Their Monstrous Hearts by Yigit Turhan

TL;DR: Quick and creepy!
Source: NetGalley – thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: Ricardo discovers his grandmother’s life and discovers something terrifying.
Characters: No one here was a nice person.
Setting: We were confined to a manor and a memoir that kept us in Italy. It wasn’t great but also not the point of the novel.
Horror: This was a tense horror novel with a slow build. If that isn’t your thing this isn’t going to work.

Summary:

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.

But he might not survive long enough to write it.

Thoughts:

Their Monstrous Hearts has two things going against it if you’re looking to pick it up. The most common complaint is the writing, the next is the slow build through the bulk of the book. For me both of these were not a bother, but I can see the issues.

The writing is something I give grace too here. This is our author’s English language debut and for me the choppiness of it added to voice. It was rough, and felt hasty which sped up the story. We’re also reading the amateur manuscript of a woman detailing her life for most of the book, I don’t expect it to be mind blowing.

The second big issue I’ve seen is that the book is slow and I’ll agree. If you’re not down for a slower build this is a miss. The book is also short so though the build is slow, the tension grew at a perfect pace for me. The characters were unlikable and did some really weird things that had me shocked at times.

This one isn’t going to be for everyone. I can see that, but if you’re okay with the two things I mentioned, it is fun and creepy. I never though butterflies would be disturbing, and I loved the ending. I would recommend it to the right reader!