Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this E ARC!
I loved this book, it was perfectly gothic and dark with a right balance of Angst that kept me hooked on the book!

The Book of Azrael is a must read. Seriously, I cannot gush about this book more, I loved it so much and it completely consumed me from the first page. The Book of Azrael is filled with amazing lore, gods, monsters, action, romance, and more.

Dianna is the FMC and I LOVED her. She is so badass but caring at the same time, all she wants is for her sister to be safe. I really liked how sarcastic and snarky she was, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the things that she said. Her powers were so interesting and she is a really complex character and is written so well. And Liam, I cannot explain how much I love him. He is the definition of grumpy but he's also a protective, caring, badass god and I could not get enough of him. The relationship between Dianna and Liam is perfection, it's filled with delicious tension, a little bit of spice, trust, banter, and friendship. The book is written in dual POV and I really enjoyed being able to get both Liam and Dianna's POV.

The writing is seriously amazing, the book is beautifully paced and Amber wrote phenomenal world building and magic system. The world is so complex but I found it very easy to understand and I didn't find myself confused like I have when I start other fantasy books. And the magic system is extraordinary, it has every creature you could imagine and it was so interesting. The politics between the different creatures were really interesting, and I'm curious to see what will happen in book 2. I really liked the quest to find The Book of Azrael, it was so action packed.

The Book of Azrael ended with an absolute bang and I don't know how I'm supposed to wait until book two. I cannot recommend this book more, it is absolutely phenomenal and easily one of my favorite books I've read.

You would like this book if you like
✨Slow burn enemies to lovers
✨Morally grey FMC
✨Only one bed
✨Forbidden romance
✨Dual POV
✨Phenomenal world building & magic system

This was an incredibly fast paced opening book to this series! I loved the enemies-to-lovers trope that was weaved into this fantasy world. The world building, like any other fantasy novel, can feel a bit slow, but I loved how in depth we get with Dianna and Liam. We really get to know them as the book continues. This is the perfect combination of fantasy world building, action, friendship, and love.

This definitely ended on a cliffhanger, one I will be thinking about for a long while until the next book publishes. I can’t wait to read on in this series.

I loved the whole premise of this. A strong female lead willing to go to any lengths for what she cherishes. (I love a good martyr haha) and a damaged lone wolf love interest. A perfect mixture if you ask me. Throw in some enemies-to-lovers and it's really the perfect storm.

This book simultaneously broke my heart and kept it going. Sacrifices have to made in this kind of journey but that doesn't make them any less heart wrenching.

The only thing that I wasn't the biggest fan of was the constant mention and reminder of why Dianna is doing all this. After about the 10th time I was like, ok I get it. I understand it's all for your sister. So a few less mentions of that would have been nice.

The other thing I loved about this story was all the different monsters. I love worlds like this that are inhabited by supernatural beings because I love seeing how they have integrated and the societies they have built based around their origins. It's always so fascinating to me. All in all a very well written action packed book with enough emotions to drive it while not being dramatic just to be dramatic.

4.25 stars!!

Okay, WOW. This book was a RIDE. An enjoyable ride, though.

I loved the rep and the characters and the EXCESSIVE world-building.

For me, the book had a bit of a slow start because you couldn't place what and where 'what' was happening, but it was honestly QUITE QUITE good as we went deeper into the story.

The first chapter or prologue thing could use a bit more work, but I still liked it. Decent enough.

The buildup was very slow and gradual and not the hit-you-in-the-face types. You could see it coming, though?

The characters, Dianna and Liam especially, were good! Very on point, and how their mortal enemy-ness faded into love was pretty enjoyable.

My ONLY problem with the book was that it was just way too long. Without any background or anything, especially from a debut author, over 800 pages was honestly daunting. BUT I did manage to finish it in one day (with some glossing) so I guess it wasn't ALL bad.

Do you enjoy enemies to lovers romance? Think of every trope you can with that. Morally grey and the cinnamon roll? Touch her and die? Forbidden? One bed? Slow burn?

Then this book is for you

... If you don't mind sobbing over that cliffhanger ending, that is.

The worldbuilding and detail are done perfectly, I didn't feel at all overloaded. But the fleshing out of the characters is where this book truly shines.

Dianna is feisty and fierce, a true shape-shifting warrior woman (do you see a trend in the FMCs that I love?) and Liam is the moody yet soft cinnamon roll of a god with the traumatic past. Their romance is one of the slowest of slow burns and full of tender moments, and I loved that we also got to see Dianna's protective and gentle side as well with her sister Gabby. Sisterly bonding and being there for each other is one of my favorites.

I cannot stop thinking about this book, it lingers in my every day. Fantasy is my favorite genre and I find myself trying to find something else as I constantly make comparisons to The Book of Azrael.

841 pages was not nearly enough. Every day I find myself checking if we have any information on book two yet.

Thank you to Amber Nicole and Rose and Star Publishing, LLC for this ARC. Now about book two....

4.5 stars
This book is long, but amazing. Dianna is a strong woman who will do anything, and I really mean anything, to keep her sister safe. Liam is the World Ender, but is plagued by just as many issues as everyone else. Being immortal doesn't stop you from having nightmares and insecurities. I like both Dianna and Liam and love the personal growth throughout the story.
The world building was fantastic, and done in a way that didn't feel overwhelming. There's action, drama, some suspense and a little romance, but the emotions? I felt the pang from every sentence they uttered in anger but didn't mean, right in my chest.
I really need book 2 asap after that ending! A great read!

I received an eARC of The Book of Azrael by @author_ambernicole through NetGalley in exchange for a review and I LOVED it! This one is out now!

The Book of Azrael is an ultimate enemies to lovers slow burn with Gods, super scary dark immortal beings with a name I can’t pronounce, witches, vampires, and more. The world’s based on ours but with so many other elements it feels like high fantasy.

FMC Dianna owes her life and the life of her younger sister to Kaden who is the villain (and one of the scary immortals). To keep her younger sister safe Dianna has done Kaden’s bidding for centuries.

MMC Liam is a God who sent his people to Dianna’s world when his was destroyed. When one of his elite guard dies Liam comes to Dianna’s world to help. Circumstances force Dianna and Liam to work together to stop Kaden from getting The Book of Azrael. Their relationship is such an intense slow burn and I’m so here for it!

The book is dual POV which is something I always enjoy in romance books. There’s also mental health rep with Liam’s character which I really enjoyed seeing, especially in a male character.

While I’ve seen some call this book spicy I’d kind of disagree as in terms of quantity and content there’s not much going on because they’re enemies for a significant portion of the book then it’s all about the slow burn. Even when they get together they’re too busy searching for the book for much to happen. That said, the intensity and tension of the slow burn was everything! 🔥

Dianna is morally grey perfection and is now one of my favourite FMC’s which was a great surprise. I enjoyed this one so much I will definitely read the sequel especially after the exciting cliffhanger ending we were left with! I also feel the need for a physical copy in my life even though I have the ebook, it was just that good!

Read for:
• Mortal enemies to lovers & slow burn ❤️
• Wonderful world building 🌍
• Gods, dark immortals, and other supernaturals
• Family love AND found family

Rating: 4.5/5🌟
Steam level: 2/5🔥 but a 5 for tension levels!

#TheBookOfAzrael #NetGalley

The Book of Azrael is a fantasy novel that follows complicated gods and monsters. Aye! Reading this fantasy novel was so much fun. I love the world building and the morally grey characters that still have a sense of humanity in them. I love that the characters stood out with their different personalities and attributes, they fit so well with the plot of this novel. The pacing was great with interesting twists and turns. Excited for book 2!

4.5⭐️

Dianna was made a monster by Kaden, the king of the monsters, over a thousand years ago to save her sister Gabby's life. Now she serves as his right hand, taking down his enemies while he lords her sister's safety over her head. Kaden's current obsessive quest is to find the Book of Azrael, and he will do anything and punish anyone in order to get it. Liam, the notorious god and World Ender, returns to his subjects only to find his people once again threatened by the monsters they defeated so many eons ago. Both driven by the need to protect those that they love, Liam and Dianna are forced to team up to prevent Kaden from destroying the world as they know it.

I LOVED the characters of Dianna and Liam. Dianna is strong, sassy, independent, and fiercely protective of her younger sister. Liam is wildly powerful, but is caught up in grief and trauma, and needs love more than anything. Their relationship builds in a really natural and slow-burn type of way, and the enemies-to-lovers storyline was done so well. I also really loved that we got 2 POVs, so we could see the story building from both Dianna and Liam's perspectives. The worldbuilding was excellent and so detailed: there were some traditional fantasy creatures and others that were fairly unique, and the world and multiple realms were explained well. The only qualm I had about this book was that the world was definitely confusing at first, which is not uncommon for fantasy novels, but I had a hard time even understanding the main conflict until much of the worldbuilding was cleared up. Otherwise, this book was fast-paced, interesting, and full of dynamic characters (including the side characters) that made you want to live in their world forever. I cannot wait for the next one (especially after that cliffhanger)!

I highly recommend, especially if you are a fan of rich worldbuilding, romantasy, enemies-to-lovers, strong FMCs, and morally gray heroes.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rose and Star Publishing, LLC for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This fantasy new adults romance was an enemies to lovers trope. It’s one of my favorites. It was a lengthy book, almost 600 pages. I loved Dianna, she was awesome. She’s basically unstoppable and wasn’t afraid to face any type of danger.
It was descent for a debut and lots of interesting world building. I really enjoyed it but I’m not a huge fan of cliffhangers. But I’d still read it knowing this.
This novel is the kind of story people either love or they hate. I thought it was written well and I really enjoyed it. The big question now is when is book 2 out?
Thanks Rose and Star Publishing via Netgalley.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

“Don’t make her fall if you are not prepared to catch her”

***A thousand years ago, Dianna gave up her life in the deserts of Erioa to save her dying sister. She called upon anyone who would listen, not expecting a monster far worse than any nightmare to answer. Now she does what Kaden asks, even if that means securing an ancient relic from the very creatures that hunt her. ***

It's been too long since I've read a good fantasy book, a story that actually makes sense and with a strongly opinionated, morally gray protagonist whose world doesn't revolve around her complicated love life (love triangles).

Amber’s monster world is full of likable characters and a great plot that keeps you reading even though sometimes it feels it has too many unnecessary descriptions or scenes that definitely can be cut out.

This story is everything I could ask for + the love of family and redemption. I need that second book and I hope the editing is better.

eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an Honest review.

Ill give it a 3, but that's generous. I don't necessarily think it was terrible, but it isn't what I wanted or needed from this. The characters fept.basic and almost as if they lacked depth.

This was a fast-paced fantasy romance with some compelling characters but I found it rough around the edges. Dianna and Liam were powered up too fast for a series. Although there is compelling world-building here and some emotional heft to the story, it really needs some editing for the writing and errors in spelling and style. It's a good start for a debut novel and I think this author will only get better with some editorial help.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
~4.5~
I really won't lie when I said that due to the content of this book, I was not expecting it to be as good as it was! The enemies to lovers was REAL and the world building, though a little confusing, was so good. I enjoyed this world and the lore behind it a lot, it was different from the normal demon books you see. Dianna was honestly such a likable character, I really enjoyed her and her hard-ass bitchiness and her protectiveness of the one person she cared about more than anything. The fact that she starts the book as a villain just makes it so much better because I love a morally grey, or just sometimes grey, characters. She wasn't the helpless one needing protecting and my favorite main characters are the badass powerful females. The plot dragged for a little bit so I really didn't know how long the book should've been due to the device I read it on, but I feel like it could have been a little shorter.
Overall, this enemies to lovers, one bed, snarky main heroine and the powerful love interest book is perfect for fantasy lovers and I highly recommend!

I went into this book wanting to love it, but I only ended up just liking it…

A few things about the book:

1. The world building is unique and contained several different elements of the fantasy genre. I actually think it might have been too many...
2. Several topics were repeated so often that I just wanted the author to move on. I can’t even tell you how many times I read about how the FMC would do anything for her sister, or that the MMC carried so much shame or lake of feelings. I think it was mentioned so much to just fill up pages and that was unnecessary.
3. There were a lot of typos and errors that usually occurred at a significant part of the book, so then I’d get distracted. (That is 100% a me problem.)
4. I did love that the morally grey character was the FMC. Not something you usually see.
5. The secondary characters were the real MVPs of this series.

I’m on the fence for how invested I am in this long term, but I can totally see others loving all the unique elements of this book.

''You already consume my every waking thought. Must you consume my dreams as well?''

4.5 cotton candy ⭐'s

It's hard to believe that this is Amber's debut novel.. I was immediately immersed in this action-packed urban fantasy romance. In this fantastic story you will find:

* Forbidden love / Slow burn romance
* True enemies to lovers (actually enemies to friends to lovers)
* Forced proximity / One bed
* Grumpy x Sunshine
* Sibling love
* Morally grey and badass heroine
* Traumatized and damaged cinnamon roll hero
* Heartbreaking betrayals and sweet confessions
* Healing journey (trauma and PTSD)
* Witty, sarcastic and adorable banter
* Unique world and magic system
* Amazing fighting scenes (you really feel that author has researched different techniques for action sequences)
* Great twists & turns, and pacing
* Ends on a cliffhanger!

The plot is well written, with dual POVs from Dianna and Liam. And occasional flashbacks as well. TBOA had many twists, shocking betrayals and heart warming confessions. The world-building, magic system, whole vibe and setting for the world of Onuna was thrilling. I never felt bored reading it. It was a page turner for sure.
Not only main, but also secondary characters were captivating and well developed. You could not not like them. And what a great villain we have. My only wish was to have bit more background for Kaden. Then it would be perfect.

Dianna. I absolutely loved that she was introduced to us as a villain. Amber wrote her truly well . She is a fighter, sassy, self-sacrificing, witty, caring, stubborn, lonely and secretly romantic I think. She aches for life outside the violence. A life with her sister, where she is loved and free. But reality is different. For a thousand years all she have known is bloodshed, ''shackles to Kaden'' and scarps of affection. And never ending love for her sister. She stays true to herself and I'm loving that!

Liam. This tall, depressed and moody god is full of trauma, pain and loneliness. And you know I can't resist traumatized and tortured soul. Since the Gods War, he's been isolating himself from others, believing it's best for everyone who he wants to protect. There's enough time to re-experience the night terrors, grief and failed attempts to save the ones he loves. Always late. He's World Ender for a reason.

''Liam was a Guardian, a savior, a protector of this realm and every realm in between. I was an Ig'Morruthen, the beast of the legend he and his friends hunted. I was the monster under the bed. Stories were told of me to keep all divine beings in line.''

The relationship between Dianna and Liam (aka Samkiel) started on a true enemies to lovers setup. Mortal enemies - Light vs Darkness. Monster vs God. Good vs Evil. Or so it's been told. They are the polar opposites - one is full of life and fight, the other has shut down from the world. They are two sides of the same coin and they compliment each other so well. She's has a mouth of a sailor and cocky attitude, where he's trying to keep gentlemen manners and not be hot headed. What was beautiful to witness was their healing journey. Without spoiling anything - small gestures that were important, communication and honesty. Friendship that blossomed. Their bonding through trauma and helping each other with nightmares. Their pinky-promises. Those are the traits that help one to move forward. To witness their banter and sarcastic comments. To hear how Liam describes certain objects and food was hilarious. To see how Dianna gauges his reactions and tries to provoke him. And even though we didn't get a lot of spice in this book, their interactions are full of angst and tension. But at some point we do learn that our sad boy Liam is a dirty talker. Next book, please come to me faster!

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

Thank you to Amber Nicole and Rose & Star Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rose and Star Publishing, and Amber Nicole for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
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First! I wanna say sorry that this review’s coming to you a few months after the pub date. The pub date was listed wrong on the Netgalley description page, but you know what?! Let’s just roll with it 😂 Now the juicy bits.
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I’m a sucker for a good enemies-to-lovers fantasy and I think this book definitely delivers! Dianna and Liam have their own shit going, but they learn to rely on one another. Who knew two supernatural beings could be brought together by their very human emotional traumas and turmoil? We all did, but come on! It’s good every time! 😂 The banter here is amazing and there were moments I found myself cheesing so hard I had to put the book down.
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Apart from Dianna and Liam’s dynamics, my favorite relationship is Dianna and Gabby’s. As an older sibling, I really felt Dianna’s need to protect Gabby at all costs. And as a younger sibling, I also felt Gabby’s desperation. Despite everything and because of everything, their love for each other is palpable. 🖤
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I’m always down for anything supernatural and I wasn’t disappointed. I think the world Amber built here is so fascinating! I want to learn more about the celestials and about all the years Dianna spent with Kaden. I feel like there’s so much more we can dive into later on in the series and I’m so here for it!
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That ending?! I’m emotionally distraught! Someone call an ambulance. It sets up the next book beautifully though, so I guess I’m okay with having my heart ripped from my chest? 💀
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I highly recommend The Book of Azrael! I finished this and immediately wished the next book was already out. If you’re a fan of books by JLA and SJM, I would definitely say to give this a go. You get two kickass bi MCs, a smorgasbord of magical beings, and a story that just keeps rolling. And if you’re into praise kink 👀👀👀 that’s all I’ll say about that!
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The Book of Azrael is already available for purchase and is the first in Amber Nicole’s Gods and Monsters series.

I really enjoyed this story. It was new and refreshing with a great plot. It was fast paced and the characters were well developed. I looked forward to reading the next book in the series.

Enemies to lovers, touch her and die with heart break all rolled into one. Check trigger warnings! I need book 2 now!