the book of azrael book review

The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole: Book Review

Quick Summary

The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole is the first part in the Gods & Monsters series, blending dark fantasy with romance. The narrative centers on Dianna, who sacrifices her life to save her sister, Gabby, by making a pact with the formidable Kaden. This pact transforms Dianna into an Ig’Morruthen, a powerful and terrifying being bound to Kaden’s will. Her mission is to retrieve the Book of Azrael, an ancient celestial artifact that holds the key to Samkiel’s demise. Samkiel, once a king known as the World Ender, now lives in exile under the name Liam. As Dianna and Liam’s paths cross, they must confront their shared past and the looming threat that endangers the entire world.

The Book of Azrael Book Review

If you’re looking for a romantasy novel that’s a little different from the usual, The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole might just pique your interest. I’ll admit, I was hooked from the beginning. I grabbed the sample, got drawn into the world, and promptly bought the book. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to love it, I found myself struggling to finish it. 

The Book of Azrael is one of those books that feels like it has all the right ingredients but doesn’t quite come together as seamlessly as you might hope. The story centers around Dianna, a heroine who is, frankly, a breath of fresh air in the romantasy genre. She’s thousands of years old, impossibly powerful, and morally complex. 

In fact, she doesn’t just fall into the morally gray category—sometimes, she’s downright villainous. And let me tell you, it’s refreshing! There’s something quite fun (and sometimes funny) about a heroine who doesn’t always try to do the right thing. 

She’s not your typical perfect, pure-hearted protagonist, nor is she sassy and arrogant without anything to back it up and I really appreciated that. It’s rare to see a female character so unapologetically flawed and doing horrible things on page. 

But here’s where the book started to lose me. After that strong beginning, the pacing started to drag. I found myself wondering if it was all necessary. I don’t know if it’s the plot itself or maybe just how it was executed, but after a while, I just couldn’t muster the energy to keep going. It wasn’t that I hated the book—it’s more like I felt a sense of indifference toward it after the initial spark.

It could have benefited from cutting out some of the filler. For example, Dianna spends a significant amount of time with her sister, and while this relationship has potential, I didn’t feel like much happened in those scenes. Weeks go by, and nothing happens—at least nothing that impacts the broader plot. Those moments felt like they were stretching the story for the sake of adding length, and they didn’t contribute much to my investment in the characters or their arcs.

I also feel like this book could have started at a different point without losing anything. 

One of my biggest issues with The Book of Azrael was the hero, Liam. While Dianna’s complexity intrigued me, Liam often felt like the opposite. To be honest, I found him kind of whiny and wishy-washy. I get that he has his own trauma, but at some point, after thousands of years of existence, you’d think he’d have figured out how to get his act together. 

It felt like he was perpetually stuck in his own emotional turmoil, and it became exhausting to read about. He had these duties and responsibilities, yet he chose not to do anything. 

While we’re at it, a lot of these thousand-year-old beings were acting a lot like teenagers. So, I had to constantly remind myself they’re ancient. 

Another issue I had was world-building. The Book of Azrael definitely offers some interesting ideas, but I feel they weren’t executed in a way that makes sense. These Celestials have been on this planet for thousands of years and yet everyone in general seems to know very little about them. Celestials, in turn, seem to know nothing about Dianna’s kind (or that they even exist). And then people don’t believe in Liam’s existence even though Celestials regularly communicate with him. It just didn’t work. 

It’s our world, but also not. I couldn’t quite get a clear sense of how these modern times mixed with what Celestials brought to the planet and how they were supposed to coexist. On top of that, there’s this “other realm” where Kaden lives, but the explanation for it left me scratching my head. I was never sure whether it was supposed to be a physical space or more of a metaphysical one, and that lack of clarity detracted from my overall experience.

So, is The Book of Azrael a bad book? No, not at all. It has some really interesting elements and is definitely one of the more unique romantasy books I’ve read. It just didn’t work for me. That said, if you’re looking for something a little different, The Book of Azrael might still be worth checking out. Happy reading!

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