Review: The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole
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Introduction:
World Ender meets Ender of Worlds…
A thousand years ago, Dianna gave up her life in the deserts of Erioa 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:
Reviewed by Dakota Watson
I purchased the kindle edition of The Book of Azrael when it was released on 2022. Despite being drawn to the premise, I quickly abandoned the book due to subpar writing and sentence structure that did not meet my standards. However, recently stumbling upon its audiobook, I discovered that the book had undergone significant editing and improvements. God! The difference it made! This experience underscored the crucial importance of thorough editing in the process of publishing a book.
Currently, I am delighted to say that The Book of Azrael deserves nothing less than a five star rating. The world building in this book is both expansive and sublime. The cast of characters is beautifully written, and the premise itself is intriguing. Every magical element and mystical creature within the narrative are crafted with a remarkable finesse. The narrative is replete with suspense, action, and romance from the very beginning to its conclusion.
Despite her crass and crude demeanor, Dianna was a formidable and relatable heroine. The author skillfully portrayed her as a stone cold, brutal assassin with an unyielding loyalty to her loved ones. Diana’s readiness to sacrifice herself to ensure the safety of those she cares about added depth to her character. Her intricately crafted origin story enhanced the overall narrative, and although her initial barrage of snarky remarks may have felt excessive, I eventually grew to appreciate and love her for the authentic individual she was.
Liam also known as Samkiel too was an excellent male main character. Although he was a renowned warrior, a formidable king dubbed “The World Ender” because of what he was capable of with his power, with snippets of his past sprinkled across the book the author skillfully managed to make the reader empathize with him. Though he could be brutal, calculating and arrogant, he too was caring, fallible and loyal to a fault.
The chemistry between Diana and Liam exuded palpable sexual tension. In this enemies-to-lovers love story, the author adeptly illustrated how, initially, they harbored disdain for each other due to their respective identities. However, as the narrative unfolded, we witness their evolving understanding and the gradual emergence of love, all stemming from a shared commonality. I appreciated how, in the initial stages, they incessantly annoyed each other. It was intriguing to observe that the very aspects they disliked about one another eventually became the foundation for their love.
The supporting cast of characters was equally impressive, adding significant value and depth to both the premise and the main characters. The dynamics among the supporting characters were beautiful to witness, as each relationship with the main characters and among themselves was distinct, diverse, and unique. Notably, even the antagonists were endowed with depth, as the author provided them ample space in the narrative to evolve and reveal their true identities to the reader.
I am extremely happy that I decided to pick The Book of Azrael back up because I enjoyed the story very much and looking forward to reading the next installment.
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