Oh. My. Gods.

I don't even know where to start!! Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.

Y'all. This book is A LOT. But in a good way. It was so hard to put down - to take breaks. I HAD to keep reading to find out more information and where the plot was going to take us. This book has a lot of tropes in it, but the good ones that you crave! It's a little long, fair warning, but you won't care about length when you get into it.

The world's, the characters, the plot. All of it is just amazing. Dianna and Liam? You will literally fall in love with them as much as I have. The supporting characters, too. My goodness. There are so many memorable and loving characters to enjoy in this book. But that cliffhanger. Ahhhhh. I need the second book in this series!! Pick this up and read it. You WILL NOT be disappointed.

Stop reading whatever you are currently reading and pick up this book!! It’s an urban fantasy with a female villain for the MC and it has almost all of my favorite tropes. The banter between Dianna (MC) and her mortal enemy, Liam, had me laughing out loud. It is SO GOOD!

There were some random “ scattered throughout and sometimes there should’ve been a space between the words, but the editing errors weren’t enough to distract from the world building, characters, and plot.

I am already on my knees begging for the second book in the series!

Things I loved about this book:
💀 The emotional healing both MCs go through
💀 The banter between the two
💀 The world building and character building is amazing
💀 Diverse characters and representation

A quote I loved:
“I don’t remember how long we talked, but somewhere amidst her laughter and smiles, I decided I would rip the world apart for her.”

An interesting premise, but poorly executed. I struggled to get through this because the poor grammar made it nearly impossible to read and because of several inconsistencies throughout. This book is in desperate need of an editor to fix the confusing wording and the many, many grammatical errors. This felt like a first draft that had a lot of potential to be come a really solid final draft with a bit more work.

The Book of Azrael
By: Amber Nicole
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I...am...not...well.
It has been a really long time since I have given a book a 5 star review and boy did this one deserve it.
This book had one of the best enemies to lovers tropes, I have ever read. Like it’s almost as good as ACOMAF. Which is say a lot!
When I first started reading and realized who was meant to the main couple I thought...there is no way! No way in the world that is going to happen...but boy was I wrong.
There are so many people I want to meet in real life. Like I want Dianna as a best friend. She was a true joy to read. Such a rich, well written character. As was Liam. I mean...gosh the depth of him is amazing and I truly felt sorry for both of them. It was such an emotional rollercoaster. One of my favorites so far this year. Absolutely incredible. I need the next one like now

First in a series! 😬
CHUNKY 😥
First of barely 2 descriptive spicy scenes happens @ 78%
Lots of tension, enemies to lovers, forbidden relationship, shares one bed, lifelong mates

This wasn’t bad. Considering the size (800+ pages), it wasn’t as repetitive as I initially thought. Lots of traveling/action- some of it seemed unnecessary and slightly ramble-y. Still somewhat repetitive, more like re-mentioning past events to que reader’s memory (because book is so big). I didn’t feel like I needed to be reminded of events.

Intriguing idea. If the other books in the series are this long, I don’t think the story is worth the page length.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Rose and Star Publishing LLC for this digital ARC.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book, a female villain (though she isn’t really) as a main character and a morally grey God working together to stop a common threat. However, there were quite a few grammatical errors and editing problems that really pull you out of the story. I did enjoy Dianna’s relationship with Gabby and the hardships she endured to keep her safe. I liked the slow burn and tension between the two MC’s. All in all not a bad book, just needs some cleaning up and possible shortening. I would be interested in reading the next book in the series.

***Thank you to netgalley and publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.***

I really tried to get into this but at 28% I decided to finally give up. It was just not engaging for me and it was getting to the point where I'd skim some parts. If I'm not interested in the book when I've passed the 100 page mark, I know it's not going to be for me.

The worldbuilding was confusing. There are modern day aspects, such as cars, phones and clubs, but at the same time it's high fantasy (I prefer books where either the world is completely new and has it's own technology or an urban fantasy). The author shoved every type of myth/legend creature there is, from banshees to vampires to dragons. It was a little too much.

I also did not care for the characters. I was excited to read about a morally grey female villain but unfortunately Dianna had 3 personality traits: protect-my-sister-syndrome, I-am-sassy, and good-at-fighting. Liam was uninteresting in his POVs (until where I gave up at least).

Overall, I didn't care for this and I was fooled by the high average rating.

A really unique and exciting concept, I haven't seen anything like this. I love the reversal of the typical romance trope - the female being the dark sarcastic villant and the male the grumpy but naiive and lonely hero. The adventure aspect of this novel was really engaging and had me tearing through this book with anticipation. The romance was slow burning and electric, the tension between the couple was palpable. The overall banter and humour was brilliant and I loved this debut book so much! The ending was spectacular and im desperate for the next one

As an urban fantasy fan, with vampires, angels/demons, werewolves, witches, shades and gods (just to name SOME of the characters) this book held my interest almost from page one. Within a few chapters I went in search of Amber Nicole's website and bought a signed edition.

Dianna's character is simultaneously villainous and sympathetic; a hard combination to pull off successfully. At 841pgs this epic tale was perfectly paced, not too slow but still fully fleshed world-building. Amber Nicole takes traditional urban fantasy characters and gives them a much needed fresh twist. I loved every page!

I think there's a lot of potential in this book and it was entertaining and gripping. I think some editing would help as I had some issues with the storytelling that I found a bit jumpy.
I enjoyed it nonetheless and it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

*Thank you to NetGalley, Amber Nicole, and the Publishers for the ARC!*

"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."

I honestly cannot believe this is the authors' debut novel! This comes out on June 26th, and everyone should be *running* to buy a copy of this book!

This book follows Diana, who sold her humanity to save her sister, and is now at the monster Kaden's mercy. She gets tasked with finding the book of Azrael, which holds secrets to realm travel. She meets Liam, king of gods, who has been forced back into the land of the living and is afraid the cycles of old are repeating themselves. Liam and Diana are forced to work together to face the demons they battle.

This book had so much to love about it.
✓ True Enemies to Lovers
✓Slow Burn Romance
✓ Forbidden Romance
✓Morally Grey FMC
✓Soft MMC
✓ Forced Proximity + ONLY ONE BED
✓PTSD and Trauma Representation
✓Incredibly worldbuilding
✓ Banter and A+ Chemistry

Every single character was so well flushed out and represented. Not only are the two main characters well developed and multidimensional, but all the supporting cast of characters are equally memorable and you cannot help but get invested in their stories as well. The antagonist in this story was truly unique, and left you wanting more and more. The characters' development arcs, the progress and growth they each made was very apparent throughout the book, and made you fall in love with them all the more.

The Worldbuilding was done incredibly well. A world where Gods, Monsters, and Humans all exist is such a unique concept, and the author set the scenes and built the universe the book was set in so flawlessly without having to rely on massive infodumps.

The writing was phenomenal. It was very difficult to believe this was the authors' debut, because it felt like reading a book that should already be topping charts from a seasoned author. The plot, the romance, the transition from enemies to lovers, the inclusion of many tropes without being stereotypical or cheesy - everything was paced so perfectly and felt organic and natural. I genuinely devoured this book in one sitting because the story was so fast paced and kept me hooked from start to finish. The cliffhanger nearly destroyed me because I was dying to dive straight into the sequel, and I'm not waiting with bated breath to see when the release date announcement will be! Amber Nicole has written some truly beautiful scenes in this book that ripped me open and left me crying.
"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." is one of my favourite quotes from this book, and I cannot begin to express how much it resonated with me.

This book is truly a gem, and a 5 star read. There's not a single thing I would change or do differently, and I cannot wait to see the authors' upcoming works.
I cannot wait for the sequel to come out, and I jumped and ordered a hardback edition of this as soon as I finished the last sentence!

Rating: 5 Stars

I'm giving The Book of Azrael 4.5/5 stars.

This book follows Dianna - a flaming bad bitch with a snarky attitude - many years after she's literally given her mortal life to save her sister and Liam - a grumpy, charming and traumatised god - as he comes to the planet Onuna to ease everyone of the worries of an impending war. The two, although mortal enemies, must put aside the differences (or not) in order to save everything that matters to them.

Most importantly, all the things I loved about this book... Liam is honest such a softies although he has a grumpy exterior. Liam is dealing with some serious trauma causing anxieties and a deep depression. I believe that the mental health representation was done quite well and also a good addition to this fantasy novel. I don't really see much mental health rep in adult fantasy and especially not male mental health rep. I was swooning over this grumpy yet charming god.
Dianna is the hottest creature to grace Onuna (in my opinion) and not only that but she's witty and a boss biatch. I saw a few reviews that didn't like Dianna's snarky-ness but I loved it I thought her sarcasm well suited. I also saw some that didn't love how "self-sacrificing" Dianna was when it came to her sister. In my opinion it was good characterisation and it stayed consistent which I appreciated.
Amber Nicole did a fabulous job of writing the slow burn in this. It was angsty and rich and I craved Dianna and Liams interactions desperately. The tenderness in this book made me giddy for the first time in a long time and I am here for it.

The few things that would have made this book literal perfection in every sense of the word. I am in desperate need of a pronunciation guide... I think I pronounced names of places, people and things that this author created different every time I would read them because I was genuinely confused on how to actually pronounce them so please I beg for a pronunciation guide. If there is already one out in the universe please point me in the direction of it because I need it immediately... The editing and punctuation could do with a little fine-tuning. This is just me being super nit-picky but it honestly hinders my reading experience so much when its not clean editing; I'll stop and stumble and loose my flow while reading.
I think that the world building could have been a little bit clearer. In saying that this is Ambers first published novel and it's also a very large world with lots of magical concepts. I think the large world with countless characters and magical concepts is perhaps why it comes across as a little messy. I also spotted a few holes in the world building and magical system that weren't really explained but I see this often in fantasy.
There were few parts that I found predictable. Times where I'm pretty sure that Amber was foreshadowing and rather then it pass over I would guess what was coming... There was still plenty more ups and downs and spanners in the works that the handful of times that this happened it didn't hinder my fun while reading.

The issues that I had with the book didn't hinder my reading experience much I still very much enjoyed reading The Book of Azrael. If you love a good slow burn romance set in a unique fantasy world this book is for you.

This book was gifted to me by the publisher Rose and Star VIA NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Enjoyed this book--it was the first one I've gotten from this author and I was definitely in the fantasy mood! Would recommend if you're looking for a dark fantasy romance for sure!

I’ve had my eye on The Book of Azrael since I discovered it on Goodreads a few months back, so I jumped at the opportunity to review it. Unfortunately, The Book of Azrael’s clunky dialogue and messy world building greatly hindered my enjoyment of the novel.

The Book of Azrael’s dialogue ruined the novel for me. The dialogue is cringy, stilted, and clunky. The dialogue is clunky because of Nicole’s inconsistent use of contractions. The lack of contractions are glaringly obvious when a character begins their dialogue using contractions, but finishes their sentence without them. This ruins the flow of reading as I often found myself stumbling over the dialogue after a few pages without. The dialogue pulled me out of the story completely. There is an argument to be made regarding the lack of contractions for a specific character, however the lack of consistency contradicts the argument.

The world building and magic system are confusing and not well explained at the beginning of the novel. The world Nicole has created is massive and complex, yet incredibly confusing. It feels as if Nicole bit off more than she could chew.

The Book of Azrael primarily follows Dianna and Liam. Liam has infinitely more depth than Dianna. Dianna, for the entirety of the novel, has one driving force: her lover of her sister. I’m not saying this is bad, however when it’s the character’s only motivation it gets old quickly. On the other hand, Liam is a well-fleshed out character with depth. Readers learn a lot about his past, which gives insight and explanations for his actions and motivations in the present.

What I enjoyed most about The Book of Azrael was Dianna and Liam’s relationship, specifically the progression of their relationship. Nicole takes her time teasing out their eventual coupling as they get to know each other and overcome their preconceived notions about each other. The novel is long, arguably too long, however Nicole makes use of this time by developing their relationship.

Overall, The Book of Azrael’s clunky dialogue and confusing world building made it difficult to read at times despite the well developed relationship at the core of the novel. Will I read the sequel? Unfortunately, no.

I guess the best way to describe this one might be to say it’s a blending of urban fantasy and epic fantasy. This is a seriously hefty tome, so it’s definitely epic in length. I didn’t quite click with Dianna, one of the main characters, and I’ll admit I read this one in small chunks. But I must say author Amber Nicole has done some incredible world building and crafted a fairly complex tale. It could have benefitted from a bit more editing to perhaps clean up/tighten up the story, but I don’t doubt this one will find an audience. 3.5 stars out 5. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC of The Book of Azrael.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R38YLH6EKIOVC8/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-book-of-azrael-amber-nicole/1140830308?ean=9781737706755&bvnotificationId=35447fca-e454-11ec-89b4-12c2d670d5c3&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/210319456

The Book of Azrael is a genre I would not normally read but then this is not a typical romance story. Yes, the slow burn/ enemies to lovers trope is there but its in the background of a phenomenal narrative of a never-ending war between gods and monsters.

This book does a lot of things right, the constant back and forth between the two POV characters Diana and Liam is one of the highlights of the book. And Amber Nicole also does a fantastic job writing the many battles throughout the story, something a lot of writers have failed at she does perfectly.

All in all it was a surprisingly fantastic book with it's cliffhanger ending definitely leaving you wanting more.

Thank you to Rose & Star Publishing and Netgalley for gifting me with an ARC.

❛ I’d never had anyone there for me. Not like this. Not when I bared my entire soul and revealed my weaknesses. She was my enemy, yet my enemy was the only one who seemed to understand me and the demons I fought. ❜

5 STARS ✨

The Book of Azrael is great for fans of:
• forbidden romance
• enemies to lovers
• slow burn
• original fantasy worlds
• there was only one bed !!
• villain female main characters

This book just consumed me completely. I would give it more stars if I could. I started it early afternoon and finished late evening, regardless of the book length. I can’t even remember the last time I read a book past eight hundred pages, let alone in a day?!?! I was up a good couple hours afterwards as well, just transfixed about what I’d just read and still in the mindset of the main characters. The Book of Azrael was truly just something special.

The novel begins exploring a whole new lore of the supernatural and worlds — it is beautifully written, drawing you in as we begin with Dianna, a turned Ig’Morruthen (which is basically a demon, vampire, shapeshifting mix, in the most simplistic terms) who sacrificed her own life and freedom centuries ago in order to protect her younger sister, Gabby. She battles to keep the essence of her morality whilst serving Kaden, the highest ranking Ig’Morruthen who rules over the Otherworld with an iron fist. We discover very early on that Kaden is searching for the Book of Azrael, the namesake of the novel, to unleash all of the supernatural concealed in other worlds by the celestial in the Gods War, and Dianna has no choice but to do his bidding in order to keep her sister safe. In comes Samkiel, now Liam, half celestial, half god, thrust back into the world after remaining isolated since the Gods War. He has no idea about the etiquette or mannerisms of current society, and is dealing with his own demons post the tragedy of the war. Their paths cross in a very conventional enemies-to-lovers trope way that I won’t spoil, but is deliciously comedic. With Dianna’s urgency to keep her sister safe, and Liam’s lack of knowledge about the adapted Ig’Morruthen, two souls that could not be further apart are forced to align for the same cause.

Or are they as far apart as they think?

I found their story so beautiful. The great thing about Liam and Dianna is that they have a little bit of everything; you’ve got the tension, you’ve got the angst, you’ve got the humour, but there are also some genuinely core rotting fluff moments throughout the slow burn. There is a part, for example, where Liam, as hopeless to modern cues as he is, sees a man give a woman their jacket when they’re cold — Liam has no idea whatsoever that it’s a romantic gesture, but Dianna does, and it’s hilarious yet wholesome at the same time.

But the thing I loved the most is the message behind Liam and Dianna. It’s clear throughout the novel and their behaviours that their reflections of themselves aren’t entirely fair. They both see the worst versions of themselves, when, in turn, they learn to see and love the best versions of each other, and I think that’s so important. It’s so easy to see the negative things about yourself and to find someone who knows all of you and can bring out the best and see the best in you is truly something beautiful, so I loved seeing that dynamic with Liam and Dianna. They both have their battles, but they were able to find comfort in each other and continue to grow together.

For my spice lovers, there’s a sprinkle of spice in there, and it’s worth the wait, I promise!

I cannot praise this book enough — it didn’t feel like I was reading a long novel at all, the pacing remains fast throughout and Amber Nicole does a fantastic job at keeping you desperate for more. The Book of Azrael is definitely a new favourite of mine, and I am completely astounded that it’s a debut novel! It knocks a lot of popular enemies to lovers fantasy completely out of the park!

I’d love to see some more of Logan and Neverra in the second book; the The Ritual of Dhihsin is such a beautiful concept as someone who loves reading about soulmates, so it would be great if they took more of a centre role, as they’re kind of here and there in the first book.

I could talk about The Book of Azrael all day. There’s something there for everyone, so definitely give it a go! Don’t let the length intimidate you, because I know it did with me at first, but it’s definitely worth it. I haven’t seen anything regarding book two, but I need it yesterday. Dianna and Liam’s story is one that is certain to stay with me.

I’m going to be totally honest: I didn’t finish this book. I made it 20% and then I just gave up. Thank you to Netgalley and Rose and Star Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Book of Azrael by Amber Nicole. Lots of people love this book so if you think it’s something you’d like base on the synopsis, then I wholeheartedly say go for it! It just wasn’t for me.

I don’t love the writing style. There is a lot of repetitiveness that irks me, a lot of unnecessary descriptions, and it feels like it needs a solid color edit. For example, when Dianna portals into Gabby’s home, in back to back paragraphs, she “knows exactly who is with Gabby” two times in a row. Another: Dianna gives innocent smile, then a few sentences later, Gabby gives an angelic smile. When Dianna and Gabby are getting ready to go to the club, “short soft green dress” is in two sentences back to back.

The world building/explanation of the clans in the beginning was very well-done and in that case, the descriptions were great.

I love the fact that the “bad” guy is, in fact, female. Dianna is definitely at war with herself about her actions, but I love that she’s a cold-blooded killer.

I was confused for a long time about Gabby’s mortality. I wish that was explained earlier in the book instead of having to wonder about it for so long. Dianna says she hasn’t seen her sister in months, but then a few paragraphs later she also says Kaden had a few hundred years of bad behavior that she’d excused, so exactly how long has she been “turned”? Some clarity closer to the start of the story would have been really helpful.

I wanted to love The Book of Azrael so badly. A female villain and all the magical elements appealed to me greatly!

I received a copy of the Book of Azrael from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one unfortunately fell victim to the DNF. I just could not get into it. The book sounded interesting, which is why I wanted to read it, but I just do not think it was executed well. There is a lot of world building in this, like any fantasy novel, but a lot of it wasn’t explained enough. I don’t really understand the difference between the ancient gods and the celestials, I don’t understand what this big fight between the two sides is over, and I don’t understand the whole “world ender” idea. As well, there’s a lot of other mythology in the book that feels misrepresented, from the banshees to the vampires.

As well, I did not care for Dianna. I was super interested in the idea of a morally gray female villain, as those aren’t very common. However, she lacked depth as a character. Her main strengths were that she knew how to fight and was sarcastic/snarky. We heard a lot about how she had sacrificed everything to save her sister, I just didn’t feel that anguish in the book. She seemed very flat to me.

Because of these reasons, I just couldn’t force myself to continue reading the book. If I’m not immediately sucked in then I have a very tough time connecting to the characters or the storyline, which is what happened here. I have heard that this book is getting a series, so it will be interesting to see people’s reactions to the rest of the books.

This book pulled me in from the very first pages. I loved the world-building and that the characters weren't just kick-ass baddies, there was actually some depth ad the author showed how they doubted themselves and explained their motivation. I really enjoyed seeing how the main characters first impressions of each other changed as more of their backstory unfolded.

Dianna was a grey person, meaning she wasn't bad, she was someone put in a bad situation. I had never heard of some of the types of creatures in the book (like an Ig'Morruthen), but it was cool to learn about their powers and how they fit into the world the author created. And the insight into Samkiel was nuanced and eye-opening because it was such a realistic portrayal of how much pressure someone who lives forever would have on them. There weren't a ton of sex scenes, but the build-up of their relationship was cute.

There were some parts that were a little slow, like the search for the book, but overall, this book kept me wanting to know what was going to happen to the characters. The last part had me rushing to turn the pages to see what was going to happen because things really kicked into gear. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to the characters next!