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Amaia

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The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters, #1)

by Amber V. Nicole (Goodreads Author)

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Amaia said: " I haven't been able to finish this book yet. I reached 89% when I got stuck and couldn't bring myself to continue. I do have some opinions on the book, which I am still hoping of finishing at some point.

The first and most obvious thing I noticed - w I haven't been able to finish this book yet. I reached 89% when I got stuck and couldn't bring myself to continue. I do have some opinions on the book, which I am still hoping of finishing at some point.

The first and most obvious thing I noticed - which, by the way, might very well be one of the aspects that threw me off - is the writing. Grammar errors, countless spelling mistakes, senseless punctuation, confusing sentence structures... I doubt there was a single chapter that didn't contain writing mistakes. At first I thought I might be exaggerating it, but I have read similar reviews, so I am definitely not being picky. Not just the writing, but the dialogues could also be improved. Sometimes, the sentences felt as if the author just started writing whatever came to her mind. It felt more like a draft that hasn't been double checked. Many repetitions, or the feeling that, rather than an ordinary and natural conversation, the character (mostly Dianna, evidently) was conducting an inner monologue.

That said, I do want to highlight several positive things, because up until the ending, I was very much enjoying the book, and especially during the first half, I was quite hooked. The universe and the magic system were very interesting. Definitely a bit different to other fantasy worlds I have read. It was a combination between a modern world in which the technology is quite advanced - I would roughly compare it to our actuality, probably even a bit more sophisticated - and ancient, 'outdated' gods and other worlds. Reminding me of the Shadowhunters series, which I used to love but read a long time ago, it's always perhaps a bit unordinary to see a universe in which magical creatures, including vampires, werewolves, demons, etc. use phones, cars or other devices. So that was definitely an interesting and rather positive feature of the book.

I also enjoyed the enemies to lovers between Samkiel and Dianna. Rather than feeling an immediate attraction towards each other, I could definitely feel the aloofness and lack of interest of Samkiel, as well as the raw hate of Dianna. The development of their relationship was slow and I enjoyed it, as it turned very sweet and not forced. I have to say, though, that Dianna did irritate me sometimes. I understand her storyline, in which she sacrifices her wellbeing and happiness for her sister's safety. But sometimes she came across as stubborn, and it is precisely that inflexibility that got her into worse situations.

However, I also want to mention a couple of loopholes or things that didn't make much sense to me. I don't understand how Samkiel, who is always described as this extremely powerful god (he can quite literally build and destroy entire worlds), feared and admired by everyone, is then easily overpowered by other characters. I feel like there is an incongruency between his past actions and achievements, and his current character.

Overall, I have enjoyed the plot, but the incompetence of Samkiel at this point is kind of testing my patience :/ But I hope to pick it up again and finish the small part left. Maybe my opinion changes by then. ...more "

progress:

(page 510 of 572)
— Feb 24, 2026 12:25AM

Mar 31, 2026 08:38AM · see review