I found the Their Monstrous Hearts compelling overall, especially in how Yigit Turhan explored twisted relationships and the weight of the past. While the slow burn worked in some ways to add to the gothic feel, there were times the plot dragged a bit. Despite that, I appreciated the originality of the story and the emotional depth of the characters. It’s the kind of book that stays with you after you’ve finished, even if it didn’t quite hit every mark for me. A solid read for anyone who enjoys gothic horror with an emotional element.

DNFed at 12% sadly. The writing just seemed meh for lack of a better phrase and I just immediately did not care for our main character.

100000% honest review: This book is incredibly slow when it comes to the plot and goes on and on about the grandmother's story. I did feel that a lot of it could have been edited down to remove unnecessary descriptions and sort of cut to the chase. It took reading 60% of the book to really get what was going on and FINALLY find out what the butterflies are all about. I truly wish this book had been a lot better, as I would have enjoyed reading it, but it just took way too long to get to the climax of the story, which did end up being very fantastical and shifted from reality to total fantasy and gore. While I did enjoy the mystery, I felt that it could have had more hints to let the reader make their own conclusions on what these butterflies are doing and who the angel actually is. The story felt awkward to read and just took too much time to get through, all for it to be a rather boring story. The constant mentioning of the greenhouse and the ritual led me to believe it would be revealed very much sooner in the story, but I kept turning the pages to just read more overly descriptive accounts of Perihan's life. Perihan deems herself queen of the fairies when in reality she is the queen of death, holding the power of life itself and only choosing to give it to influential people. While I struggled to see what Riccardo's role was in this story, I did enjoy the heavy character development in the story as we start not knowing of Perihan's mysterious character and end knowing the full tale of her life. The ending to the story gave no chance to the protagonist, and frankly, I didn't expect a happy ending, obviously...but the ending just felt rushed and expected. The real action of the story is the last 20% of the book.

Yiğit Turhan's debut, "Their Monstrous Hearts," emerges as a compelling gothic offering, showcasing a promising talent for delivering precisely what enthusiasts of the genre seek.

The novel skillfully blends established gothic conventions, such as unsettling family secrets and themes of inheritance and succession, with the taut suspense of a contemporary crime thriller.

The narrative unfolds in real-time, following Riccardo, a young writer grappling with a looming deadline and writer's block in Paris. His life takes an abrupt turn with the arrival of a stranger bearing news of an unexpected inheritance: his grandmother Perihan's estate and butterfly collection.

From the moment Riccardo arrives at the estate, a palpable sense of mystery permeates the atmosphere. His quest for answers leads him to a manuscript detailing Perihan's enigmatic, almost fairytale-like past. While the shifts in point of view between Riccardo, Perihan, and other characters occasionally feel abrupt – particularly as the embedded story gradually gains prominence over the contemporary narrative – the storytelling remains consistently engaging and accessible. Turhan's adeptness at intertwining grim, imaginative fantasy elements with classic gothic tropes and modern-day investigation kept me thoroughly invested and constantly speculating.

Their Monstrous Hearts reminded me of the Hammer movies I grew up watching. I watched B-movies as a child. The supernatural mixed with gothic with creepy twists. It’s no surprise that author Yiğit Turhan was inspired by the movies he watched as a boy with his grandmother.
Riccardo is supposed to be a writer, but he has wasted his advance and has produced nothing. So, when he learned his grandmother died and he has inherited her villa in Milan that houses her famed butterfly collection, he jumps on the train like it’s a lifeboat. When he arrives, he finds the garden barren and her group of friends still hang around even after she is buried. While looking around to find inspiration, he finds a book written by his grandmother, and he learns exactly what has happened in this villa.
This book takes forever to really get to the point. The story drags. It’s not until about 60 percent into the book that it grabs your attention. Until then, readers are supposed to be creeped out because the house staff is looking for the book that Riccardo has, and the maid brought something out of the greenhouse. In fact, if I hadn’t been reading this for a review, I would have DNFed this book and moved along. Which is sad, honestly, because the last 40 percent of the book is a classic horror lover’s dream.
Turhan creates a creepy supernatural story focusing on the ultimate greed: the quest for everlasting life. The majority of the tale is told in the past, and the true horror is that these things have already happened, and the reader knows the protagonist can do nothing to change them. The realization of what Riccardo has actually inherited is more frightening than anything hidden within the house. The ending leaves you with a shiver down your spine as you flip the last page.
It is hard for me to recommend this book. You have to be in for the long haul and enjoy a slooooooow burn. If you can make it to the end, Their Monstruous Hearts because a gothic horror of yesteryear that we need more of in today’s horrorscape.

In Their Monstrous Hearts by Yiğit Turhan we get a dual POV story. Riccardo, a struggling writer, is informed of the death of his grandmother. At first, he wants to stay in Paris and work on his novel, but he is literally out of money and out of ideas on what to write, so he journeys to Milan for his grandmother's funeral. Riccardo is the sole heir to his grandmother's villa and butterfly collection. The beginning is well done, but in the middle trying to figure out what is going on in his grandmother's journal the pacing of the story slows to crawl and becomes very muddled. The ending is quite good.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my arc. This book is available now.

This book was disappointing. I was not a fan of the writing style and the story was not what I expected. The story follows a writer who inherits a villa in Italy from his grandmother, who passed away under mysterious circumstances. Soon after he arrives at the villa, he discovers a manuscript written by his grandmother. A large portion of the book is the main character reading that manuscript, which tells the story of how his grandmother met a strange being, and from there, things get weird. There are a lot of bizarre moments involving butterflies and other surreal elements that didn’t quite work for me.

I did enjoy the Italian setting. I always love when a story takes place in Italy. And I appreciated some of the fantastical elements sprinkled throughout. However, a big chunk of the story just felt slow and dull. I couldn’t stay invested, and the buildup lacked excitement.

The ending was decent, but overall, this one didn’t work for me. It had potential, but I just wasn’t a fan of how it played out.

A case of being fooled by an enticing cover, unfortunately.

The first 25% of the book is about getting to know these somewhat flat characters that never really jump off the page for me. Riccardo the struggling writer facing eviction being called to action by the death of a grandmother leaving him her spooky mansion was already a bit of a weak hook for me. His obligatory initial resistance felt performative, like much of his actions.

The family history build-up is a bit dry and boring, though very culturally enlightening. By far, the most interesting part of this story for me is the foreign setting and cultures. I wish these characters could've been brought to life with more about their worlds, backgrounds, and interests through subtle inclusions of style and appearance, language, or architecture. We get such beautiful descriptions of scenery here and there, but not much about the people, these characters we're supposed to care about.

Another thing that takes some getting used to: the sentence structure of the writing feels inexperienced in complexity, or as if the author's native language isn't English -- which is fine if so, just not a style I personally found myself wanting to go back to immersing myself in. The dialogue ends up sounding horribly unnatural for the most part.

However there's enough mystery around the butterflies and some enjoyable gothic imagery to forgive these drags on the story, at least in the first part. A little after 25% in things pick up the pace a little and people start acting more interesting and strange; but there's still not really much going on besides that.

It leans heavily on the manuscript Riccardo finds left behind by his grandmother, Perihan, which itself doesn't have much action besides reciting the tale of how she found what she thought was an angel and brought her to a fancy, bourgeois party as entertainment for the guests and what happened when that night took a dark turn.

The driving force through most of this is the psychological horror and repeated blurring of reality and fantasy -- instead of something like suspense or conflict with pressing, heavy stakes. This is all fine for the first half, but after 70% into the book of nothing exciting going on, dialogue that sounds nothing like the way people would talk, and decisions made by cardboard characters that just plain don't make sense or seem plausible... It's enough to make one angry about having spent so much time on this book already.

Which is why I just cannot recommend this to anyone. There are much more well-written and more engaging books out there more worth the time.

⛓️ ARC REVIEW ⛓️

Thank you so much @netgalley , @harlequinbooks and the author for my early copy of Their Monstrous Hearts! 🖤 this cover is absolutely gorgeous.

Multiple times throughout this book I flip flopped between wtf is going on and oh SNAP this is cool hahaha. I’m very torn on how to rate this because the premise was so cool, the twist at the end was wild, and there were some spooky moments that had me shivering with anticipation, but there were other times where I was completely confused on what was even going on 🥴🤪. All in all, I really enjoyed myself and I’m thankful I had the chance to read this 🥰

Their Monstrous Hearts was released on April 8th and ready to be read by you!!!

Stickers are from @bookishshopcanada_ & there is a 50% off sale going on right now 🥰 mention in the notes that Alaya sent you!

"How far will someone go to keep their dreams alive?"

Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan is an atmospheric gothic horror debut with a dual timeline and haunting prose.

Riccardo is a struggling writer facing down a deadline and he has a serious case of writers block. With an abundance of bills overdue he needs to find the story that will put his name into the world. When a stranger arrives at his apartment in Paris, Riccardo learns that his grandmother Perihan has passed away and he has inherited her estate in Milan as well as her extensive butterfly collection. Upon arriving at the estate it is clear that time has taken its toll on the once lavish grounds. When Riccardo finds a manuscript written by Perihan he is intrigued with reading about her mysterious past and wonders how much of this fantastical story is fact or fiction?

This is such a dark and atmospheric tale that is beautifully written and full of buried truths. It is definitely a slow burn type of novel as most of the story is a lot of tense build up with a super creepy and unsettling undertone. This is not the typical horror genre that I usually read, more eerie with a creeping sense of dread. I am definitely interested in reading more by Turhan especially since this was his debut!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Yigit Turhan, and Harlequin Trade Publishing/ MIRA for this ARC!! Publication date is April 8th 2025.

Riccardo has missed his deadline, struggling to write a novel up to his agent and publisher's standards. He's broke in Paris with unpaid bills and no one in his life when Maurizio shows up and informs him that his grandmother, Perihan, has passed away, leaving him her villa in Milan. With no other prospects, he makes his way to Milan, discovering some strange happenings in the villa and an even stranger manuscript written by his grandmother but addressed to him. I felt Riccardo's struggles and loneliness and found myself invested in discovering how his story would play out, especially when the plot took creepier and creepier paranormal turns that will forever change how I see butterflies. Fans of lyrical and paranormal horror will enjoy this one.

I had really hoped that I would enjoy Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan more. The premise sounded right up my alley, but it ultimately did not deliver the way that I wanted it to. In this story we follow Riccardo, who is a struggling writer who inherits a villa in Milan from his recently deceased grandmother. He decides to move there with the hope that the change of scenery will inspire him to finish his manuscript. There he discovers a run down estate filled with his grandmothers collection of butterflies, her mysterious old friends and a greenhouse that holds dark secrets. Though the writing is atmospheric and richly detailed, the story just fell flat for me. I would pass on this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. These thoughts are my own.

Gorgeous book aesthetically. I’m not sure if it was a language issue or if the authors writing style just did not flow for me. Characters were underdeveloped. Quite and extended period of time was given to description of butterflies, but then we have a rushed and awkward (hugely gorgy) ending. I just opened up a new TW for myself with this book……child death by circus animals (hugely descriptive).
So this is just a no for me.
2 stars for sheer imagination .

I was provided an ALC and an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the team Harlequin, all opinions are my own.

This was a strange book for sure. It is told from the perspective of Riccardo, a struggling writer who can't make ends meet and can't find the word to put on the page. His agent is begging him for the draft of his first novel after reading a short story that blew everyone away. At the peak of his dispair, a man shows up with an envelope that could change the direction he is going and possibly pull him out of his downward spiral. The man has worked for Riccardo's grandmother, Perihan for many years, and she has just passed away. Riccardo has been summoned back to Milan to attend her funeral and deal with her estate as her sole surviving relative. There he finds an old journal that spans her lifetime and tells a story that reads like a fantasy novel. These journal entries are told from Perihan's perspective, and we learn about her life and why butterflies are so important to her story.

Overall I thought the pacing was a bit slow. I'm not sure if it was the frequent POV and timeline switches or what. I didn't particularly connect with either character, though I did prefer Perihan's journal entries more than the Riccardo perspective. It felt like Riccardo wasn't doing anything but reading a book for most of the novel, then at the end everything happens all at once. This does have some suspenseful moments and mild horror elements, but I felt like it needed more. This does have a really cool premise and is filled with symbolism

I appreciated that there were two narrators in the audiobook, one for Riccardo's perspective in the present and one for Perihan's perspective when he is reading the journal. The chapters don't have a clean break for the point of view to switch as Riccardo will be doing something, then he will pick the journal up and start reading, so it was a nice touch that the narration changes as he picks up the book and puts it down.

A writer experiencing writer's block suddenly inherits a villa. When he travels to Milan, he does not expect to be involved in a mysterious situation. After coming across his grandmother's personal diary, he begins to learn about a part of her life that he would've never guessed and the meaning behind those butterflies she collected, which seem to hold a deeper meaning.

I received an e-ARC and ALC! The narrators did an excellent job bringing the characters to life, and that, along with the production, made for an enjoyable story.

Definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-arc and ALC!

Thank you @tlcbooktours @htpbooks @mirabooks for the beautiful special edition and for including me on this tour!

“Beauty had a threshold, and beyond it, it became a captivating terror, holding people’s attention hostage to fulfill its own needs.”

A mysterious stranger shows up at Riccardo’s apartment with some news: his grandmother Perihan has died, and Riccardo has inherited her villa in Milan along with her famed butterfly collection.
The struggling writer is out of options. He’s hoping the change of scenery in Milan will inspire him, and maybe there will be some money to keep him afloat. But Perihan’s house isn’t as opulent as he remembers. The butterflies pinned in their glass cases seem more ominous than artful. Perihan’s group of mysterious old friends is constantly lurking. And there’s something wrong in the greenhouse.
As Riccardo explores the decrepit estate, he stumbles upon Perihan’s diary, which might hold the key to her mysterious death. Or at least give him the inspiration needs to finish his manuscript.
But he might not survive long enough to write it.

This is a very unique and fantastical story with both beautiful and grotesque imagery. I was completely immersed in the eerie and gothic setting of Milan. The translated writing could be quite lyrical and the ending left me with chills! I also appreciated the author’s note about how his inspiration for the story.

Rating 4⭐️

An atmospheric, dark, slow burn horror- filled with multiple POV's, family secrets, twists and turns, and an ending that will SHOCK you!

Alternating between Riccardo's POV in the present day, and his grandmother, Perihan's manuscript from the past, we get a deep dive into the truths of her mysterious death. This story was very detail heavy, and lagged just a bit at times (for me) - however, these details were needed and by the end of it I was stunned.

Overall, a very strong debut for Yigit Turhan and I can not wait to see what else the author puts out.

The idea of the book was great but it felt a bit longer and I found myself wanting to skim some paragraphs.

Gothic is a hit or miss for me and this one was riiiight in the middle. It also didn't feel like horror at all, it was more of a fantasy thriller?

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc.

3.75*

Riccardo is pulled back to his grandmother’s house in Italy after trying and failing to make it as a writer. Though his first work seems to have earned him accolades, he is now failing to meet the publisher’s deadline for his next. However, one day a man arrives at Riccardo’s door and informs him of his grandmother’s passing. He tells Riccardo he must come back to Italy where he will receive the house and his grandmother’s butterflies. This is where the story really seems to begin.

Riccardo arrives at his childhood home where his grandparents took care of him after the disappearance of his mother. Upon wandering around the house and stepping into his grandmother’s room, he finds a handwritten book by her, and he decides to read it as it has his name on it. He calls it a manuscript because the story within starts as a memoir but seems to evolve into a fantastical tale he cannot imagine to be real. However, the friends of his grandmother are still sticking around the house, and they seem to be plotting something.

The story is a bit slow, at times, since much of it is Riccardo reading his grandmother’s story. The last quarter of the book is fairly quick, and it seems to rush to wrap things up. I do find an eerie atmosphere and lots of questions regarding what the grandmother is hiding. It is clear the book is not telling everything even if it presents itself like a memoir. It’s not a bad book, but the pacing was off, and I feel like I had a lot of questions still lingering.

Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan is a tale about what happens when your inheritance may cost you your life? Riccardo inheritshis grandmothers home and as a struggling writer welcomes the idea of this gift... at first. After a bunch of wild occurances and disturbing behaviors told through journal entries, Riccardo is not sure if he has bit off more than he can chew. Great build and character development. Loved the storyline and plot points.