Reviews with content warning for Torture - The Throne of Broken Gods

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The Throne of Broken Gods by Amber V. Nicole

4 reviews

nloprest6318's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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bangiebangs's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

- ends in cliffhanger

- spice 4/5 (very good spice!!)

I immediately jumped into this from Book 1, and I was not disappointed. The cliffhanger in Book 1 is less easy to predict than the one here, and I went in already mad about Book 3 not being out because I knew what was coming. Beware this book if you don’t like unfinished series, this will leave you hurting.

Spoiler for cliffhanger

I thought it was pretty obvious that the price for resurrecting Samkiel would be something to do with their finally-admitted love. I’m expecting him to have lost feeling for her maybe in the next one, since she still seems to have feelings for him? Unsure, but I wouldn’t be surprised. I’m excited to see how that gets resolved, though, since I fully expect everyone to live and love again.

The world-building continues in this book, and at this length it gets pretty detailed. I’d argue it is close to being a bit too much in terms of characters to remember, side stories to follow, who feels or felt what and why. So many gods, so many celestials! Getting more info about Logan and Neverra made sense, but while I really really want Cameron and Xavier to also get a happy ending, I think their unadmitted love doesnt hit enough (yet?) to make the actions towards the end of the book make sense.

In general, this whole “suddenly everyone’s the enemy” reminded me of the Hydra-takes-over storyline in the MCU which also felt like it came out of nowhere...

I did also like the banter a LOT and had some laugh out loud or big grin moments while reading it. It might be one I pick up again, though that also depends on Book 3… no release date yet afaict, so that’s super sad. But I heard that the author got a series deal, so hope springs eternal!

Recommend this book if you like big epic stories (some parts had a whiff of LOTR for me), deliciously spicy spice, lovely banter, hot flirting… and a journey out of depression and grief. It’s such a good book.

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overflowingshelf's review

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

*Note – this review is spoiler free for both The Book of Azrael and The Throne of Broken Gods

CW: Death; grief; murder; confinement; violence; war; blood; fire; torture; injury

“‘This is how the world ends,’ the fate had whispered, and I was going to show them just how right fate was.”

Dianna has entered her villain era, and I am here for it!

The Throne of Broken Gods picks up immediately after The Book of Azrael and takes you for a wild ride. I expected lots of twists, turns, and emotional devastation, and Amber V. Nicole DELIVERED.

This book is a beast (it clocks in at over 700 pages in paperback), but it is well worth it as it’s a beautiful exploration of grief, love, family, and friends. Plus, it delivers a hot romance, unforgettable characters, fun action scenes, and some shocking twists.

“When I burn this world to embers, and you paint me as the villain, remember, I really did try to be good… once.”

Dianna is in her full-blown villain era and has some fun power upgrades to match. She’s out for revenge, out for blood for all those who betrayed her, and you best not stand in her way. As much as I fully loved her embracing her villainess side (and I truly LOVED it), my heart also ached for her. She is hurting so, so, so badly after what happened at the end of The Book of Azrael. All I wanted to do was reach out and hug her. The grief she felt was tangible, and I cried along with her at times. The softer, quieter moments with Dianna and her feelings stood out to me and were some of the most impactful. Dianna’s character arc was genuinely awe-inspiring in this book as we see her go through all the stages of grief. It’s a hard journey to join her on, but I love where she ended up. I truly think Nicole’s exploration of grief through Dianna’s character is fascinating, and one of the things I loved the most about this book

“I never once said that I was good…but sometimes a king has to be a monster.”

Logan is no more as he’s ready to own being Samkiel again, and I think that’s for the better. I feel we see a different Samkiel in this book as he’s really embracing his role as a God, as a leader. And just cause he’s a God doesn’t mean he’s all good. He’ll do anything to bring Dianna back to herself. He’s very much in his “touch her, and you die” era, and he would do anything for her. I liked this Samkiel more, as he had an air of confidence and strength. He’s juggling a lot as he’s cleaning up after Dianna, trying to bring her back to herself and stopping chaos from being unleashed on all the realms. I also truly adored seeing him spend time with the Hand and getting to know them better as a group and individuals.

“Yet he looked at me as if he would rip the world to pieces for me, and I knew I would do so much worse for him.”

We continue the enemies-to-lovers vibes from The Book of Azrael though it is much more layered and complex now. The flirty, snarky banter in the scenes of them fighting each other had me living. But their relationship is so much deeper than that. They have this deep connection – they both can see behind the monster/god to the individual and accept each other for their flaws, fears, hopes, dreams, and all. Their relationship continues to develop slowly over this book, but the payoff is worth it. We get some very rewarding sexy scenes in this, but also so much love. God, the love. Along with the exploration of grief, the exploration of the power of love and all the many forms it can take is another standout from this book.

“Let chaos reign.”

This book did feel a little long at times – there were a lot of flashbacks and a lot of points of view that I’m not sure were all necessary – but I honestly didn’t mind in the end as I was so engrossed in the story, in the drama. Boy, does this book go there in terms of the plot! I was a big old jumble of nerves and so stressed the whole last quarter of the book. I was literally gasping out loud and having to put the book down at times to process EVERYTHING that was HAPPENING. And oh my god, that ending! While I correctly predicted some plot points, others completed shook me to my core. I still am in shock thinking about some of them! I don’t know which character I hate more after everything. I cannot wait to see where Nicole takes this story and these characters in the last book as THAT ENDING.

“Remember that I love you.”

If you want to be emotionally devastated, this series is perfect for you. And I mean that in the best way possible. I cried, I laughed, I gasped, I loved – I felt it all while reading. If you love dark romance or are in your romantasy era, you will eat these stories up! You do have to read this series in order, so now is the perfect time to start, as The Book of Azrael and The Throne of Broken Gods are on KU.

I am now anxiously awaiting an update on book 3 and look forward to all the heartache and pain that Amber V. Nicole will bring us with that book!

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stephaniemcuervo's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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