If Scarlett St. Clair writes it.. Then it’s going in the cart. IMMEDIATELY. All of her books just have this way of pulling me in and never letting go. So naturally I loved this next book of hers.

Thank you to Scarlett St. Clair, Bloom Books and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy.

⭐ Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Quick Summary (Spoiler-Free!)
Lilith Leviathan is rebelling against her estranged powerful family. Living in Nineveh she finds using her magic to steal is a horrible job to have but the only one she has, and when she steals a blade to sell to pay off her rent she finds herself wrapped up into the death of the shop merchant from the blade she had stolen.

Now she has to turn to the only man who can help her. Zahariev is the ruler of Nineveh, and the last person Lilith wants to help her.

What I Loved:
Favorite element #1 THE BANTER IS PERFECTION.. From the first chapter to the last page. The banter is absolutely amazing.

Favorite element #2 Honestly the short chapters from Zahariev’s POV were my favorite. Simple short and because I listened to the Audio, the man's voice was mesmerizing..

Favorite element #3 Lilith is such a bad ass character. The only guy who really gets under her skin is Zahariev and he's so good at it.

Final Thoughts:
Frenemies to lovers. Eh… Maybe?

I honestly can't wait for the next book. I loved the banter between Lilith and Zahariev, it was *chef’s kiss*. The world building was done really well, and easy to keep up with. If you’re looking for a good mild spicy book then this is it, it was kind of more of a slow burn, but when it did get spicy it was so so good. It also didn't really feel that much of a frenemies to lovers, but more friends to lovers with a side of bickering and banter.. Defiantly more forbidden romance too.

It was such a fun read, and I found myself keep coming back to listen. Partly because the story is so good, and partly because Tristan Warden who reads Zahariev could probably read me the back of a pizza box and I would listen to every word.

If you're looking for a great fantasy romance then this is the book for you and I highly recommend this..

i really enjoyed this story!! the fanart really sold me. i loved the urban fantasy vibe, and the main characters were DELECTIBLE. I am excited to see where this series goes!!

I am not too familiar with the story of Lilith, but after reading this I am going on a deep dive.

I, like many others, have been DEEP in the feminine rage feelings, so a FMC who is the definition of rage was super appealing.

I love a good slow burn romance, and this starts out with that but gets HOT once it catches fire - enough that multiple times I turned down my audiobook even though I was the only one home 😂

I thought the character development was well done - learning why Lilith is so disillusioned with the church and seeing her relationships with characters like Ester and Coco gave her such depth.

The narration on the audiobook was great, and I love a good dual POV.

And the ending?!?!? Let’s just say I cannot WAIT for book 2!!!

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for the ALC!

Great book! Loved every minute of it. 100/10 Scarlett St Claire knocked it out of the park like always!

I want to love this audiobook but I just couldn’t connect with the narrator. I got about 35% into the book. I found the story interested but the narrator was unable to hold my attention. I’ll be finishing this one with the physical book! Thank you for the opportunity with this ALC!

Terror at the Gates was a little different than what I initially expected it to be. I was hoping it would lean more into the urban fantasy, neo-noir, mafia vibes, but a lot of it was spent on religious trauma and commentary than I like, pulling me out of the story often.

My favorite part of this novel was the relationship between Lilith and Zahariev. The push and pull tension, slow burn-to-toe curling passion, forbidden love was amazing. They are a very fun pairing. Very “touch her and die” and Zahariev means it.

I also loved the gritty, dark, dangerous city setting very much. Niveveh embodies the neo-noir aspects of the story and gives it the perfect backdrop.

I also found the fantasy and magical aspects of the sex/desire magic, witches, and the magical blade so interesting. I wish more time would have been spent unraveling this portion of the story. It would have been far more intriguing.

The plot is very clunky and confusing. I think there were too many subplots going on. We should have followed one and it would have been great. We also do not get the background stories for any of the relationships Lilith has which is a bit disorienting. I would love to know how she met and became close friends with characters like Coco and Ester.

The commentary of female rage and oppression of women in certain denominations of Christianity is fair. It seems that Catholicism is the inspiration for this world’s religion and I can understand the frustrations that Lilith is going through.

But the mix of religion in the fantasy aspects was very off putting for me. I don’t mind commentary, positive or negative, but it seemed to make a mockery of God in some moments and that is not for me. I do not plan to continue reading this series for this reason. I simply prefer my fantasy reads to be complete escapism and this book kept bringing me back to real world frameworks too much for my taste.

I did enjoy the narration by Laura Horowitz and Tristan Warden. At moments, it felt a little cartoony for the voices created for the side characters. But overall it worked to create the vibes for the story.

Thank you Tantor Audio and NetGalley for my ALC. All opinions are my own.

#netgalley #TerrorattheGate
4.5⭐️
In a classic St.Clair writing style, this romantasy, urban dystopian world building pulls you right into the story. There’s an interesting dynamic with a unique magic system, provides a gritty backdrop to this feminist tale of Lilith.

Full of female rage, with truly heart wrenching moments, you learn our FMC backstory and you can truly understand why she ran … especially to the hot, sexy, possessive MMC, that would do anything for her. Their forbidden love is tension filled, and present from the very beginning, however still a slow burn as they make the way to each other. This story was mostly told from our FMC POV but the occasional snippets from our MMC POV added a lot to their relationship, whilst being able to move the overall story forward.

The tales of magic, demons, mythical gods provides an engaging story that has you desperate to carry on and yet the actions of the men that decided they are more important, has your blood boiling and wanting to throw the book/reading device at the wall!

A great first book in the series and looking forward to the next one already!

There’s some heavy themes throughout - check the trigger warnings to make sure it’s for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for access to this audiobook ARC - the audiobook for this story, was engaging and interested - a great way to consume this story!

Thank you NetGalley and Stanton audio for the alc copy. I am absolutely hooked on this book. Following Lilly’s trying to follow the disappearing knife.
Written in like only Scarlett St. Clair can. Descriptive world build and lusting characters. The narrator did a wonderful job bringing this story to life.

3.5 stars. Terror at the Gates is the first installment in a new fantasy series by Scarlett St. Clair. It follows Lilith whose father is the head of one of the most powerful families in the city. She uses magic from others' lust to steal and live apart from her family. She has a complicated relationship with Zahariev who is the head of the Zareth family. Lilith comes into possession of a powerful dagger that keeps reappearing no matter what she does. The dagger seems to bring mayhem and trauma but Lilith doesn't know why.

Overall, the book was different from the norm in many ways. Lilith was a strong FMC who won't take no for an answer and I always appreciate that. I don't know why I could not get into this story though. I didn't care as much about the characters as I normally do with these books. I loved the narrator for Lilith but Zahariev's narrator did not seem like the best voice for that character.

Thank you to Tantor Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to Tantor Audio for the alc, all opinions are my own.

I knew when I first heard this teased, I needed this book. I have been a fan of Scarlett's past works, but this is definitely her best book. This gripped me from the start and I was dragged along for the wild ride.

Lilith is estranged from her powerful family that lives in the first district of this world, just outside of Eden. She now lives in Ninevah, one of the less desirable districts, barely scraping by using her lust magic, stealing artifacts, and under the protection of Zahariev, the head of the district. After she steals a dagger and her buyer dies a mysterious death, Lilith is on a mission to figure out the background of the ever appearing dagger, and why it keeps coming back to her.

Full of a completely unique world full of religious zealots, and the non-believers, and a corrupt government.

I really enjoyed the narrators, they were full of emotion and it was very clear when each separate character was speaking.

This was my first time reading anything by Scarlett St. Claire and let me tell you she set the standard with Terror at the Gates. This book was all consuming!! I was hooked by the world and characters immediately. Lilith was such a complex and powerful character. She grew up in an extremely religious environment where women were second class. But from the start she always questioned why society was set up like that. And when she was old enough she leaves her family and finds herself living in Nineveh. There she’s under the watch of Zahariev. This brooding man who would do absolutely anything for her. I loved the tension between the two and forbidden romance aspect. But as much as I loved Zahariev this book was all Lilith. The journey she takes throughout this book was heartbreaking but also showed just how badass she is. I honestly can’t wait for the next book because that cliffhanger 😱

I also listened to the audiobook and Laura Horowitz did an amazing job! We did get some short chapters from Zahariev pov and they were narrated by Tristan Warden. Though I enjoyed his voice personally I felt like he wasn’t a good match for Zahariev. And again this is just a me thing- I still think he did a great job narrating.

I just can't get over how amazing this book was. This is by far my favorite book thst Scarlett St Clair has written. It was just such an amazing story about feminine rage and empowerment.

Everything about this story just felt unique and fresh. The world was so visceral, dark and gritty. I'm not one to really see pictures when I'm reading, more like abstract colors or feelings. This book just felt dark in a good way to me.

Also the relationship between Lilith and Zahariev was so good. Their tension and chemistry was off the charts. One of my favorite parts of this book was how Scarlett St Clair structured the chapters and POV. I love that most of the story is in Lilith's POV and then right at the end you would get a sentence to a couple paragraphs in his POV. It left you wanting more but in a good way?

Now the pain of waiting for the next installment begins...

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

Scarlett St. Clair just does not miss! I was so excited to get an ARC and ALC for this book. St. Clair highlights female rage, an empowering “f the patriarchy” with a heavy side of boss girl energy and healing trauma from SA (trigger warning!).

I honestly didn’t know much about the lore behind Lilith and Adam in the Bible, but I think St. Clair really leaned into the idea of corruption in some religious institutions and how difficult it is to get justice against the people who generate trauma.

I enjoy every Scarlett St. Clair novel and this was absolutely no exception. She is so good at modern, dark retellings of lesser known myths and religious characters. So so good! Also, the spice is prime. I haven’t even TALKED about Zahariev but he is the perfect book boyfriend.

The audiobook narrators were fantastic for both Lilith and Zahariev. They captured the essence of the characters so well!

Rating: 5⭐️/5

What a start to a series! It has been a while since I read Scarlett St. Clair but the synopsis of this one sounded too good to not pass up! Lilith was such a fun FMC, she is strong willed, stubborn, violent, and the true embodiment of female rage! She is under the watch of Zahariev Zareth, the heir to the Zareth family and one of the most powerful men in Nineveh. I loved that everyone that Zahariev was watching Lilith as. a favor when in reality, he truly cared for her. Scarlett did a really good job incorporating all the mythology and history into the story but making it relevant for the current times. I found Lilith to be really relatable and Zahariev was an an amazing broody and mysterious MMC. The world building was really well down and I felt completely immersed in the world listening to the audiobook! Laura Horowitz does an amazing job with the audiobook and I look forward to hearing more from them! I can't wait to see where this series goes and hope that we get more POVs in the next one!!

Thank you to Tantor Audio for the ALC!

Moni’s lil’ spoiler free thoughts:
Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair

“Beware the temptress who whispers in the dark.”

This book is now my whole personality. I am this book. This book is me. Officially my favorite Scarlett St. Clair novel and on my top 3 books of 2025. Wow….just wow! I cannot wait for this story to continue!

Key points: Slow-burn. Neo-noir urban fantasy. Strong ass FMC. Kitty sidekick😻. He falls first. Twists, turns, and burns.

Thank you

I pre-ordered a copy of this from Scarlett’s local bookshop with the preorder incentives that I cannot wait to unbox when they arrive!

2.5 stars

As far as urban fantasies go, this was just okay.

The worldbuilding and magic system could use a lot of work. The magic didn't have any set rules despite being referenced frequently throughout the whole book. Lilith keeps telling us that she and many other women in this world are the only ones with magic and that it's essential for upholding their belief system, but we never really get to see it. Their belief system is very clearly based on Abrahamic mythology, and it seems that St. Clair is banking on the West's understanding of those stories so that she doesn't really have to develop her own unique world beyond that.

This is one of those books that is only really good in the last 100 pages. Basically nothing happened for 400 pages and then things picked up for the very last bit. The climax really was in the last few paragraphs. That ending was supposed to be a cliffhanger, but I have zero desire to pick up the sequel.

I do like St. Clair's writing. It's clear and she gets to the point without being too flowery. I think that and the strong relationships between the characters are the only thing that prevented me from DNFing this book.

My rating for the audiobook narration is 5 stars. Laura Horowitz did an amazing job.

The book and plot itself was a 4 star review. A real freakin' good start to this series. I think Scarlett St. Clair did a fantastic job at the promo with Terror at the Gates because one look at Zahariev Zareth and I folded, I knew I had to read this. Normally I don't really go for books that are based off of religious ideas/prompts because I just simply don't like religion or care for it, but Terror at the Gates did a good job at making it interesting and not too religious to the point where I felt like someone was trying to sway my mind or convert me.

Lilith Leviathan is our stabby FMC and she is bratty (in the best way), strong-willed, stubborn, flirty, and the embodiment of female rage. She has magical powers that can control people based on their levels of lust. She is currently under the watch of Zahariev Zareth, the heir to the Zareth family and probably the most powerful man in Nineveh. Everyone thinks that Zahariev is watching over Lilith as a favor to her dad, when in reality, this man cares so much for her... You'll see all the things he does for her when you read this book!

I really wished that TATG was more dual POV. The majority of the book is in Lilith's POV as we would get small little excerpts of Zahariev's POV at the end of each chapter, but I NEED to know what is going on in this man's head. The slow burn was BURNING with this book and literally exploded within the last 10 percent of the book.

I'm always impressed how Scarlett, takes myths, history and mixes them with relevant topics in our society and is able to craft such an enthralling story. She really takes us in a journey where you're locked in with the characters emotions, feeling it in your soul.
Strong, bratty and fearless Lilith. I love you, I love that you're a relatable character that a majority of humans that reads your story are going to find a little of themselves in you and I for one wish we can be more like you. Full of rage and unapologetic. Zahariev, was mysterious and sexy but his caring and understanding ways towards our FMC was amazing! This was strong willed because I would've folded wayyy sooner. Loved the pace, the world building, the raw emotions and that cliffy!!! Can't wait for more!
Once again Scarlett is a master of storytelling!

This is the first time I listened to this narrators and they blend beautifully. I loved how they brought this story to life. You could literally feel her emotions, rage, curiosity literally a movie in my ears and the male narrator gave a unique voice to the Mmc that you felt is power and passion.

Oh my god I absolutely lovedddd this. The story was amazing and I loved the female rage that could be felt through the entire book. I’m obsessed with these characters and I’m very impatiently waiting for book 2. And the narrators did an absolutely incredible job bringing these characters to life!!!

This book kicks off a super fun urban fantasy journey that dives deep into gods, magic, and power—and how all of that shapes the world around them. It starts with an intriguing premise: some gods are revered as the real gods, while others are dismissed as ancient myths or even fiction. But as the story unfolds, we quickly realize that nothing is quite as it seems. We're constantly peeling back layers to figure out what’s true and what’s just been accepted as truth. Even by the end of the book, there are still secrets left lingering, which only makes me more eager to keep going in the series.

What I really loved was how the story gives us a little bit of everything—romantic tension that sparks right off the page, the strength of family bonds (both blood and chosen), devastating moments of loss, and powerful magic that keeps the stakes high. The found family element especially hit home for me, and I was completely invested in these characters and their relationships. The pacing kept me hooked, and the twists had me second-guessing everything I thought I knew. It’s the kind of story that pulls you in with its worldbuilding and keeps you with its heart—and I’m absolutely here for it.