I LOVED this book. The whole thing was a masterpiece. The characters were mysterious and cool. I could not put this book down once I started it. I cannot wait for more.

OMG, I literaly have no words to describe the beauty of this book. I fell in love with Dianna and Liam first separately then together. I do not want to spoil anything, go blind in it and, if you love fantasy, you will devoure this book.
Would it be a second book? If yes, I need it asap.

5 stars

~ I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own ~

Oh this was so so good. This was darker than I usually read - I tend to read light hearted books and books that keep me going but this was great. I feel low it’s something I’d read in the fall - the book is literally called the “the book of Azrael” but it was a thrill to read. 5/5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book! It was an enemies to lovers fantasy and was fast paced, I couldn’t put it down! I love the main character Dianna, who is a morally grey type of character who is forced to do horrible things to keep her sister safe! She is fierce and brave, and I love when she decides to fight back against Kaden. Liam is my new favorite book boyfriend, who starts out broody and tough…but is really fiercely protective and sweet! After that tough ending, I can’t wait for the next book!

I have read 56 books so far in 2022 it is June 2nd. This has stolen the show and is my favorite read so far. I read a ARC version so I saw some edit issues but that is obviously to be expected. The version I read was 841 pages and I devoured every page. It is my longest book by far.

This book is a MC strong woman who is actually the villain. I have not read a book with a strong female character since ACOTAR. Dianna isn't whiny, she isn't ruled by her emotions for a man, she is driven by love for someone else close to her. She isn't a goody goody and is maybe on the black side of grey. Finally, a strong character. The MC male is also a strong personality and neither back down. The book as an interesting mix of ancient and modern which at first made me think she was inconsistent and then I realized its because the age of the characters and she clearly brings this full circle. The enemies to lovers journey is solid and long. I am so glad that she did this right. They don't instantly fall in love. They go through a journey to not hate each other. Her character development helps you love the characters as the book continues. This isn't like any fantasy I've read lately. There is no fae, no high lords. Most is brand new or adapted from a more mythological stance. I loved it, absolutely loved it. No whiny monologues from the FMC, no insta love, no cringy dialogue.
*Enemies to lovers
*Forced proximity
*One bed trope
*Strong female character
*Female character has a real body

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4758782243

I loved this. I'm a total sucker for a sarcastic badass female MC so I was in love with Dianna from the start and I really enjoyed that she was a villain, even though it was clear fairly early on that she wasn't the main bad guy. It's quite rare to get a female anti-hero set against a very moral good guy, and I had fun with that element of the story. I also enjoyed the banter of the enemies-to-lovers part of the book, I do think it could have been drawn out a little longer, but I do enjoy a slow burn so that's just me! Liam and Dianna had great chemistry and I loved the way they grew closer and shared more of their backgrounds with each other.

I'm really looking forward to the next instalment of this series, the ending was super intriguing and I gasped aloud at the cliffhanger. I can't wait to see more of Dianna kicking ass!

This book started out great for me. Totally thought I would give this 5 stars. The story and the characters sucked me right into the world. I liked the tension and slow burn of the relationship between the two MC's. The world building was done right. I was invested in the story! But as the story went on... it went on, and on, and on. It seemed to drag in places and the outcomes of events started to seem predictable so I stopped feeling invested. The last 400 pages I just kept flipping pages fast because I lost my sense of caring. This book could use another editor to tighten up the story. The pacing was off. There was also some punctuation and grammar issues. So five stars for the first half, and 2 stars for the last half.

I did like how the author portrayed a male MC with PTSD and depression. Usually men in books are showcased as unaffected by war, death, and torture and to me that seems really unrealistic. So well done for that!

I did not like this one line the author made a point of saying how the woman MC shaved her legs and "vagina". Like the vagina doesn't have hair??? That's the internal part. Do you mean vulva or pubis? Also, why do I need to know that and why are we repeating that societal pressure/standard in fantasy books??? That bugged the **** out of me. Like if you are going to make a point of saying that then at least use the right word for the female anatomy - (I mean the author is a woman!!!)

*ARC provided by Rose and Star Publishing, LLC & NetGalley.

This is one of those books where it feels like I've read a completely different version than everyone else - at least it feels that way based off of all the other reviews. The nicest thing I can say about The Book of Azrael is that it clearly just wasn't for me.

The honest review is that everything about this book is clunky. The world building makes little sense, the characters are all tropes, and the dialogue is boring when it isn't down right cringy. I really wanted to like this book and I do think there were parts of the plot that were interesting (the blood dreams really should have been explored more) but I just couldn't. By about 60% of the way in I finally gave up and start skimming to the end.

The Book of Azrael could really do with an honest beta reader and/or editor to help the author clean up the plot and world building. With a serious re-write, I think they could really have have an enjoyable book.

Okay, fans of Crescent City by SJM - this book is for you. A very urban fantasy with Gods, super intriguing world! My only criticism is the writing style isn't my FAVORITE, but the story was fabulous and I absolutely need the second book right now. Love the concept of the female character being the morally grey villain, it felt very different than many other books I've read recently. If you are an urban fantasy fan, or a huge Bryce Quinlan fan from Crescent City, you are going to LOVE Dianna Martinez and the Book of Azrael. Cannot wait for book two, what a great debut!

*I received an ARC for free via NetGalley and am reviewing voluntarily.*

<p>I was really disappointed seeing as this has almost 5* on Goodreads. The plot was fascinating and was what motivated me to read, the sisterly love + enemies to lover trope, with the FL being a "villain" although I really couldn't see her as one. </p>
<p>Like I said, the story and the world created was great - even if sometimes a bit confusing- but the writing was lacking, the way it was told seemed straight from a fanfic.<p>
<p>Having two points of view gave a bit more depth to the characters, which I particularly enjoyed.
Concerning the main characters, since Dianna was supposed to be this villain (like I saw in other people's review) I was waiting for her to have a bit more depth, but to me, she was only a good girl forced to do bad things, which is not exactly a flaw, I was just expecting something else. I liked Liam's character, he's troubles and all.<p>
<p>The romance was good, slow burn with a bit of spice at the end and the story progresses really slow to match with the romance and then at the end everything speeds up and happens at the same time, ending with a good old-fashioned cliffhanger<p>
<p>If you like stories that are mostly centered around the romance, and you want a light reading, this is for you.<p>
<p>As for myself, in the beginning of the book it was really hard for me to keep reading, because the writing style does not please me, but around 40% of the book I grew accustomed to it and was able to enjoy the story. Now, if I'll read a sequel, that's something I don't know.<p>

I am a huge fan of urban fantasy and the premise of this book really stood out to me, along with strong family ties (sister trading mortality to save her own sister - perfect start). With the glowing 5 star reviews I was convinced I was in for an incredible new series to get into.

However I found that regardless of how well developed the plot could be, I could never focus on its progress because I found the writing style so stilted and rigid. Every character spoke the same and I struggled to tease apart who was talking at which point, often having to go back to the top of the page to re-orientate myself.

Again, Dianna appeared to be extremely one-dimensional - a beautiful, seductive woman who would sleep with or kill a man. Oozing femininity and sexuality can be incredibly well written however she seemed to just merge with the several other "stabby heroines" that I've read over the past few years - her stream of consciousness was not interesting or emotionally investing.

Overall, this was too slow paced for me, and I doubt I will continue the series.

4.5/5 stars

This book is. SO. good.
One of my favorite things about fantasy romances is when the plot and the romance have a perfect balance. And this book is the perfect balance of the two.

Dianna was such an enjoyable character you found yourself rooting for her; her story and nature made you care for her, but also made her a fierce and strong character. Her love for her sister was so pure.

At first I didn't like Liam. I thought he was another powerful character who loves to whine about how unfair the world is. However, after learning his story and getting to know him more, he's actually deeply scarred and a caring person. His memories made me feel for him.

The romance between them was sweet and at the same time hot! Seriously, their sexual tension should be illegal. One thing that I didn't like about this book - and the reason why I'm not giving it 5 stars - is that although their romance is slowburn, the change from enemies-to-friends-to-lovers felt too abrupt

Overall, this book is so good and I need you all to read it because I know you're gonna love it. I can't wait for the next book!!

Thank you so much Amber Nicole for providing me with this ARC via NetGalley!

Wow, what a wild journey! The Book of Azrael is definitely one of the best fantasy romance books I’ve read.

This book is phenomenal, I can’t believe this is a debut. It follows the story of Dianna, an immortal warrior who sold her soul to a monster and works for him as his weapon, and Liam, a God from another world with a tragic backstory (I love the grumpy, tortured hero trope!). It is a real enemies-to-lovers romance where the characters begin with actually trying to kill each other and with this being a slow burn the transition to friends and to lovers is done perfectly (and when they finally get together it’s so worth the wait).

The story is very well-paced, there are many plot twists and fighting scenes but also sweet moments between characters and the banter made me laugh many times.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to all fantasy romance lovers, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! I can’t wait for the the next book, after that heartbreaking cliffhanger it can’t come soon enough!

*I received an ARC for free via NetGalley and am reviewing voluntarily.*

This premise of this book grabbed me instantly, and I was so excited to get my hands on it. Our heroine, Dianna, traded her mortality for her sister's life and is controlled by her maker. At his command, she's searching for the Book of Azrael, an ancient artefact thought to be lost. On the way, she comes up against Liam, a feared god of old, and starts to work with him for her own freedom.

Sadly, despite seeing so many glowing reviews, I struggled a hell of a lot with this book. Most of that came simply from poor writing. Every second sentence either had too many or too few commas, and it yanked me out of any immersion I'd gained every. single. time. Second, it felt suuuuper slow. It seemed like the plot didn't start to go anywhere until maybe a third of the way through? And in a book this big, that meant hours of investment beforehand. By the time it maybe started getting good, I was already checked out.

I also felt like our MCs were a bit one-dimensional, especially Dianna. There are better badass/stabby heroines out there, and I never really connected with her on an emotional level. As a result, I wasn't particularly invested in her relationship with Liam either (especially since Dianna started making stupid decisions the more it progressed), although they had a few nice moments of wit and banter.

It's clear that the author has a lot of passion for the world they're building - it's definitely ambitious, with a lot of elements to balance. I just think that the execution wasn't really there and it doesn't compare favourably with similar romantic fantasies I've read. I won't be continuing this series, unfortunately.

I received this ARC from NetGalley.

Upon looking into the description of this book, I knew it would possibly be something I would be into. I love a good sci-fi/fantasy. I love some serious world building. I love a good bit of enemies to lovers. This book definitely has the makings of all of it. The world building is fantastic. The characters are complex. I feel that Liam's mental turmoil is written in a pretty solid way. Dianna is sassy as hell and I adore her.

So why only 3 stars? -- Well, the editing is simply bad. There are more typo/spelling errors than I'd like to admit. That is not on the author nor the story - truly the final editing and revisions. It doesn't take anything away from the story, but was annoying enough in a slightly less than 800 page span that it took away some brownie points from me.

I look forward to a second book and will most likely definitely read it. I just hope the final revisions satisfy my grammar snob heart.

This was so unbelievably good!! I hadn’t read fantasy in a while because it was all beginning to feel very predictable. But this book was NOT. It was unique and jaw dropping and everything I’ve needed in a fantasy novel. I love a good villain… which if course made this book even better. I highly recommend and cannot believe this is Amber’s debut novel.

Y'all - I'd heard about this book through booktok a few times but hadn't looked into what it was about, but I am SO glad I read this book.

First of all, you start off right in the thick of some action, and while there is still a bit to get into the main storyline of the book, I was pulled in right away. I found the worldbuilding & character building fantastic.

The story focuses on two main POVs - the FMC (Dianna) and the MMC (Liam).

Dianna would be what most would consider the 'villain' which is amazing to see. It is also nice to see that she is very expressly described as "well over average height for most women" and also not "a cute, petite little thing like every movie or book craved". I think that those characteristics are often underrepresented in books such as this and it was nice to see, that though it wasn't brought up regularly, it was still there. Having a badass FMC that is also not seen as the "cute & petite" thing is great for those of us who aren't that - we all know representation matters.

I also liked how Amber Nicole addressed some of the trauma on both MCs sides in their stories and character development. I won't go into detail, but it does have a major part to play in this story.

I enjoyed the fact that this was a fantastic story with a really great concept and it kept me pulled in all the way through. Even though it has the romance aspect to the book that isn't the main plot of the story and that doesn't take away from what is happening around the development of the romance (slow SLOW burn, enemies to lovers).

I can not wait for the next book to come out.

Yes, this ends on a cliffhanger.

Wow! Just wow, that's how I am describing this book. I loved it! The theme first of all *chef's kiss* excellent! (its post- apocalypse!) And dont get me started on the characters. Diana is your badass FMC who not only is very humorous but also sassy along with a quip for every comment. Liam on the other hand is a god who has lived for centuries but has lost many over the years, so much so that he shut himself up. Liam is as you would call a grumpy character but also someone who has his moments when he's well not grumpy. The connection and the banter between the two characters is amazing and their friendship is one of a kind. Throughout the book the characters are seen to have a huge development and their bond is quite a strong one. The other characters included in this book too are quite fun, especially Drake and his brother Ethan who I may say are quite protective over our badass FMC and will not let anything happen to her.
The book was too good. It almost felt like I was watching a movie. With the banter and the action I really wish if this book can be made into a movie!
Tropes that are in this book:
1. Enemies-to-lovers
2. Forbidden trope
3. One bed
4. Great banter
5. Morally grey character
6. Cliffhanger
Overall I loved the book and will give 10000/10 stars!!
Thank you Netgalley, Rose&Star publishing and the author Amber Nicole for this amazing read!

Phew what a ride! This book at it all - enemies to lovers, great world building, gods, monsters, awful villains, morally grey characters, fighting/battles, a heroine who is a villain (kind of), and a fast paced wild journey. I really loved the world Amber Nicole created and was rooting for all of the characters (well most of them 😉)

It did take a couple of chapters for me to really get drawn into this book. I wasn’t really sure about the heroine, Dianna. But as the story unfolded, I began to really root for her and admired her strength and her love for her sister. I loved the sister bond between Dianna and Gabbi and how Dianna would literally burn the world down for her sister. Dianna was a little too quipy at times for my liking but it didn’t effect the flow of the story for me.

The story was fast paced and moved at a good speed. That ending though! That is all I will say about that. My heart is in tatters and I can’t wait for book 2. It needs to come out soon, please. 😭

Thank you to NetGalley, Amber Nicole, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange my honest opinion and review.

I tried so hard to get into this book but the pacing was just too slow for me. On top of the pacing the past tense felt strange and didn’t flow well. I normally love urban fantasy but I needed more information to grasp what was happening with the characters and their motivations. This one sadly just wasn’t for me.