I received a copy of The Throne of Broken Gods by Amber Nicole from NetGalley. This book is the second one of the Gods & Monsters series. I absolutely enjoyed reading The Book of Azrael earlier this year, and the way that book ends, I couldn’t wait to start reading the sequel. The story is a fantasy romance and focuses on the characters of Samkiel and Dianna.
The Throne of Broken Gods begins right where The Book of Azrael ends with Dianna’s sister murdered by Kaden. Dianna’s entire world collapses in the aftermath, and she sets out on a revenge mission. She is not concerned about who stands between her and her revenge, she goes on a rampage. Samkiel knows that Dianna’s actions are a result of her grief and refuses to condemn her. He wants her to come back to him, but it is not easy to reach her. The romance is one part, and there is a lot of exposition in this book, but these are the answers I wanted to know. Some of it, I could guess, but it still keeps you intrigued.
The story developed at a good pace and hooked me from the start. This fantasy world now seems familiar because I read the first one. In the first book, Dianna helps Samkiel deal with his past and grief over all he has lost. This time, Samkiel wants to help and be there for her, but she doesn’t want him anywhere near her. A part of her feels guilty that she was falling for Samkiel while her sister was under threat. In this book, she is more of a badass, and her full power is unleashed. She does wrong things, but you know that deep down, that is not all she is, and Samkiel reminds her of this, that is why she chooses to push him away. Her single aim is to kill those responsible for her sister’s death.
The plot has similar elements with the aspect of adventure and action. The romance between Dianna and Samkiel takes a while to start full-fledged, but it is worth it. Once they come closer, the tension building up since the first book comes to a head. They understand each other and have conversations about everything, which, I think is very mature. They are such an amazing couple. Samkiel refuses to give up on her even when a part of him knows that her behavior is wrong; the struggle within him is portrayed really well. Dianna shutting herself off and building walls in grief is relatable. They had a good understanding in the first book too, but here, it becomes more real and honest.
This book has multiple POVs, which at the beginning was kind of different. I mean The Hand is Samkiel’s family, and they have a part to play, but giving them POVs gives an insight. It gave me a lot of information about their past with Samkiel and what they all mean to each other. This, too makes more sense towards the end. Every element I loved in the first book has been amped up in this one and in the best possible way. The romance, the relationships, the action, and that ending. These characters come into their own in this novel, and I enjoyed that arc for them.
I went into The Throne of Broken Gods with a lot of expectations since I loved the first one, and it was just as interesting and enjoyable. The characters, their relationships, and the romance between Samkiel and Dianna works wonderfully. All the build-up from the first book totally pays off here. This fantasy romance series has been so exciting to read. Everything I enjoyed in the first book is amped-up in this one, and I can’t wait for the next book.
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