Sexy, sarcastic, and stunning.  I expected nothing less from St. Clair and I was NOT disappointed.  Lillith has been a recent fascination of mine, both as her own person and her place in world mythology.  Feminine rage, escaping the thumb of religious misogyny, and taking pride in our power as women have been very healing themes for me personally, so of course this novel meant a little something more for me.  Not to mention the conversation around the right men, the confident, true hearted ones, being supportive and thrilled by that confidence in return? We love to see it. Is frienemies to lovers a trope? It should be, with Lillith and Zahariev as the pinnacle example.  Having Lillith be the primary POV and Zahariev's inserts be nothing but complimentary to her strength and expressive of his admiration were an elite touch.  

I have nothing bad to say, and I am so excited for everyone to get their hands on this and for the series to continue.  I am particularly looking forward to more Coco, Cherub, and Cassian ----- I see it, and I love it.  I was happily snuggled up to my own little fur-baby void while reading, although she was not thrilled by my physical and vocal dismay upon reading the cliffhanger. I am in full emotional collapse until the next installment 💕

Special thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks/Bloom Books, and Scarlett St. Clair for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.  I've had it pre-ordered for months but was feral about the early read!

Every time I read Scarlett St. Clair, I'm taken on such an incredible journey. I tried my hardest to read this one slowly, knowing that the next publication date is TBD, but I couldn't put it down! Lilith absolutely lives up to her namesake, in every sense of the term. She's so strong and brave, beautiful and smart. Zahariev was made for her. He sees her strength and never wants to be in her way. "I'll always be here, following in your shadow. I am not afraid of your freedom."

They will call her a demon, but i watched her transform and i will call her goddess

Life was life. It was as meaningful as I made it.

I really enjoyed this book the chemistry between Lilith and Zahariev (chef's kiss) I could relate to the world (Feminine Rage) That ending!!! I really can't wait for the next book. This book was really great my new favorite by Scarlett St.Clair

I am not afraid of your freedom

A Touch of Darkness is one of my all time favourite books so I have been so incredible excited to read this new series by the same author. Scarlett St Clair writes the most engaging stories featuring incredible steamy romances that make it impossible to put the book down.

Terror at the Gates was beautifully written and left me desperate for more. I loved this feminist retelling of Lilith and it was such a incredible start to the series. The world building was absolutely brilliant and added a unique atmosphere to the story.

The romance left me a little disappointed because I had expected the book to be way more centered around it. Don't get me wrong, there was lots of romance, I just found that it was not as prevalent as A Touch of Darkness. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and really loved the romance. I am very much looking forward to seeing more of it in the second book.

I received an early copy of this and.. no words... it was amazing.
If you loved the Hades x Persephone series and the Adrian x Isolde series, you will love this! A feminist retelling of Lilith, wonderful!
The world building was amazing... am I the only one that pictured the world like from the movie High Rise?
The characters..the slow burn? OMG amazing!
Can't wait for the next book!

“If this wasn’t a sin, then you’d be a fucking saint.”
Thank you to NetGalley & SourceBooks for the opportunity to read Terror early! All I can say is- Scarlett has done it again. Lilith is a woman who, estranged from her family, is learning how to not only live alone; but deal with her own grief and trauma, including the dismantling of her religious beliefs. All while skirting her growing feelings for the head of a rivaling family, Zahariev Zareth (yummy). 5/5 ⭐️, I cannot wait for the next book in the series!!

eARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loveeeee Scarlett St. Clair and Terror at the Gates has continued my love for her. She has such descriptive writing and her female characters are to die for. They’re strong and *want* the man, but don’t *need* the man. & of course her MMC’s are to die for, with Zahariev being no exception. The ending was not something I was expecting, but an amazing ending to keep me enticed to read the second. The only thing I hate about ARC is now I have to wait even longer for the sequel 😭😭 but she’s gonna be worth the wait 🤩

Absolutely amazing story full of plot twists and awesome characters! This is a definite must for Scarlett St Clair fans!

“Their judgment is fear, Lilith,” he said. “And fear is power.”

🗡️ Im a massive fan of KOBAB so when I seen the chance to read this early I ran …..
🗡️I had no idea what I was getting into with this one just the cover alone gave me a good feeling ! It did not disappoint. It’s an easy world to follow some inspiration from the real world with a fantasy setting and mafia vibes !
‼️ triggers - Religious trauma . SA. Emotional abuse by a parent & authority figures in the church
🖤 I loved loved loved the main characters relationship, the pining, the tension ! It was everything !
🗡️A really interesting plot line that kept me invested in the story but be warned ‼️ that ending will have leave you begging for the next one.
P.s I cried 😭
Thank you source books & netgalley for this arc

I am legitimately speechless oh my god. This is easily my favourite Scarlett book. The world building, the characters, the ending????!Ill! I knew going into this book, I would love it but I can not explain how much it truly changed me. A book built on the anger of women oppressed, mirroring a society we live in. I am so genuinely in shock and awe of everything I just read.

First I want to thank Scarlett for posting about the ARC on NetGalley, I’m so thankful for the opportunity to read this one early.

This one was different…did I enjoy Lilith’s character development? Yes. Did I enjoy Zahariev finally letting himself go and falling for her? Yes. But shit, to finally figure out what the damn blade was and what she was took to the last chapter?!!!! Her mom’s whole role was kinda predictable, up until her role in the Serpants, yet we never find out who or what those are? Then you end it on a cliffy when it FINALLY got interesting? I also have so many unanswered questions. It’s like there were so many side quests that weren’t finished when we got to the final mission

:Scarlett St. Clair is back with a brand new series that will have you binging it and will leave you wanting more! Highly addictive and filled with feminine rage. Lilith is going to become a new favorite character for me and I am ready for it. Zahariev…move over Hades cuz there’s a new man in town…while I will always love her Hades and Persephone series. Terror at the Gate and the Blood of Lilith series is going to be highly anticipated for me everytime a new one is announced. I am always here for stories of revenge, feminine rage and good old comeuppance and this is that. As always Scarlett St. Clair leaves us at a point where we are biting tooth and nail needing to know what happens next. Her writing is addictive and fast paced it had me breezing through just shy of 500 pages in record time.
I loved the world building, I feel that St. Clair is always hitting that on the head. I loved the characters. She made me dislike who she wanted me to dislike. I anxiously await the audio book so I can experience this all over again in a different format.

Thank you to Bloom for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“She is peace and chaos. She is terror knocking at the gates.”

Another win for Scarlett St. Clair. I was anticipating this re-telling of the myth of Lilith, and this did not disappoint. I love the way her writing completely immerses you into the world building and the character’s personalities.

You can definitely feel the feminine rage radiating from every page of this story, and I absolutely loved it.

This book is perfect for anyone who has dealt with religious trauma or has ever gone through a deconstruction of their faith.

As always, the way SSC writes romantic tension is top tier. This was a perfect frenemies to lovers with a great pacing.


Reader beware of a large cliff-hanger, but the journey is worth it. I cannot wait to read the next installment in Lilith’s story!


Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and to the publisher for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨ARC REVIEW✨
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for this ARC of Terror at the Gates by Scarlett St. Clair—my most anticipated read of 2025! I already have it on preorder and I’m counting down the days. Scarlett is my favorite author (hello, Hades x Persephone) and she never misses.

This book? BREATHTAKING.
Gothic, dark, emotional, and so spicy. I finished it in a single sitting because I had to know what happened next. It’s fantasy mafia meets forbidden lovers meets untamed female rage, and I ate it up.

🖤 Lilith is our bratty, witty, feminist queen who can absolutely wreck you.
🔥 Zahariev f-ing Zareth? The man is weaponized sexual tension. I swooned, I squealed, I yelled. These two have years of pining, an off-the-charts forbidden romance, and the ultimate “touch her and 💀” dynamic.

But let me be clear:
⚠️ This book covers heavy topics like religious trauma, SA, child and parental abuse, and death. Please read the trigger warnings.

That cliffhanger?? UNHINGED. I thought I had time—NOPE. The ending had me screaming. The prophecies? Brilliant. The tension? Dangerous. The vibes? Immaculate. I just know book two is going to go nuclear and I am so here for it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (and then some)
Scarlett, you’ve done it again. I'm greedy and I need the next one now.

"only darkness would accuse the light of fear"

Lilith Leviathan has rebelled against the church and her family. She has left her home and is living in Nineveh, the district of Eden that is devoted to sin. While living in Ninevah she hides her family name to keep a low profile, this means she cant hold a job in the sin district. Lilith uses her magic to steal relics and antiques to sell to her buyers.

Lilith under the protection of Zahariev Zareth, this was the agreement that was made with her father when she left home. Lilith does not like answering to anyone, more so , answering to any man.

When she uses her magic to get a unique blade from an unsuspecting man in one of Zaharievs clubs, her quaint little life in Nineveh is turned upside-down. This blade is no ordinary blade, death and destruction seems to follow. One small blade holds so many secrets. One small blade may help bring upon the end of Eden.

Lilith and Zahariev were always told that they were off limits to each other. Two heirs could never be together, We all know forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest. While they are thrust even closer to discover the true power of the blade and what the church is doing to control the people, their lives will intertwine even more. As they uncover the truth of the church and Eden, They also uncover their own truths.

This is a Modern retelling of Lilith with a mafia family feel.

This screams out for all the girls who fight to be heard but never stop screaming. Lilith is a feminist icon. A woman who was wronged, and wont stand for being mistreated, wont stand for being controlled by the church, wont be controlled by men.

"she is the beginning and the end. She is peace and chaos. she is terror knocking at the gates."

Zarariev is the best morally grey green flag man to grace our pages,

I do love how the friendships were written as well , its not often we get strong female friendships so well established and strong through the story.

We also get the cutest little sidekick, cherub is the purrrrrr-fect little paw pal.

The ending , Oh my goodness, leaving it like that. I want more, and need more. Waiting for the next book is torture. I will have to re-read and obsess until book two arrives.

"They will call her a demon, but i watcher her transform, and i will call her a goddess"

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books | Bloom Books for the Digital ARC for review.

interesting 1st book in the series. Lilith is daughter of the five families. and this takes place in Gomorrah and she is love with Zariah . He is watching over her but has a thing for her too. she finds a knife and is able to open the gates. This book had good romance and loved the cat and her friend. I wasn't a fan of Gabriel calling her baby girl. I can't wait to see how this series goes and dealing with the church and the gates. Thanks netgalley

Wow! Scarlett did it again! This book was everything you wanted. Amazing characters, tension, spice, and a great damn plot. Waiting for the next book will be a torture!

Shocking to absolutely no one, I devoured this book!! A mafia fantasy retelling the story of Lilith with tons of feminine rage is exactly what I needed.

This is a super quick read, and the story keeps a very consistent pace throughout. This is without a doubt a desk fantasy, and I mean dark, which added so much atmosphere and intensity to the story.

We have a bit of a mystery unraveling throughout that keeps the plot moving, which is really important because the plot in this one isn’t really plotting. It’s more character focused than plot focused, but a few of the characters don’t have much of a personality.

This is a fabulous slow burn romance, which was by far my favorite part of the book.

I’m ready for the next book!

Thank you very much to Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NstGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

SSC's Hades/Persephone series is partially to thank for getting me back into fantasy as an adult. Scarlett does such a fantastic job of bringing mythology to her stories and giving them a modern twist that feels natural, Terror at the Gates is no different! I saw the character art for this and knew I couldn't wait to read it. I loved getting a touch of Z's POV every chapter and getting the broody MMC but was never her enemy and always a good friend. It is a SLOW burn, but remember it's a series and of course it ends on the perfect cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more!

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
💛Six Star Read💛

Could not put this down! I finished this book in one day and was hooked from the first chapter. Definitely one of my top reads of the year.

This was a unique story, with elements of urban fantasy, dark romance, thriller/suspense, with religious and feminist themes. It felt like the author invented a brand new genre and I was here for it.

Things I loved:
🗡️Slow burn/forbidden romance/tension (ughhhh the tension)
🗡️Unique version of dual POV
🗡️Strong relationships between MCs and side characters
🗡️Good pacing, never felt like there was a lull in the story without being overwhelmingly action-packed
🗡️Great world building
🗡️Care in handling difficult subject matter
🗡️The details and research that went into this story

I don't know who I am more obsessed with - the badass FMC, Lilith (Miss "Your girl's a fucking menace"); the MMC Zahariev, who is always there in the shadows watching over Lilith; or Cherub, my new favorite sidekick.

"They will call her a demon, but I watched her transform, and I will call her goddess."

I cannot believe the ending and need book 2 IMMEDIATELY. Going to go read ever Scarlett St. Clair book in the meantime to hold me over.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC - all thoughts are my own.