The Book of Azrael

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, death, and emotional abuse.

The recurring phrase “This is how the world ends” serves as a motif that illustrates the novel’s exploration of fate (284), self-perception, and The Deceptive Nature of Appearances. Liam, in his recurring nightmares, sees visions of Kaden’s rule and Dianna’s lifeless body while hearing the phrase ominously whispered. These nightmares and his inherited prophetic abilities lead Liam to believe that he will fulfill his grim moniker as the “World Ender.”

The motif gains further weight when juxtaposed with a prophecy made by Reoccurrem, the last fate: “There will be a shuddering crack, an echo of what is lost and what cannot be healed. Then, Samkiel, you will know how the world ends” (489). Both the dreams and the prophecy reinforce Liam’s belief that his actions—or his failure to act—will ultimately bring about the apocalypse. However, this assumption reflects Liam’s skewed perception of himself, which is shaped by years of guilt and the burden of power. His self-identification as a harbinger of destruction obscures the broader dynamics at play.

Liam’s nightmares and the prophecy mislead not only him but also the reader. The anticipated “shuddering crack” originates not from Liam but from Dianna following her sister’s death, subverting the expectations the novel has cultivated and shifting the narrative’s focus.