If you're looking for a gorgeous sprayed edge, stenciled hardcover, this is for you. It's gothic and frankly terrifying. I love found-manuscript and found-diary stories and this satisfied that craving in full!

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author for this ARC

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Initially the cover and title alone were enough to peak my interest. I was pleasantly surprised while reading at how beautiful this gothic horror tale truly was. The authors talent left me in awe at multiple points throughout the story.

This story centers around the main character Riccardo, an author struggling to complete his manuscript, running thin on both funds and motivation. Everything changes when he hears news of his grandmother’s passing. Although he had not seen his family in many years, she left him both her estate and fascinating butterfly collection. After discovering her manuscript, a darker mystery reveals itself.

Each character introduced was so beautifully fresh and unique I couldn’t help but find myself drawn in farther.
I devoured this book in a single day, which I do not do often!

I would highly recommend this story to anyone looking for a great Gothic tale, beautifully written horror, and an on the edge of your seat thriller.

A dark frame story within a story tells of young Ricardo returning to his grandmother’s Billa in Milan after receiving news of her death. Here he finds a handwritten manuscript of her memoirs that tell a bizarre and fantastical tale of her life and the dark magic within it.

This was a macabre story of transformation, immortality and the corruption that comes with power. At some times disjointed or conflicting (Ricardo’s mother’s story was a non-story with no proper fleshing out or explication and some dangling loose ends) it is written in a lyrical voice that does compel you to keep reading

This is an excellent horror novel! I will recommend this to any who enjoy both horror novels and novels that hold deep symbolism within them. There are some pacing issues in the middle of the book, but the story and characters make up for it. This novel did excellently with keeping a creepy tone and unsettling atmosphere throughout the novel. It is like the setting has become a main character that you can feel throughout the book. While reading I also got a sense of being in the same vein as Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which is another favorite story of mine. I was surprised that the main character isn't really Riccardo, but it was fun to experience that shift.

I started stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new genres, and the title and cover of this book had me instantly interested! I absolutely loved how unique this book was. The plot and character development was so intriguing I couldn’t put my kindle down!!! Definitely a good read!

This is a bit of a mixed review. Most importantly, I enjoyed the book and found it thrilling and compelling. The pace was exciting and the narrative structure, intertwining two narratives past and present, led to the fantastic climax. The downside was the relationship building, the character building felt rushed and the feelings the characters had for each other felt inauthentic. Overall the imagination and creativity and excitement were enough for me to look past this and truly enjoy the novel.

1⭐️
Though, I did think the overall thought process for this was interesting, it just didn’t keep my attention. I rated one star because I didn’t feel the want to continue to read it. Nothing interested me about his one.

Thank you, Harlequin for the ARC!

I really Enjoyed this book, thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This book had great plot and charter development. I enjoyed the pacing and thought the book was unique.

Given that this was the first time I have read this author this book is one of my top reads of the year.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I read about 1/3 of the book before calling it quits. From the start the main character was not very interesting to me so I already felt a lack of motivation for continuing to read about his journey. As the story continued the build up and suspense just wasn't there. There were crumbs here and there that made me curious about where the story was going but overall I found myself disinterested.

I’m not sure where to even begin with this book, and that’s a good thing. The cover and title alone were enough to illicit even the smallest amount of interest, the general synopsis did much to provide to an overall intrigue that I immediately felt as though I needed to know more about these characters, their lives and what would be, undoubtedly, an adventurous trip into the horror-tinged world developed by Yiğit Turhan.

This particular book ticked all the boxes for me in terms of what I seek out of a good horror novel. It didn’t rely on any necessarily overt gimmicks or tropes, nor was it a bloodstained battle of wills between the main character and a perceived threat, or big bad. With a near effortless weaving of past recollections, and present day events, Their Monstrous Hearts calls into the questions the experiences of many and highlights the lengths that some people will go to in an effort to achieve a perceived opportunity at eternity and notoriety.

The overall pacing of this was very good, with perhaps a small slump somewhere halfway through when we were experiencing the main character, Riccardo’s, own anxieties regarding the circumstances of his grandmothers death, her reasoning for leaving behind an unfinished manuscript, and the staff of the house seemingly endless quest to uncover what it was that Perihan, the villa’s prior mistress, left behind.

There was an overarching, creeping edge that lurked on the periphery of my mind the entire time that I was reading this, a feeling I quite enjoy myself whilst reading a horror novel. A certain call to question in sanity and reality that begs to understand the motivations of someone who seemed to have everything, as a self-made woman with few boundaries and little gall stopping her from achieving what she desires most.

Perihan was compelling, and could be argued to be the main character, despite the novel taking point from her grandson, Riccardo. The abrupt tone change from the prologue to the first chapter of the book was jarring in the best way, and managed to sink its claws into me with a few pages and well placed words. It also further emphasized and developed into a desire to understand the cross-cultural references that existed with Perihan’s Turkish origins, and the life she crafted for herself once she arrived on the streets of Milan.

Turhan’s capability of choosing exactly the right word in exactly the right moment emphasizes his capability of a writer, and sparks an intrigue and interest that I think is lacking in much of modern horror.

Overall, I do highly recommend this book for those that enjoy horror, an alluring tale of gothic proportions, a touch of magical realism and the supernatural and a thought-provoking read that encourages both introspection, and an observance of the world around them.

Many thanks to #NetGalley, Yiğit Turhan, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me the opportunity to read and experience an ARC of #TheirMonstrousHearts.

I was intrigued by the concept as described in the blurb and by the evocative cover, but simply could not find my way into this story at all... The writing felt like a series of adjectives, describing everything vividly - but with nothing much happening. The characters didn't draw me in at all. Even the magic of the butterflies felt flat to me. This wasn't a good fit...

⭐️ 1.75
Thank you to the author for providing me with an arc of this novel here is my full and honest review. Their Monstrous Hearts is a story I really wanted to love. It had an interesting premise but the execution fell flat for me. I think the middle of the novel was confusing and slightly boring to read about. I liked the ending of the book but I felt like the build up doesn’t adequately prepare for it. The parts of the book that were told from the diary were more entertaining than the main plot line in my opinion. The horror elements were there at the end and i didn’t enjoy that. I also feel like the characters were pretty bland and there wasn’t any strong characters about them. Overall this was a 1.75 stars but check it out for yourself!

This isn't my usual go to genre, but the description sounded interesting so I requested the ARC. It was really well written and a lovely addition to the genre (and my list of books I read for the year). Once I started reading, I could not put this book down. It did take a little adjusting at the beginning with how the characters spoke/thought/interacted, but it could have just been my brain. Otherwise it was a fun read!

A troubled young man struggling to write his first book, unaware that he is part of a much bigger, much more magical story. An ambitious, calculating woman who will stop at nothing to live forever. This is a very unique gothic weird fiction/horror. I enjoyed it very much. The prose can be a bit too much at times - overly describing emotions or thoughts rather than letting the reader infer them, but the overall story is well written and interesting. I loved how the details were spread out until the final chapters. Very creepy and strange. I loved how the author took it all the way to the logical outcome and didn't chicken out at the end - although I did feel sad for poor Riccardo and Lorenzo, they did nothing wrong ever in their lives. Overall, I would definitely recommend this to people who like creatures, magic, and terrible humans.

Thanks to Netgalley/Harlequin for the advanced review copy.

Thank you, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I don’t read too much horror, but this was a fun, fast paced read that ended with quite the bang. It was hard to put this book down, and once I reached the last 25%, it was impossible to put down. The dialogue and inner monologue was a bit awkward/stilted in the beginning, but this was not an issue in Perihan’s manuscript sections and again by the end I was so invested I didn’t notice it as much.

I definitely recommend Their Monstrous Hearts, especially if you’re looking for some fun, surreal horror!

This was really well written! It was a truly unique story and it kept me captivated until the very end.

I think this book will be perfect for those who love gothic novels! Riccardo is a struggling writer who decides to go to Milan due to his grandmother’s passing. She has left him her estate and her butterfly collection. Once he arrives, he finds Perihan’s manuscript and starts uncovering very unnerving things about her time alive and about everyone around him.

I found myself feeling bad for Riccardo throughout the entire book. Poor guy can’t win 😆 That ending will stay with me for a long time for sure.


Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

This was super interesting! I think the most noteworthy element is the narrative structure, it unfolds in a very clever and interesting way. I will say it does drag at places and I wasn't overwhelmed by the prose. It has some fascinating engagement with immigrant identity and xenophobia.

This was a really enthralling book, i finished it in one sitting and loved it!
5/5 read and I think everyone should read it!

A perfectly lovely little horror/mystical/surrealism tale (can you even say lovely when talking about the horror genre??) This probably wasn't the story for me as I'm not a huge fan of horror or symbolism type books, but the writing was well done, even if the characters seemed a little flat and stilted.

3.5 ✨The story begins with a captivating image: Perihan's villa suddenly blanketed in monarch butterflies. Ricardo, her grandson and a struggling writer, is summoned home by Maurizio with the news of Perihan's death. Despite their years of estrangement, she leaves everything to Ricardo. Upon his return, he discovers an unfinished manuscript hidden in the villa. As he reads, he learns that Perihan believed she had encountered an angel, a celestial being who grants the power of rebirth through butterflies and tears. The manuscript reveals how Perihan used this newfound power to save people. This gift, however, brings its own moral and existential dilemmas. The tension escalates as Ricardo realizes the household is searching for the manuscript. Will Ricardo find the chance to write the book he dreams of? How far will Perihan go to attain eternity?