This was a really unique and enjoyable read. It definitely was a slow burn, heavy on the slow. This book tended to fee a little longer than necessary but that’s just my opinion on pacing. Otherwise I wholly enjoyed this book.

(4.7 ⭐️) This book was a whole journey, not only because it was absurdly long. I won’t hold that against it since this was the ARC version and I’m quite certain that some of the fat would be trimmed off for the final release.

I was absolutely sucked into this book the entire time I was reading it. The world was so captivating and following Dianna and Liam through it was just too good to stop reading. There were multiple days I showed up to work exhausted because I stayed up reading this and that should say something. Not only was the actual plot and lore so interesting, but the slowburn enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance between Dianna and Liam was done SO well. My only real complaint is that I wish the discussion about “monsters” and not judging a book by its cover was more fleshed out and had some more nuance to it.

If you love fantasy romance, pick this up expeditiously. Like right this second.

I tried to push through this hoping it was just one of those books that needed a few chapters to hook you, but unfortunately I couldn't gel with the writing at all.
I like the premise, but Dianna irritated me and everything seemed overly dramatic and I didn't care about any of the characters.

Sorry, but it's a DNF from me.

If you want an enemies to lovers book with enough slow burn to reignite something in your heart, this is it!

Mortal enemies have to work together against an ancient and powerful evil to fine The book of Azrael before they do to stop the end of the world all while dealing with PTSD and unresolved trauma.

This book!! This book has me questioning every 5 star read I’ve read before this. This is what a 5star read feels like! Other 5 star books are not 5 starring like this one is 5 starring!!

I haven’t read a fantasy books that made me feel like this in a while. The diverse set of characters gave you a lot to sink your teeth into. They were written in a compelling way in which even the side characters really crawl into your heart. This felt akin to how ACOTAR develops the side characters to a point where you love them just as much. I also loved the character development that you could see through the multiple POVs of the FMC and MMC. They are both dealing with past trauma and learning how to process this trauma. Dianna gave me such Bryce Quinlan vibes. I love a strong independent woman! I felt like Amber Nicole did a great job of making her strong and independent while showing that being vulnerable and craving love doesn’t mean weakness!

Now I’m a big fan of enemies to lovers, however too many books make the jump from enemies to lovers in like two chapters without really showing why they shifted from enemies to lovers. The same can be said for the slow burn. An enemies to lovers slow burn needs to burn. They don’t just need to go from strangers to lovers but from hate to love. This book did BRILLIANT job of this. You clearly saw the hate evolve into love, from the multiple POVs we can clearly understand the aspects that made their feelings shift! It made sense for the love to form regardless of their backgrounds! And the tension! Oh the sweet tension!! 80% into the book is when it happens and oh was it glorious!! The spice was amazingly written and so worth the wait!

I also appreciated that the book didn’t fall straight into the relationship building part. It spent time on world building and setting the scene. Giving background info on the individual characters before thrusting them together and on their quest.

The plot was great as well as the pacing and I very much enjoyed the world this was set in with so many different fantasy creatures!

I draw a lot of parallels to Sarah J Maas books as up to this point, nothing came close to how I felt about those books but so much of this reminded me of her books. There are Feyre and Rhys vibes however I would say that Liam is Feyre and Dianna is Rhys and it is everything! This is also Urban Fantasy to me so I feel like it would be the perfect read for fans of Crescent City.

Just read this book!! I am obsessed with this and I cant wait for the second book!

This was awesome! Original plot and great characters. I don’t want to give anything away but 10/10 would recommend!

It was a slow start but once it picked up, I was hooked and couldn't read fast enough. The world building was something I loved reading about, all the diversity among the people and the romance was beautiful. I loved reading about Dianna, how badass and tough she is but also has that soft side that made her take the decision she's made so far. Now the world ender? He was everything. The Book Of Azrael was a rollercoaster of emotions, especially the ending. Cant wait for the next book.

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.