I rated this slow-burn horror novel 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 stars for good reads.

Their Monstrous Hearts is a haunting, gothic horror with magical realism. The book follows Riccardo, a struggling writer who inherits his grandmother Perihan's decaying villa in Milan. As he uncovers her past through a discovered manuscript, the story dives into themes of transformation and the darker facets of humanity. While the pacing is slightly slow in the middle, the dual timelines make this an interesting read.

Thank you for the Audio ARC for this book.

“Sometimes when you find yourself in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried, but actually you’ve been planted.”
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🌳 I don’t read much gothic horror. And I don’t usually enjoy slow paced books, but I was so intrigued by this one. It’s beautifully written and descriptive, and I loved the setting of a villa in Milan. I liked the authors use of metaphor, how the theme of transformation is represented by butterflies.
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✍️ Ricardo is a struggling author who just inherited his grandmothers estate and butterfly collection. When he arrives in Milan, he finds a manuscript she had been working on. The tale becomes eerie as the line between fiction and nonfiction starts to blend. I like how this was the perfect blend of eerie magical realism, classic gothic tropes, and modern day mystery-thriller tension.
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📖 The ending was phenomenal and 100% worth the journey for me. I’d recommend this one to readers who enjoy slow atmospheric novels. I’d also recommend reading this one with your eyes, or a tandem read with the audio. It switches between the present day and manuscript, making the change in perspective difficult to follow at times.

What a creepy yet great read! The narrator for the audio also has a way of making you feel as if you're in the story. There were points where I could have sworn I felt someone over my shoulder, and that's exactly what I want in a gothic thriller!

I really wanted to like this one especially with Dua Lipa's praise and endorsement, but I just couldn't get into it. The story started off slowly and progressed even slower. I also didn't enjoy the audiobook very much and that also made it harder to get into the story.

I really wanted to like this book, but I struggled through it until I finally gave up at the halfway point. I, not sure if it was the names or the settings, but I could not get invested, and should have been able to by 50%. I was gifted an ALC by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ALC and ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The cover and description for this book made me immediately want to read it. I liked the idea of a Turkish grandmother leaving her creepy Italian villa to her grandson and all of these secrets coming out. I am always a fan of gothic books and I think this fell into it.

The reason it wasn't a higher rating was something the writing was a little awkward for me. There were times that it felt clunky. I do think I will try this author's future books and I am sure the writing problem I had will get better over time!

A multi-perspective, atmospheric fantasy that becomes slightly confusing in that it becomes heavily involved in Perihan’s manuscript instead of Ricardo’s point of view. It’s interesting because it’s told almost like a fairytale. I loved the symbolism of butterflies as a creation of life or eternal life.
It was kind of a body horror, but it ended up being more of a thriller. The ending was a little bit predictable, but still enjoyable. Overall I would give it a 3.5 because it wasn’t what I expected but that’s my fault for having any expectations going in.

⭐️3 Stars⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook of Their Monstrous Hearts! I really enjoyed the two narrators of this audiobook, they both really helped this story come to life. The story was very slow paced for me, I personally prefer a fast faced story. After a while I got tired of all the butterfly talk, I felt like it could have been turned into a drinking game. I wouldn’t consider this a horror book, I would more consider it a mystery book. I did like that this book kept switching between the grandmothers past to the grandsons present day! I think this book would be the perfect read to take on a vacation with you! Thank you again to NetGalley for this audiobook!💕📚

I’m glad I sat with this one for a bit after reading it to figure out how I felt about it because it was different than most things I’ve read (and not necessarily in a bad way). I will say it started off kind of slow for me but once it got going it was GOING. The twist at the end was in a way predictable but in the way and magnitude it was done made it still exciting. I think fans of horror related to folklore or odd creatures would be interested in this.

What a Debut novel. The elements were all there and I can see this author really making a name for themselves with more experience. The story in some places felt lacking and it others felt too much. I wanted more of Ricardo and a little less of grandma.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one. I thought that the story was too slow and judging by other reviews I would have had to stick around until 90% mark for it to really get going... I couldn't do it.
I also had an issue with the audio, I don't mind listening to the accents but I think that they should have picked one, accent or no accent, instead of switching back and fourth, it was distracting imo.

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 he needs to finish his manuscript.

Sadly, this one just wasn't for me. The narrator for the audio books was wonderful. I appreciated the author's unexpected twist at the end, but for me, it was not worth reading the entire book for. This story is unique, I wish the author had spent more time developing all of the characters.

Let me start off by saying the audio version of this book GREATLY influenced my rating. The narrators: Luca John Filiz & Tina Nakhleh Falkenbury were absolutely FANTASTIC.

Termed as a “gothic horror,” I can kind of see it but it felt more like dark folklore. I was never really “scared” but rather intrigued by the lore of what was happening.

But then we get to that TWIST and while I kind of saw it coming, not in the magnitude of how it all went down. Because that ending had me like 😳🫣😵‍💫 And I can now see why it was ultimately classified as “horror.”

I’m not a major horror reader so I can’t say this is like others but it had the same vibes as those horror films that end with a shock value and honestly—I really liked it!

As this is a debut novel, all I can say is bravo! And I can’t wait to see what else you give us!

{I was gifted a complimentary copy of this audiobook. All reviews are my own.}

Thank you so much for this book! I was very excited to read it as I’ve seen many of my favorite bookstagrammers get a copy as well! I will say though it was not my favorite. There wasn’t anything in the beginning to draw me in which I think was my biggest issue with the story. It felt very slow. The narrators were not the greatest either as they did not help to hold my attention. I felt like I didn’t know what was happening or what the point of the story was going to be especially with it being so slow.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this enticing story as an ARC.

Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan was a wild ride from start to finish.

We meet Perihan and are quickly met with a scene that can only be described as ominous. From there, we meet Ricardo, the grandson of Perihan, who is an author struggling with writers block, but also struggling with his current living situation.

An old friend of his grandmother's comes to find him and convinces him to leave Paris and to return to Milan as a family tragedy happened and his presence is required.

This story had an aura of mystery and eery secrets! I enjoyed reading Perhian's manuscript and thoroughly enjoyed the way the author created a beautiful and terrifying blend of two lives being told together. One from the perspective of Ricardo and the other from Perihan.

This book was NOT at all what I expected, but it was better. It was a definite 5-star read. The last 30 percent of the book left my grappling for answers.

Pick this book up if you enjoy horror, mystery, family secrets, and horrible creatures!

Butterflies symbolize metamorphosis, change, enduring and overcoming while emerging beautiful and reborn. But what if that transformation is more sinister than you thought?

Their Monstrous Hearts feels like a fairy tale, as told by Hans Christian Anderson or The Brothers Grimm. The darkness on the original tellings of the stories especially. Dark, brutal, sinister.
We follow Ricardo as he is given his recently deceased grandmother's Milan villa. The story bounces back and forth between the present with Ricardo navigating this new place and new cast of characters, and the past as told by his grandmother's diary/autobiography. But there are fantastical tales woven into her writing. And what started as a whimsical discovery of his grandmother's upbringing, turns into a frightening and haunting conclusion.

Their Monstrous Hearts tells a story about transformation, not being content or happy where you are or with who you are. There are many implications to that and I think the author does a very good job of conveying it better than I could try to summarize.
Check this one out. It's for anyone who has felt like an "other" for sure. And anybody who likes dark fantasy and fairy tales without all the dumb elves.

The narrators did a great job, especially with multiple accents. It was hard to tell what their real voices were.

Ricardo is a struggling writer, just minding his business, when a random stranger shows up at his apartment to tell him his grandmother, Perihan, has passed away. Not only that, but he’s inherited her home in Milan and her super famous butterfly collection.

When I tell you this slow burn horror was everything, I mean it. The pacing starts out fairly slow hit the end really comes around to 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

And hello- the physical copy of this baby is STUNNING.

DNF this audio book didn't work for me. I am sorry I really thought it would. I just could not vibe with the story or the narrator.

Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook arc.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this Audio ARC!

I saw the cover of this book and was drawn in immediately, but I also feel like I was deceived by the cover. A struggling author suddenly inherits a villa and a butterfly collection, so he moves into his grandmother's old villa and discovers a creepy manuscript that was written by her before she died. I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen, but it felt like other than the parts of the manuscript nothing ever did, at least not to make me believe this is a horror book. I think if I had spent less time expecting the horror elements to materialize then I probably would have enjoyed it more, but in the end, it just let me wanting.

While the ending pulled it all together, I found this to be all tell and no show. The authors note was very sweet and it did make me enjoy the story as a whole a bit more. It wasn’t until about 80% that I started becoming completely invested in the story. I will still recommend this to other readers because I know there are people who will enjoy it