I really wanted to love The Book of Azrael, but it was not for me. I’ve been trying to read more of these hyped book, and for me it was a let down. Keep reading this book review of The Book of Azrael for my full thoughts.
Summary
Many centuries ago, desperate to save her dying sister, Dianna made a deal with Kaden, a monster far worse than any nightmare. Locked in servitude to him, she is forced to hunt down an ancient relic held by her most dangerous enemies: an army led by Samkiel, the World Ender.
After the Gods War, Samkiel hid from everything, denying his crown and deserting his people. Now, an attack on those he loves sends him back to the realm he never wished to return to, and into the sights of an enemy he had hoped to forget.
With every world at stake, Dianna and Samkiel are forced to set aside their animosity and work together, before all is lost . . .
Review
I’ve heard so much about this series and knew I had to finally read it. While it has all the trademarks of a book I should love, it never really clicked for me. One of the major motivations for Dianna is her sister and I felt conflicted on this. While we are given space to see her memories together, I felt like this fell into a bit more of a telling versus showing aspect. It got to the point where I kept being like, “okay we get it, she loves her sister” instead of these highly emotional moments which should have had my heart melting. I can already hear people telling me that her main motivation is her sister and that’s the point and I get it, but these memories and experiences I felt were overshadowed by the attempt to show that.
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In general, I felt like The Book of Azrael has a bit of an issue with overwriting. The pacing of the story feels a bit start and stop with some meandering notes to it. I wanted to be more involved and unable to stop reading, but I found myself not being able to hold on to much. We have this strong hook at the beginning and then it feels a little like an an engine stall. The Book of Azrael also has such a quick whiplash where suddenly Dianna and Samkiel are okay? I know she does whatever she has to do, loyalties aside, for her sister, but it feels abrupt. There were some moments within which I appreciated, but they were overshadowed by the pacing. I wanted to really enjoy this one and instead I felt let down. Find The Book of Azrael on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.