The premise was strong and the characters were complex and likeable, but I just couldn’t get past the writing. I struggled through every chapter of this book because it writing wasn’t smooth or consistent and it really took a lot away from the story for me. I can’t say I’d be eager to read the next one but I am curious as to how it plays out.

WOW! wow, wow, wow, wow. First of all, how have I not heard about this book until now? I can't even form words. I went into this book with zero expectations and I got an absolute masterpiece. When this series is all said and done, it may just end up being tied with ACOTAR.

The characters are amazing, ALL OF THEM. Even all the side characters. Liam and Dianna are just so fleshed out with great voices, I connected so much with them. Even when they are being absolutely terrible I still love them and the dynamic and banter between the two of them is pure gold. Also, It's a slow burn and enemies to lovers (TRUE enemies to lovers). Like these two actually hated each other in the first half of the book, none of the "I'm secretly in love with you but don't want to show it" stuff. It was glorious.

I hope we see more of the side characters and the hand in the sequel and get to know them more because I loved them all. AND THE VILLAINS!!! The villains you guys are AMAZING! what I wished every villain could be but rarely ever are.

The pacing was perfect and the plot and world-building were great (No info dumping!) The author handles world-building, backstories, and lore so perfectly. I have literally nothing bad to say about this book, other than the CLIFFHANGER that will torture me for the months to come until the sequel arrives.

I wish I could give this more stars. This has made it to my list of favorite books of all time.

Please just read this book.

Thank you, Netgalley, for sending me the eARC of this spectacular fantasy in exchange for an honest review.
I was immediately attracted to this book because of its compelling and intriguing title, and the gorgeous book cover. This book was quite lengthy and I usually avoid lengthy book, but I did not regret for a single moment and this beautiful, gripping story of Liam and Dianna did not bore me for even a single minute. I was instantly hooked and could not put it down.
The story revolves around Dianna who is a beautiful and lethal immortal woman. She wasn’t always immortal. There was a time when she was a simple orphaned girl trying to protect her little sister, who had to sell her mortality in order save her sister to a powerful monster, Kaden. Now, centuries have passed, and Dianna has been molded as a perfect weapon in the hands of Kaden. Dianna is recently ordered to search for an ancient book of Azrael which could free the immortal to another realm. On the other hand, Liam or Samkiel, who is the last of gods and famously known as World Ender, is still swallowed by grief and lives half of a life in his palace alone overburdened by the regret and misery. When one of his loyal servants is killed by one of men of Kaden, he has to come to the world to stop the monster from getting the precious book. Liam and Dianna will have to work together despite their hatred and difference in order to stop Kaden and his followers from ravaging the world.
The enemies to lovers fantasy romance was highly enjoyable and captivating. Although it took me a while to connect to the characters and completely comprehend the flow of events, the overall word-building and character development is so enchanting. The various orders of supernatural beings, the bravery of celestials and inner circle of Liam, the ongoing banter of Liam and Dianna, and above all the beautiful and sassy, Gaby, was so amazingly portrayed that it will pique one’s interest immediately. The writing style was so poetic, descriptive, witty and amazing.
Overall, the book was so adventurous, excellently well written, with well-developed plot, and extraordinary world-building. It has everything a fantasy-lover would ask for. I would highly recommend it!

I went into this book with really high expectations and I found that unfortunately this fell a little flat for me.

While there were for sure aspects of this book I enjoyed; the broad range of creatures, the expansive world, and the flashbacks between the past and the present, I found that the things I did not enjoy about this book overshadowed my ability to enjoy the good parts. I did unfortunately find that the grammar and spelling mistakes were drastic enough to remove me from the story more often than not. While grammar is absolutely not everything and i'm not someone who tends to notice every little error as I don't personally have the best grammar myself, there were cases here that actually pulled me completely out of the story. There were times I would read a word and immediately think "wait thats not right" or I would complete a passage and have to stop and go back because the way its structured feels clunky and confusing.

Another disappointing thing I found was that while the world was interesting and I actually enjoyed the time spent explaining how the things worked and time simply spent on world-building. I don't know if it just felt like more was being explained than what was actually used but there were times when I felt the author spent too much time on explaining elements that weren't that confusing and were made more complicated with the excessive explanations or just spent time on elements that didn't feel necessary. I will say that additionally I struggled with the modernism of this and how it tied into more traditionally fantasy but that could be something that really only bothered me.

Overall, this book was fine, but unfortunately when I hit 75% I was just ready to finish this and move on to something new instead of being excited for what would happen in the end. For me, thats a telltale sign I'm not enjoying the book and its just not working out for me. I would be interested in giving this book a reread if it possibly got a bit of a rework or some more intensive editing done that just cleaned up the book as a whole.

Also, thank you to Amber Nicole and Rose & Star Publishing for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! After hearing so many good things I knew I had to start this book! The Book of Azrael completely blew me away! It exceeded my expectations and I love these characters so much 😭 Also that ending? SHOCKED ME. What do I do now with my life 🥲

I'm not sure where to start with this review - I grabbed this book on a whim because I liked the front cover and the blurb intrigued me. This will be one of my better decision of 2022 because The Book of Azrael completely blew me away. I loved the author's style of writing, the world building was solid and it managed to pack a punch that left me wanting more at the end. The author's taken a love of mythology and made the themes, characters and world her own, creating a story that I thoroughly enjoyed and, to be honest, am as close to fangirling about as I get.

So, what's got me all in a twist? Dianna, our heroine (or villain, depending on how you look at her), is a centuries-old monster of the old world. Believed to be trapped in another realm, her kind wait in the shadows, working with vampires, witches and the like to do the bidding of Kaden, their leader and the clear winner of the 'ruthless, psychopathic, mass-murderer' award. Ruling with an iron fist, he makes Dianna his second after she gives her life into his service following a deal she made with him to save her sister. And use her he does, both her body and her immense power as she follows his orders to carry out dastardly deeds, all in the name of finding the mysterious Book of Azrael. When a god, gone so long he's believed to be either a coward or non-existent, answers the cry of one of his people, things get real. Samkiel, who now goes by Liam, is the last of the deities remaining after a war of god tore the known realms apart (hence the apocalyptic tag I dropped in there above in my shelves). When he crosses paths with Dianna, who's desperate to keep her sister safe, both of their lives become intertwined and she's forced to decide whose side she's on.

While I could go on and on about this book, I'll reel myself in because I really enjoyed going in mostly blind to this novel. If you're like me and select books based around the inclusion of romance for the most part, give this one a go. While the first part builds the world post-gods and focusses on Dianna's life and reputation, once Liam enters the scene the two are drawn together and the plot shifts into their changing dynamic as the get to know each other. Their love/hate relationship, tension, chemistry and dialogue is fantastic and their characters well-developed. Dianna was a powerful warrior-type and I loved how the author had her character still reflecting her formerly mortal life to show a different, more compassionate and vulnerable side to her after a life of spilling blood. As for Liam, where to start? Helllooo, new book boyfriend. From his initial pity party and internalised hatred to his mannerisms as he adapted to the world he had isolated from for so long to his jealous and possessive bursts, he had me from when he first started torturing Dianna - literally.

I will mention that I spent the first part of the book not fully knowing what the heck was going on. There are a lot of references to past events for both the gods and the evil/monster-based characters, but to be honest, I enjoyed the writing so much I didn't care. There were references to past evil, fallen celestials walking among mortals, betrayal and immense power. If you're looking for romance from the get-go, it's not there, but trust me, hang in there because this book is worth it. It's classic good versus evil with the bonus addition of mythology and romance set amongst both fantasy and modernity. The book is definitely on the lengthier side and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, so there's obviously more to come. I loved it, enough to give it five stars straight out the gate. I've never read anything by this author before (and can't find anything - debut novel? If this is the case, I can't wait for more) but this won't be my last. It's only August and I'm already chucking this book down as one of my top ten for 2022. Yep, I'm calling it. I loved it that much and can't wait to see where the series goes.

So many great romance reads this year!!! I absolutely adored this book and finished it in one sitting! The world-building was top notch and the characters were on a whole other level of their own. This is my first read by this author and she has instantly become a must read. If you absolutely love fantasy romance reads, then this book is a definite yes for you! I know I'll be checking out her books in the future.

The Book of Azrael is one of those books that needs a chance at the beginning because the more you read, the better it gets. It did take me a little bit to fully get into it but I’m glad that I stuck with it.

Diana gave up her life to save her dying sister and now she serves Kaden, a monster who uses her for whatever means. Liam is the “mythical” king, long thought dead and forgotten. He is the World Ender who has locked himself away from his people and his responsibilities. When an attack on his people sends him back to the realm he want’s no part of, he finds himself working with Diana in the hopes of saving both their worlds and the realms in between. But can these two enemies put aside their differences and trust each other enough? Guess you’ll have to read the book to find out .

This one was fun and unique with perfect pace, action, adventure and some funny banter. A slow burn enemies to lovers trope with a fair amount of tension, a good plot and world building. The characters really ended up growing on me and I will definitely pick up the next book! Cliffhanger? Yes. Spicy? No. Pretty safe with a bit of sexy time towards the end but nothing major.

The first book in a new fantasy series, the Book of Azrael is a dual narrative story following Dianna and Liam as the former enemies combine forces to search for a book that could destroy everything they know. This book took me about 60% to get into and I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style, but the story and evolving relationship between Dianna and Liam helped me stick it out long enough to get into the book and finish it. The world building is complicated and I had to skim some things to not find myself bogged down but ended up binging the last 40%. The book ends on a cliffhanger so now I have to wait for book 2 to find out what happens next! I’d recommend this book with a warning for heavy world-building but to give it a chance!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me a copy of this.
It was very high on my TBR after seeing so many 5 star reviews and everyone obsessing over it on Instagram and TikTok.

As good as some parts of the story were, it didn't live up to the hype for me.
I think it was unnecessarily long, and perhaps should have either been split into two or shortened a bit so it didn't feel like the story dragged on so much.

I enjoyed the world, the action and the enemies to lovers which is why I've given it three stars, but other than that it falls a bit flat for me.

I had high hopes for this one, but sadly it ended up disappointing me. The romance fell completely flat for me, their chemistry and sexual tension felt weird to me. I liked the main plot, but I feel like it could've been more due to the number of pages. One thing that I really liked was how the characters are unapologetically themselves. Liam and Dianna are tough cookies and are not afraid to show it. I'm still curious about the sequel though, that ending was promising. Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read anf review this book.

So I'm not going to lie, this took me a while to get through as it was 796 pages. But it was an absolutely amazing fantasy book which has a enemy to lovers troupe. The main character Dianna is morally grey due to the things she has been made to do to keep her sister gabby safe. But when she and and Liam get thrown together, they need each other's help to help trace the lost book of Azrael. 
 
There is a lot which happens throughout but I was still hooked and I didn't lose my interest. It is a very slow burn but I enjoy them transitioning from enemies to the lovers the become at the end. The ending had me completely shocked and I wanted more !  
 
I can't wait to read book 2 of the series which I believe is out possibly April next year from what I have seen.

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!

Thank you for giving me a chance to review The Book of Azrael!

This book has a lot of good stuff going for it. I think the MC has risen to be one of my favourites ever...I can't resist a rage filled, powerful, "don't give a damn" heroine! I enjoyed most of the characters as a whole, but she just stood out to me as someone I couldn't stop reading for, even in the moments when I "hated" her.

I thought the plot was intriguing and parts of it felt very fresh. Unique concept.

My biggest gripe with this book is the writing, which unfortunately took a lot of my enjoyment away from the text. The prose is clunky, the dialogue was often very "As you know, Bob", and the grammar/spelling mistakes ripped me right out of the intriguing plot. It's also far too long. There was definitely some filler to be cut here to make this a more concise and snappy read.

There's a five star book hidden under those complaints though, and if writing style isn't a dealbreaker for you then give this one a try!

I adored this book. It gave me everything I want in a fantasy/romance novel, from action and adventure to a strong female main character and a gorgeous romance. Enemies to lovers is my favourite trope so if you love that too, you need to read this book! I particularly loved that the female was the villain in this story, that role reversal was really refreshing.

I received an e-arc of this book, thank you Netgalley.
Let's start off with how tremendous this book is. For this book to be Ms. Nicole's first book holy hell. If you love fantasy/new world concept/enemies to lovers, then this is the book for you. I couldn't put this book down it is very well paced, I enjoyed the character building, and the book hangover I received. I absolutely cannot wait to read the second book.

The book revolves around Dianna and Liam. One is the ender of worlds and the other the enemy of the ender of worlds. We are taken on a journey to stop Kaden and his evil ways and how do we make this happen should you ask? Well we team up 😍. The ending has your heart jumping off a cliff and your brain freaking out wanting more

Dual point of view ( my fav) is just one of many things I loved about this book. It was so well done it was hard to believe it was a debut.
There werewolves, witches, vampires, banshees and more! The world building was fantastic
Dianna and Liam's slow burn was so great to get caught up in, I loved them.
I need the next book to come out ASAP .

I loved the story and the characters !! I liked it even if it is 'enemies of lovers' which I don't find very endearing. The only flaw is the length that seemed to me actually excessive. It was really too long and I found myself pushing myself to move forward, which I don't like to do while reading.

This book had all of my favorite tropes: enemies to lovers, villain FMC, forced proximity, forbidden romance, etc. Dianna was one tough female main character. She was so entertaining to read about. The pacing was perfect. It kept me entertained and never bored. The chemistry between Liam and Dianna was intoxicating. The world building was fantastic without any info-dumping. This is the ultimate romantasy, and I urge everyone to read it. Absolutely brilliant!

"The Book of Azriel" has an interesting plot and worldbuilding, but unfortunately, the characters and their relationships fell flat for me. From the beginning, it was obvious that the reader was supposed to perceive the main character as a villain, but at the same time, the book was constantly reminding me that she only committed evil acts to save her sister. It was like the story didn't trust me to interpret the character for myself, which was also reflected in how the other characters were developed. I was told how to feel about their personalities and relationships instead of getting to see them develop through their actions. As a result, I didn't really care what happened to the characters by the end of the book.

Other than the characters, the story was pretty interesting though. I loved all the legendary monsters, and there were plenty of plot twists I never saw coming. I definitely think there's an audience for this book, even if it wasn't me.

Content Warnings: Violence, blood, gore, fire/fire injury, death, panic attacks/PTSD, grief, torture, mentions of a past toxic relationship, mentions of past emotional abuse, mentions of war

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion of the book