⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Absolutely Gripping — Scarlett St. Clair Delivers Again!

Terror at the Gates is a heart-pounding, emotionally charged masterpiece that had me hooked from page one. Scarlett St. Clair’s signature mix of lush world-building, dark romance, and fierce characters shines even brighter in this new book.

The stakes are higher than ever, and the tension never lets up. I was completely enthralled by the deepening relationships, the sharp dialogue, and the way the story explores themes of power, identity, and sacrifice. Every twist left me breathless, and the character development of Lilith was both powerful and raw.

St. Clair has a gift for weaving together beauty and brutality in a way that feels utterly unique. Her storytelling is cinematic and emotionally immersive, and I couldn’t stop thinking about this book long after I finished the last page.

If you’re into fantasy with edge, romance with real bite, and a heroine worth rooting for, Terror at the Gates is a must-read. I’m counting down the days until the next book!

This dark romance is a war cry wrapped in blood, magic, and defiance.

The FMC is done kneeling, she is rising from a toxic religion with fire in her veins and no one left to please but herself. She’s chaos and clarity, a storm dressed in scars, and absolutely unbreakable.

The MMC is a patriarch by blood, but her loyal sword in practice. He has perfected the “touch her and die” vibes, but bows to no one but her.

Their love doesn’t soften, it shatters, rebuilds, and conquers. For readers who crave power, passion, and a heroine who sets the damn world on fire.

4 ⭐️

As someone who are used to read Scarlett’s books (and adores every single one of them) I am biased, for sure, but this book was a must.

Just for the starters, considering how the human kind has been treating - more disregarding, tbh - women since the beginning of times something we can currently see it is more aggressive nowadays, reading books where a woman is worshipped by a man, respected, empowered even, is pure joy, a breath of fresh air.

In this book, the author gives us a portrait of how a patriarchal society works, how stratified is living in a world like that and how religion and mafia interests can relate and influence everything in their surroundings. Which makes us see the need of men to repress women behavior, their need to control them and that leads us to reflect about where their strength resides? Why do they have to blame women for everything they think is bad or wrong?! Something I absolutely adore about the book, same goes to the mythology and religious references throughout the whole story…it is awesome and so well written.

About the characters, Lilith is a force of nature, imo. No doubt an FMC that was born to be seen, heard and considered and that’s exactly what Zahariev, the MMC, does, perfectly! The tension between them and the way they talk to each other…grrrr…I mean how can we resist?! The slow-burn in here almost ki**ed me 🌶️ The way Zahariev worships Lilith…I have no words🖤 Also loved the friendship between Lilith and Coco and how Cherub “melted”, in a way, Lilith’s heart🐈‍⬛

If you like a story retelling, filled with mythology, with a very strong FMC, an MMC who worships the woman he loves, an empowerment dark urban fantasy, with a very noticeable critique to the relationships between religion and politics/governments, a portrait of the greed of the powerful men, then this is the book you’re looking for. Just please check the trigger warnings before you read and keep in mind that are very graphic scenes along the book. That being said I enjoyed every single time I spent reading the book and highly recommend it to everyone, if it pleases you. I can’t wait to read the next one🖤

Thank you very much to Scarlett St. Clair and NetGalley for giving me the access to the ARC

After a deceptively steady first forty per cent of trademark St Clair world‑building, Terror at the Gates swerves into the kind of mind‑fuck I haven’t felt since Amo Jones’s Elite Kings Club (My personal god tier).

It’s a bit of a setup, but stay with me: Imagine Jerusalem on the eve of Christ — religion rules it all, factional families running every corner of the economy, women reduced to property—then fast‑forward it to 2025, with tech and performative piety that makes the hypocrisy hit harder. The result is a neo‑noir city where “the garden of eden” and “Sinners row” cohabitate; if you binged Lucifer clear through the finale, it’s a very similar vibe of “it can’t be real but it really is”.

Lilith, the daughter of a Five Great Houses family, has spent two years surviving, stealing mostly, in Nineveh, which functions as a post-apocalyptic Vegas that exports sin. At the same time, it’s only there that Lilith can find a real family and the only person able to handle her, Zahariev Zareth, who also happens to be the great house head of the district. When she “obtains" a stolen relic dagger, its previous owner dies while a prophecy traps her on a path to revolt. It takes a little for all of it to come together. Still, the second half is pure fever‑dream, alliances spinning like a centrifuge, baseline realities mutating every chapter.

Through the plot, St Clair weaves major themes that run directly through the story. The religious practice in this world functions as both sacred texts and deadly weapons since one character notes, “They claim they were ‘divinely guided’ which is a funny way to say politically motivated.” In Hiram, shame functioned as the most powerful force because it served as a currency. The practice of signing over magic to husbands through dowry exists despite magic originating from women’s bloodlines. The Bible parallels in the Old Testament are numerous enough for theology enthusiasts to play a game of verse identification, but the mythological framework remains accessible to new readers.

The romance is a slow burn built on yearning and uncertainty: Zahariev never cages Lilith, only tracks her orbit. At one point, he murmurs, “Promise me something… If you ever feel like you don’t want to do this anymore, tell me. Give me the chance to bring you back,” and suddenly a morally‑grey fixer morphs into the new Rhys—dominance tempered with tenderness, knife‑edge devotion that never clips her wings.

I would say this is a "trust the process" book:
(1) the yearning sustains the romantic arc this book—and the series opener—needs;
(2) the biblical mirror keeps the critique legible even for casual readers; (3) the mafia‑slash‑magic cocktail feels fresh, skipping the entry barriers that stall many epic fantasies. Lilith herself stays gloriously true to myth—unhinged, shockingly sane and focused —and Zahariev’s “touch her and die” energy is balanced by a found‑family cast (plus Cherub the "pussycat"/ familiar/sidekick) that softens the edges without blunting them.

By the impossible-to-predict cliffhanger ending, I couldn't sleep, rereading the highlights like a maniac. St Clair baptises you in gasoline and whispers Strike the match. I’m already queued for book two.

If you thrive on slow‑burn frenemies‑to‑lovers, patriarchal takedowns, and turbo‑charged theology, read this before some would‑be prophet tries to ban it.

P.S. When I say “mind‑fuck book,” I mean a narrative that flings you through ever‑shifting allegiances, realities, and revelations until you’re dizzy, exhilarated, and dying for the next page. St Clair nails it. Now, cue every Lucifer parallel you can find and meet me at the altar of rage.

Plot wise, this was so interesting! It has been a while since I read something from Scarlett but every time she gets me hooked.
The ins and outs of the relation between Lilith and the church were so heart breaking and reading the author's note we get to see how much research went into this book - which is amazing!
The plot was really interesting and, although I liked Lilith more in the beginning of the book, I really enjoyed this read. My biggest problem with Lilith's attitude was regarding Zahariev, why was she so resistant to the idea that he could love her beyond friend territory? Yes, her father asked him to protect her and all that about the families, but it could happen regardless (and it did).
I won't be responsible for my actions if Scarlett turns Zahariev into a villain. He is too perfect.

𝕿𝖊𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖗 𝕬𝖙 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕲𝖆𝖙𝖊 by Scarlett St. Clair

This was sexy, dark, and phenomenal. I had a great time, I didn't want the fun to stop. We met Lilith a rebellious daughter of one of the five leading families in the city of Eden. She has been living in a different district under the watchful eye of Zahariev a head of his family house of Zareth. Zahariev is our mafia daddy, always looking out for Lilith and keeping her at arms length as she is forbidden fruit.

The flirtation and banter is perfect between these two. I absolutely loved the mini chapters of Zahariev POV! It was impactful despite being so short. The world that was created between the districts gives you a sin city meets dystopia mixed with religious overlords. The church holds all the power and wants to cleanse the family houses. The old gods have been locked behind gates giving the church more power to reign. But there is someone knocking at the gate. Will the gate open. Strange sightings, witches and Demons and even demon hunting come into play. This is a full packed adventure.

Also, this book made me cry....like had to get a kleenex box cry. I was so unprepared. It just hit. I can't wait for book 2 and see where this series goes!

Thank you again to Scarlett St. Clair and Netgalley and Bloom Books for this eARC!

Can we take a minute to talk about an absolute perfection that is Zahariev? That's how you write morally grey characters that are totally obsessed with their love interest - I was squealing during the short chapters from his POV (and I was totally screaming about him to my bestie). The book was enjoyable, and I inhaled it in two days. And I enjoyed the characters, Lilith and Zahariev, and the side characters as well (Coco was such a sweetheart!) - in this account, we are all about female rage. There were moments, though, when I was annoyed with Lilith, who was acting entitled and like she was doing everything on her own when in reality it wasn't the truth. The plot was interesting, though I was expecting something else, maybe something a bit more - not saying more because I don't want to spoil anything.

I enjoyed it; it was a quick and interesting read. Will read book two!

WAIT OK HI!! I LOVED THIS!

Scarlett St. Claire popped off with her writing in this one I swear. I ate it up. Urban fantasy vibes with magic, themes of religion and politics, a forbidden slow-burn, and an unknown terror waiting at the gates. And I'm still reeling from the ending.

THE MMC. He absolutely stormed his way onto my top fictional men list. And once you read this book....you'll see why.

"'𝑰 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍,' 𝑰 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆’𝒔. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆. 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆."

Also I said it before but I need to say it again. Women have magic and men don't!!! We love. The female rage seeping from this one was everything.

Started off strong and had me hooked on thinking it would be a 5 star until about 80%. After that things felt so rushed.

We had this incredibly hot back and forth, hot and cold tension filled romance building that kept me on the edge of my seat. When they finally act on it though it was anticlimactic. Like there was just a jump from this hot af building romance and then they were just together. There was no heartfelt conversations, or expression of feelings for eachother other than a few sweet words from Zahariev, and some inner thoughts of Lilith. The romance could have been so fucking good and so so hot with the incredible buildup but it just was rushed through at the end.

There was a ton of world building and explaining the religious aspects. But I feel that there major character development points that were just missed completely. And the relationship between Lilith and Zahariev needed to be more developed.

The plot had me hooked and I didn’t predict a single thing that came. It’s a such a unique story and still a very enjoyable read!!

Thank you Netgally for providing me with the advance reading copy.as one of my most anticipated books I am happy to say that this was a phenomenal experience. The writing the plot the pace of the book were amazing.

It has taken me several days to write this review. I have needed time to process.

This book was everything.

The plot was refreshing & unique, the world building was phenomenal & the characters were complex and intriguing.

Lilith & Zahariev’s tension 🥵 even the side character are incredible.

I need answers. I need justice. I need the next book.

If you want a book that screams feminine rage, pick this up!

THAT ENDING 👀

Oh this book was so good!! I love a badass woman who takes zero sh*t and Lilith was strong and fierce and I loved her as the FMC. She will burn the patriarchy to the ground and I was so here for it!!!!!

This book also feels very timely to me - it certainly touches on government and religion and how corruption can really bend and shape religion to a point where it no longer stands for what it claims to.

Lilith and Zahariev have this amazing chemistry and oh the tension and the banter!!!! He is all in for her!! I loved it! This is a slow burn so there isn’t a ton of spice…but the s

⚠️Be sure and check the content warnings!

✨What To Expect:
⚔️Dark Fantasy
🥀Neo-noir Mafia Vibes
💥Romantic Suspense
❤️‍🔥Frenemies to lovers
💋Feminine Rage
🖤He falls first
🔪Revenge
🔥slow burn
🥵All The Tension
🐈‍⬛Found Family
❤️‍🩹Emotional Trauma

I fell in love with Scarlett St. Claire, when I came across Hades and Persephone's series last year. So when I saw Terror At The Gates announced, I was so excited! The blurb for this book hooked me right away. I love Lilith's character. She is empowered and brave despite her upbringing and the family she comes from. The slow burn chemistry between her and Zahariev was perfection.
During the story, I just kept thinking that this poor girl had the absolute worst luck. People close to her were just dropping like flies. The book was slow for a few chapters, but I knew it was building up to something good. And BOOM! The end came, and I am shooketh!! I can't wait for book 2. Please tell me it's coming soon!

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC!

“I would go to war for you.” 😏

I was hooked from the beginning and listened to this all in one go! I didn’t want it to end!
This book made me smile, laugh and even cry!

It was SO good and I need more! I loved everything about it; the world, the characters and their relationships and the little cat!

The audiobook is dual narrated by Laura Horowitz and Tristan Warden. Laura narrated most of the book with Tristan narrating the end of each chapter, if I remember correctly. I’ve listened to Laura several times and really enjoy her narration! I think this is my first time listening to Tristan narrate so I will have to look into any other audiobook he may have narrated. They both did an amazing job!

This is definitely a new fave and I can’t wait for the rest of the series to be released so I can see where this story goes!

I 100000000% recommend this book!

Thank you again NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC!

3⭐️ thank you Bloom for the ARC!
🐍 Terror at the Gates is an urban romantasy, described as a feminist retelling of the biblical story of Lilith.
in this world, women are the only ones blessed with magic, but men use religion to overpower and oppress them.

this book follows our 2 main characters, Lilith Leviathan & Zahariev Zareth. (though it is mostly told through Lilith’s POV.)
the two of them meet yearssss before the book begins. it is obvious from chapter 1 that Lilith has a crush on Z and Z has a soft spot for her and even calls her “little love” .. but they are forbidden from exploring anything further because of his proximity to her father.
sooo much of their history is told to us through endless exposition which was repetitive and felt like a missed opportunity to see more organic romantic growth from them on-page. because of this, i did check out from the romance fairly quickly.

the religious persecution plot is really what had me turning page after page.
i appreciate how Scarlett St Clair gave us some in-your-face critiques about religion & patriarchy in this book with metaphors of how they harm women in our own society. the authors note was definitely the cherry on top. i think as far as retellings go, this was well researched & well done.
i also appreciated the feminist tone, even if it did fall flat or feel lost during certain moments. in fact, there were several scenes where it felt like Lilith was relying on men or Z specifically to save her from situations. (for example, when she was pleading for a job at the Praise club from Zahariev. Z even having a strip club at all.. didn’t feel feminist or really work for me.)

i do think the pacing was random throughout, certain scenes felt elongated and others chaotically quick. which had me struggling to pick it up during slower moments.

all in all, if the premise interests you, then id recommend picking it up!! but i dont think i will continue the series myself

This book is so powerful—not just fantasy, but a blend of politics and a critique of the system, religion, and patriarchy. All wrapped in mafia undertones and a Romeo-and-Juliet-style story.

Believe me when I say it’s a must-read you need to get to, no matter what.

YOOO THIS WAS WILD

I went into this book blind with no context & it sucked me in immediately. I read this in 3 sittings.

Interesting world building - I imagined almost like a Sin City type - with fast paced action, some mystery, & an MMC that had me barking like a dog (affectionate)

Highly recommend for paranormal romance lovers - this one has some fantasy elements but felt more in the same vein as other paranormals I’ve read. Highly highly recommend

St. Clair's new foray into romantasy is perfect for fans of the CRESCENT CITY series - modern weapons and technology in an epic battle against supernatural forces. Great tension between the FMC and MMC and sets up a compelling journey for future installments.

In a year stacked with incredible romantasy book 1s, this is my favorite read to-date.

Sexy, scary, emotional, cool AND heart wrenching. Market this book everywhere!! It has it all! Cannot wait for book 2.

Will spread the word myself :)

Scarlett has always been one of my favourite authors. Each new release packs a punch, and honestly, this one didn't miss either! It's full of femme rage & packed full of the themes I know and love. Lilith would be SO proud, and I think this is a beautiful way to show how religion, lore, and history always have multiple versions. I have my own fair share of religious trauma, and genuinely loved how this was written. <3

This is a romantasy with a few twists, and it's truly unique. I would highly recommend this as your next read if you're a romantasy lover.
This isn't just a love story, it's a reclaiming of power, a tango of spice & fear. And I ate every last crumb.

Please check the CW/TW before diving in as there are some dark/sensitive topics.

Bonus: chemistry was on point, memorable side characters & found family, fluid writing and great world building, and perfectly spicy!

I received an arc copy on Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review (thank you!!)

Note: A blog post will follow in the coming days as well