FMC who became annoying to the point of being unbearable.
Lilith is constantly complaining about being treated like a child and a spoiled brat while acting like said child and spoiled brat, justifying everyone’s feelings of her. It’s constantly a push and pull between Lilith and Zahariev with zero chemistry between them and him just chasing her like a little child that she acts like.

The plot here also wasn’t interesting enough for me to overlook not liking the FMC and barely tolerating the MMC. It honestly just feels like it’s setting up for the next book with most of the good stuff happening in the last few chapters. The ending still wasn’t good enough to justify the lack of plot and unlikable main characters. I will probably not be continuing this series.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5

Overall good story
Grief, love, magic, demons, death.

As I continued to read this book I felt so familiarized with Liliths mom being “the church above all else. What will the church/people will think?. I did not raised you to be like this” mentality and dang that hit home.

I also recently watched Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and idk if it was Mormon based (I am Catholic and can resonate with a lot of what Scarlett wrote as well) but the fact that I saw a lot of similarities with the way this characters were written to always delegate to the husband even though the women have the power was very much the same as the Hulu Reality Show.

This is without a doubt a Scarlett St Claire book!!!! I always wanna shake the FMCs.
Besides the fact that I wanted to shake the FMC sooooooo much I loves the story; I loved the twist to the original story! I loved the references with the “church” story but Scarlett changed it for the better.

“Religion bred hostility, specifically towards women”
“We were not responsible for lust in men. We existed and they desired”
“Sometimes that desire was mutual. Sometimes it wasn’t, but men had a hard time wrapping their d!ks around the word no, and since our world valued them more, we were the ones that suffered”

🥀His brows lowered, his eyes a little angry. “You are so quick to jump to the conclusion that I am not on your side. When have I not chosen you?”🥀

Y'all!🥹 I just finished Terror At The Gates in the early morning hours, and I need everyone to know how obsessed I am with this book! The story just grabs you in a chokehold and won't let go, and the characters?! The characters are some of my favorites, ever. Let's start with the side characters. I've always had a thing for a good side character, but never like in this story. Scarlett makes you fall in love with each and every person that loves Lilith in this book. You feel like part of their family, and when they hurt, you do. And boy did it hurt at times- Scarlett delivered such an impactful story that was deep, raw, and really, really meaningful to me. Because as much as it hurt, it healed. This book did so many things for the angry feminist in me, for the rage I feel daily in our nation and world. Lilith made me feel seen. And for Z to love her and see her? Well that just made the story that much better. Y'all this man was ON HIS KNEES for our girl. It was so, so good. (And HOT. Y'all. Seriously. Where can I find my own Zahariev Zareth? Asking for a friend, ofc).

I haven't read a book that had this kind of tension and chemistry in a long while. The rage, the love, the joy, the pain- Scarlett nailed it all. My favorite of hers to date. Make sure you don't miss this one❤️🖤

●What you can expect from Scarlett's best book yet:
🩸 Lilith vibes
󰴛 Urban Fantasy
🔥 Slow Burn, He Falls First
⚔️ Frenemies-to-Lovers
🌆 Noir/Sin City Vibes
⛪ Religious Corruption & Rebellion
💔 Female Rage, Trauma, & Healing
👁 Morally Gray Protector MMC


Thank you to Scarlett, Bloom, and Netgalley for the e-ARC. I am eternally grateful for this opportunity 🫶

This started out strongly, a nice setup between the FMC and MMC, but then started to fizzle a bit towards the middle. I found my attention waning as I was hoping for more of a build of their relationship, stronger interaction, something on top of the rest of the story happening, which unfortunately didn't hold my attention as much. Their relationship kinda disappeared for a while, and I felt a bit like I was reading a different story than what I had started with. The supernatural elements were interesting, and I am curious to see where the story goes with that in the rest of this series.

Oh. My. Gooooods. I'm obsessed with this! I went in with no expectations and this exceeded everything. I love Lilith and Zahariev so much. And all the side characters? Amazing as well. I would have like a tiny bit more world building in the fact of how the families worked but I'm hoping it'll build in future books. I loved how we only got a bit of Zahariev's POV at the very end of chapter. I seriously cannot wait for the next book.

Ya’ll, that ending… wow! Beware, it’s a bit of a doozy and we have to wait for the sequel.

Lilith flees her family for Nineveh, the district devoted to sin, where she makes her living inciting lust and stealing. When she steals a dagger that is more than it seems, she turns to Zahariev, the ruler of the district, for support.

I’ve read St Clair before and enjoyed the Hades X Persephone books, but nothing prepared me for how much I would enjoy this biblically inspired take on Lilith and Z’s love. Both are modern stories based in religion, but this one seems so much more mature. The writing is tight and although this is slow-paced, the narrative consistently moves forward.

Lilith can be a little frustrating, but her backstory really guides her actions. Constantly abused for refusing to accept her assigned role, told to shine less for being female and just desperate for love and family - she finds all that and more in Nineveh. Lilith and Z have an amazing amount of chemistry and the slow build up of their relationship absolutely steams the windows up. He’s so patient, so in charge, and so willing to let her soar and own her own power.

The world building is good, but I’m going to need more details of the Order of the Serpent, the demons, the Gods(?) under the mountain as we move forward in the series. I’m ok with not knowing this info yet. Lilith and I will find out more together.

Triggers to watch:
Religious trauma
Parental abandonment
Past abuse (physical, sexual and emotional, not shown)

Thanks to much to the author, NetGalley and Sourcebooks/Bloom for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

I love anything Scarlett St. Clair writes, so I was super happy to get my hands on this one. The beginning started a little slow for me, but I liked how the story progressed. I appreciated that the story was told from Lilith's perspective, and I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling. It was dark and sensual, with just enough mystery to leave you wondering what will happen next. I also enjoyed the tension between Lilith and Zahariev. I was waiting for them to recognize their chemistry, and when they finally did, it was oh-so-spicy! I know book one isn't even out yet, but I desperately need the next one after that cliffhanger. I'm also curious to learn more about some of the characters here and how they'll fit into the overarching narrative. Thank you to Bloom for providing me with an ARC to read and review!

I cannot believe what I just read. Terror at the gates is probably going to be one of my favorite books of 2025. This book was absolutely unique and thrilling. The chemistry was organic and just absolutely breathtaking. Terror at the Gates is absolutely intoxicating fantasy that will absolutely grip you on the first page and not let go. What an explosive first book.

St. Clair has wasted no time immersing us in phenomenal world building, intricate characters, and dangerous politics where you will be surprised by multiple twists throughout the book. Our FMC, Lilith is strong, fierce and just fearlessly herself. Our MMC, Zahariev is protective, morally gray in his own way, and diabolically handsome. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

The slow-burn the tension both in the romantic sense and the story building will have you turning the pages late into the night. Every chapter ramps up the stakes, and by the final pages, I was begging for more. LITERALLY.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

LOVE LOVE LOVE. Scarlett does it again. The way she draws you in builds everything up tear you down and pick you right back up in her books has always been my favorite. If you loved the Hades&Persephone series ir even Adrian&Isolde's story you will love this.

Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair

Yes, I am definitely loving this new series!

The plot - I was immediately sucked in
The MMC - is doing all the right protective obsessive things, while being super tall and hot
The FMC - Is a tad crazy and I love her for it

Lilith keeps doing things to put herself in danger and Zahariev is over here shaking his head like here we go again. Heaven help anyone who looks at her wrong because she is his soft spot.

The first 80% the book feels plot forward and then you get thrown spice after spice at the end. Followed by a tad more plot to give you a nice cliffhanger. Check your triggers there’s a specific moment in here that may trigger some emotionally (not a spicy trigger) Can’t wait to continue the series when book 2 comes out. Book 1 arrives July 8th! Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC.

If you loved Crescent City or City of Gods and Monsters then I think this will be your vibes

Urban Fantasy
Powerful FMC
Swoonworthy morally grey MMC
Spice
Literally what more could you want or need from a book??

I've been reading Scarlett for years now and can honestly say this is her best work yet. You can't help but want to be these characters and frankly in today's world, Lilith's anger feels a bit too relatable. What I loved about the story was not just the character development or world building, but that you have all that great stuff with Scarlett's touch of Myth and research. Seeing the influences being pulled from a lot of places was so fun and her intentionality of how it impacts characters and plot is just divine. Already itching for the next book!

Thanks to Netgally, Scarlett, Bloom and Sourcebooks for this eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

ARC read in exchange for an honest review

Should start off by saying that I didn't realise until I got to the end of the book and reading the authors note that this was a retelling. I have not heard of the character of Lilith before in history, that's on me.

Now to the book. An urban fantasy setting where society is heavily influenced by a patriarchal religion. fmc Lilith is a rebel and non conforming and wants an end to the higher powers that have caused a lot of problems in her life

I didn't really get this book, it really felt like something was missing. the pacing was very slow with a lot of info dumping at the start and then lots of repetition throughout. woven through the story line was a romance that was disguised as a slow burn but really went from 0-100 with then a couple of chapters of smut and not much else.

this was described as being a feminist read but I didn't really get that. I felt like I needed more detail about the fmcs struggles being a female aside from just letting the reader know she had been SA'd in the past (check trigger warnings). I think some things just needed fleshing out a bit more.

I enjoyed the relationships between the main characters and the side characters, and of course, Cherub the cat.

it's a shame because I was enjoying the setting and the world, which kept the book going for me but ultimately I'm not chomping at the bit for the second book and if someone asked me if I would recommend this, I'd have to say no.

I cannot wait for the next in this series. Sensual, TONS of chemistry, and a little spice...along with a good dose of history and angst. St. Clair is the BEST at bringing the past to the present.

Really interesting book. I like that the setting/names/etc are all rooted in biblical names. The corruption of a religious group is also prevalent, and fitting. LOVE the MMC (whew!). Additionally, this story has a dark mafia vibe that is definitely working for it. I will be reading more in this series for sure

⭐️: 4/5
🌶️: 3.5/5
Genre: Romantasy

Scarlett St. Clair has done it again! Another absolutely enthralling romantasy world that I hate to have to leave while waiting for the next book!

And let’s talk about Zahariev, because wow he’s a new Top 10 MMC for me! All of his silent pining and protection is just so swoon worthy!

I just loved this world. There were moments at the beginning where the forced religiousness/Lilith’s rebelliousness were kind of annoying, but it completely makes sense in the world. The sexism and religious power is appalling

I simultaneously love and hate the blobs 😂 are they blobs? Demons? Aliens? I need more info

I know this book isn’t even out yet, but I’m already so excited for the next book in the series!