Again being captivated in the story writing of Scarlett St Clair! Truly a brilliant story that pulled me in immediately and stands out against most of my recent reads. Cannot wait for the next book!

I loved this book! I was sucked in immediately and could not put it down. The characters are so lovable and make you smile and the story was so intriguing!

3.5 ⭐️ and it’s mostly that because I’m slightly confused by some aspects at the end and want to sit with it to organize a little bit. It was a solid 4 until the final scene and some of the explanations. I called the twist that her mother was involved somehow…. but not the twist of her parentage. The symbolism and the retelling of Lilith's role is cleverly done, and love seeing her be a goddess in her own right.

I love the strength of Lilith and the way she shows strength and resiliency against the patriarchy and dominance of the church. The religious trauma theme hits hard and it needs to be criticized more. The power of women is phenomenal, literally they have magic, and the church will use them for their perverse power. I wish the story had explored more of the magic that women have in other forms, but I have a feeling that will be coming in future books.

Lilith is lucky that she is adapt at creating friendship and having loyalty from those in her life. At times I found her too impulsive, but also recognize she grew up traumatized and sheltered... she honestly deserved to rage much more. I did dig the relationship she had with the MMC; however, he can cut back on the nicknames.... same with Gabriel. Those nicknames got old really fast and infantilized her, when she didn't need to be childlike.

I will absolutely read the rest of the series, and I know I will rage against the machine. F religious domination and F the Patriarchy! Thanks to NetGalley and Bloom Books for an ARC.

This book was intense in the best way. The kind of story that makes you pause every few chapters just to breathe and process. It’s sharp, emotional, and layered with themes that feel both timeless and timely.

The writing is immersive and atmospheric, with a lead character who carries so much pain, strength, and determination on her shoulders. The tension builds slowly, both in the romance and the overarching plot, and it left me genuinely invested in where the story is headed next.

It’s not a light read, but it is an incredibly satisfying one. If you want something that challenges you emotionally while keeping you completely hooked, this one absolutely delivers.

This is one of my favorite books of the year so far. I didn't know what I would get going into this as all I knew was it was about Lilith. But we get mafia, we get rage, we get slow-burn romance. I may be biased because I read anything St. Clair releases. She has to be one of my favorite authors and this one does not disappoint. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to Bloom Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy. The above opinions are my own.

oh hell yeah!!! this was such a good romantasy retelling. Our fmc, Lilith embodies female rage, like I’m obsessed with her. Our mmc, GIRL 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️I would do anything for that man. Am I upset that I read the first book and now have to wait for the second one? Yes, but I just know the second one is going to be good 🤭🤭

Thank you so much to Bloom Books and Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an E-ARC.

Spicy, male female, 1st person dual point of view (mostly female main character), contemporary, paranormal romance. Very interesting worldbuilding with lots of twists and turns. Ends on a surprising cliffhanger. I look forward to reading the next book!

I was so lucky to have received an eARC through @netgalley & it was 100% worth it! You all are going to LOVE Lilith & Zahariev. Lilith is so relatable especially with being pointed out as a black sheep amongst family and friends. I love the chaos she brings, the fierce attitude to be whole heartedly herself. Zahariev ?? SWOON, I won’t spoil anything but you’re immediately going to love him. A MAN! That’s it. 🤌🏻🤌🏻🥵 So ruuuun and get yourself a treat by getting a copy of this book!

This was so fun!! I was initially drawn in by this cover, stunning! But right from the first page I was so interested to see what would happen. I have read and enjoyed other stories from Scarlett St. Clair and do love her storytelling, so I was excited to see where this went.

The world and magic system was overall easy to follow. We do have a number of gods and the gates and such, but there wasn't a huge need to keep track of all them, at least yet. I thought the mafia vibes were a nice touch, and will be honest I was expecting more to come out of Lilith's job? Maybe more will come but also with that cliffy, maybe not? We shall see.

I thought the way religion was woven in was interesting. It is definitely exploring the dark side of religion and the author does talk about that in the author's note. As a Christian who hasn't personally gone through those things, I can understand that that is some people's experience, but is not the whole church. So I am able to separate that for the most part. But if you can't, this may be a good one to skip for you.

But truly my favorite thing about this book was the TENSION between Lilith and Zahariev!! This was slow slow burn, but the payoff was worth it! It was truly so obvious how each of them felt and it was actually so fun seeing them both essentially know, but with it being forbidden, holding off. Until they couldn't anymore! And since this is going to be a series (number of books unknown sadly lol), the pacing made sense. I loved Z. No notes. The spice we did get was hot and I'm hoping we see more of that dominant Z in the future haha.

And with that cliffhanger, I am so excited to see where this goes! Lilith did annoy me at times and was sometimes too impulsive. And this did take me a while to finish and just didn't have the five star feel yet, but still had a great time and would recommend if you're looking for an urban fantasy with a feisty FMC and some slow burn tension!

Thank you so much to Scarlett St. Clair and Bloom Books for the advanced copy!

LOVE!!

I have been craving a new read from Scarlett and this was IT! Lilith and Zahariev were such a good mix of frenemies & forbidden romance. I really enjoyed their dynamic as well as the magic system. Lilith is smart, sexy, & confident. I loved having such a strong FMC to start this new series!

The twists of the prophecy at the end was very well done and I can’t wait to see where this series goes!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Terror at the Gate by Scarlett St. Clair. Thank you to sourcebooks for the ARC, even if I was approved the day of release!!!

This book took me by complete surprise!! Zahariev is on my top 10 book boyfriends list! Like hot freaking damn!!! And don’t even get me started on Lilith! I absolutely adored her. She is a freaking badass!! She’s been through it though, so please check the trigger warnings!

I absolutely loved this world, it was unique, and the magic system had me wanting more. Like seriously, I’m so into it! I also loved that men marry to gain access to magic, shows who’s really in charge, even if they aren’t!
I also absolutely adored the little side kick, Cherub.

Additionally, I found the religious aspects really fascinating and I’m so curious to see where it will go.

You’ll like this book if you like:
Maria (ish vibes)
Touch her and 💀
Smash the patriarchy vibes
He falls first
Slow burn

Definitely recommend, and seriously cannot wait for book two!!

I requested to read this book because I thought that the cover was beautiful, and that the title was enticing enough that I wanted to request the book. I wasn’t entirely sure what the plot was, only that it was supposed to be something about Lilith from the Bible, which I now know wasn’t entirely true. In short, I sort of went in blind.
It wasn’t that difficult to immerse myself into the world, which is something I can rarely say nowadays. While there was some definite worldbuilding, it wasn’t “Lord of the Rings” level where I would have to somehow catch up on almost 100 years of lore and learn an entirely made-up language that would get me nowhere but Comic Con. I liked that I was given just enough information but didn’t have to worry about little things because they weren’t vital to the story.
I don’t think that I am what the publisher would describe as the “expected reader.” I am not usually someone that seeks urban fantasy (mostly because I don’t know if anything I have read has qualified as such), and I’m not the biggest fan of the new adult genre. In a weird way, I liked this book for the comfort that it brought me. It wasn’t at all supposed to be a comforting book, and people were killed throughout, but it was easy for me to immerse myself in, and easy for me to keep reading. I hope that doesn’t sound rude because I genuinely mean it as a compliment. It’s nice to free yourself from the problems of your life and immerse yourself into someone else’s. I would read the sequel when it comes out to feel that ease again.
Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book and thank you to Scarlett St. Clair for writing it. I’m sorry it’s later than expected.

3.75 stars. I didn’t love this one but I didn’t hate it either. I love the idea of a Lilith book but I feel like more of the magic system needs to be fleshed out (teehee). It felt like we just sort of were dropped in and you had to figure it out without too much to go on.

NOW THIS IS FEMININE RAGE. Ugh Scarlett St. Clair has struck again with this masterpiece. This book gripped me from the start and I was so intrigued to see here it would go. It is feminine rage, religious tones, slow burn romance, all set in an urban fantasy setting. While not everything in this world made complete sense yet, it is the first in a series so maybe more will be filled in as we go. But something about this book had me not even caring that much as I was entranced by the story and the characters.

Omg this was everything I love about reading: a traumatised angry FMC and the impossibly hot guy who yearns for her on an Olympic level.

I had high expectations for this book, I like Scarlett St Clair’s other works and the premise of this had me SAT. I was so ready and y’know what? It DID NOT DISAPPOINT 🔥

Lilith is the only daughter of the house of Leviathan, which (according to the rules of the super creepy patriarchal theocracy) means she will have a husband selected for her and he will use HER power to rule. We think absolutely the fuck not.

Lilith being the absolute badass takes-no-shit bitch she is decides that is a whole heap of nope and runs away to live a normal life in the dark and saucy territory of her sexy as hell frenemy Zahariev. Lilith soon finds herself battling against her past traumas, the expectations of her parents and the church, the urge to climb her pal like a tree and the struggle to pay rent when said pal won’t let you strip for cash. Oh, and that’s alongside the oppression and sexism of society and its religion AND murderous electric gloop aliens that keep killing side characters. Oop.

I loved this book. It’s got the perfect debauched downtown vibes of the Hades X Persephone saga that St Clair writes so perfectly. The world is so cool and the way the hypocrisy and abuses of the church are laid bare is just chefs kiss (fellow catholic school girlies I know you need this).

Lilith is so toxic and I LOVE HER. She is irrational and mean and reactive and will absolutely take her shit out on people who don’t deserve it, but I will hear NO CRITICISM OF HER WHATSOEVER. She is a perfect, traumatised, fucked up lil princess and if you disagree take it up with Zahariev. (Did I mention he kills people that upset her?)

Anyhoo, the format of this book is super cool too, it’s all from Lilith’s POV but ever chapter ends with a teeny weeny slice of Zahariev’s POV, which just works beautifully.

This book has so much Fuck The System, a tonne of feminine rage, and sexy pining men. Literally what else could you ever want?

Terror at the Gates is everything I love in a dark, romantic mafia world, unique, refreshing, and utterly addictive. Enemies-to-lovers at its finest, with two main characters who want each other so badly they can’t keep their hands off each other. Scarlett St. Clair is an absolute pro at writing tension, and this book had me hooked from start to finish.

The world-building is rich and immersive, the FMC is a total badass you can’t help but adore, and the MMC is hot AF, what more could we possibly ask for? Other than, you know, book two, immediately, before I expire.

Perfect in every way.

TERROR AT THE GATES is a sizzling, smoldering romance that also somehow manages to be an ode to the struggles each and every woman confronts in our exhaustingly and infuriatingly patriarchal world. I finished this book wanting desperately to keep reading more. A magnificent series start by Scarlett St. Clair.

This book captivated me from beginning to end. The worldbuilding with its religious and pagan undertones combined with mafia-like families who run the city had me flipping the pages quickly to learn more. Think of it as The Fifth Element meets Crescent City. Some moments were predictable, and others had me throwing my kindle in surprise, mainly that cliffhanger of an ending.

I was cheering on Lilith, the FMC, the entire time wanting her to continue to discover herself and make a name for herself away from the patriarchal challenges the women in this world face. Along with the religious prejudices that she faces, becoming a strong, independent, self-thinking woman is the way of the future and we could all be reminded that we can do the hard things when we set our minds to it.

This was a slow burn I kept yelling at to hurry up, but the longing was worth the wait. Reluctant allies where he falls first and is quick to defend her without her knowing? Yes please, more of this. Zahariev is going on the book boyfriend list as one to pine after.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Scarlett St. Clair, and Bloom Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read! I loved the dynamic between Lilith and Zahariev, I loved the dark gritty atmosphere, and who doesn't love an adorable black kitty sidekick?!

I did feel the pacing was a little off at the beginning, being dropped into an already established relationship between the MCs was not something I was used to. The nickname one of the side characters had for the FMC also threw me off.

However, I felt like the story really picked up in the latter half and I was sucked in. While Zahariev’s POVs were short, I feel like they’re delivered such a punch. I was intrigued by the mystery and loved how resilient Lilith is. I definitely recommend this read!! I anxiously await book 2!

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. I did not want to put this book down, it was that engaging! There was one scene I was upset with, but I understand it makes sense with the plot. I loved the intertwining of religious beliefs! You can tell Scarlett St. Clair did her research. The magic in the series is a refreshing, newer take that keeps you entertained; it is not a repeat of the same old formula. I love the romance part! I want to read more about Z because I adore him and the nickname ‘little love’.

Quotes:
“Forgiveness is an invitation to sin. It will be our ruin.”
“But your rage belongs somewhere else, and I want to make sure you unleash it on the person who deserves it most.”
“Desire is only a weakness when it’s starved.”
“He’d taken care of me because I was his entire universe.”
“Don’t apologize, little love, I could have remained invisible to you, and my devotion to you would be unchanging.”