I loved reading this book; in fact, it's one of the best I've read so far this year. I will definitely be buying a physical copy to display on my bookshelf!

The book started out interesting, with unique plots, characters and story. But the more and more I got into it the more the characters got annoying and it seemed like the plot was all over the place.

This book had a lot of potential if done in another way.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC copy.

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 2 | Atmosphere: 4 | Writing: 2 | Plot: 2 | Intrigue: 1 | Logic: 2 | Enjoyment: 1
Total: 2.00

DNF at 51%. Unfortunately, this book is too long for me to maintain interest in it. The writing still needs some serious editing as of the ARC's access, and I hope that it went through it before publication. There are times the same sentence is repeated only pages apart, and the tone of voice is not consistent. Our main character Dianna is non-sensibly crass for someone who has lived as long as she has, and reads more like a 17-year-old than an adult character in an adult book. I have no issue with crass characters, but the way she behaves doesn't indicate a character who has lived as long as she does. There are convenient explanations for everything that doesn't make sense, and after a while, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at them. I found myself dreading reading the next 50%, as I really did not care about what happened to who.

4 1/2 Stars

It takes a lot for a book to leave me speechless, but this one came close. I absolutely loved it. It was an enemies to lovers fantasy with some fabulously written characters. Seriously, this author's imagination is top notch. The romance portion of the book is a slow burn....a very slow burn. However, the chemistry between the characters is firing on all cylinders well before anything happens between them.

Lengthy books are typically not my jam because I often feel like there's fluff or something unnecessary and drawn out tucked into the story. That was absolutely not the case with this one. Everything in this book blended into the plot. I never felt like I was reading something that didn't pertain to the overall story. Each word mattered. I simply loved this book in its entirety. The world building, the characters, the plot twists, even the heart wrenching parts. It's just so well done.

As many other reviewers have already stated - - You have to read this book. I'm jumping on their bandwagon. It's amazing. An incredible debut. I look forward to book two....eagerly.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

My Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5

This is a Dual POV fantasy romance novel about Dianna, a woman who exchanged her freedom for her sister’s life a thousand years ago. Now she is a killing machine (with a mortal heart) under Kaden’s rule. Think precursor to the modern day vampire abilities. She is a monster and the only thing keeping her rooted to her humanity is her younger sister, Gabby. Samkiel, known as the “World Ender” and leader to the Celestials and son of a God himself, is considered forever immortal. After the events of the Gods' war, he retreated to isolate himself from being a leader, until the death of a member of his Hand. After unexpected events, Dianna and Samkiel are forced to work together, even though they are eternal enemies.

The world building is excellent. It’s a big book at 800+ pages but it flows really well. The pace keeps you constantly intrigued and entertained while also feeding you tons of information that is not too overwhelming. Usually with these bigger books, it feels like they are way too long, but this was actually perfect. The love scenes were steamy, but more of a tease to what is coming in future books. The ending left me with such a cliffhanger and I cannot wait for book 2!

Thank you to Rose & Star Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Tropes: enemies to lovers, overprotective, one bed, forbidden love, slow burn, morally gray heroes

Spice Level: 2/5

5/5 ⭐
2/5 🌶️

That was an incredible ride. I absolutely loved the story, the characters, the world building and everything in-between. It hooked me from the start and I was enthralled until the finish.

Dianna is a mortal turned monster who is indebted to her maker, Kaden, in exchange for her sister's life and safety. Liam is a king and god who they call World Ender. They are mortal enemies, but together they team up to hopefully save the world from Kaden, who plans to open up the sealed realms and let the monsters out once again.

I love, love, love Dianna. She is a bad@$$, morally grey, female villain, which we just don't see enough of in romance novels. I love her snark, how much she cares about those she loves and her ability to bring Liam to his best self. Liam is the perfect cinnamon roll. He is selfless, caring and loyal and tends to throw caution to the wind when it comes to Dianna.

The beginning hate and banter between them was hilarious and it was even better as they softened up to each other. This was definitely a slow burn. There was never any PIV smut, but the foreplay was great and got a deserved 2 stars from me. We seem to have promises for some 4-5 spice smut in future books.

The ending was a rough cliffhanger. The whole book was a roller coaster of emotions, but that last few pages really dropped your stomach with the heartache. I can't wait to read more of this story and am looking forward to the next installment!

4/5 stars!

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Like I’ve seen in a few other reviews, it is a bit chalked full of info at the beginning, so I would recommend taking your time with this.

The writing, world building and world itself, and our mains were all fantastic.

The only reason I didn’t give this 5 was because I just wanted a bit smoother of a transition into the romance aspects and the feelings they have for each other.

Other than that, I loved it and will be reading book 2!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is my own honest opinion

I eventually had to accept that I was going to DNF this one. Very early on I realized that I just could not connect with the writing - I like the idea of the story, but the dialogue was off to me, and I thought the writing just wasn't what I was expecting.

The book of azrael was a really ambitious undertaking by a new author and she mostly pulled it off. The thing I always hate about a new series is the amount of world-building the book expends in the first half. This book and writing reminded me very much of Crescent City, a series I did not love until the second book. I have a feeling the book of Azrael will have a similar journey to my heart.

The world Dianna, regenerated monster and sometimes villian/heroine, lives in is a world where another world collided with it in its destruction. Liam (formerly known as Samkiel) is an immortal god from , his world was destroyed by him when other gods from his world began a war known as the gods world.

The really cool part of this storytelling is that Dianna consumes memories from those she drinks from. So when Liam gives her blood, she is taken back through his history on ...... We get to see in real time the destruction of his planet and his journey to Dianna.

Dianna and Liam are both damaged and I love how they are able to connect and find the best of each other through it. I loved them as a couple and wanted more spice. We get mild spice - like two scenes of 3rd base. The cliffhanger was great, as far as cliffhangers go. I wasn't expecting that and the way it played out was pretty epic.

Fuck me up and roll me over THAT ENDING.

I picked this up because readers said it was a TRUE enemies to loves story and they were not wrong! Diametrically on opposing sides, our main couple are full of trauma, agony, spunk and grit.

This is a fantastic read you don’t want to miss!

If you like a strong female MC a la The Hunger Games, this is for you.
If you like magic, enemies to lovers, a la A Discovery of Witches, this is for you.
If you like working together and overcoming trauma a la Blood and Ash, this is for you.
having to fight through bad deals made in desperation a la Addie LaRue, this is for you.
If you like the Thor movies, this is for you.
If you like sisters who care about each other a la Lilo and stitch, this is for you.
If you like unexpected twists, a la the last thing he told me, or the guest list, this is for you.

3.5 stars
Mixed emotions on this book... the beginning was super slow for me, took me 30% of the book to be fully interested in the plot. The characters were super dull at the beginning as well. However, as the story progressed I did start to like some of the characters and the story. I hope book two gives us more information on Unir and maybe Dianna will finally catch a break.

<b> Thank you so much to Net Galley and to the publisher, Rose & Star Publishing, LLC, for providing me with a free copy of <i> Book of Azrael </i> by Amber Nicole in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own. Any quotes in this review should be cross-referenced with the final copy for any possible edits. </b>

<b> Overall rating: </b> 4 out of 5 stars

<b> Favorite Quote(s): </b> "It was a moment of peace until the dreams that threatened to shred my soul shattered it."

<b> My favorite elements: </b> We start off the book with Diana who has sold her humanity to a monster to save the life of her sister. Diana is assigned to find the Book of Azrael, a book that can open doors between realms. Liam, the World Ender, on the opposite end of the spectrum is a king of gods and he is thrown back into the land of the living after his friend dies. The bickering between the main couple, Diana and Liam is what kept me holding on. I enjoyed the mortal's cultural aspects and watching ancient beings interact with cars!

<b> My criticisms: </b> The worldbuilding was a smidge confusing with gaps on subjects where they would not make sense. At times, the book dragged on.

<b> If you liked the following, you will probably like this book: </b>
<i> -Greek mythology
- City of Gods and Monsters
- Crescent City

</i>
<b> Will I finish the series? </b>
Most likely yes!

<b> Tropes: </b>
- Anti-heroine
- Fated Mates
- Enemies to Lovers
- Mental Health Representation
- Complex Magic System
- Morally Gray MC
- Ancient meets Modern

This book blew me away. If there was ever one book that encompassed EVERYTHING I want in a book... this is it! The Book of Azrael is Fantasy book, made up of incredible world building, equally incredible character development, fantastic storyline, BELIEVABLE relationships between characters, AND some romance??? THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL!

Every character you get to know in the book is phenomenal. Their struggles are relatable and you can see everyone of their personalities. There are no cardboard character plot fillers in this book. You are introduced to Gods, Beasts, Celestial beings, human characters. The villians of the story... Kaden and Tobias are two characters I kind of love to hate. You get just enough of them to get you hooked... needing to know what kind of evil deed they'll perform next. Then there are Dianna and Liam... the MC's of the story. Dianna is a fierce FMC; loyal and protective to her last breath, and you can't help but to love and root for her, no matter what she's done. Samkiel (Liam) is... well, besides swoon-worthy, is also amazing as the MMC. Tortured by his past, he has separated himself from the worlds for centuries... Until Dianna stirs up trouble. Their relationship is SO GOOD!!! Their dynamic is ADDICTIVE.

I could barely put it down once I started, and had more than one all nighter reading this book! This is honestly the start to a series I KNOW I will finish and probably own copies in multiple formats. I can not wait for the next book. I came close to not finishing it... but I did... it almost killed me... but I finished! I'll be stuck on edge of my seat waiting on the next book to come out.

This book actually lives up to the hype. There was much chatter about this upcoming release on BookTok and it delivers. Such a great fantasy world with tons of interesting characters. Really fun fantasy read.

Okay so… WOW- what just happened. This book will throw you in for a loophole with that ending. Now I’m not the type of reviewer to write a summary of what the book is about (there are so many reviews that already do that) but I will tell you my thoughts.

First of all let’s talk about characters. I absolutely fell in love with the two MC’s relationship! I need more!!!! I love that this book didn’t hold back with the fluff like so many other fantasy books do. I felt that in this book that characters had real chemistry and that’s really important to me. I also loved individually all the characters. The MC, Dianna, stole my heart. Normally in books we only see an morally grey MC in the form of a man, but in this book it was not the case. Dianna’s character packs a punch. She sassy, dangerous, and has just a touch of seduction about her. She reminds me a bit of Aelin in the first two thrones of glass with a bit of Amren and Rhys from ACOTAR, but she is still her own individual character that doesn’t seem to copy off of anyone else. The male MC, Liam (also thank the author for using names I can pronounce), definitely wasn’t my FAVORITE at first but he grows on you. By the end of this book I was in love.

Also let’s talk about the writing style- Think about everything in your favorite book that you wish the author would have had, (eg. Battering, Inside Jokes, Little Funny Deadpan moments, etc.) this book has them. One thing I wish could have gone a little better is I feel like the writing (especially the more dramatic moments) can be a little bumpy at times, but nothing but another round of editing cant fix. For this author’s first time writing, it sure as hell is a good attempt and kept me engaged and entertained.

Overall I’m going to give this book 4 stars. It was really good and had a really good plot as well as characters. It was balanced and didn’t seem to plot/character heavy. It was a really good mix. If the author by chance is somehow reading this I need the next book now!!!! I NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS.

3.5 stars (not 3). I had a love/hate relationship with this book, but ultimately devoured it in the span of two days. So I guess that's positive?

Love:
• Enemies to lovers
• Multiple worlds
• Back and forth POVs
• The overall premise and storyline was really interesting and captivating

Dislikes:
• Grammar and spelling. I'm not normally one to notice, but there were multiple times in the book when something was spelled incorrectly enough that I had to re-read, or a few passages that were duplicated. It just didn't feel very edited or polished.
• Diana had very little depth as the main character. She was kind of all over the place emotionally, and went from being a rage-demon one second to fawning and in-love the next. There was no development or progression from her.
• Liam didn't act like a centuries-old God, so I had a bit of a hard time with believing his character as well
• World-building wasn't great - there wasn't a lot of description or backstory, half the time I didn't know where I was as the character within the "realm", which was confusing at times

Ultimately, it wasn't bad enough to put down, but I can't say that I'm chomping at the bit to get my hands on the second book.

Wow. This was really good. It was a little hard to get into in the beginning but 100 pages in and I was fully in. I loved the world, and all of the characters were so well done. I loved the slow burn romance so much! That ending what the hell! I need the second book now

The Book of Azrael follows Dianne, a creature from the outerworld, and Samkiel (who goes by the name Liam in the modern world), a fallen king, a God, feared and known as the world ender. Dianne traded her life for her sister and has worked for Kaden ever since. As they searched for an ancient relic, their original plan to keep the search a secret failed, and when one of the Hands working for Liam died, the king isolated himself for a millennium and was forced to turn back and end his exile. What Liam initially thinks is a minor problem turns into a relic hunt that may or may not end the world.

This book consumed my life in a way that every free minute was spent reading it until I completely devoured it. To say it was highly addictive will be the understatement of the year. One of the best things about this book was the characters and how fearless and unapologetic they were, especially Dianne. She stood her ground even when she was falling for the man who was raised to hunt her kind. Dianne has little to no issues in saying she will do everything, thousands of times over to keep her sister safe. And I like her for that. Dianne is brave, fearless, bold, sassy, and fierce. Her relationship with Gabby was beautifully written.

Liam is everything worth fighting for. He is caring, kind, brave, a born warrior, and above all, loveable. His PTSD and depression have been explored throughout the story through terrible nightmares because of which he avoids sleep and has an eating disorder. I am not the biggest fan of the ‘Love conquers all’ storyline, so to see him practically struggle with his mental health, and Dianne trying to help him through it is commendable. I am also excited to see his relationship with his friends which I hope is explored more in the next book as found families is one of my favorite tropes.

The love story was beautiful. Dianne and Liam explore their relationship over the time they spend together and the build-up is so good. True enemies to lovers, where the characters initially intend to kill the other, are more than willing to burn down the world for each other. A true star-crossed lovers romance, between a guardian of the realms and a monster destined to fight until the skies bleed and the world shakes. The ending only makes it more passionate.

Kaden and Tobis make interesting villains and I am excited for their stories to unfold. The plot twists that happen in the second half of the book kept me on edge all the time. There wasn’t a single dull moment in this book and it took me less than 48 hrs to go through 600+ pages and I have left craving for more.

I re-read the last three lines around ten times and it broke my heart into a thousand pieces. The cliffhanger is already killing me. And the next book comes out in 2023. In short, if you’re a fantasy lover like me and true enemies to lovers is something you love, The Book of Azrael is for you.

DNF - not in the right mindset for this right now. It is crazy long. Not my favorite...not clear on the hype