Name: The Book of Azrael
Series: Gods & Monsters #1
Author: Amber V. Nicole
Publisher: Headline Eternal
Format: Kindle (through Kindle Unlimited)
Genres: Adult, Dark Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
Noted Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, God Wars, SHE’s the Morally Grey One
Spice Rating: Open Door 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating:
Synopsis: Goodreads
World Ender meets Ender of Worlds…
A thousand years ago, Dianna gave up her life in the deserts of Eoria 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.
A King thought long dead and long forgotten.
In the old world his name was Samkiel. In the new world it is Liam, but one title remains true throughout time. He is the World Ender, a myth to his enemies, a savior and King to those loyal to him. After the Gods War, he locked himself away, hiding from the world. He denied his crown and responsibilities, leaving the very ones who needed him most to deal with the fallout of the death of their homeworld. Now an attack on those he holds dear sends him back to the one realm he never wished to visit again and into the sights of an enemy he thought imprisoned eons ago.
Now enemies older than time must put aside their differences and work together in hopes of saving both their world and every realm in between.
Review:
I don’t know where to start this review… I finished this book and my jaw hit the floor. I am not sure I’ve downloaded book 2 so quickly since perhaps Defy the Night early 2024? I have been putting off reading The Book of Azrael since August when I purchased book 1 as a part of a big shopping spree I did ahead of my 30th birthday with the hopes that it would be one of the books that reignited my reading-spark… Oh wow, do I wish I had read it immediately! I don’t know why I kept putting it off, but present me is getting to read it for the first time so I suppose all is good!
Dianna, our FMC, owes the life of her sister as well as herself to an underground villain (I don’t know what else to call him! Crime Boss? Leader of the Underworld?), Kaden. She gave away her life in order to save her sisters. As a result, she does whatever Kaden asks, whenever he asks. And occassionally she’s rewarded with actually spending some time with her sister. She’s an immortal being, with an immortal sister, who does horrible brutal things if it’s asked of her… You see, Kaden turned Dianna into a monster, one supposedly long extinct… Then we have Liam, or Samkiel, who is a God. But he’s shut himself away and is slowly shutting down as he distances himself from everyone and everything after the God Wars. And when certain events take place that have these two meeting it’s very clear that shit is about to go down as each side of this good vs bad fight is hunting for a relic that will advance Kaden’s plans.
I loved this. This is one of the best books I have read in 2025. Absolutely! It took me some time to warm up to both Dianna and Liam but once I did, I was so on board. I devoured The Book of Azrael. The idea of this God having to team up with a monster he long thought dead in order to stop a worse monster from getting their hands on a relic that could be very very bad was so damn good!!
Dianna is our morally grey one, but for as much as that is definitely her character trait, I get the impression that Liam isn’t as ‘good’ as he is made out to be. Obviously his nickname ‘World Ender’ hints at a past that might not be totally good… But I mean, I think he will let the world burn before he lets the ‘good guys’ hurt Dianna… He may be a cinnamon roll, but I think he is definitely a deadly one.
I love their slow burn relationship. They go from total enemies, to enemies with great banter, to somewhat friends with benefits (though not the benefits you’re thinking of), to friends, to lovers over the course of the book and I didn’t feel like it was rushed. I ate it up! And not only did I love them! But our side characters!! Logan – one of Liam’s closest ‘friends’ and Gabby – Dianna’s sister, were amazing. I loved Drake too (though I can’t really explain too much about him). It really feels like Amber is developing a wonderful found family element to her books…
Then the ending happened. And like I said, my jaw hit the ground. I still don’t think I have recovered fully from the ending. I had to download The Throne of Broken Gods immediately and started it later that evening. It was a no brainer for me. Just like it’s a no brainer to add The Book of Azrael to my list of 6 star books, it is brilliant.
“[…]I would risk it all for her. I smiled and unleashed. […] I would go to war for her.”
Reading With Tyler 
Leave a comment