Loved this book! Could not put it down! One of my favs by far this year! Will definitely buy!!! I want it on my bookshelf!

This ARC I would rate 5 out of five easily. This ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This book was so good! I was a bit intimidated by how long it was, but it was worth the journey! I was SO invested in this story and these characters. "I didn't remember how long we talked, but somewhere admits her laughter and smiles, I decided I would rip the world apart for her" i mean COME ON. the best trope. I can't wait to continue this series and learn more about this world!

The ending of this book has left me desperately wanting to read the next one! That cliffhanger!!
I loved the characters (especially Liam) and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. I’m hoping we will get to know more about the other characters in the next book too. I loved all the twists and turns in this but my favourite part was the enemies to lovers. I really enjoyed seeing how the characters developed and I think the world building in this works really well- it doesn’t feel like information overload at any point.
My main criticism of this would be that it does feel like it needs a bit more editing as I picked up on quite a few areas which pulled me out of the story but overall this was an enjoyable read!

Fans of ACOTAR, this book is for you!
If there's an enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, fantasy series, I'm usually here for it, hence why I've been wanting to read this for a while.
I liked the writing and the world-building and found the characters and different species interesting enough. I'd say though that the book's main focus was the romance, rather than the plot. Everything that happens in the story seems secondary to the relationship between Dianna and Liam, which in my opinion turns from hate to love almost overnight, I enjoyed the slow-burn at first, but their feelings towards each other switched too quickly for me to be able to feel the angst that I craved. Hopefully, the next book will be more plot-focused and will provide a deeper exploration of the world-building and other characters. Particularly Gabby and the members of The Hand, who we barely got to know in this book.

I have no words to describe it, especially the end. Such a creative story, where we have all type of mythical creatures (some of them I never even heard before) and showing us that it doesn't matter what others think of you or what others expect of you. Loved all the interactions between Dianna and Liam (by the way loved to have both point of views, helped to see characters grow). Felt every betrayal in this book and how to see through every scene - it was mostly never what we were expecting it to be. I really hope there's a second book because otherwise you just broke my heart.
I felt there was always something happening but because I was expecting something different to be the cliffer edge on the book I felt it was a slow paced write - but it was because I was focusing on the wrong goal here.

Plot- 4.5/5
Spice- 1.5/5

"I didn't remember how long we talked, but somewhere amidst her laughter and smiles, I decided I would rip the world apart for her.”

What to expect:
- Enemies to lovers
- Slow burn
- FMC as a villain
- Epic world building
- one bed trope
- Forced proximity
- Forbidden romance
- Action sequences that leave you wanting for more
- a freaking cliffhanger!

The world-building and story are so unique! I
genuinely haven't read anything like this before. The best part is that there are areas of boredom, absolutely no lag! The story kept me on my toes the ENTIRE TIME! So many plot twists I did not see coming! And that cliffhanger... I am unwell.

Thank you Netgally for providing this eARC for my honest review.

The world building in this book is absolutely insane; never dense but completely encompassing at the same time. Honestly, Dianna is everything I aspire to be (minus the diet choices), and the side characters were so well written, I couldn’t help but root for them as soon as they were introduced. This is definitely a solid fantasy read.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would - didn’t love it as much as others but still enjoyed reading it!

There is a LOT of world building and a very slow start but was good once I finally got into it.

Looking forward to the second book

I'm blown away by the world that Amber Nicole has created. I have never read anything like it and it was so good and entrancing. The time and effort taken into creating this book can be seen clearly — it's obvious that Amber crafted this world with a lot of research and ingenuity. The magic is fascinating, the folklore of the world is riveting, and it was all in all, something new and refreshing to read. The plot is heart wrenching and thrilling. I enjoyed that the female MC is morally gray, borderline unhinged, it's not often you see strong female leads that are unapologetically theirselves while also covering that gray area morality. I'm in love with Dianna and Liam, their storyline is actual true enemies to lovers, and I love that they complement each other and have found confidence and trust in each other. Their romance is a slow burn enemies to friends to lovers, and it made me giddy every time they got closer and closer to each other. That cliffhanger is going to haunt me for the end of my days and I will probably think about this book 24/7 365 until the next one comes out.

Welcome to book 1 in the Gods & Monsters series! Epic dark fantasy time. I'm in! Welcome to Onuna.
So, we have Dianna. A thousand years ago, she called out to anyone who would listen, to save her dying sister. When the monster, Kaden, answered, Dianna gave up her life to serve him. But she is hunted. And her current task is to steal an ancient relic from her hunters. Spoiler: the relic is the Book of Azrael!
Meanwhile, once Samkiel, now Liam, always the World Ender, has been hidden from this realm for eons. He ignored his crown until he became at most a myth, at best forgotten. But ancient enemies stir and he must return. Somehow, these opposite sides must come together to defend all of the realms.
Dianna is 'Ig’Morruthen'. Supposedly these were all killed in the ancient Gods War (after which Liam locked himself away), so she's quite the surprise to everyone who believe no new ones can be created because the ones that could do so are all dead or locked away forever in another universe entirely. Dianna herself is something of a rarer one as well, being previously mortal. She has an interesting trick of being able to taste someone's blood and sink into their memories. This is called a 'blooddream'. She can also make fire, and shapeshift - making flying a thing - and teleport.
Kaden owns her, because he dangles the life of her sister, and being able to visit her hangs on Kaden's generosity (spoiler: he doesn't have any). She wants out. But there is no way out. Not unless...things change.
Enter Alistair, also an Ig’Morruthen. Seems to be quite the sadist, as well as a scary-ass warrior. He has a black mist that can rip apart the brain of a celestial and put it back together again (after getting any useful info they have) in the same configuration, but with an added bit of malware: they are now his eyes and ears in the world, and he can even take control of them directly (giving me memories of Harbinger from Mass Effect 2)
Also, apparently some Ig’Morruthen like to eat humans. So that's a fun thing. They seem to be little more than ferals. Dianna seems to be the only one Kaden has successfully turned into an Ig’Morruthen and retained her actual sentience in, well, at least a millennia because she was the last success.

This is great, then. Whave vampires and werewolves and banshees and politcians and shadowy creatures. It's a great big grab bag of the supernatural, and Kaden rules over them all.
Philosophically, ethically, it's an interesting question. Does the life of the one person you love, balance against all the others you kill? What tips that balance?
Also I have serious questions about timelines. Dianna has been doing Kaden's bidding for centuries, but her sister - a standard model human - is still alive? There's some vagueness about her being mostly human just living a longer life, also she may have some sort of empathy power–that’s thrown in a couple of times but never explored.
Dianna feels a lot like a Mary Sue...she's got all the powers and all the skills and she always wins and is the best at everything and is feared by everyone. She's the perfect one. There's even some super secret mystery about how extra mega powerful she really is. And as she's our narrator, I'm calling her unreliable - but in a meta kind of way: the author is unreliable as her narrator.
But! That doesn't make the book even a smidge less enjoyable. It was a lot of fun to read. Lots going on but not too much. A lot of interplay between characters, which I always enjoy.
With Dianna as one narrator, we get to follow her through the pain, the torment, the sadness, and the mysteries the other non-feral Ig’Morruthen–Tobias (a total ass) and Alistair (slightly less of an ass)--are in on. Her lack of knowledge disturbs her. She knows there is danger but cannot tell where, or what, and she is forced blind into situations where she doesn't have the details. She must obey, that is all.
For her sister she will do anything. And so, she does as she is bid, as everything threatens to come crashing down.
When Liam gets his turn narrating, we get into deep wells of self-pity and regret and refusal to deal with his ginormous issues. He basically retreated in a tantrum, and never emerged. So when he returns, it's in a mega snit. And he's shocked that in the hundreds of years he's been away mortals have lost their respect for him, and that the guy he left to rue isn’t totally super 100% jumping for joy at his return. Liam quickly messes up the relations carefully built over the centuries he has been away sulking by, well, sulking, tantruming and being in a snit.
The guy has serious untreated PTSD as well as a literal God complex. It's a heck of a combination. So much angst.
I found that Nicole can't quite decide whether to describe a person or a location in full, or simply not bother. There’s a lot of haziness to a lot of people and places, then suddenly she’ll describe something in minute detail. It’s a bit jarring!

The book has the right size to be an epic fantasy, and it has the cast of characters for it, too. It's also a nice departure from the main character being a traditional 'good' hero, or even really an antihero. The things she does, despite her mortal heart, are often horrific. But she does them so Gabby can live, and that excuses these acts - at least, she tells herself it does.
The story walks a thin line, trying to balance action and consequence, exploring the limits of morality. It's not exactly an unpredictable tale, but it is an enjoyable one. However, I have 3 main issues.
My biggest gripe was the outpouring of toxic masculinity that happened every time something masculine appeared near Dianna (and often when she’s nowhere around but the dudes are posturing about her anyway). Blech. Unhealthy masculine role models. No thank you.
My second biggest is the lack of coherent rules to the magic. I can’t figure out how or what or why or when or anything actually controls it. Plus the characters seem to forget what they can do. Teleportation! Flying! Shapeshifting! But it's plot convenient if they don't do that right now so just pretend they can't, and watch them flail around instead. This might not bother others, though, I just love to delve in and see how things work, but I can’t do that here because it’s always shifting based on what Nicole wants/needs. It means lots of deus ex machina, though, which is always amusing.
Third is the wavering ideas of how the entire system works. What a Celestial is and how they were made? Still have no idea, and coincidentally only a God can do that, and there are no more Gods. But also Liam is called a God? And the history is so confused! It just feels slapdash, as if Nicole found her own plot inconvenient and just wanted it put of the way (so there could be more male posturing).
It's a shame, and these make application of the word 'epic' a little bit of a stretch. It's a YA romance disguised as an adult epic fantasy. If the author had faith in her story and characters, she could have created a much more powerful tale. Hopefully she'll boost up the learning curve for the next book, which I am looking forward to!

If you like your fantasy epic and troubling, your setting not of this earth, and your magic without any rules whatsoever, this is for you!

Buy The Book of Azrael at Amazon US or UK, or order from your favourite bookstore or library.

This was such an intense fantasy story I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that cliff hanger ending... just wow!

I loved Dianna from the very beginning. A badass otherworldly creature made for chaos and destruction. But she has a single soft spot.
That single soft spot leads her on a path she would have never imagined. A path that brings her closer to her truer self.

Liam, the World Ender, is every bit the arrogant self tortured God. You feel for him in one minute and the next you hate him again.

I loved the forced proximity between these 2 characters on their mission to save the world. Dianna helping Liam overcome his trauma in a way that also helps her was so heartwarming. Liam letting down his walls for her and her comforting him was the sweetest thing to watch unfold.

It was the slowest burn ever but oh my gosh when that spicy scene finally hit it was absolutely satisfying!

I truly loved everything about this book. I pulled an all nighter because I just could not put it down. The world building, the plot, the chemistry, the flashbacks to give some insight on the present... all of it was perfectly done. And that cliffhanger of an ending was just literally jaw dropping!

I need more of Dianna and Liam!

I tried to make myself read this book slowly because I didn’t want it to end. Personally, I felt that this book had not a dull moment, which is insane given that it is 800+ pages long! Also, the world building never felt like an info dump, it was easy and enjoyable to follow along.

I love how the book did not shy away from talking about mental health. The main characters each have their own complex struggles that they help each other overcome/cope with. Their issues are an ongoing conversation, I appreciate that this book doesn't portray something as serious as PTSD as something that can be cured by one conversation. On the other hand. . . something so satisfying, that I know other readers will appreciate, is that the banter continues after Liam and Dianna have an established friendship.

There is a major cliffhanger! I feel for authors because they will spend years writing a book only for readers to read it in a week or less, but I do demand the next book to be released immediately!

The biggest issue I found with the book were the grammatical errors. But knowing that this is a debut novel, I can’t wait to read the author's future work!

I still have tears in my eyes, and I’m pretty sure I’m still holding my breath from the last page of this book. Wow.

I’m not sure I’m prepared to review this, but I’m going to try. The fact that this is a debut novel is insane to me. So often I feel that I can’t recommend fantasy books to friends that don’t usually read the genre because it will be too complicated or confusing, but this will be a book I recommend to everyone. The world building was so vivid and complex without feeling overwhelming, and you truly feel you get to know each character so intensely.

We quickly learn into the book that Dianna has given up her mortal life to save her dying sister, and I loved the relationship we got to see between them and the lengths Dianna would go to to protect her.

Liam…Samkiel…our World Ender…I have no words. I absolutely loved the banter between him and Dianna, and if you enjoy the “touch her and I’ll un-alive you” vibe, this book is for you. I cannot wait until the next book comes out, and gives me an excuse to re-read this masterpiece again.

Thank you to Amber Nicole and Rose and Star Publishing for the ARC of this incredible book.

Everything about this book in theory is something that I'd usually be into - enemies to lovers, dark fantasy, strong female protagonist. Unfortunately there were some things here that stopped it from delivering its full potential.

The enemies to lovers relationship came on a bit to quickly, and honestly the love interest fell a bit flat for me, so I wasn't super engaged in it.

I really enjoyed the world building and the overall concept for the book, but it just took so long to get anywhere and there was so much filler that it had me losing interest.

Lastly, our female protagonist was a darkside Mary Jane and read kinda cheesy. This and other charceters felt a bit forced.

I think this book series has some potential, but there needs to be some work doen to get there. This could stand with being edited down and tbh just edited in general. Without that this became a slog to finish.

Enjoyed this book! I’ll admit to a shaky start but I liked the story and the characters were great. A good series developing I feel.
Perfect for SJM fans.

Starting off strong the cover is absolutely stunning!! It drew me in instantly and made me want to read the book. It's keeps to your general adult fantasy type book covers, so you know what your getting into.

I've never quite read a book like this one and it made me love it even more... If that's even possible! It was such a original plot and the characters were brilliant! I loved how the female main character, Dianna, was strong and didn't take any bs from anyone, but still showed her vulnerable side.
It was also very interesting to see how Liam dealt with his trauma and PTSD, and how Dianna helped him with that.
Some of my favourite parts of the book was the quality banter between all the characters, it made it light hearted when everything else was quite dark.

I'll be honest, there were very few bad things that jumped out at me, apart from the beginning being quite confusing at first, and I had to jump back a reread some parts once I understood what was going on. But otherwise, I will definitely be recommending this to all my friends!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Such a solid start to what's a promising fantasy series. I already love our girl Dianna and Liam so much, and the tropes that fill this book !! *chef's kiss* It's a slow burn, but it's got so much original and unique worldbuilding that it kept me plenty occupied and entertained. Amber, give us the next book, now!!!

An interesting and fully enrapturing fantasy read that had me hooked from the start! I appreciated how fast paced the story was without sacrificing some really epic world building and cohesiveness. The characters are fleshed out and individual in their own right which I feel helps keep the reader invested in what’s happening in the whole story and not just on the romance.
The slow burn of the connection between Dianna and Liam is so well done. I like that we don’t lose their individual storylines amidst the growth of their relationship with each other. Their relationship is hot, volatile and just so well done. That strong edge of forbidden and their strong, stubborn personalities really helps build a truly exciting and addicting romance plot.

Special mention to how bada** the main female character is.

Note: the cliffhanger killed me and I need book two like yesterday. I truly cannot wait to get my hands on it.

This book is good enough that I'm going to go and buy the finished copy to read and annotate it. I love the main character's inner conflict. I also really enjoy the idea of these worlds coming together. Working things out with one another and seeing where things go from there. Also, this person that can end the world is so interesting. I can't wait to also see where the romance continues because it seems like there's lots of tension. Overall I'm loving the trajectory of the story I've read so far and I can't wait to continue the story.

This book was great!

It had interesting characters and a really good plot.

The only thing that stopped me loving it was some of the writing quality felt a little simple and there was a few errors and things like that. However, this is an arc and presume they will be fixed.
Overall the book was very enjoyable