Review: The Book of Azrael by Amber Nicole

I was drawn into Amber Nicole’s The Book of Azrael by the exciting enemies-to-reluctant-allies premise. Unfortunately, despite its fascinating worldbuilding and compelling plot, this book just wasn’t for me. In today’s mini-review, I explain why The Book of Azrael didn’t meet my expectations.

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Blurb

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 of The Book of Azrael

• Format: ebook
• Slow-paced
• Plot-driven
• Dual POV
• Bisexual MC (not explicitly stated/implied)
• M/F relationship

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion of the book

The Book of Azriel has an interesting plot and worldbuilding, but unfortunately, the characters and their relationships fell flat for me. From the beginning, it was obvious that the reader was supposed to perceive the main character as a villain, but at the same time, the book was constantly reminding me that she only committed evil acts to save her sister. It was like the story didn’t trust me to interpret the character for myself, which was also reflected in how the other characters were developed. I was told how to feel about their personalities and relationships instead of getting to see them develop through their actions. As a result, I didn’t really care what happened to the characters by the end of the book.

Other than the characters, the story was pretty interesting though. I loved all the legendary monsters, and there were plenty of plot twists I never saw coming. I definitely think there’s an audience for this book, even if it wasn’t me.

Where to find The Book of Azrael by Amber Nicole

Have you read this book? Let’s chat in the comments!