Amber Nicole

Book 1 of the Gods & Monsters Series

The Book of Azrael

Ellie 

“It wasn’t the emotion the poets wrote sonnets about or the way forms of literature described it, but I cared.“

"Better to die by what you think is right than to live under a lie."

“She was an angel born out of the most brutal darkness.”

"We can’t live in the past, D. Nothing grows there."

"Gabby. This isn’t some movie everyone gets to live happily ever after. That’s not my world. It never was. There are no flowers, no cute words, and no sweet promises. My world is violent and real and permanent."

"Simple men, even supernatural ones, are always falling for the damsel in distress act."

"It does not need teeth, claws, or any other scary feature to be deadly."

"A monster is still a monster, no matter how pretty it is."

"For the first time in centuries, I couldn't feel my fire, and that terrified me."

"Call me crazy, wild, impulsive, or all of the above, but one thing I could say for myself was that no matter what, I was a fighter."

"You are not a failure, nor will you be."

"Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger than the people you care about."

"Everyone has always been so cautious around me, bowing all the time, which I loathe. They call me liege or sir as if my name has no meaning anymore. As if my title is all I am or will ever be to them. Half the time, they are afraid to say the wrong thing. It makes me feel as though I am no longer a person to them."

“She had become what she needed to be to protect the only person who still saw good in her.”

“It was a moment of peace until the dreams that threatened to shred my soul shattered it.”

“I wondered if I had done something wrong, and then I felt stupid that I cared so much. Stupid fucking mortal heart.”

“There is no victory in war, only death. Even the winning side loses.”

“You do not know who you truly are until you have no options left.”

"Don’t you know? Love is the purest form of destruction there is."

"Take it from someone who lost their love. Don’t take what you feel for granted. It is worth everything."

It was good but had some parts that were too long, while it did have some good turns and twists, some parts were a bit obvious! Very good twist at the end! Did not expect “that” to be the crack that would be the sign of the ending world! Over all, liked it but not the best

Femke

My Thailand read and first book of the year! 

I really enjoyed! At first I found the writing hard to get into but it was a fun book! 

At some parts i found the names and places confusing but with it being a series im sure ill get used to it all!!!

Lucy Williams

My Thailand read and first book of the year! 

I really enjoyed! At first I found the writing hard to get into but it was a fun book! 

Liked the slow burn.

At some parts i found the names and places confusing but with it being a series im sure ill get used to it all!!!

Wow. Ok. So this book wasn’t amazing. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read. There were parts that were so good and parts that dragged. But I was interested and the ending, I had a feeling about it, but this was an overall good book. 

One thing that did get on my nerves was the fact that they had this constant back and forth throughout the whole book and it felt like that part of Dianna and Liam’s relationship stood stagnant. Also I feel like, a least for Dianna there was a little character plateau in the middle of the book. Like a waiting period before her character arc picked back up.

But that might just be me being nitpicky. Good book.

Bushra Yenice

Wow. Ok. So this book wasn’t amazing. It wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read. There were parts that were so good and parts that dragged. But I was interested and the ending, I had a feeling about it, but this was an overall good book. 

One thing that did get on my nerves was the fact that they had this constant back and forth throughout the whole book and it felt like that part of Dianna and Liam’s relationship stood stagnant. Also I feel like, a least for Dianna there was a little character plateau in the middle of the book. Like a waiting period before her character arc picked back up.

But that might just be me being nitpicky. Good book.

Have to say slightly slower than I hoped as I’ve been wanting to read for ages. I enjoyed it but it also didn’t keep me up at night if you know what I mean. 

But the ending and all the betrayal??? Ugh you really can’t trust anyone how did they not learn their lesson. 

Nicole Mills

I do love a baddie, slay diannaaaa

Have to say slightly slower than I hoped as I’ve been wanting to read for ages. I enjoyed it but it also didn’t keep me up at night if you know what I mean. 

But the ending and all the betrayal??? Ugh you really can’t trust anyone how did they not learn their lesson. 

Doing a re-listen before the next book comes out. I’m still obsessed with this series and I’m catching so many little hints I missed during the first read

Miranda Watson

The ending!? I’m still so shocked, cannot wait to read the second book! It was a great read, it took me a while to get into the world but once the journey started, I couldn’t put it down! It was so descriptive, great concept for a monsters / gods world. 

Olanda

I LOVED this book. It’s not often you get a story with a morally grey FMC who has no qualms about it. No boohoo holding back powers, Dianna is a badass and she knows it. Very original plot and fun supernatural aspects. Definitely on the darker side as far as violence and emotional trauma, but there’s lots of witty comedic relief and a really touching friends to lovers storyline 

Daisy Gosnell

Tiana holt

wasn’t the best written book i’ve ever read, the plot was interesting but it didn’t quite have that spark i was looking for. it was too slow to get into, and the physical book itself wasn’t nice to look at (don’t like white pages and the typography was too big)

Nina White

This book kept me up to 3am in the best way possible 

Samantha Waterson

This book gave me all the emotions by far my favorite read so far

Cameryn Wright

uh so that ending was insane but this book was a little slow for me, overall i thought it was good, might not read the second, we shall see 

anna haskins 

Faith Kitowski

thank you netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
uhhhhhh. okay first things first, the beginning was really slow in my opinion and took a little bit to get into. however, it did pick up as the book progressed. ALSO, CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW HE SAYS “MY DIANNA” AND SHE SAYS “MY LIAM”?!?!? they were made for each other, no one can change me mind. ANYWAY THE ENDING?!?? HOW CAN YOU END THE BOOK LIKE THAT AMBER NICOLE?!?!

This book was amazing! The way this book played out like a movie in my head!! I love Liam + Dianna so, so much! Like protect my Babies at all cost 🥹🥹🫶🏼. I just couldn’t get enough! The fact I have to wait until May?? I’m fine, I’m fine (I’m not fine) that ending killed me 😭 but I’m also know Liam & Dianna are going to fuck shit up, and I can’t wait!!! 🤪❤️‍🔥

Francesca Lopez

jupiter

u ever read a book that was kinda aweful but kinda not. like the characters definitely carried but in a slightly unsrs way. 

there was too much information given without either a clear or simple explanation and it reads as if we should’ve known this stuff instead of being introduced slowly considering how much world building was needed and provided in this one book.

diannaliam kinda pussy slay like that’s my bisexual hispanic coded monster/god m/f couple.

first 1/3 really nawt good like it needs major editing. but certain things carried (dianna) ig,,, i will be here for the next book bc of the ending. pls don’t ask me what happens bc it’s just constantly smth…

just realized there is little to no character description like i lit have no idea what anyone looks like and based how diannas last name and the fact that liam called his mom madre i’m guessing their hispanic coded?? like idk what anyone else is except blonde or curly hair 🤥

Caroll-Ann

I recieved this as an ARC a little bit ago and was so scared to start it since it’s over 800 pages long BUT I was pleasantly surprised. The book was amazing, the story so good and the author’s writing style is so easy to read and makes it super easy to follow the story and be right there in the world of this book. I highly recommend this book if you’re a fan of fantasy books. I now want to know how the story of Dianna continues. I don’t really want to talk about what the book is about, since I don’t want to spoil anything, the only thing I can tell you is that Dianna is a badass!!!!!!

I need the second book!!!

5⭐️

I just finish this and I'm at loss with words. Nothing I will say will be able to bring justice to how good this book is so I will just say that this book reminded me why I love fantasy romance books so much. 
100% one of my favorite reads so far.

Marchelle

4/5 Rating. 

"It’s okay to not be okay"

"I didn’t remember how long we talked, but somewhere amidst her laughter and smiles, I decided I would rip the world apart for her"

I just……. wow. need some time to process

Gabriella Lanouette

I just……. wow. need some time to process

highly recommend 

freya.nightwolf

I LOVED IT!!! THE VILLAIN IS THE MAIN CHARACTER! ALLELUIA! 
I think it's the first book I find full of action from the beginning until the end, which you often don't see with the first book of a series. I loved Nicole's writing style, the way she gave us the past of the characters like you would actually live it in the present. 
The story is told in dual pov which is perfect. We get to see from the beginning two different minds, two ways of thinking, two different characters, but not so different after all. Two sides of the same coin. 
I find Dianna a wonderful character. Yes, she's practically the boogeyman, but the telling "evil isn't born, is made", well, that's Dianna. I love how she embraces her dark side and also knows her control.
I loved the way Liam's character was written and, thank you, Nicole, for letting the man be a man, and not throwing all the action just on the female character. As I said, they are two sides of the same coin, and they've both had their action scenes and their battles to lead, and seeing them both fight in equal measure and have their own moments of shining and also darkening makes this book so much better. 
I love darkness and the night and having a book where the author is not afraid to make the darkness shine [if I can say it this way], I simply love it. People shouldn't be afraid of the darkness. It is good and evil in all of us. The difference is how we let each half control us or do we control the halves. And let's not kid ourselves. It is fun to let the darkness have more power than the light from time to time. 
So, thank you Nicole for this wonderful book, the world you've built, the adventure, the magic, and all the creatures you've assembled in one world and I can't wait for the next one to see how our two lovebirds fight the world and fate [because fate can go f*ck itself] and I really want to see how those four gods perish. I hope Oblivion will be their ending and also Kaden's.

Rachael Wiseman 

I am so happy Amazon recommended this book. I am usually wary, especially when it’s an author I have never heard of but this book was 700+ pages of amazing!

First off this book is action-packed from the get-go. Dianna is the most fierce FMC I have ever read. Dianna is full of heart and caring to a fault. But on the flip side, she will chew you up and spit you out…sometimes literally lol.

The blurb doesn’t do this book justice! But if you like strong af FMCs, enemies to lovers, old gods storylines, and monsters this is right up your alley. On a side note, this is a pretty dark book (lots of battles and blood and gore) not much HEA, and not much spice. There are only a couple of places where spice happens but it’s pretty brief. But I feel like there was so much going on in the book that the romance/ spice not being a front runner didn’t make this story any less epic.

Nikki Jay 

What a breathtaking ride that was! This book was incredible. I absolutely love the narrative and the main characters.🥰
Worldbuilding✅
Story telling✅
Love connection✅
Tension✅
I also need the sequel NOW because of the ending!🥴

This novel surprised me by being so good. My heart was always in my hands, and it was an emotional journey. This world's construction was outstanding. I also thought this author's writing was pretty well done.

Moving on to the main characters, WOW. Finally, a powerful female character.

Liam, Liam Liam. My fictional boyfriend. He's hot, possessive, and for Dianna, he would do anything no matter the consequences, like resuscitating her 🤭 He's a tortured hero, who deserves the world and Dianna is here to deliver it.

They are true enemies to lovers, born to hate each other, but they can't avoid the attraction they feel and I'm here to read their ENTIRE journey.

Clay

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

This novel surprised me by being so good. My heart was always in my hands, and it was an emotional journey. This world's construction was outstanding. I also thought this author's writing was pretty well done.

Moving on to the main characters, WOW. Finally, a powerful female character.

Liam, Liam Liam. My fictional boyfriend. He's hot, possessive, and for Dianna, he would do anything no matter the consequences, like resuscitating her 🤭 He's a tortured hero, who deserves the world and Dianna is here to deliver it.

They are true enemies to lovers, born to hate each other, but they can't avoid the attraction they feel and I'm here to read their ENTIRE journey.

I can't wait for the second book!

“I didn’t remember how long we talked, but somewhere amidst her laughter and smiles, I decided I would rip the world apart for her.”

The Book of Azrael follows Dianne, a creature from the outerworld, and Samkiel (who goes by the name Liam in the modern world), a fallen king, a God, feared and known as the world ender. Dianne traded her life for her sister and has worked for Kaden ever since. As they searched for an ancient relic, their original plan to keep the search a secret failed, and when one of the Hands working for Liam died, the king isolated himself for a millennium and was forced to turn back and end his exile. What Liam initially thinks is a minor problem turns into a relic hunt that may or may not end the world.

This book consumed my life in a way that every free minute was spent reading it until I completely devoured it. To say it was highly addictive will be the understatement of the year. One of the best things about this book was the characters and how fearless and unapologetic they were, especially Dianne. She stood her ground even when she was falling for the man who was raised to hunt her kind. Dianne has little to no issues in saying she will do everything, thousands of times over to keep her sister safe. And I like her for that. Dianne is brave, fearless, bold, sassy, and fierce. Her relationship with Gabby was beautifully written. 

“I didn’t know when it happened, but he was mine, and I would tear anyone who so much as touched him to pieces.”  

Liam is everything worth fighting for. He is caring, kind, brave, a born warrior, and above all, loveable. His PTSD and depression have been explored throughout the story through terrible nightmares because of which he avoids sleep and has an eating disorder. I am not the biggest fan of the ‘Love conquers all’ storyline, so to see him practically struggle with his mental health, and Dianne trying to help him through it is commendable. I am also excited to see his relationship with his friends which I hope is explored more in the next book as found families is one of my favorite tropes.

The love story was beautiful. Dianne and Liam explore their relationship over the time they spend together and the build-up is so good. True enemies to lovers, where the characters initially intend to kill the other, are more than willing to burn down the world for each other. A true star-crossed lovers romance, between a guardian of the realms and a monster destined to fight until the skies bleed and the world shakes. The ending only makes it more passionate. 

Kaden and Tobis make interesting villains and I am excited for their stories to unfold. The plot twists that happen in the second half of the book kept me on edge all the time. There wasn’t a single dull moment in this book and it took me less than 48 hrs to go through 600+ pages and I have left craving for more.

I re-read the last three lines around ten times and it broke my heart into a thousand pieces. The cliffhanger is already killing me. And the next book comes out in 2023. In short, if you’re a fantasy lover like me and true enemies to lovers is something you love, The Book of Azrael is for you. 

Akansha

“I didn’t remember how long we talked, but somewhere amidst her laughter and smiles, I decided I would rip the world apart for her.”

The Book of Azrael follows Dianne, a creature from the outerworld, and Samkiel (who goes by the name Liam in the modern world), a fallen king, a God, feared and known as the world ender. Dianne traded her life for her sister and has worked for Kaden ever since. As they searched for an ancient relic, their original plan to keep the search a secret failed, and when one of the Hands working for Liam died, the king isolated himself for a millennium and was forced to turn back and end his exile. What Liam initially thinks is a minor problem turns into a relic hunt that may or may not end the world.

This book consumed my life in a way that every free minute was spent reading it until I completely devoured it. To say it was highly addictive will be the understatement of the year. One of the best things about this book was the characters and how fearless and unapologetic they were, especially Dianne. She stood her ground even when she was falling for the man who was raised to hunt her kind. Dianne has little to no issues in saying she will do everything, thousands of times over to keep her sister safe. And I like her for that. Dianne is brave, fearless, bold, sassy, and fierce. Her relationship with Gabby was beautifully written. 

“I didn’t know when it happened, but he was mine, and I would tear anyone who so much as touched him to pieces.”  

Liam is everything worth fighting for. He is caring, kind, brave, a born warrior, and above all, loveable. His PTSD and depression have been explored throughout the story through terrible nightmares because of which he avoids sleep and has an eating disorder. I am not the biggest fan of the ‘Love conquers all’ storyline, so to see him practically struggle with his mental health, and Dianne trying to help him through it is commendable. I am also excited to see his relationship with his friends which I hope is explored more in the next book as found families is one of my favorite tropes.

The love story was beautiful. Dianne and Liam explore their relationship over the time they spend together and the build-up is so good. True enemies to lovers, where the characters initially intend to kill the other, are more than willing to burn down the world for each other. A true star-crossed lovers romance, between a guardian of the realms and a monster destined to fight until the skies bleed and the world shakes. The ending only makes it more passionate. 

Kaden and Tobis make interesting villains and I am excited for their stories to unfold. The plot twists that happen in the second half of the book kept me on edge all the time. There wasn’t a single dull moment in this book and it took me less than 48 hrs to go through 600+ pages and I have left craving for more.

I re-read the last three lines around ten times and it broke my heart into a thousand pieces. The cliffhanger is already killing me. And the next book comes out in 2023. In short, if you’re a fantasy lover like me and true enemies to lovers is something you love, The Book of Azrael is for you. 



The Book of Azrael Book 1 of the Gods & Monsters Series

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