Terror at the Gates was a unique, original experience and I loved learning this world for what it was, learning the concepts and watching the originality unfold.

I absolutely adored the lil sidekick Cherub and was beyond pleased she came out unscathed lol - however overall I did have a few issues.

This will contain spoilers*********


Up until around the 30% mark, I was really enjoying everything and didn't want to put the book down, but there came a point where a relatively important character was murdered - this character was pregnant.

Our FMC found her and called paramedics to get her to the hospital, but there was blood everywhere etc. our FMC went to the hospital with the MMC and then after finding out she passes, but the babe is okay and seeing her partners grief, she sprints back to the apartment...which is still covered in blood and the MMC follows her. That was the moment we got the climax to this tension and they chose to share their first kiss and their thoughts were about sex.

I am all for sex and discovery and exploration but the timing of this felt not right. It pulled me out and I never fully got back in. I recognize we all handle grief differently and outlets are important and my guess is that was the intention, but it fell flat for me and from that point on the romance fell off for me.

Additionally EVERY single time our FMC left her apartment she got hurt, in trouble, or someone died. There was no other plot when she left, it was danger or trouble and felt repetitive.

It also felt at times like we forgot the world had magic in it as it was mentioned in the start but then rarely if ever again which felt loose. The 'big bad' was a gelatinous goo - and it never got explained further than that and felt a bit comically bad.

Now with that said, as I mentioned I love Cherub, and I did like the world and LOVED the concept of healing from religious trauma. I think it was done well and while I do have complaints, I do fully intend to read book 2!

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Tropes:
Forbidden love
Touch her and die
Morally grey MMC
He falls first
Headstrong FMC with unique magic
Age gap
Mafia vibes
Plot twists

Review:
I was not prepared for how much I thoroughly enjoyed Terror at the Gates! This is book 1 in a new fantasy series by Scarlett St. Clair and is a feminist retelling of Lilith’s story. I knew I would be locked into the story from the dedication - “To the women who were told they must submit to the dominance of man.”

This story was dark and gritty and tackles very heavy themes (read trigger warnings). Lilith is born to a prominent and wealthy family but escapes to Nineveh to avoid familial expectations and plans for her future (which would have been marrying her off to a suitor of their choice). When Lilith comes across a mysterious and magical blade, strange occurrences start happening, starting with the death of an acquaintance she was trying to sell it off to. Lilith seeks help from Zahariev, a powerful, morally grey man who rules Nineveh and as it turns out, has a very soft spot for Lilith. Unfortunately, the dagger is only the beginning of their problems as they uncover a much darker truth about their world.

The plot was very interesting and I think this book has amazing setup for the next installment where I’m sure we will get more development and insight into the world. But by far I was most excited about any time the FMC and MMC were on page together. The banter, the tension, and the slow burn was immaculate and I was eating up every crumb. Scarlett did such a great job of finding that balance between telling a story about feminine rage but still showing that it’s okay to rely on others (even a man) for support. I was highlighting galore because Zahariev is so sarcastic which makes for excellent banter but it’s so obvious how deep his affection runs for Lilith. It’s well worth the wait when Lilith finally realizes this too hehe. If you’re a fan of the Hades series by Tate James, the MMC gave me some serious Zed vibes!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Sourcebooks, and Bloom books for the e-ARC!

WHOA! Hold on to your butts. This was a wild ride and super spicy from the start. Definitely check out the trigger warnings if you're sensitive to certain topics. Otherwise, dig in and enjoy the feminine rage! Will purchase.

Category is…let her cook. 🔥

I really enjoyed this one! 4.25 stars.✨

Okay, Terror at the Gates was an absolute blast! This dark urban fantasy with major mafia romance vibes immediately grabbed me by the throat (in the best way!). I'm already obsessed with our main couple, but my inner slow-burn stan wished we could've dragged out that romance just a tiny bit longer, knowing there's more to come. Still, St. Clair is a QUEEN at building those foundational families and giving us intriguing side characters who I desperately need more of, like yesterday.

🚨Seriously, though, check those trigger warnings! This one does not pull its punches, so be prepared!

Thank you to Bloom Books and Tantor Audio for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

St. Clair is back with another urban fantasy mythological retelling - but this time, she is focusing on Christian mythology. Two years ago, Lillith left her privileged upbringing aside to become a dancer and thief in Nineveh, a dark part of the city straight out of a 1950s film noir. When one of her fences is murdered, she works with Zahariev, the head of the family that runs Nineveh to find the dark truths that the church may have hidden.

I'm glad to see St. Clair is leading the revival of feminist retelling (which have seemed to reduce in popularity since the 90s) and I appreciated that in her turning to Christian myth kept her urban edge, instead of going into more traditional fantasy grounds. I also enjoyed the relationship between Zahariev and Lillith - friends to lovers is less common in dark romance, and I think St Clair walked a good line between their familiarity and their tension. The brief snippets of Zahariev's POV are enough to keep the mystery, while letting the reader understand that Lillith's perspective isn't always spot on. I do wish that we had more of a sense of the relationship between Zahariev and his brothers, and I hope we get more of that in the later series.

Thanks to Bloom Books for the early copy, and I'd recommend this to fans of Harley LaRoux and Jaysea Lynn.

I knew when I first heard about this book it was going to be good, but I had NO IDEA it would be this good!

Lilith’s story in Jewish folklore has always resonated with me. It goes like this: Lilith was the first wife of Adam, not created from him, created from the same dust/ground as him. They were equals, made by God to be equals in all things. But Adam did not want an equal, he wanted his wife to be subservient to him and Lilith refused to make herself smaller or less than for a man. (Particularly there are tales about her not wanting to “lie beneath” Adam during sex). Her refusal to submit led to her being cast out from the Garden of Eden and God made Eve to serve Adam. Which lead her to become the mother of demons, etc etc.

So as you can see my expectations were pretty high. Scarlett St. Clair met every single expectation head to head and still came out on top with this book.

I thought this would be more Romantasy, but I was thrilled when I realized it was more Urban fantasy. The only other series I can compare it to with the first book grabbing you by the throat and not letting go is Crescent City. In a lot of ways it challenges the aspect of good and evil with Judaism influence like SJM did with that series too.

When I read the main characters name I laughed out loud because my daughters middle name is Lilith and my sons middle name is Leviathan.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world… Ephesians 6:12


In this world there are 5 families who inherited gifts from God, called Elohai, passed down through the matriarchal line, but in this world a woman is only an extension of her husband or father.
Lilith is the only daughter and heir to the Leviathan family, but a woman cannot inherit the title of the head of their family. Rather than be forced to marry someone her mother picks for her she flees Hiram to live in Nineveh, a “dirty” city filled with sin and the poor controlled by the Zareth family. Zahariev, the head of the Zareth family, has been her protector since she left Hiram and is seemingly the only other person in the Families who is not brain washed with patriarchal religious fanaticism.

Lilith has to steal to survive, she steals religious artifacts and sells them. When she steals a dagger from a man in a bar her entire life turns upside down and sets her off on a path of a predestined fate.

There is not much more I can say about this book without giving up major spoilers, but the names in this book all have meaning. It’s absolutely beautiful how St. Clair really dug into religion to write this, every detail is meticulous.

Side note: I also believe all the poems in Liliths dreams have deeper meanings, like an Easter egg I cannot unravel.


I’ll end this with a highlight on the details of this book via the names and I’ll add some of my favorite quotes:

“My magic was the downfall of my obedience. It wasn’t until then I realized everything the church had tried to say about women was a lie. We were not responsible for lust in men. We existed, and they desired. Sometimes that desire was mutual. Sometimes it wasn’t, but men had a hard time wrapping their dicks around the word no, and since our world valued them more, we were the ones who suffered.”

“Yeah,” he said. “You were on a list. Untouchable.”

THE TENSION

“You have a pretty mouth, little love, but you say the ugliest things.”

Elohim: Hebrew for god

Elohai: “my god”

Zahariev: derived from Zachariah meaning “the lord has remembered” in Hebrew

Lucius: light (also in the Bible)

Analisia: grace, favor, and my god is an oath or consecrated to God

Esther: In the Book of Esther in the Bible, Esther is a Jewish queen who saves her people from a plot to exterminate them

Ashur: a son of Shem and a forefather of the Assyrians.

Zareth: derived from the name Zereth, found in the Old Testament as a descendant of Judah.

Leviathan: depicted as a powerful, serpentine sea monster, often associated with chaos and the primordial deep. It's also used metaphorically to describe any large, overwhelming force or entity

Asahel: God has made" or "creature of God"

Nineveh: capital of the Assyrian empire devoted to "the goddess Inanna of Nineveh" in the Bible: God orders Jonah to warn the citizens of Nineveh, a principal Assyrian city, to repent of their wickedness, but Jonah refuses to believe that these hated people deserve salvation.

Akkadia: an extinct Semitic language of ancient Mesopotamia. a member of a Semitic people living in Mesopotamia before 2000 b.c.

Hiram: associated with King Hiram of Tyre, who aided King Solomon in the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem

Gomorrah: is one of the two cities (along with Sodom) destroyed by God for their inhabitants' wickedness.

Sumer: `the Land of Shinar' (Genesis 10:10 and elsewhere), which people interpreted to most likely mean the land surrounding Babylon and the ancient civilization of Sumer in Mesopotamia

Nara-sin desert: Naram-Sin "Beloved of the Moon God Sîn” Mesopotamian moon god

Mount seine: mount sinai, SO SO MANY; Moses and the burning bush at Mount Horeb, connection to the Babylonian moon god Sin, Har Sinai referring to God giving the Torah to humans instead of angels, Har Ha-Elokim: "God's Mountain," where God revealed the Torah to the Jewish people.

4.5/5 ⭐️
2/5 🌶️

What an absolute wild ride. This one kept me on my toes and I loved it! If I didn’t have the responsibilities of being an adult and working (boo 👎🏻), I probably would have devoured this in one sitting.

This felt like a mix of Constantine (2005 movie) and mafia vibes. It had the demon/religion/knife aspect of Constantine. & then FMC (the estranged daughter of a notorious family who rules over a presiding area) is in league with MMC from a different ruling family - giving the mafia vibes.

This was such a unique story. I loved the writing style. I loved how strong and fiesty/whitty FMC is. MMC is soo damn FINE. He’s dark, stern, and tatted. He gives “touch her & ☠️” vibes with a side of “burn the world down for you.” And who wouldn’t want all that?! ❤️‍🔥 & THANK YOU Scarlett for giving us a few small MMC povs sprinkled in there (🥵🔥*bites fist*).

I think the only thing I wasn’t a fan of was one of the side characters calls FMC “babygirl” ALOT. It’s just a bit weird and got a bit old. & the phrasing “demon blob” I also wasn’t a fan of (but that could be a me issue lol). These two things weren’t enough to deter me from really liking and enjoying this book though!

&I did feel like we just kinda skimmed/got a small taste of the plot, and that there is so much more to find out. Some of it felt like chaos but I actually think that may have been on purpose? 👀 & that ending?!! UGHHH. OMG. 🤯 I will definitely be (not so) patiently awaiting book 2!!

Please check the trigger warnings friends! 🫶🏻

Thank you so much to Scarlett, netgalley, and publishers for eARC!! 🥹🫶🏻

What to Expect:
🐈‍⬛Urban Fantasy
💋Mafia Vibes
🐈‍⬛Age Gap
💋Friends to Lovers
🐈‍⬛Slow Burn
💋Plot Twists
🐈‍⬛Cliffhanger

Fav Quote: "I would go to war for you," he said again. "I would fight endlessly to keep you if that's what you wanted."

Scarlett St Clair is an insta-buy author for me and i’ve read her entire backlist! King of Battle and Blood is one of my fave books, so I was so excited for this one—but it fell a little flat for me.

<i><b>”That’s because you do not like to be contained.” He paused and then added, “most wild things don’t.”</b></i>

The overall idea of the book is really fun and intriguing. Urban fantasy with modern technology and demon hunting and the threat of gods looming over the city. I love the critique SSC is doing with our modern society, using the story of Lilith (the first wife of Adam before being banished/running from the Garden of Eden). Thus, there are heavy themes of religion misogyny, etc. so do be sure to read the content warnings.

Lilith is a strong character and strong-willed too, but she does rely on others *ahem, Zahariev* to get her out of constant trouble. The chemistry between Lilith and Zahariev is palpable and the story starts off where they are already friends dancing around their attraction for each other. It takes a while to get to the spice, but it’s well worth the wait!

The writing felt simplistic in some places (“I felt this, I saw that” and don’t get me started on the amount of “probably because”s in this book). Bordering on over-explanation in a few parts. I also just couldn’t get behind the nicknames the characters had for each other (“Babygirl” said an astonishing million times, and “little love”????)

I wish we could’ve seen more of her life at home with her family before, if only to get a greater sense of the world. I had a lot of questions. Like, why is the society divided under the rule of five different families? And is there an outside world we’re not privy to, or are these five districts all there is? Who exactly was that in Lilith dreams?

I know it’s possible some of these questions will be answered in the next installment, but it’s not super clear that they will be, or what the plot truly will be, even though it ends on a sort of abrupt cliff hanger.

I will be reading the sequel, whenever that comes out.

I love going into books blind, not sure why, but sometimes it adds to the mystique of a book. With this author, I always know what kind of book I'm going to get, so going in blind is relatively easy to do. That being said, I was happily surprised with how this author transformed the tale of Lilith.

Here we have Lilith, the daughter of a prominent family from Eden. Various things have made her want to flee the life she was born into, and with her father's grace she's been allowed to live separate from them in Nineveh. There she lives in relative obscurity, doing what she needs to do to get by. One day she steals a dagger that starts to transform her in immeasurable ways. People start to die, she starts to see weird things, and as much as she tries she can't get rid of the dagger now.

Zahariev has been in her life for as long as she can remember as a close friend and ally to her family. Now he acts as somewhat of a watchdog for her father. Because of this their relationship is very disjointed and distrustful, but when s*** starts to hit the fan for her he's the only true person she can rely on.

I really like the dynamic between these two because it's wholly forbidden and you know those can be some of the yummiest romances. Zahariev and Lilith vibe together so well, and as they start to work together to try to figure out what's going on with the dagger, the church, and the spirituality that encompasses everything around them, they become closer than they could ever imagine. Once those walls get taken down between them, it's pure romantic magic.

Big things happen towards the end of this book and set up the next part of the story perfectly, and I hope we don't have to wait so long for the next part of their story.

3-3.5 stars? This could have used more world building towards the beginning. If you asked me what genre this is my FIRST word would have to be fantasy due to the magic, but really it’s like mafia urban fantasy meets the problem with church politics?

I REALLY wanted to cheer for Lilith to be this big feminist badass, but she leans so heavily on Z to clean up her messes and support her (which there is nothing wrong with that, just doesn’t fit the feminist character line). She also makes dumb choices repeatedly. Like GIRL WHERE IS YOUR SELF PRESERVATION?? It moved both too slow and too fast in some points and did start to pick up once the world became more clear.. I’d read book 2, then we’ll see.

I’m in love with this book. From page 1 I couldn’t stop reading! I love the urban fantasy setting with the ruling families over different territories! I loved the slow burn romance as well. So so good!

This book comes out of the gates swinging and I loved it. This book is full of feminine rage, theological questioning, rage against the machine vibes with a badass heroine and kill her and die MMC. So basically it had all of the things. I felt like this had a slightly different vibe than other SS.C series but honestly it might be my favorite of her books ( and I read everything she writes religiously). I have read over 250 books this year and this is my favorite so far.

This will have spoilers. I can't help it.

I screamed when I received the ALC of Scarlett's new book. Whenever she drops a book, I drop EVERYTHING. Scarlett St. Clair has been my favorite author for YEARS. So I don't hold back when it comes to her.

Okay, let's get into it.

Lilith and Zahariev ( If spell this mans name wrong leave me alone. We are just calling him Zah for my own sanity and this review).

I want to start by saying that when starting any St. Clair book after A Touch of Darkness you can't help but compare. ATOD is one of my favorite series ever and I couldn't help but search for similarities between Lilith and Persephone and Zah and Hades. To be honest, in the beginning, the dynamic seems quite similar. I was worried that we were basically going to be given ATOD just with different characters and then I would end up wishing she had just continued with ATOD (Forever waiting for Temptress of Fire and Fury ). Luckily, that is not the case. TATG is vastly different when it comes to the dynamic between Lilith and Zah.

In the beginning it is explained that only women are blessed with powers but that men still have the over all power/dominance in society. So Zah is, for lack of getting into too much detail, kinda like a mafia boss and he runs a territory. He has no power except for his resources and reputation. As you get through the story you truly see that Zah is fine with being in the background. He is not the man that wants to always set the rules and lay down the law (when it comes to Lilith). He is fine with kinda like "being the muscle" for Lilith and standing in her shadow. He is no submissive though. He understands Lilith's wants and needs and he has been in love with her for a LONG time. So whatever she needs or wants he is willing to give.

Lilith is very headstrong and knows what she wants and is very mature but she is also very immature in some ways. Zah helps balance her out before she can make any rash decisions which I love. They are very much a team.

I wonder if we will get books of his side of the story like what was done with Hades. I would be interested to know what Zah does when he is not with Lilith.

Esther dying killed me. Why? What was the point? Please bring her back.

Cass and Coco.....yes (even though Coco is a lesbian. I was feeling them).

This book is very much world building and plot driven rather than hardcore romance. I don't read many romantasy books so this could be standard but its definitely a book that needs to be written in order to get everything out there so we can move on to the meat and potatoes of Lilith's and Zah's story.

I thought it was well paced and not rushed. I remember when I read King of Battle and Blood I thought the lead up to the ending and climax was a little rushed. I found the pacing in this book much much better.

I really don't have any complaints. I am excited for the next book or however many books will be in this series. It will definitely hold me over until the next book in the ATOD series ( I will always go back to it).

I am nervous for the future books because I feel like it will involve flashbacks of what happened between her and List ( is that is name? Idk if the voice actor was saying Lith or List). I don't need flash backs of that. Is everyone a pedo?

Another 5 star read for my fave author but I expect nothing less.

Also.... 9 times? Zah, you are going to give a girl extremely unrealistic expectations. We love it.

I recently read this via audiobook (also from NetGalley) and was surprised to receive the e-book as well! I would copy & paste my review, but I just want to convey how amazing this book is!
The world building, the modern retelling of Lilith’s story, I loved loved loved this book! There’s not a story that Scarlett St Clair writes that I won’t read!
Again, thank you for this ARC!

This is an all new urban romantasy and boy did I eat this one up!!!!

🖤 Class System
🗡 Age Gap
🖤 Found Family
🗡 Forbidden Romance
🖤 Touch Her And ☠️
🗡 Morally Grey Characters
🖤 Slow Burn

I have been a long time fan of Scarlett 's and was super excited for this series. It was everything I wanted and more. I am obsessed with Lilith and Zahariev. The way he calls her "Little Love." This was full on a slow burn but definitely worth it when they finally give in!!

I felt like even the side characters were given their own arcs and really added to the story. Esther and Gabrielle!

❤️‍🔥 ARC REVIEW ❤️‍🔥

Pub Date July 8th

“Beware she who bleeds, bound in chains.
Beware the exile, the young winged beast, who dances unafraid before fire.
Beware the woman with many names, the maiden, the whore, the scarlet serpent.
Beware the temptress who whispers in the dark.
She is the beginning and the end.
She is peace and chaos.
She is terror knocking at the gates.”

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I really enjoyed this Lilith retelling, urban fantasy. Kind of mafia/femme rage/religious vibes. The world building was concise and unique. Maybe a little long and slow at times but I’ll still continue the series! Recommend for my dark Romantasy babes❤️‍🔥

Character art by @e_kath_art
Thank you @netgalley and @read_bloom

3⭐️

I really like this author’s writing style, and she’s good at reeling her readers in and keeping their attention. There was a lot that I liked about this book, but also a lot that was confusing or just didn’t make much sense in the grand scheme of things. For starters, Lilith’s magic is sex magic??? But it’s only really mentioned/shown at the beginning of the book and seems like a pretty useless power. Also I don’t totally understand Lilith and Zahariev’s relationship, or why his nickname for her is “little love.” More than anything, this book felt like it was an avenue for trauma dumping - which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I think it made the story line a little messy.

I liked a lot of the imagery and the scenes that the author conjured up. Cherub was so cute and humanized Lilith, but Coco, Lilith’s supposed best friend, felt shallow and like she only existed to be a friend to Lilith and had no real purpose in life otherwise. Also, Gabriel loses the literal love of his life and mother of his child, and still is somehow putting Lilith’s feelings above his own? Somehow everything is about Lilith and she expects to be the center of attention, and it just doesn’t make sense to me. I hope that there’s more development of the other characters and story in the next installment.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️.5

Holy…wow

Scarlett never misses. I swear to god.

When I first heard about this book, I knew I would do ANYTHING to get my hands on it. And once I saw it on NetGalley, I nearly pissed myself with excitement.

First of all, Lilith is mother and I refuse to accept any criticism on her. I love her so much and I will protect her with my dying breath. Zahareiv is The Book Boyfriend™️. Don’t try to tell me otherwise because you’re wrong.

This was not only such a fun read, but it was so interesting!!! I loved the different take on god, angels, demons, destiny, etc. This was honestly so different than anything I’ve ever read before and I am still thinking about it.

That ending had me YELLING at 1:30am because WHAT DO YOU MEAN??????? HOW DID IT END LIKE THAT???????

I need my dear Scarlett to please (I beg) write the next book faster 😭 I don’t think I can wait for what happens next.

Thank you so much to Bloom for this ARC 🥹🫶🏻

There’s something absolutely enchanting about being back in a Scarlett St. Claire world. Filled with mystical magic, a slow burn romance with the best pay off and characters you cant help but completely be obsessed with from their first introduction.

I love being thrust into this new urban fantasy romance where the woman are ones who hold the magic but not the power and following our FMC Lilith who has been running away from her destiny for two years. Until her thieving catches up to her, and her frenemy Zahariev who seems to constantly bail her out. The tattooed leader of the ward she’s in. I love their banter and tension from the very first page. I love feeling the longing and yearning of their relationship but the where the world was built around it. We get such a good plot that moves at a decent paced speed where I wanted it to go faster but also did not want it to go fast enough. I love the way this author weaved the webs of what is happening and then threaded the romance throughout, giving such a delicious slow burn experience. There was nothing to not love about these characters.

I love diving feeling into Lilith religious trauma and how that affected her growing up and how is coming into herself despite all the things she’s been through. I’m so excited to see where book 2 picks up and hoping to get to know more of Zahareivs back story. Getting his little POVs just made this story 100 times better.

Absolutely loved this book! Scarlett St. Clair does it again. This is different from her usual writings as it feels more personal and in tune with the world as we know it. She writes religion and the complexities that go with it so well. I am dying for this book to get into the world and for book #2 to release already. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of the book!