Urban fantasy myth retelling with claws, sass, and a side of righteous fury.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book said equal rights for all and emotional damage for me, and I couldn’t be more on board. A bold, modern retelling of Lilith’s story, soaked in myth, power, and just the right amount of rage. Some are calling it feminist—I’d say it’s more of an equalist mic drop. All we want are basic human rights, babe.

✨ If you liked Bryce Quinlan from Crescent City, welcome to your new obsession.
Lilith is a rich girl with real problems (read: trauma and an aversion to feelings). She’d rather fight demons than talk about her emotions—and honestly, I respect it. But when it counts? She shows up. Vulnerable, fierce, messy… perfection.

And Zahariev? Oh, we’re OBSESSED. Morally grey, emotionally loyal, mafia-adjacent vibes with just enough fire to scorch the earth for her. A top-tier book husband. No notes. 🔥

🎧 Audiobook lovers, this one hits.
Laura Horowitz is Lilith. If you’ve heard her as Lady of Shadows, you already know the vibe: confident, intense, and emotionally layered in all the right ways. The pacing of the story is chef’s kiss—slow-burn in all the best ways, with a payoff that absolutely delivers. Perfect for a binge listen.

💥 Tropes we’re devouring
• Forbidden romance
• Friends to lovers
• Found family
• Emotional wreckage
• Down with the patriarchy vibes™

Scarlett, ma’am, where is book two? I’m not well.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read anything by Scarlett St. Claire because I've heard her Hades and Persephone series is quite spice ridden. I tried this one just to see if the plot would at least be interesting enough to make up for any spice, and it was an ok read. The characters are interesting, and the plot was engaging enough to keep me going. I was surprised that the spice didn't really come up till the end, and it was short enough to skip through without taking out much from the plot. I did love the fact that Lilith has a familiar, and it's super cute.

I wish there was more development in the world building as there was essentially none. Also, I wish there could have been a little more development of the relationship between Lilith and Zahariev, but at least we did get some background on their relationship. I think if you like St. Clair's work, you'll enjoy this. However, I'm in no rush to pick up another book from her.

I loved the dark Noir vibes that this book gave, and I felt like it was so unique compared to other fantasies I’ve been seeing lately. Something I really enjoyed Scarlett St. Clair doing in this book is having the snippets of the MMC POV at the end of each chapter. I’ve never read a book with that set up, and I loved it!

Especially as someone who isn’t crazy about dual POV, I loved getting just enough to know what’s going through the MMC’s head. The yearning and slow burn in this was amazing!

The only reason why this wasn’t a five star read for me, was because I think I wanted a bit more world building and set up. There were also a few plot points that felt unfinished or unexplored. For example, there’s multiple moments surrounding Lilith dancing at Zahariev’s club and then it was just dropped.

I think this was still a solid start to a new series and I’m excited to see where it goes! The audiobook was great. Laura Horowitz really fit Lilith’s personality! I also really liked Tristan Warden’s voice for Zahariev, I just wasn’t crazy about how he narrated the other characters. It felt very different from the personality Laura gave those same characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for an Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I asked for the ALC cause I was really curious about the book- I kept hearing people talk about it and I actually ended up enjoying this a lot.

I also think I wouldn’t have liked it as much if it weren’t for the narration. I loved it, especially the female narrator, who covers about 80% of the book. The male narrator only pops in at the end of each chapter, but he was solid too.

This book tackles some heavy topics like sexual abuse, domestic abuse and religious extremes so definitely check the trigger warnings before diving in.

Lilith runs away from her powerful family and ends up in Nineveh—a wild, sinful district where she survives by stealing. But when she swipes a mysterious dagger, things spiral fast. The weapon is way more dangerous than she expected, leaving chaos in its wake. Desperate, she turns to Zahariev, the ruler of Nineveh—and the one person who’s always had her back. As they dig into the dagger’s secrets, their bond starts to shift into something deeper... even if it’s totally forbidden.

I loved Lillith and Zahariev's relationship and found myself rooting for them.

Also, can't we talk about that cliffhanger? 🤯 can we get book two, like, tomorrow?? 🤞

Thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia for a copy of this ALC in exchange for an honest review!

A mafia dark romantasy set against some smash the patriarchy with a strong female lead

Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 12 hours and 57 minutes
🎤: Tristan Warden, Laura Horowitz
Publisher: Recorded Books
Format: Dual Narration
The audiobook was very well done overall. Whole the book was mainly done through Lilith's POV, there were occasional excerpts from Zahariev's point of view. That didn't totally work for me because it felt very daring after being in one POV for so long. But it was nice to get the occasional idea of what he was thinking as a character.

Themes:
🩸: Smash the patriarchy
🩸: Down with organized religion
🩸: A Reimagined Eden

Representation:
🪽: Strong female lead
🪽: SA Survivor

Tropes:
💗: Frienamies to Lovers
💗: Slow burn
💗: He falls first

🥵: Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️
Potential Triggers: SA, religious fundamentalism **check authors page/socials for full list.

Short Synopsis:
Lilith has been living her life estranged from her parents and doing what she wants. Which is namely, using her magic to seduce and steal from men. But when she takes possession of a mysterious dagger that has serious implications to those who wheeled it, she sent on a complicated quest to figure out what this dagger means and the implications on the world around her.

General Thoughts:
This was a very interesting and compelling start to a new romantasy series. It was the perfect mix of slow burn and dark. The pacing was really well done and was able to hold my attention throughout the story. Even during downtime in the action, I still felt like things were happening.

That being said this book does contain some pretty heavy triggers. While I feel like they were all handled well, I would caution readers to check the content warnings either within the book or on the authors website. I do feel like this novel will be very hit or miss for some people. It does take religious fundamentalism to an ex extreme, and it is a very prominent theme throughout the novel. While religion is never framed as a positive within the novel and is always seen as the oppressor, it still might be hard for some people to read at times.

I found the way in which things were framed and used throughout this novel to be very interesting and organic to the overall plot. None of the heavy themes seemed egregious in any way and seemed very organic to the plot line. I liked the way the first book was laid out and will be reading further in the series.

Disclaimer: I read this audiobook via ALC through NetGalley and Tantor Audio. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook! Terror at the Gates has some great lore and worldbuilding but had perhaps a bit too much real-world religious parallels for the escapism that I was seeking. I loved Zahariev. Protective, kinda broody, and his POV chapters were so short which felt well-suited to his personality but made me want more from him. I didn't love Lilith. She seemed... immature? *Spoiler alert!* A friend's wife dies, and Lilith acts like she's more emotionally distraught about it than the husband is and even gets mad at HIM for her death. Not sure I'll be continuing the series. Thanks Netgalley and RBmedia for the ALC!

I'm struggling to put into words how much I enjoyed this story! And can't wait for the next one!

The tension was phenomenal! The characters, world building and plot were great, I was hooked from the first chapter. Lilith is my new favourite FMC I can't wait to see what she does next after that ending.

It felt full of rage and love. Laura Horowitz delivered with another fantastic narration


Thank you NetGalley for the chance to listen to this audiobook

Thank you Netgalley and Tantor Audio for the Advanced Listeners Copy!

This was my first Scarlett St. Clair novel but she has been on my TBR for a while! I love biblical and mythology retellings and she executed this story perfectly. I cannot wait for the rest of the series. 4.5 stars rounded up!

The world building? So immersive! The story? So intriguing! The spice? So hot!

The narrators were perfect for this story however I would have preferred duet narration. I absolutely loved the male narrator!

7.5/10

*Audiobook ARC provided via NetGalley*

This was my first foray into the works of Scarlett St. Clair. All I really knew about her works going into this was that they had a tendency to get pretty spicy and usually revolved around mythology. While the mythology aspect of that is right up my alley the spice isn't really a selling point for me, I'm not against it, but it's also not what I am seeking out. When I read the description for this book I was instantly hooked by it. A dark, religious undertoned (ok overtoned) fantasy with a mysterious element sounded great!

Overall I did like the book, but it wasn't without its issues. For starters the synopsis leaves out some things that I believe should be included, like the fact that this is a world where only women have magic. Also the fact that the main character's magic is (this is a direct quote) "Sex magic". Lets start with the fact that only women in this world have magic. It is interesting world building so it should be included for that reason alone, plus it emphasizes just how "powerful" the MMC is since he is unmarried, and thus does not have access to magic, so its more impressive that he is where he is. Additionally it makes the fact that the world is a religious patriarchy a bit weird, like the magic is said to come from god and only women have it, so how did women not take control? Moreover they have literal magic, that's like saying guns only fire for women in our world yet a patriarchy still forms. I get that it makes sense for the story that the author is trying to tell, which definitely includes some "down with the patriarchy" messaging. I just don't think that things would go that way if only women have access to magic, I mean there is a reason that The Wheel of Time is moreso a matriarchy.

My rant about that done I will say that having the main character call her magic "sex magic" just seemed a bit too on the nose. Like call it magic over lust (which ties in to the "city of sin" theme) or something like that that's just a bit less cringe inducing. We also don't ever really get a clear explanation of how her magic works, we get the gist of it, but it seems extremely loosely defined. What is worse though is that other women have magic, is it sex magic? Presumably no as that is said to have been a surprise to her and her parents when it developed, so it must be different forms of magic, different powers? Unfortunately at no point are we told how anyone else magic works at all, just that they have it, and once or twice we see it used.

Now that my ranting is finished I will say that the story took a little while to pick up to a point where it really became interesting but when it did it fulfilled its promise of a Christian paralleled (it is basically identical to Christianity, just without calling it that) fantasy that delves into religious influence over societies morals, structure, laws, and politics as well as patriarchal authority and abuses of power. Another thing that isn't made clear by the synopsis is that this takes place in a modern city with cars, guns, cell phones, etc. which lent itself really well to this particular story. It definitely gave me some House of Earth and Blood vibes with the setting, while still being completely its own thing. Being that this is the start of a series there is obviously more to come, and I feel like things were set up to get deeper into the story and the world in the upcoming entries, which I am excited for. I would however have liked to see a bit more of that in this entry, as well as a little more characters depth, especially for the side characters. I understand this will likely be expanded upon in the coming entries but in many ways it does feel a bit too much like we are being relied upon to continue the series just for the promise of these things and not because we have been hooked by them.

I would say that the spice was a t a good level here. Not too much, not over the top, and not forced feeling. I don't really read for the spice but it did not detract from the story much here, and when there was spice it was pretty good, so I'll call that a win.

Specifically for the audiobook I think that the narration was done really well. As always I had it sped up as I can't stand listening to audiobooks at 1x speed but everything was clearly enunciated with good tempo and some differentiation between characters. The only complaint I have is that when the male narrator was speaking (which already is a minority to when the female one is) some of his character voices, like Cassius, just sounded a bit nasally to me, but since most of his lines were for Zahariev, who he voiced great, this is a very minor issue.

Ok rapid fire other thoughts time;

Lilith herself says her boobs aren't that big or great, yet there are SO many instances of people acting as if they are hug and/or commenting about them like they are the best boobs on earth

Gabriele is seem by Lilith as a brotherly figure, he see's her like a sister, yet he calls her "baby girl" exclusively - yuck

"This man smoked like a fucking freight train" - yea that isn't exactly attractive...

Basically no male character calls Lilith by her name, like ever, it is always some nickname. It is a bit over the top with it.

This review likely seems harsher than it is. Remember I did say 7.5/10 - that is not a bad review, I just felt like I needed to talk about some of the odd things that either bothered me or didn't seem to make much sense here. That being said I did enjoy mu time with this book, I will continue on with the series, and I would recommend it to friends. Since I am not exactly the normal target audience here I would say that alone is a pretty glowing review, and if you are the target audience you will most likely eat this up.
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Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for an ALC of Terror At The Gate.

2.75⭐️

After reading and loving Scarlett St. Clair’s Fairytale retelling novellas I was excited to jump into this story. There were some things I really loved about this book. The dark, sin city setting and paranormal-mafia genre was pretty cool. I loved Bettie Page vibes the FMC was giving and Z’s character made for a sexy MMC. I loved the 8 year age gap between him and Lily. Z watching Lily grow up and the fact her dad commissioned him to watch over her was giving the “dad’s best friend” trope. The spice in this book was definitely spicing and the writing and pace flowed well and made it easy to follow on audio. I also appreciated the FMC facing the demons of her past and calling out those who hurt her.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this book was for me and it’s not something I plan to revisit again in the future. My first issue was that this is marketed as a feminist retelling but it definitely was not in any way an example of feminism. Aside from Lily finally confronting her dad about her attacker towards the end of the book, her character as a whole did not exude strength or power. She runs from her father’s home straight into the constant protection of Z. Lily has to call someone to rescue her every step of the way. Don’t get me wrong, I see nothing wrong with asking for help when needed but it was just odd to have this be shelved as feminism and then have her being babied every step of the way. It was also so odd to me that she was so eager to dance at a strip club. Feminists in the past fought so hard to be perceived as more than just a piece of meat in the workplace so I fail to see how shaking your naked ass in a strip club is feminism… it’s kinda setting us back. Just my personal thoughts.

Another aspect of the book that gave me the ick was mixing Christianity in a dark romance. Something about quoting Bible scriptures in a dark romance feels blasphemous. That being said, I jumped into this completely blind. It’s on me for not realizing this was apart of the book before starting it so for that reason I didn’t lower my rating based on this.


I received an advanced audiobook file and was happy to see it was narrated by Laura Horowitz, she is one of my favorite fantasy narrators. Tristan Warden also did a great job with Z but I think he should probably only stick to duet productions because his female voice is so bad.

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.

Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair was everything I want in a fantasy audiobook — and more. From start to finish, I was completely hooked. The plot was fast-paced, action-packed, and filled with just the right amount of twists and emotional punches. I found myself looking for excuses to keep listening because I simply couldn't press pause.

The characters were phenomenal. They’re not your typical fantasy leads — they’re deeply flawed, raw, and incredibly compelling, which only made me love them more. Their complexity brought so much emotional depth to the story. And the love story? Absolutely breathtaking. The tension, the chemistry, the yearning — it all felt so real and gave the romance so much weight and intensity.

But what truly stood out for me was Zahariev. Oh. My. Gosh. He is the perfect book boyfriend. Broody, moody, dark... and yet impossibly sweet and protective. Every scene he was in had me swooning. He’s the kind of character who stays with you long after the story ends.

The audiobook narration only enhanced the entire experience. The voices fit the characters beautifully and brought every line, emotion, and moment to life with such authenticity.

If you’re a fan of fantasy with heart-pounding action, flawed but unforgettable characters, and a romance that practically sizzles through your headphones — Terror at the Gates is a must-listen.

4.5 rounded up

Thank you Tantor Audio, Sourcebooks & NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to be in the middle of a Zahariev and Lilith sandwich, thank you.

I went into this with 0 idea of what it was about and had such a fun time with it. The beginning was a bit slow / confusing and I wish there would've been a BIT more plot/world building but overall this was a really enjoyable urban fantasy. The characters were really likable and I am looking forward to reading the next book!

Laura Horowitz was amazing as always - this is the first book I've listened to with narration by Tristan Warden but his narration of Zahariev was also great. I definitely recommend the audiobook of this one!

I'd also advise a CW for themes of religious trauma.

I'm so happy I got an ALC!!
I was really excited to read this book and OMG... It exceeded my expectations. I devoured it, it was so good!

Escaping her powerful family, Lilith finds refuge in Nineveh, a district devoted to sin. She makes a living stealing, but after she steals a strange dagger, things get complicated. The dagger is much more dangerous than she thought, leaving a trail of bodies behind it. She turns to the only person she can, to Zahariev, the ruler of Nineveh. He would anything to protect Lilith. On a mission to discover the truth, will their connection transform into something else, something more, no matter how forbidden it is...

I loved Lilith, she was strong and incredibly frustrating, but I admired her so much. Her past traumas and the pain they carried were heartbreaking, but I'm glad she broke away. She wasn't going to play the role the world wanted her to play and I'm so excited to follow her journey...

Zahariev, the man that you are!!!
I absolutely loved him, he is the embodiment of the touch her and die trope. There is nothing I love more than a morally grey character that would burn the world for her. I loved how he understood and protected her. He became her safe place. It was so heartwarming to see.

Their "I got you" moments were everything!! But, I loved their fights and banter and the tension and yearning too. All that paid off when they finally got together.. It was so hot!!
I also loved the little found family they and all the secondary characters created. I adored every single one of them!

The pace was slow, but it did pick up. I feel like the world was a little underdeveloped, but it's only the first book. We have so much to learn yet.
I did get confused about the families and their names, but that's probably because I listened to the audiobook, so I got a little lost.
The audiobook was amazing, I loved the narrators. Especially the female narrator, she did a wonderful job. More than 80% of the book is Lilith's pov, which I enjoyed very much. But, I have to say the moments it switched to Zahariev's pov were a little jarring. They were unexpected and short and they messed with the flow a little bit.

While some things were expected, I was also shocked.. That one storyline that had me sobbing.. Yeah, that was fun..
I also feel like the depiction of the religious truma was done right.

That ending though, I need book two as soon as possible!! I don't know why I keep doing this to myself.. I need more.

As always, Laura Horowitz delivers an incredible performance! Perfect casting for Lilith and she does an amazing job voicing the different characters and their personalities. I have so much love for Laura ❤️

Terror at the Gates pulls you in and hooks you from the start (though, this is expected from Scarlett St. Clair and anything she writes)! There is a little bit of an info dump at the beginning with the world building but it becomes more clear as the story progresses.

It deals with a number of heavy, mature themes (religious extremes, sexual abuse of a minor, rape, domestic abuse, death of a loved one, gender imbalances, and more) and the mental health in the aftermath of the various traumas. Definitely check for trigger warnings before going into this one.

One thing I absolutely LOVE about Terror at the Gates is you get chapters of Zahariev's (MMC) POV which are always only a couple lines long but oh so swoon worthy 😍

As well as the above themes, we also get some of our favourite tropes and some spice 🌶️🌶️
🗡️ Touch her and die
❤️ Forbidden romance
🥵 Slow burn
🛡️ Protector/saviour

4.5/5 ⭐️ I don't normally go for books with religious themes but this will be on my recommendations 😊

First off, I love Scarlett St. Clair. I've read a lot of her books and they are usually 4 stars for me. This is her 5 STAR book! She owned these characters, this setting, the plot; it was so well-written and cohesive. Everything about this one just did it for me! And, do not get me started on Tristan Warden's voice. OMG that man's voice had me hot and bothered in the best possible way. Definitely a new favorite male voice artist. Laura Horowirz was also an amazing narrator. The two voices played so well togther, and the banter of this story was just spot on. If you crave a strong, independent FMC and a strong, protective MMC with a slow burn, Forbidden lovers trope, then this one is for you! The religious storyline is unique, and I absolutely cannot wait to see where this story goes.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this ALC of Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair!

Have you ever started a book and immediately know it’s going to be five stars? That was me, 9am, pressing play on this audiobook. By the end of chapter one, I was all in. By 8pm, I had devoured every last minute of the audiobook and was left sitting in stunned silence because that ending?! Absolutely WOW. I did not see it coming. I will be waiting (not so) patiently for book two.

This book is dark, seductive, and unapologetically feminist (but neither annoying nor whiny, like some books) retelling of Lilith’s story, and Scarlett St. Clair does not hold back. Lilith Leviathan is a force of nature. She is independent, fiery, sassy, and I want to be her when I grow up. Laura Horowitz brings her to life with such intensity, especially at 1.75 speed (LOL), that you feel every ounce of her fury, pain, and pleasure. And then there’s Zahariev—broody, protective, and morally gray. While I loved Laura Horowitz' narration, I will admit that Tristan Warden’s narration fell flat...and almost creepy/pervy in parts. It's not a true duet, however, so his narration is few and far between.

The world-building is gritty and almost feels like it falls under the category of magical realism. The magic system is completely built into a society that mirrors one similar to our own. The book is soaked in religious trauma, corruption, and societal rot—and yet, somehow, it’s also full of hope. It’s got forbidden relics which kills anyone not of a certain bloodline, power plays, slow-burn tension, and a romance that smolders. I am also looking forward to book two, and the sidekick romance (Coco and Cassius...hear me out though!)

Again, the banter? Top-tier. The side characters? Actual support, not filler. The plot? Intricate and addictive.

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 (and the male narrator). Additionally, this story has a dark mafia vibe that is definitely working for it. I will be reading more in this series for sure.

I honestly feel BLESSED I received an ARC copy of this book.. Because it allowed me to witness the birth of an author's greatness. I read the first book in the Hades x Persephone series. While I did enjoy it, I found it to be sort of basic & very surface level. Leaving me with little desire to continue on in the series.. THIS on the other hand?!?!?!? PLEASEEEEEE PUT ME ON THE MAILING LIST FOR THE SECOND ONE!!!! .. cause WHAT!?!?.. I almost have a hard time accepting the fact these books were written by the same author!! unlike the story of Hades and Persephone which we've had re told 865,429,001 times, here we have a story of LILITH!! As someone that's bing in astrology I'm extra excited to get a story on our black moon


I don't even know where to START! yes I do actually lol.. Now, I wouldn't just say this lightly OK, Because Crescent City is my FAVORITE God tier series.... There are definitely Crescent City undertones in this book! Which made me extra excited, and it's nice because they TRULY are just undertones. The rest is the author's beautiful originality! Seriously this author's growth is quite astonishing and I'm here for it!

Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St Clair 4⭐️! I haven’t read a Scarlett St Claire book in years but I liked this one! It’s an urban romantasy retelling of Lilith’s story. I’ve only ever known the Lilith from Diablo 4 so I had to look up who she was lol According to the internet, Lilith was Adam’s first wife before Eve who became a demonic figure and was banished from the Garden of Eden 🤷🏻‍♀️ In this retelling, Lilith Leviathan, the daughter of a powerful family, tries her best to live on her own away from her overpowering family and church. She steals for money using her magic and one night steals a mysterious dagger. Her world turns into chaos, death, and demons soon after. I loved the vibes of this world. It was like Crescent City but darker. Lilith was so sassy and fun. The friends to lovers trope was really well done! Zaheriev was 🥵 My only complaints were Liliths character and her actions at times were just infuriating. The ending was also… 🥴. I still look forward to the next one!

-Religious trauma
-Friends to lovers
-Spicy
-magic/witchy vibes

The audiobook was well done. I wasn’t a huge fan of the male narrator. He sounded too stiff while reading and maybe too old for the character? Laura Horowitz did amazing! I honestly would have been fine if she narrated the whole book.

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for a copy of the audiobook!