Holy cow! This book came out of nowhere! I went into it blind and came out shocked (in a very good way)! This book was a slow burn about a man named Riccardo whose grandmother has passed away. Riccardo is down on his luck, a struggling author, and owes a lot of money on bills. He learns he has inherited his grandmother's butterfly collection, and he decides to go to Milan for the funeral. While staying in his grandmother's house, a lot of her old friends are around all the time. He finds a manuscript with his name on it in his grandmother's writing, and it tells quite a tale. At first, he feels it is a work of fantasy, but as he reads more, he realizes the journal may be more reality than fiction. I was not prepared for this and I loved every minute!!!

ABOUT
A haunting novel about the boundaries people will cross to keep their dreams alive.

READ IT IF YOU LIKE
- Slow burn horror
- Some historical fiction elements
- Mexican Gothic
- Hereditary
- Mythical undertones
- Family and loss
- Symbolic butterflies
- Gothic horror
- Dual timeline
- Suspenseful mystery

BRIEF REVIEW
Let me preface this by saying I am not a huge fan of gothic tales and I really wanted to like this one. If you do like gothic horror and any of the things I mention above I do think you'll love it. For me it dragged and never really reached a climax of events that tied everything together. I found myself getting distracted easily while reading. Maybe I should stop trying gothic stories but I have hope I'll eventually find one I love.

From an audio perspective, I listened to this one at 2x, which is about my normal speed so the narration speed was average! The only real issue I had with the narration itself was the French accent--I get, it, but it was unnecessary and...not great. If it had been more prevelant than it was, I probably would have stopped listening.

Overall the story is solid, but I definitely think the writing style lends itself more to being read vs. listened to. I love listening to horror because the vibes of the narrartor can really sell the story, but it didn't really have the same pay off in this one. I love a story with family secrets and gothic elements, and this one just didn't fell like it hit all of the marks for me with atmosphere or plot.

I enjoyed it enough to finish it, but it definitely is one of those books that has a LOT of set-up before you get hooked. Like, the first 50% of the book was build up and suspense and then at the snap of the finger things unravel and unravel quickly. I love that in horror books, so it worked for me, but I DO know I'm in the minority with that, so be mindful that it is on the slower side if you're looking for something to grip you instantly.

I think I may try this one again in a few months with a physical copy to see if I enjoyed it more, but the audio wasn't bad! Just not fully my cup of tea.

I was really excited to read this book after reading the premise and loving the creepy cover.
Sadly, I’m not sure exactly how I feel about this book. The premise is interesting, but the execution was lacking. The first 75% of the book really dragged in my opinion. I found myself very uninterested in the grandmother. She was terrible and actually quite boring. The last 30% was surprising and really engaging. I wish the rest of the book had been as fast paced. I also thought the narrators didn’t mesh well and didn’t really bring the characters to life for me. I’m not sure if that negatively affected my opinion of the story overall.

I did love the use of butterflies and what their life cycle represents in the story. The level of betrayal in this book is deeply disturbing! There is definitely some gore, but not as much as I had expected.

Overall, a very slow burn horror with some disturbing twists and thought provoking moments.

The cover is absolutely stunning isn’t it? The audiobook was something I jumped on and it was enjoyable.

Riccardo is a struggling writer. One day a mysterious stranger shows up at his apartment to inform him his grandmother, Perihan has passed away. He inherited her home in Milan along with her famous butterfly collection.

When he arrives in Milan, he finds his grandmother’s manuscript. When the story unfolds, he finds himself transfixed on the allure.

This is a slow burn horror story. At first, I was a little leery about the pace. It had some historical fiction aspects to it too. However, the last 30% gets WILD!! That ending blew me away and I NEVER SAW THAT COMING!! I loved it! Add this to your TBR now!


4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I started listening to this book and I have to say it was hard to listen to. I didn’t care for the people that wear telling the story. It just, there tone and the way they were speaking was long and dragging. It was very hard to listen too. I didn’t listen to all of it because it was just to hard to listen too. I think I will try to just read the book instead..

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

I liked the multiple narrators! That aspect was great. The author is talented, but the story was too slow for my taste. I need more action I think to keep me interested for the long haul.

With writing that is both dark and vibrant, this is definitely an author to watch! I loved the layer upon layer of mystery.

Inheriting an old house is a trope I fall for every time, especially when there is a creepy factor. We also get this really ominous butterfly collection that I found incredibly intriguing. But, it is the diary belonging to the woman who owned the house, our protagonist’s grandmother that I really vibed with!!!

I highly recommend the audiobook which was produced and narrated so well.

Audiobook/Book Review 📖🎧🦋

thank you so much partner Harlequin Audio, Mira Books, & The Hive for the gifted ARC + audiobook!

Their Monstrous Hearts
by Yigit Turhan
Narrated by Luca John Filiz; Tina Nakhleh Falkenbury

About the book 👇🏽

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 will inspire him, and money to keep him afloat. But Perihan’s house isn’t as opulent as he remembers. Perihan’s group of mysterious old friends is constantly lurking. And there’s something wrong in the greenhouse. The 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.

But he might not survive long enough to write it.

🦋My thoughts:

It took me a bit to get into this story as it is a very slow burn. I initially started the physical book, then switched to audiobook, then back to physical book. I really liked that this story was in fact unique and ominous. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this and it is absolutely an atmospheric read. It was the premise and cover that ultimately intrigued me and got me to request it but it just didn’t land the way I was hoping it would. The narrators were fine in the audiobook but I can’t say I preferred one version over the other. Although it wasn’t for me… I hope it will be for other readers! Their Monstrous Hearts hits shelves 4/8/25!

Happy reading 📖🎧🦋

I struggled with this one. I couldn’t really get into it. Not much was happening for me. I thought the narration was fine. Just wasn’t my fav.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of potential if it did not drag for 70% of the book and really get insane and awesome the last 30%. The book shows the length that people will go to to live on, even if it means the ultimate sacrifice. I wanted the book to be more creepy throughout, but instead the grandmother's droning of her life really made me want to give up on the story. I'm glad I didn't as the last part of the book really picked up especially one scene in particular that was very gorey in description which was awful considering what was happening, but also very well done.

I was not completely satisfied with the ending, however, as I feel like it was quite abrupt and did not provide a complete conclusion. The characters were also a mixed bag with some being interesting and others a droll, especially the grandmother who was insufferable. You do feel sorry for the main character, though, and all that he has been through.

Do I think that this book is really worth it? Yes and no. Give it a try as you may like it. I unfortunately was a little underwhelmed.

The storyline for this book was great. This author managed to make butterflies creepy! Our main character is queer, so bonus points from me.

The writing isn't amazing but this is the author's first novel in English so I'm not taking points off for that. The ending was so abrupt that I had to reread the last two chapters to ensure I didn't glaze over any details.

I received a digital copy and later an audio copy of this book. For once I am not going to recommend the audio. The male narrator's narration voice was lovely. His character voices however were so similar it made it hard to differentiate which character was talking. The female narrator's voice was so soft it could have put me to sleep.

Thank you HTP and MIRA for this ARC and ALC.

When I was a child, my teacher read our class an old indigenous tale about the friendship and turmoil between the Pine trees and the Maple trees. The Pine tree boasted about not losing its needle through the winter, and the Maple was saddened by this. But during the winter, a small sparrow took shelter and solace in the density of the Pine, and in the spring, it built a nest in the Maple. There is a time and a purpose for every thing and for every need.

Needless to say, over 30 years later, this story has stuck with me. And so, too, will Their Monstrous Hearts. The symbolism is the same, there is a cycle. There is no life without death. Death without life. The comfort I felt reading the words in this book was akin to listening to my teacher relay that story. It made me feel rooted and connected. And it made me feel joy and a prick of fear. Because we humans really do take matters into their own hands against Mother Nature, don’t we?

This book was so richly written that my teeth ached, in the best way. Like when you get the perfect fork full of the Matilda chocolate cake. It was delectable. I loved the narrator, loved the way the language rolled off her tongue. The way she told the story - and the storytelling itself - was so wonderfully old school. I felt like I was sitting around receiving the gift of history and heritage in the form of a story told around a fire.