You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
boba_nbooks 's review for:
Terror at the Gates
by Scarlett St. Clair
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ / 5
My Summary: Terror at the Gates is the first book in a new series, Blood of Lilith, by Scarlett St. Clair. It's an urban fantasy romance full of mystery, suspense, mythology, feminist retellings, demons, religious trauma, and slow burn romance.
Lilith grew up in one of the five powerful families in the elite realm of Hiram, and once she was old enough, Lilith left her family's home and sought refuge with the leader of another family, Zahariev, in the city of Ninevah. Lilith makes a living by using her magic to seduce and steal from men. One night, she steals a dagger that offers a great payout... until her appraiser drops dead after handling it. Lilith and Zahariev decide to investigate and end up finding a mystery deeper than both of them.
My Thoughts: Terror at the Gates combines urban fantasy with romance and mystery. St. Clair has created a feminist mythological retelling of the demon Lilith. In this world, Lilith is born to one of the five powerful families of Eden, but after withstanding years of religious and sexual abuse, Lilith has had enough. She decides to run away to Ninevah--a district in the city of Eden--to live the life she's always wanted. But when she finds a dagger that seems to kill everyone who handles it but her and the dangerous leader of another powerful family and the ruler of Ninevah, Zahariev Zareth. The two team up to investigate the dagger and find out there's so much more behind it--a mystery that could ruin the church and the power structure they've built.
I love how St. Clair writes Lilith. She's a strong woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to get her hands dirty. She is reckless at times, which Zahariev loves to remind her, but she wants to make sure her new life is nothing like how she grew up. As Zahariev helps her out of one mess after another, Lilith starts to become frustrated with the unwanted oversight, but is Zahariev doing this out of obligation to her father or is there something more to why Zahariev cares so much about Lilith's wellbeing?
Zahariev's character is so mysterious. We get a little bit of his POV from short chapters in between Lilith's POV, but I think that honestly adds to his mystery and intrigue. And the romance in this book--talk about a slow burn!! I loved watching Lilith and Zahariev banter back and forth, and the build-up made the payoff even sweeter.
I absolutely ate up Terror at the Gates. I can't wait to see where St. Clair goes with this series. There is definitely a cliffhanger, and I'm just chomping at the bit for the next one! Fans of feminist retellings, mythology, magical twists, urban fantasy, and slow burn romance will absolutely love this novel.
My Summary: Terror at the Gates is the first book in a new series, Blood of Lilith, by Scarlett St. Clair. It's an urban fantasy romance full of mystery, suspense, mythology, feminist retellings, demons, religious trauma, and slow burn romance.
Lilith grew up in one of the five powerful families in the elite realm of Hiram, and once she was old enough, Lilith left her family's home and sought refuge with the leader of another family, Zahariev, in the city of Ninevah. Lilith makes a living by using her magic to seduce and steal from men. One night, she steals a dagger that offers a great payout... until her appraiser drops dead after handling it. Lilith and Zahariev decide to investigate and end up finding a mystery deeper than both of them.
My Thoughts: Terror at the Gates combines urban fantasy with romance and mystery. St. Clair has created a feminist mythological retelling of the demon Lilith. In this world, Lilith is born to one of the five powerful families of Eden, but after withstanding years of religious and sexual abuse, Lilith has had enough. She decides to run away to Ninevah--a district in the city of Eden--to live the life she's always wanted. But when she finds a dagger that seems to kill everyone who handles it but her and the dangerous leader of another powerful family and the ruler of Ninevah, Zahariev Zareth. The two team up to investigate the dagger and find out there's so much more behind it--a mystery that could ruin the church and the power structure they've built.
I love how St. Clair writes Lilith. She's a strong woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to get her hands dirty. She is reckless at times, which Zahariev loves to remind her, but she wants to make sure her new life is nothing like how she grew up. As Zahariev helps her out of one mess after another, Lilith starts to become frustrated with the unwanted oversight, but is Zahariev doing this out of obligation to her father or is there something more to why Zahariev cares so much about Lilith's wellbeing?
Zahariev's character is so mysterious. We get a little bit of his POV from short chapters in between Lilith's POV, but I think that honestly adds to his mystery and intrigue. And the romance in this book--talk about a slow burn!! I loved watching Lilith and Zahariev banter back and forth, and the build-up made the payoff even sweeter.
I absolutely ate up Terror at the Gates. I can't wait to see where St. Clair goes with this series. There is definitely a cliffhanger, and I'm just chomping at the bit for the next one! Fans of feminist retellings, mythology, magical twists, urban fantasy, and slow burn romance will absolutely love this novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Classism