~ 3.75 Stars ~

Ok, I definitely enjoyed reading this story and I would love to see where the series will go but overall I liked not loved it. The story line itself was super cool and unique. But I wanted more, more of Zahariev's point of view. More about Lilith's family and their history. More of the intrigue and big bad. More clarity on what is actually going on. I felt like nothing and everything happened the same time in this book.

What an amazing freaking book. Lilith and Zahariev are absolutely divine. The sexual tension in this book? OH MY GOD. I love Coco and Gabriel and Cherub and EVERYONE.

this is absolutely a 5 star read, I can’t wait for book 2!

Scarlett St. Clair really said let’s light the page on fire and I ATE. IT. UP! 🔥

Terror at the Gates had me in a chokehold. I loved every damn thing about it. This book proved why Scarlett's the queen who put me on romantasy in the first place!

Z?? OBSESSED 🥵
Lilith?? ICONIC 👑
That cliffhanger?? MA’AM. I am not okay! 🤯

There's suspense, there's steam, there's soul-shaking questions about life, religion, and power. And as someone who grew up in church, this book hit different. It made me THINK and had me re-evaluating EVERYTHING while still delivering the fantasy drama I live for.

Let’s talk about Lilith. This was feminine rage wrapped in magic and power and grit. She’s strong, rough around the edges, vulnerable in all the right ways and it works. She’s so many women. She’s all of us. The epitome of feminine strength, standing tall in a world built to silence her. I was yelling, crying, cheering her on every page.

If you want morally gray characters, unhinged tension, and a heroine that’ll awaken something deep in your soul this one’s for you! Seriously, download it now!! 👏🏽

Dear Scarlett, WHAT DO YOU PUT IN YOUR BOOKS THAT MAKE ME DEVOUR THEM?!?

Terror was EVERYTHING I wanted! I don’t even know where to start. The mafia vibes, Zahariev being, well, Zahariev, the SLOW BURN. I loved how feisty Lilith is. I loved the side characters. I laughed, I giggled, I absolutely sobbed. I never ever knew what was going to happen and it was perfect!

I don’t want to say too much and accidentally spoil anything so I’ll leave you with:

GO READ TERROR AT THE GATES ♥️🗡️

oh. my. goodness. this was a whirlwind! i loved everything about this book. the characters, the plot, the world building, the ancient history of the land and its people. the plot moved so fast, but in such a captivating, interesting way. i was on the edge of my seat the whole read, always excited to see what else was in store for the characters i was growing to love. i loved how although this was a fantasy world with magic, it took place in a modern city, which was a different twist and made everything so much more interesting.

if you are a fan of fantasy and the enemies to lovers / forbidden love tropes... you HAVE to read this one!! i highly recommend it- it's so worth it!

thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Bloom Books for this opportunity!

This is giving major Rhapsodic vibes. I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was very fast paced plot, slow burn romance, with a ‘touch her & die’ MMC.
Lilith’s character I found to be frustrating at times because she tries so hard to be independent but she’s just not… Zahariev is the real star of the show. Perfect MMC. This book ends of a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read the next book!
Thank you NetGallery and Bloom Books for the ARC!

This was fantastic!

Feminine rage, religious trauma, urban fantasy, forbidden romance all come together to create a compelling and consuming story. Definitely check trigger warning before going in, but wow this was great!

I actually really enjoyed the uber short passages of the MMC’s POV. They were these perfect little snippets into his mind to let us know what he’s thinking or feeling! It helped drive the pace of the book, since I kept wanting to get to those parts!

This was my first Scarlett St. Clair book and it definitely won’t be my last! In fact, I’ve already purchased a couple of her others to dive into while waiting for book 2 of Lilith!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the eARC!

It felt so good to be reading a new Scarlett St Clair book. I loved this creepy and messed up world. I loved how the main character fought hard against tradition and rules in order to do what is right for herself and all females. I loved the love interest, but I felt like I needed more from them. There weren't enough little moments between them for me. I absolutely love them as a couple, I just want to see more of them. The ending was really cool and I can't wait to see where it goes in the next book.

5⭐️
2🌶

A top romantasy/urban fantasy read of 2025, that's riiiight! Terror at the Gates gave me everything I was looking for from Scarlett, from this COVER, from the bits of audio I listened to as I read on my kindle... This is a book you won't want to miss.

Immaculate vibes, a badass, cat-loving FMC and a hot AF, tattooed MMC.

And, okay, hear me out when I say this, but it's like... HOEAB meets Peaky Blinders meets Ghostbusters meets ATOD meets... something biblical??? In all the good, best ways possible.

**Thank you endlessly to Scarlett St. Clair and Bloom for an early copy of Terror at the Gates and the opportunity to leave my honest, voluntary review! All thoughts and opinions are my own!*

Probably would've been a solid 3.5 read rounded up for me, but then that ENDING. I've been a bit mixed on St. Clair's books before, but I'm really looking forward to wherever this series goes next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this edition from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Sourcebooks for the ARC.

Scarlett St. Clair never fails to keep you entertained as Terror at the Gates is another binge-worthy book. The world of Terror at the Gates is like nothing I've read before and the entire story kept me guessing as new elements were introduced and the plot swung in different directions. I adored all the characters and felt for Lilith as she went through hardships and we learned more about her past. Zahariev is also incredibly hot, thoughtful, and gentle and I want him for myself haha.

My main criticism was I think the book was trying to do a bit too much at once leaving some elements to fall through the cracks and lose a bit of relevance. The main element being Lilith's magic. It is a major contributor to the opening few scene but then after that it's only really mentioned here and there as more of a plot device and lore explanation than an actual part of the story. Which was unfortunate because I found it very interesting and would have loved to see her use it more throughout the story.

Overall though it was another great book by Scarlett St. Clair and I can't wait to see how the story develops.

Also...that ending!! I need the next book now!

I haven’t read from this author in over five years so I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but this was great. While slow in the beginning, with a bit too much “feminine rage” (yuck), I was sucked in. Love the cover.

I really enjoyed the tension and slow-burn romance in this one—the pining kept me hooked from start to finish. The magical system and demon elements added a nice layer of intrigue, though they felt more like a side story to the central relationship, which I didn’t mind.

I did find myself wishing for more world-building and a deeper explanation of the family dynamics, but I’m hopeful that future installments will explore those elements further. Overall, an engaging read that left me curious for what’s next!

Chaotic is the best word to describe this book.

There was so much happening that I couldn’t quite pinpoint what the endgame of this book was. The only thing that I was certain of was the fact that the main couple would fall in love, which also kind of fell flat for me. The main reason being that the main couple had history and not once do we get any flashbacks or explanations about it.

The MMC at the beginning of the book was this broody and mysterious man that had me instantly intrigued. However, halfway through the book he changed and became less appealing to me. I also wasn’t a fan of the FMC. I personally couldn’t relate to her or feel any sympathy for her “situation.”

This book had so much potential to be great and I’m honestly sad it wasn’t better.

Terror at the Gates is highly addicting and impossible to put down! It's officially my new favorite book by Scarlett St. Clair!

I have been dying to read this book since I saw the gorgeous cover and it did not disappoint. Lilith was such a great character. She's not this perfect character that does everything right and doesn't always know what she's doing. She's flawed and real. Based on her upbringing, I could not judge her for how she acted. She was used to never being able to trust anyone. I enjoyed watching her transform and start to evolve as a character. She went from trusting no one to slowly letting others in.

I loved Zahariev so much! The way he's always there for Lilith and just sees the real her. He never tries to change her or cage her. I enjoyed the little sections at the beginning of the chapters with his POV. I loved the tension between Lilith and Zahariev. This book is a slow burn but all the tension between them made the payoff even better.

I highly recommend this book if you're looking for an urban fantasy with mafia vibes and a delicious slow burn. You won't be disappointed!

Thank you Bloom Blooms for the opportunity to read this book early!

5 stars!!!!!!!

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!

eArc provided by the Publisher through NetGalley. Thank you in advance.

Holy sh!t. Ejem, let me prepare myself for this review! Overall, the book was a good read, and I enjoyed it.

This book follows the story of Lilith, with some short and sweet POV’s from Zahariev.

I had fun, got heartbroken, and was furious while reading this book. I seriously wanted to fight at some point. There are relationships that Lilith has, and you can feel the connection between characters. You can get attached really quickly.
There is the hate toward other characters, mainly the f****g Lisk, and then don’t even get me started with her mom. 🤬 I truly despised Lisk, and I wanted his end to be disgusting, painful, and bloody.

And then… There is the dynamic with Zahariev. I’m like sir! 😤 Can you please kiss her!! I need you to do something!! I needed to understand why this papasito took so long to react to Lilith's approaches.

People can say whatever they want about the building of the story; however, understand this is the first book, and there is still a lot to be discussed to get the whole picture. That said, I was frustrated when Lisk's end was not what I expected. 🥲 But I am looking forward to the next book, and how everything is going to fit together.

I absolutely devoured this book! Honestly, I would read anything written by Scarlett she is an amazing person and I am glad I have had the pleasure to meet her during one of her book signings. Her writing is beautiful and her stories are captivating and addicting. I knew from the start that I was going to love Terror at the Gates. I absolutely enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to continue reading more. The world building was amazing. It was dark with elements of religion and politics. Lilith was a strong character but with flaws of course. At times she was frustrating because she did not always make the right decisions and would put herself in dangerous situations. I was rooting for her the entire time for trying to break free from her family. And then we have Zahariev. I adored him and I instantly loved him. Zahariev understood and protected Lilith whenever she was in need of help. He became her safe place and her protector. I can’t wait to read more and learn about the different families. I am sure the world building will continue to develop and many things will be explained perhaps in book 2. Thank you one again NetGalley and Bloom Books for giving me this amazing opportunity.

Getting approved for this ARC, in audio and kindle form, on NetGalley made my day and this book continued to do that.

I was intrigued by the premise of the book and how this retelling of Lilith's story would play out and it is close to perfect. The story of how religion hurt her and how she reacted to it played out wonderfully. It showed the deep pain and the complicated feelings that can come from growing up within the inner circle, but not really having any privilege due to the way they try to force you to conform. You'd think someone of Lilith's station would have more wiggle room, and to be fair she did in a way, but it wasn’t true freedom.

That's what makes me love the dynamic with all of her friends. They see her and embrace her, despite how she's still grasping what it is she's doing away from her parents. They're patient with her and also don't shy away from showing their emotions, even their anger, but they do show her that anger will not have the same outcome as it does at her home.

Plus don't get me started on her and Zahariev. Their chemistry and tension is sooo good. Seeing it play out and how they both finally gave in was great. But seeing how he was willing to be there for her no matter what was even better.

And that ending? That ending?!?!? My goodness. Love it and need the next book!

I’ve been deep in a book slump lately, so I honestly didn’t expect Terror at the Gates to reel me in the way it did — but wow, did it surprise me!

From the very first pages, I was completely hooked. The story had such an addictive pull that I found myself reading "just one more chapter" until I was suddenly at the end.

The FMC was such a standout for me. She’s strong, smart, and refreshingly human — the kind of character you genuinely root for and want to spend time with. And the MMC? Absolutely swoon-worthy. Their dynamic was electric, with the perfect balance of tension, vulnerability, and depth. I loved watching their relationship develop; it felt authentic and added so much heart to the story.

The pacing was spot on, keeping me engaged without ever dragging. Even the darker or more intense moments felt earned and necessary rather than thrown in for shock value.

Overall, Terror at the Gates was exactly what I needed to break out of my slump: immersive, emotional, and utterly entertaining. If you’re looking for a story with memorable characters and a plot that pulls you in, I can’t recommend this one enough!