*The House of Butterflies* is a haunting and atmospheric novel that explores the dark spaces between ambition, legacy, and obsession. The story follows Riccardo, a down-on-his-luck writer, as he inherits his enigmatic grandmother’s crumbling villa in Milan—along with her eerie butterfly collection and a house full of secrets.

The novel excels in mood, gradually building a sense of unease as Riccardo uncovers cryptic entries in Perihan’s diary and begins to suspect her death may not have been natural. The decay of the house mirrors the decay of Riccardo’s own hopes, grounding the narrative in a rich, Gothic tone.

However, the book suffers from a slow and sometimes meandering pace. The mystery unfolds at a glacial rate, and while the prose is often lyrical, the plot's momentum lags. Readers expecting a tightly woven thriller may find their patience tested as the novel prioritizes mood over movement.

Despite the deliberate build-up, the payoff is unsettling and memorable. *The House of Butterflies* lingers like a half-remembered dream—or nightmare—offering a chilling meditation on the boundaries people will cross to keep their dreams alive, even after death.

I was blessed with this audiobook and when I tell you, I was instantly hooked. Ricardo is a penniless author who finds out his grandmother passed away on her 70th birthday leaving him everything. When he gets to his childhood home, nothing is like he remembered everything is just rundown and completely in shambles. her staff is acting strange and he’s starting to wonder if it was even worth it coming in there. Well on the property, Ricardo finds his grandmother’s manuscript and you got fall into a dual POV of the grandmother’s story and it just texts you on an interesting ride. The ending is great. The whole premise of everything is just mind-boggling. It was a very interesting read. I was definitely definitely hooked and I cannot wait to get a physical copy because the physical copy is gorgeous.

This book was not for me, I really struggled with it. I had issues with the female narrator, her pace was extremely slow. Not sure why everybody had an accent. The audio experience was not pleasant at all.

The story itself was very confusing, certain moments made no sense to me ( can’t really go into details without spoiling it). Felt like things were happening to fit the narrative of the book, and decisions that made no sense were made, but they were necessary to move the book forward, so they happened.

The book didn’t feel scary or creepy, a few gory moments were described, but nothing to make this into a horror book (in my opinion). There was a lot of vomit, description of vomit and pretty much every character had a period where they were vomiting.

I am sure some people would enjoy this book, it just wasn’t for me.

Riccardo is failing. He’s struggling to write, he’s broke, and his power just got turned off. A knock on his door sending him back into his past to his grandmother’s decrepit estate, that is now his. What he finds is not what he remembers.

Slow story progression, gothicesque horror, dual timelines.

It was a good story, but I found myself often distracted by the narrator and the slow progression.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin Audio for the audio ARC!

Oh so like this basically ruined my life and my love for butterflies, thank you.

I loved the dual perspective of this book, the struggle between mortality, and the overall creepy vibe. From the first few chapters, I knew something was wrong with the family and with the whole will situation. I loved how the grandmother wrote a story that gives us the backstory while also leaving you with thousands of more questions.

Turhan is a fantastic writer, and not just in the plot. Their ability to weave in beautiful prose while conveying the story is top tier. I can't wait to check out more from this author in the future!

Our main character Ricardo is a broke author who is currently down on his luck when he learns that his distant grandmother has passed and left him her estate and fortune. Ricardo decides that he will take this opportunity, and hopefully find the inspiration he needs for his overdue novel. However, once he arrives to her estate he meets her closest friends and starts to realize that everything isn’t what it seems to be. Ricardo uncovers who his grandmother was, including the skeletons in her closet. This story is a grotesque example of the lengths people will go to make their dreams come true. The story started off slow for me, I was waiting for the horror, but once it was all revealed it was definitely worth the wait. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot twists, and will personally never look at a monarch butterfly the same again.

I really wanted to love Their Monstrous Hearts. it’s got that dark, moody gothic horror atmosphere I’m usually all about. The setting is creepy and beautiful, and you can tell Yigit Turhan put a lot of care into making it feel immersive.

That said, this was a slooow burn. Like, agonizingly slow at times. I kept waiting for things to really kick off, and by the time they did, I was already kinda checked out. I also never fully connected with any of the characters, which made it harder to stay invested.

Now, full disclosure, I’m impatient with horror. If you love slow-building dread and don’t mind a long setup, you might like this. The writing is great, and the vibes are beautiful, It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

Thank you NetGalley for this audio ARC!

3.75*

Riccardo is pulled back to his grandmother’s house in Italy after trying and failing to make it as a writer. Though his first work seems to have earned him accolades, he is now failing to meet the publisher’s deadline for his next. However, one day a man arrives at Riccardo’s door and informs him of his grandmother’s passing. He tells Riccardo he must come back to Italy where he will receive the house and his grandmother’s butterflies. This is where the story really seems to begin.

Riccardo arrives at his childhood home where his grandparents took care of him after the disappearance of his mother. Upon wandering around the house and stepping into his grandmother’s room, he finds a handwritten book by her, and he decides to read it as it has his name on it. He calls it a manuscript because the story within starts as a memoir but seems to evolve into a fantastical tale he cannot imagine to be real. However, the friends of his grandmother are still sticking around the house, and they seem to be plotting something.

The story is a bit slow, at times, since much of it is Riccardo reading his grandmother’s story. The last quarter of the book is fairly quick, and it seems to rush to wrap things up. I do find an eerie atmosphere and lots of questions regarding what the grandmother is hiding. It is clear the book is not telling everything even if it presents itself like a memoir. It’s not a bad book, but the pacing was off, and I feel like I had a lot of questions still lingering

Their Monstrous Hearts is told in an atmospheric journey into a world of secrets, longing, and eerie beauty. The novel’s pacing was a tad slow, but for those who appreciate intricately woven narratives with a focus on soft tension and character introspection, this book offers just that.

The audiobook at times felt like a dreamlike state, with the narration that captures the underlying melancholy and suspense of the story. I was happy that there were multiple narrators to deliver the different character arcs!

While Their Monstrous Hearts may not be a fast-paced read, those who appreciate carefully crafted tension and intricate storytelling will enjoys this one. Its allure lies in the details and the slow unraveling of its mysteries.

If you enjoy stories with:
Love and Betrayal that blends tenderness with deception.
Secrets and Hidden Truths with tension from what remains unspoken.
Atmospheric Storytelling focusing on the setting and mood to deliver emotions.
This one will fit that bill!

The story was odd and the main character was bland. However, the concept was intriguing enough for me to finish it.

Thanks to HTP books, The Hive, and NetGalley for this eARC. 🐝

I rated this slow-burn horror novel 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 stars for good reads.

Their Monstrous Hearts is a haunting, gothic horror with magical realism. The book follows Riccardo, a struggling writer who inherits his grandmother Perihan's decaying villa in Milan. As he uncovers her past through a discovered manuscript, the story dives into themes of transformation and the darker facets of humanity. While the pacing is slightly slow in the middle, the dual timelines make this an interesting read.

Thank you for the Audio ARC for this book.

“Sometimes when you find yourself in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried, but actually you’ve been planted.”
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🌳 I don’t read much gothic horror. And I don’t usually enjoy slow paced books, but I was so intrigued by this one. It’s beautifully written and descriptive, and I loved the setting of a villa in Milan. I liked the authors use of metaphor, how the theme of transformation is represented by butterflies.
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✍️ Ricardo is a struggling author who just inherited his grandmothers estate and butterfly collection. When he arrives in Milan, he finds a manuscript she had been working on. The tale becomes eerie as the line between fiction and nonfiction starts to blend. I like how this was the perfect blend of eerie magical realism, classic gothic tropes, and modern day mystery-thriller tension.
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📖 The ending was phenomenal and 100% worth the journey for me. I’d recommend this one to readers who enjoy slow atmospheric novels. I’d also recommend reading this one with your eyes, or a tandem read with the audio. It switches between the present day and manuscript, making the change in perspective difficult to follow at times.

What a creepy yet great read! The narrator for the audio also has a way of making you feel as if you're in the story. There were points where I could have sworn I felt someone over my shoulder, and that's exactly what I want in a gothic thriller!

I really wanted to like this one especially with Dua Lipa's praise and endorsement, but I just couldn't get into it. The story started off slowly and progressed even slower. I also didn't enjoy the audiobook very much and that also made it harder to get into the story.

I really wanted to like this book, but I struggled through it until I finally gave up at the halfway point. I, not sure if it was the names or the settings, but I could not get invested, and should have been able to by 50%. I was gifted an ALC by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ALC and ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The cover and description for this book made me immediately want to read it. I liked the idea of a Turkish grandmother leaving her creepy Italian villa to her grandson and all of these secrets coming out. I am always a fan of gothic books and I think this fell into it.

The reason it wasn't a higher rating was something the writing was a little awkward for me. There were times that it felt clunky. I do think I will try this author's future books and I am sure the writing problem I had will get better over time!

A multi-perspective, atmospheric fantasy that becomes slightly confusing in that it becomes heavily involved in Perihan’s manuscript instead of Ricardo’s point of view. It’s interesting because it’s told almost like a fairytale. I loved the symbolism of butterflies as a creation of life or eternal life.
It was kind of a body horror, but it ended up being more of a thriller. The ending was a little bit predictable, but still enjoyable. Overall I would give it a 3.5 because it wasn’t what I expected but that’s my fault for having any expectations going in.

⭐️3 Stars⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook of Their Monstrous Hearts! I really enjoyed the two narrators of this audiobook, they both really helped this story come to life. The story was very slow paced for me, I personally prefer a fast faced story. After a while I got tired of all the butterfly talk, I felt like it could have been turned into a drinking game. I wouldn’t consider this a horror book, I would more consider it a mystery book. I did like that this book kept switching between the grandmothers past to the grandsons present day! I think this book would be the perfect read to take on a vacation with you! Thank you again to NetGalley for this audiobook!💕📚

I’m glad I sat with this one for a bit after reading it to figure out how I felt about it because it was different than most things I’ve read (and not necessarily in a bad way). I will say it started off kind of slow for me but once it got going it was GOING. The twist at the end was in a way predictable but in the way and magnitude it was done made it still exciting. I think fans of horror related to folklore or odd creatures would be interested in this.

What a Debut novel. The elements were all there and I can see this author really making a name for themselves with more experience. The story in some places felt lacking and it others felt too much. I wanted more of Ricardo and a little less of grandma.