The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters)
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.âš
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.
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Community Reviews
3.5 âïž the pacing of this book was totally off. I almost DNFâd multiple times. Not every fantasy book has to be 500+ pages, and this book is a perfect example of that. 200 less pages wouldâve made this book more tolerable. There were aspects that I liked, and I did really enjoy Dianna and Liamâs relationship and their banter. I appreciated the enemies to lovers. I will read book 2 at some point, especially after that ending. I just hope itâll be a little bit more gripping.
If youâve ever picked up a book thinking it would scratch that dark romantasy itch, only to realize 300 pages in that youâre trapped in a slow, spiraling maze with no exit in sight⊠then you already know how I felt reading The Book of Azrael. I went into this one fully prepared to love it. Diannaâs snark pulled me in right away and I really liked having a strong heroine who constantly outpaced the clueless god at her side. It felt feminist without being heavy handed, and honestly Dianna was the most consistent reason I kept pushing through.
Liam, on the other hand, tested every ounce of my patience. Heâs supposed to be an indestructible god and instead reads like a sweet but deeply insecure guy who cannot make a confident decision to save his life. His depression, self loathing, and trauma could have been compelling, but it mostly came across as emotional incapacity. I liked the moments where Dianna helped ease his anxiety, but I kept wishing heâd step up and actually be the powerful force the book kept telling me he was.
One thing I genuinely did love was Liamâs energy when it came to Dianna. When he wasnât frustrating me with his self doubt, he had this touch her and die protectiveness that absolutely worked for me. Heâs possessive in a way that feels rooted in respect instead of control. He actually lets Dianna be exactly who she is without trying to tame her. Some of the things he says to her are incredibly hot. The line âIâm going to fuck friend out of your vocabulary,â lives rent free in my mind. It gave me a glimpse of the confident, powerful god I wanted him to be the entire time.
But let me be very clear. This book is not smutty. Not even close. You get a tiny bit of action toward the last fifth of the book and thatâs about it. The sex scenes were anticlimactic for two adults with centuries of life behind them and a romance thatâs supposed to be high stakes. I expected the slow burn tension to pay off for a book this long.
That brings me to the biggest problem being the pacing. It just keeps going and going. Right when I thought I hit a natural stopping point, the story added another dramatic event, then another. Honestly, the book should have ended at the tunnel scene when Dianna removes her heart. That cliffhanger could have been a fantastic transition into book two. Instead, the plot kept stretching itself thin.
There were also too many elements that felt pulled straight from other fantasy worlds. The televised murder scene was almost identical to the famous spine ripping Vampire King of Mississippi True Blood moment. The author has said Dianna was inspired by Katherine Pierce from The Vampire Diaries. I never felt that. Katherine plays men like toys. Dianna does not play Kaden or Liam like toys.
The will they or wonât they dynamic dragged on for hundreds of pages. Everyone in the book could clearly see Dianne and Liam loved each other. Nevertheless, these two immortal beings acted like teenagers who couldnât admit their feelings. I kept asking myself why it had to take 500 pages for Liam to admit it in his head. Not out loud though because that would be too scary for this indestructible god.
The lore itself is interesting and spaced out well without being too heavy. I was frustrated by how long it took Liam to figure out who Kaden and Tobias truly were. These were beings older than him, beings he knew by reputation, and somehow he still couldnât connect the dots. The side characters didnât help much either because most of them existed purely to move the plot forward or betray someone for the fifteenth time.
The book feels self published in many ways. The editing needed another full pass. An editor could have helped eliminate the repetition, the contradictions, the immature behavior from characters who are supposed to be ancient, and the unnecessary detours like needing passports when they can teleport. All of the missed opportunities to clean up the story chipped away at the massive potential.
By the end, I was honestly relieved when Gabby died. Not because I didnât care about her, but because I was tired of her being used as a weakness for Dianna. At least now Dianna can focus on moving forward.
I wonât be picking up the next six books in the series. I had to force my way through this one and canât do it six more times. While the core idea has potential, the execution didnât work for me at all.
Ok Iâm in love with this book!! So freaking good!! A try enemies to lovers đ„° Oh man but why a cliffhanger. This had me in a chokehold by the end!! đ« I canât wait for the next book!!
I just like... idk.. I liked this book for like the first 70%, but then the sheer amount of short sentences started getting to me and I began to cringe as well?
Like the characters and the relationship developing between them started to make me cringe..?
I had to DNF :(
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