It’s pains me so deeply to say this is not what I expected, and not her best work in my opinion, after hearing so many reviews saying it was.
I was not into it at all at first, but I stopped reading it for a few days and came back with an open mind to finish it. I will say that I began to enjoy it more after that. I can see the potential this series has for sure!
I think my initial hesitation towards it was due to not understanding the theme of the book. After thinking about it, I feel like this book would be great for individuals who loved the show Supernatural! This books feels like a mix of that and modernized religious world.
I did love the hidden feelings that Z had towards Lilith. I loved that he was there to protect her and that everyone in his world knew it even when she did not. I think this developing connection between them really helped keep me invested in this book, but that is a personal opinion.

“when have I ever not chosen you?”

This is the female rage we deserve! And that ending?! I did NOT see that coming at all and I need book two yesterday.

This book took me by surprise in the best possible way. It’s not just a gripping, fast-paced, and undeniably steamy story (because OH MY GOD IT IS), but it’s also a razor-sharp critique of institutionalized misogyny, particularly within the church. And it doesn't preach; it exposes.
I deeply appreciated how St. Clair didn't shy away from calling out the centuries of patriarchal control disguised as doctrine. The religious overtones, rather than being a backdrop, became a battleground for power, autonomy, and female liberation. The way the narrative unflinchingly spotlighted the ways women have been silenced, shamed, and subjugated in the name of faith was both bold and necessary and it was done without ever derailing the plot. Trust me, the plot was PLOTTING and I could not put it down!
This wasn’t a heavy-handed manifesto, though. It was the page-turning story we have grown to know and love from Scarlett St. Clair rich with tension, romance, and heat. Lilith was fierce yet flawed, the stakes were high, and the chemistry between her and Zahariev? You could cut the tension with a knife. But underneath the steam and the twists was a powerful undercurrent of truth: that questioning oppressive structures is not blasphemy: it’s survival.
I came for the intrigue and the seduction, but I stayed for the commentary that lingered long after I turned the last page. This book is fire in every sense of the word, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next installment of The Blood of Lilith series.

Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Scarlett St. Clair delivers another hauntingly seductive installment in her series with Terror at the Gates — a gripping blend of dark fantasy, mythology, romance, and rebellion that will leave your heart pounding and your soul screaming for more.

Set in a world brimming with divine politics, ancient magic, and forbidden love, this book raises the stakes from page one. The tension is thicker, the enemies are deadlier, and the romance is more intense than ever. You don’t just read this story — you feel it in your bones.

💔 Angst? Yes.
🔥 Steam? Oh, absolutely.
⚔️ Betrayal, bloodshed, gods, and war? Buckle up.

The heroine shines in her defiance and vulnerability, navigating a path lined with impossible choices. And the romantic tension? Let’s just say: when love is dangerous, it’s also dangerously addictive. St. Clair has a way of making every stolen moment feel like it could be their last — and that’s exactly what keeps you turning the pages long past midnight.

With lyrical prose, rich worldbuilding, and gut-punch twists, Terror at the Gates cements Scarlett St. Clair as a queen of dark romantic fantasy.

Final Verdict: 4/5
This book is sinful, tragic, magical, and powerful — a story of love and war that claws its way under your skin and refuses to let go. Read it. Obsess over it. Then prepare yourself for the next storm.

4.5⭐️

Dark, gritty, sexy, and powerful. A feminine rage anthem I want to blast on repeat.

I loved the setting, atmosphere, and vibes. An urban fantasy with mafia politics steeped in religious patriarchy. The dark underbelly of the city was juxtaposed with the pomp and opulence of the ruling families, creating an intriguing tension throughout. I loved how the cities were divided and felt it perfectly set and held the vibe of the book.

Lilith is absolutely my girl and seeing her arc carried so many emotions for me. I adored Zarahiev- he perfectly blended so many traits from protective to empowering, dominant to tender, sexy to, well, sexy! And Cherub, sweet baby, I love a good animal companion!

The religious hypocrisy and patriarchal indoctrination were both enraging and satisfying to see on page. I found myself talking about this book to anyone who would listen because, while within a fantasy setting, it it was still so real and visceral to so many experiences. That being said, it was still an engaging plot and had many healing moments throughout, so I didn’t leave feeling distraught or discouraged.

My critiques are minor. I would have loved a bit more backstory and interaction with some of the side characters. I also felt myself wanting a bit more with some of the world features and aspects introduced. I don’t often say this- but I felt like it could have been longer!

Overall, this book was wonderful. I was so impressed by the depth of characters and the thoughtful commentary on religion and patriarchal oppression. It was also fun, mysterious, tense and twisty!! Thank you so much to Scarlett St. Clair, Bloom Books and NetGalley for an eARC! It was my pleasure to provide an honest review!

I thought this book was going to be different than what it ended up being. And it seems from reading other people’s reviews I’m not alone.
I thought it was going to lean more neo-noir, mafia paranormal fantasy type vibes but instead it got heavily into commenting on religion and the resulting trauma (nothing wrong with that - love books with this!) I just was not expecting the vibes to lean heavily in that direction.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

this was fun!! I was worried about all the biblical references but honestly it just felt like names and nothing truly biblical so it was more of the magic system having names that were biblical. loved the urban fantasy vibe and the love story. loved the ending and can't wait for the series to continue!!

I need book two now !

First of all, the cover is absolutely stunning. I'm obsessed. The characters are so endearing, and I loved getting a glimpse into Zahriev’s point of view. His name is so unique, it really stands out from the usual ones we see, and honestly ? He might just be my next book boyfriend…

I don’t usually read much YA, but this story has definitely piqued my curiosity for what’s coming next. The book is told about 80% from Lilith’s perspective, with the remaining chapters giving us insight into the male lead and I really enjoyed that balance.

Can’t wait to dive into the sequel !

Ever since “Hazin Hotel” blew up last year a book about Lilith was right up my alley. Scarlett St.Clair’s Hades and Persephone books always gave me what I wanted. As every person who was a kid in early 2000, obessed with mythology. But this Lilith and Zahariev is an untapped genre and I was HERE for it. I felt like I was reading higher level mythology. This book has St. Clair’s romance hits but also had a darker glitzy tone I was obsessed with. The uniqueness of the plot is what just made this book explosive.

10/10 no notes! I loved every single second of this book. Scarlett St Clair has a way of making you fall head over heels in love with her characters, even the morally grey ones. I love the world building also. The romance and spice also SLAPPED.

I'm giving this a 4, though I did sadly have to DNF it. I have a similar name to the main character and share all of my nicknames with her, and because of that every time her name was mentioned I was pulled out of the story. BUT I loved the plot and the characters and am very sad that I wasn't able to finish it. I hope to return to it in the future and hopefully have a better frame of mind to finish it in.

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️
Spice: 3.5/5 🌶️

Lilith has spent her entire life under the thumb of her parents and the oppressive system they serve. Desperate for freedom, she escapes Hiram and flees to Nineveh, where she finds refuge under Zahariev—one of the powerful heads of the Five Families. For two years, Lilith carves out a life for herself, using her powers to steal and sell holy relics. But when she unknowingly takes a cursed dagger, everything changes—and the consequences ripple far beyond what she ever imagined.

Zahariev is peak “touch her and d!e” energy—intimidating, sharp, and stone-cold around everyone else... except Lilith. With her, we see cracks in the armor. He’s tender, quietly protective, and the softness he shows her absolutely melted me. And when Lilith’s world starts to crumble around her he just knows what to do in that moment without her even asking. Scarlett St. Clair has always written standout male leads, but Zahariev might be one of her best yet. He’s the kind of character who says everything without saying a word. I especially loved the bonus glimpses into his POV at the end of each chapter.

Terror at the Gates feels like a bold, refreshing step in a new direction for Scarlett St. Clair. While still delivering her signature romance and strong mythology, this book stands on its own with a darker, grittier tone and an addictive urban fantasy edge. The slow burn? Excruciating—in the best way possible.

As someone who fell in love with Scarlett’s Hades & Persephone series back in 2020, getting to read an ARC of this was surreal and an amazing experience. Thank you so much to Scarlett, NetGalley and Bloom Books for providing me with an e-ARC copy.

Unfortunately, this was a bit of a let down. The premise was cool and I think it had a ton of potential but it just never got there for me. Lilith had powers that dealt with attraction and literally only used them in the first 20% of the book, then it felt like they were forgotten. I felt like there was a lack of development with any of her close friends and we were just plopped right in the middle of things and expected to care about them when tragedy struck. There was just lack of relationship development all around. It took WAY TOO LONG to get to anything exciting and the cliffhanger at the end was kind of predictable and anti-climatic. I will likely give book two a chance, but if it doesn’t hook me right away I will probably DNF the series.

Thanks to Sourcebooks/Bloom for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review! Terror at the Gates was a wild ride from the jump - I so loved getting immersed in this world and its magic and the instant chemistry between Lilith and Zahariev. There's so much to love here - a survivor heroine who is determined to do things her way, a lot of mystery to keep the plot moving, action and magic and monsters to deepen the lore, and sparks that burn hot between the two main characters. In Terror at the Gates, you can see the foundation for a series, but the book still has a satisfying arc itself and I found myself feeling so much the whole time - sometimes anger, sometimes sadness, sometimes delight, sometimes shock. I couldn't put this down and I can't wait to see where this story goes next!

I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the worldbuilding and the plot of religious propaganda and feminism. I was also incredibly intrigued by the mystery of everything. My biggest complaint was the lack of character development. as hot as Zahariev is, I felt like we barely knew anything about him and his character besides him being hot and protective. It also reflected on other characters and made it hard for me to get attached to them. But otherwise, this was a fun ride and i had a good time!

Amazing as usual! I'm not surprised I loved this one, Scarlett St. Clair is one of my insta buy authors. It doesn't matter what she writes about I'm going to read it. This one felt extra special though, knowing that it's Scarlett's favorite book she's written. Of course I purchased a trophy copy for my shelf as well!

Okay, I really liked this one! It was sexy, magical, and mysterious. The FMC is a spitfire and a lot to handle, but I mean, it’s totally justified. She’s an FMC that doesn’t take crap from anyone. The MMC is the definition of a mystery man. I love that we get small POVs to clue us in on what he’s thinking. If we didn’t, I probably wouldn’t even have guessed he’s the MMC. There’s so much tension and the banter is bantering throughout the whole book.

The books leaves us with so many unanswered questions and makes me want book 2 asap. Oh, and it almost made me cry! I should’ve seen it coming with all the hyping up going on. I will definitely be continuing the series to see what happens next!

This was closer to 3.5 stars for me. It was a hard to follow for a bit and the demons were actually flubber. I am intrigued to find out what happens next.

Oh man, waiting for this next book to arrive will be hard. I was not expecting that ending. I highlighted so many great quotes from Zahariev because he is the epitome of “I’d let the world burn for you.” This book is super dark. Read your trigger warnings and be prepared for an emotional roller coaster.

Feminine rage and religious fanaticism. Nothing could describe this book more accurately. The religious justification of repressing women and minimizing them to nothing more than objects to be used and controlled by “good faithful” men was abhorrent and yet poignant, especially with the current climate and the supposed “male loneliness epidemic.” The plot twists at the end were both diabolical and unexpected. And that cliffhanger at the end was pretty freaking rude, because now I have to wait for the sequel to answer all of my unanswered questions.

Scarlett St. Clair remains one of my favorite authors! Terror at the Gates was a departure from her other series, and it was an amazing read! Lilith was exactly the strong yet vulnerable FMC I enjoy reading. And Zahariev was swoon worthy. the relationship development in such a dark setting is a sign of Scarlett St. Clair's talent. I don't often reach for stories where religion takes center stage but Terror at the Gates makes it work. I'm dying to read the next installment!