Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This book started out SO strong for me (think kicking my feet giddy) and quickly turned at about the halfway point leading me to DNF it at 70%.

The fact that this book does not contain clear and specific content warnings is a serious failure of both the author and publisher in this case. As a dark romance fan without triggers, the situation many reviewers have mentioned at about 45% into the book was extremely poorly handled. The aftermath also made me unable to connect with either character again and ultimately led to me DNF.

I also hate to say it but I strongly disliked the narrators here. The male narrator felt like he changed his accent for the MMC several times and the female narrator made the FMC feel meek and sound like she was crying through most of it.

Ultimately, the strong first 30% here got this book to 1.5 stars, but I unfortunately cannot recommend it.

I was really excited to read this book. The title sounds so good, the synopsis sounded exciting, but I was quiet disappointed. I barely saw any storyline in this book, all I could see was one explicit scene after an other. AND some of them were without the FMC giving her consent!!! What?! While she was ASLEEP? I was so shocked when I listening to this audiobook.
I felt like I’ve listened to a different book than all the people who rated this 5 stars and I can’t really put in words what feelings I had while listening to this.
Sadly I must say that I won’t recommend this book.

I received and ALC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Narrators: 💙💙💙
Story: 💙💙

The Death King is told in dual POV and dual narration. It follows Calliste, former princess of one of the lands the Death King conquered. Talon, the Death King was going from land to land trying to find dragons to add to his army. Upon coming to Calliste's land her father killed himself to protect the secret of the dragons. Calliste also ran. The story then jumps 10 years where we find Calliste in a slave camp digging for gems. She is also being violated daily by an obsessed guard. After certain events she decides to escape. She finds she can speak to dragons and the King takes her. His proposition: stay with the rapey guard or be his prisoner. She goes with the latter. From there their relationship is very push and pull.

I liked the female narrator. She was close to how I imagined the FMC would talk. Full of intense emotion. The male narrator, I wasn't the biggest fan but it could just be that I couldn't tolerate the MMCs POV. I have a lot of issues with this book. But it wasn't all bad. The last 3 chapters finally hooked me in. I finally got intrigued in the story but thats way to long to take to finally get invested. The dragons were also amazing. I loved them both. I think they were my favorite characters because honestly I couldn't really stand the MCs.

Calliste acts tough but is not. Its really all bluster which was annoying because at the beginning I really felt she was going to be such a strong character just for it to fade. And Talon, I have a lot of issues with him. His past was horrible but then he goes right around and does basically the same thing to a whole continent. So really not much sympathy. Also, I think what pissed me off most was when he told Calliste that he never touched her when she didn't want it so he's nothing like the rapey guard....yes sir, yes you did. The first time, when she was sleeping. Or did everyone forget.

And let's not forget when Calliste swears he'll never have you and caves in a day. And then it takes what like 3 days for them to finally have sex. I'd say that was the fastest cave in any book I've ever read.

This is probably nit picking but the dialogue and language use felt out of place for the way the author set up the world. The wording felt very current for a world that felt very old. It just didn't add up for me.

I think I rolled my eyes and scoffed so much during this book it had to be a record. If it weren't for the dragons and ending chapters this rating would have been lower.

The Death King

Author: Penelope Barsetti
⭐️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️ Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Intended for readers 🔞 18+ Reader discretion is advised. This book, along with many dark romance books may not be for everyone, be sure to check content and trigger warnings.

This book would probably fall in your TBR needs if you like dragons, magic, dark themes and vibes, enemies to lovers and a lot of spice

This book is definitely not meant for everyone, it’s quite dark and the themes do stray to harder subjects but if you check the triggers beforehand and really understand what you are going into then it makes the book a good read. I did enjoy the storyline and the concept, and I’m interested to see where this is going to go with book 2. The FMC was tough and I admired her tenacity and her ability to push forward through some of the hardest situations.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to have an ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ALC. Was this book a cringy train wreck at times? Yes. Could I not put it down? Also, yes. Despite some cringy language, uneven pacing and beyond blurred lines of consent, I was riveted the entire time. There's clear inspiration from Fourth Wing, but I think this book would be a good pick for fans of [book:Rhapsodic|62316279] or [book:River of Shadows|59531495] who have little regard for trigger warnings. And I definitely will be listening to the next one.

I could not finish this book. I don't read books with on-screen rape scenes. I also felt that the writing was somewhat immature and the love interest was not my cup of tea.

Because I did not enjoy the book, I will not be posting a review on social media as i want to keep my Instagram a positive page.

Ok, hold on to your hats because I have OPINIONS about this one.
As always, thanks to NetGalley/Dreamscape for the advanced listening copy.

When listening to an audiobook sometimes it's hard to decipher if the writing is bad or the narrators, in this case, its both.

Let's start with the storyline... there was an idea there, you know, dragons, fallen kingdoms, morally grey, enemies to lovers, etc. But everything that we actually learned could have been summed up in five chapters EASILY rather than having like 23 chapters of them just saying the exact same things over and over, and him being a pushy little freak.

Now the narrators. Holy man, Callista made me want to rip my ears off my head. For some reason she made the character cry and whine through every second sentence, I genuinely genuinely would not have finished this audiobook because of her whining, but I figured I owed a honest review. The king's narrator was just a smidge better, but he took the most random pauses and chose to emphasis the weirdest parts of his chapters.

When I look at this books average rating (4.3* on goodreads???) I'm BAFFLED.
Maybe the physical book reads better than the audiobook, but I just can't see that happening.
1 star, and I think that's generous.

3.75🌟

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the arc of "The Death King" by Penelope Barsetti.

This book was not what I expected. The first quarter was quite interesting, the middle part was mostly adult content without plot and the last quarter picked up in pace again. I was expecting more fantasy elements and a bit more plot and world building, I don't think I know much more about the world at the end of the book than at the beginning. Still, I enjoyed listening to it and I thought the narration was well done.

When she is a desert land slave and you catch her trying to steal your dragon so you take her for yourself.
Only for her to get her own dragon.

Publisher's summary
I was fifteen when the Death King came for us.
With a mighty black dragon and the ability to command the dead, he raised an army of our fallen soldiers to fight for him—and conquered us in the night. My father, King Laurier of Scorpion Valley, couldn’t stop him. I tried to flee but came face to face with the man in black armor, the man who looked more like a god than a human. Instead of killing me, he chose to show me mercy… but it didn’t feel like mercy.
Not when the next ten years of my life are spent as a slave in the Arid Sands, digging for Black Diamonds from sunrise to sunset. I'm also the personal slave of General Titan—a man who has grown obsessed with me. The work under the hot sun is unbearable—but I prefer it to his company any day. I’ve never tried to escape because there’s nowhere to run in the desert, but all of that changes when I hear the news—that the Death King is coming.
I sneak out in the middle of the night to steal his dragon, but that backfires in my face—because you can’t steal a dragon. Khazmuda is no mindless beast. He can speak directly into my mind and hear my thoughts in return. The Death King is about to kill me, but Khazmuda changes his mind—because I have the gift.
The ability to speak with dragons.
The Death King spares my life once again and takes me back to his castle. He has no idea who I am, has no idea what he did to my family ten years ago. He asks me to fight for his cause—but he won’t tell me exactly what that cause is. And then he tells me he wants more from me… desires me more than any other because, like him, I have the gift.
I can’t deny he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, with eyes black like midnight, a jawline as sharp as his dragon’s talons, the height of a mountain, and shoulders as broad as a stream. But no amount of attraction will ever change the fact that he destroyed my life. The answer is no—and it’ll always be no.
But the Death King doesn’t accept that answer.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ALC of this book!

The Death King
By: Penelope Barsetti
Narrated by: Michael Ferraiuolo, Ramona Master
Series: Death Series, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
Publisher: Dreamscape Media

3.5 stars.
Ok, this book definitely took me by surprise. The first 1/4 of the book was engaging, the middle was a bit repetitive and the last bit picked up the pace and got quite interesting. I was very actively engaging once they went looking for the dragon.
The story was predictable and the main character was a bit annoying at times. The dragon was by far the best character. For a book centering around dragons, the author would sometimes use very modern real word references and it took me out of the story.
I think it was a weird choice to have the male narrator for that character, since he’s supposed to be a badass rough dude powerful king, and the narrator made him sound like a priest or something like that.

I’m sad to say that I did not enjoy this for the most part. Which was a disappointment because it starts off strong, pulling me into its dark and intense world that evokes Throne of Glass and Fourth Wing vibes. The early chapters promise a gripping storyline full of tension and intrigue, but around the 40% mark, the book takes a turn for the not-so-good. The male main character, initially intriguing and mysterious, becomes difficult to connect with, and his brooding persona starts to feel flat and unlikable.

I don’t have any triggers, but the non-consensual touching that occurs around the 45% mark was a complete turn-off and only further fueled my dislike for the MMC. (And I’ve read many dark romance including Haunting Adeline and many more) It just came out of nowhere and completely threw me off. Additionally, the female narrator often sounds like she’s on the verge of tears, which detracts from the overall experience and emotional depth of the story.

On top of that, the cringy spice scenes fail to add any real depth or passion to the relationship, making it hard to stay invested in the romance. I found myself skipping past those scenes because they were giving me the creeps.

While Barsetti’s writing is engaging, the story loses momentum, and the chemistry between the characters never fully delivers as I had hoped. For fans of darker romance, there might still be elements to enjoy, but for me, the shift in tone and awkward intimacy ultimately made it fall short.

I really hate leaving negative reviews but unfortunately this one fell flat for me. I think the concept was great, but the execution was not done as well as it could have been. The dialogue was unrealistic and almost childish, especially from Talon. Also, the word d*ck was used ENTIRELY too much. It drove me crazy and that alone almost caused me to DNF.

I did love the dragons and the enemies to lovers dynamic. The ending was also really good, so that bumped the rating up for me. I truly wish I would have liked this book more. I had high hopes for it.

I hate leaving negative reviews but I had a hard time with the narration. I did not love either the male or female. And I’m not trying to be mean but I actually loled at the roars in the end of the book. I just felt like the quality seemed off? If that makes sense. I contemplated stopping listening multiple times and just reading the book but I was able to power through. I will say though, if I was rating based just on audio the rating would be must lower.

I did feel as though we could’ve used more of a trigger warning regarding lack of consent. I found it frustrating that Calista finally gets out of her situation where she is sexually abused just for the mmc to molest her. The way he basically chased her around begging her to give into him was not attractive especially knowing her history. But he’s a villain so what did I expect?

For the most part I did enjoy the story itself. I liked the premise and am excited to see where the next book takes the storyline. I can’t wait to read more about the dragons. I’m also curious to see where their relationship goes. Will king talon be the next tamlin? I won’t be mad if so…

Thank you for the publisher and the author for this ALC from NETGALLEY

This audio was so good! I would check those triggers BEFORE reading, as it might not be for you!

Narrated by Michael Ferraiuolo; Ramona Master

I was fifteen when the Death King came for us.

With a mighty black dragon and the ability to command the dead, he raised an army of our fallen soldiers to fight for him—and conquered us in the night. My father, King Laurier of Scorpion Valley, couldn’t stop him. I tried to flee but came face to face with the man in black armor, the man who looked more like a god than a human. Instead of killing me, he chose to show me mercy… but it didn’t feel like mercy.

Not when the next ten years of my life are spent as a slave in the Arid Sands, digging for Black Diamonds from sunrise to sunset. I'm also the personal slave of General Titan—a man who has grown obsessed with me. The work under the hot sun is unbearable—but I prefer it to his company any day. I’ve never tried to escape because there’s nowhere to run in the desert, but all of that changes when I hear the news—that the Death King is coming.

I sneak out in the middle of the night to steal his dragon, but that backfires in my face—because you can’t steal a dragon. Khazmuda is no mindless beast. He can speak directly into my mind and hear my thoughts in return. The Death King is about to kill me, but Khazmuda changes his mind—because I have the gift.

The ability to speak with dragons.

The Death King spares my life once again and takes me back to his castle. He has no idea who I am, has no idea what he did to my family ten years ago. He asks me to fight for his cause—but he won’t tell me exactly what that cause is. And then he tells me he wants more from me… desires me more than any other because, like him, I have the gift.

I can’t deny he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, with eyes black like midnight, a jawline as sharp as his dragon’s talons, the height of a mountain, and shoulders as broad as a stream. But no amount of attraction will ever change the fact that he destroyed my life. The answer is no—and it’ll always be no.

But the Death King doesn’t accept that answer.

This book contains dark themes with subject matter that may be difficult for some readers.

I devoured this book. I haven't read much in the fantasy genre, but this kept me hooked from the beginning.

It will be a polarising book because of some of the trigger warnings (s3xual assault, slavery, death, coercion etc.) but I'm on the love it side of the fence. I didn't want to put it down. I became invested in Callista and Talon, wanting things to work out between them.

The dragon side of things was new to me (apart from the Game of Thrones ones) and added another level of depth. Their ability to communicate and collaborate was interesting, and it's obviously a big part of the storyline.

It ends in a mild cliffhanger and I can't wait to see where it leads in the next book.

The narrators were very good although I would have preferred a slightly deeper, more sultry voice for Talon.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️.5

👑Forgotten Princess
🐉Dragons
👑Enemies to Lovers
🐉Revenge
👑Hidden Identity
🐉Check Tws

This book started off at such a good pace and the world building was perfect. The concept was very good as well. I did expect more of a climactic ending. The ending was good but I do think that there needed to be more story. The majority of the story is the Death King trying to sleep with her. Which is fine but the actual plot was so good I wish it would have progressed further in this first book.
Will I read the next one….yes!
There some minor things that also effected and took me out of the story…one example is the fact that they talk about the MMCs “big d*ck” using that exact wording so many times.


This was an ALC.

The female narrator was phenomenal. She captured the the FMCs rage perfectly. The male narrator was good but it’s not the voice I would have pictured for the Death King.

I thought the story was pretty interesting. There was a lot of twist and turns a lot of moments where I was like. I wish you would’ve did something like this instead I think it was pretty good though all in all the only time that I wish there was just a little bit more to the story was probably right around the time where she met back up with the other than that it was actually a pretty good storyline. The writing wasn’t too hard to follow. The characters are very easy to empathize with, it felt like it was missing something though

This book is an indulgent escapist dark erotic romance fantasy. It is fiction. Please go into this one with the right expectations. This book will NOT be for everyone. Especially none with any sensitivity toward SA (se*ual as*ult).

I received this as an advanced listeners copy from Netgalley & the publisher, and though it did warn of dark themes, I'm not sure I was quite prepared for what this book is.

Calista's father was a King. When the Death King conquered the continent, her father killed himself before the conqueror could get to him. Calista witnessed it all before being shipped off to be a slave in the far reaches of the new kingdom. When she finds one of the coveted black diamonds in the sands, everything changes. Suddenly she finds herself a different kind of prisoner in the King's own castle, and he's fascinated by her. She doesn't know him or what the war he's clearly preparing for is about, and he's not forthright with any information either. All Calista wants is freedom, and she'll do just about anything to obtain it.

This is kind of the dark erotic answer to fourth wing. There are dragons, there is a dark leader love interest, there is a world to save (kind of?). Take that for what you will.

When this book began I was all in. The set up and the world this takes place in feels like a really great setup for an epic fantasy adventure/romance...whatever it might be. But as soon as Calista met the Death King, it turned into straight up erotica. The King is obsessed with bedding our dear Calista, despite the horrific trauma's she's endured. Like, literally her second night in his castle after rescuing her from her perpetual r*pist he's wanting to bed her. And he does bed her, just not that first night. He gives her some choice, though not really the level he gaslights her into believing she has.

I'm not going to argue that this book takes things too far, because I know there are people out there who love a book like this one, it just wasn't for me.

Anyway, there is a whole lot of sexy times in this book, and we're not talking love-making. The King (Talon) is a damaged man. He's basically allergic to intimacy. But Calista alights something new within him he's unfamiliar with.

Personally, I wish the dirty stuff was toned down quite a bit because I think the skeleton of the plot is actually really interesting and I'd really like to find out what happens next. To me, the incessant lust really distracts from what the book could have been. For me it was 20% great setup, 70% nothing but sex and the pursuit of sex, and 10% hurry-and-wrap-up-the-plot. I also wondered a few times about consistency in the world. It's a world where seamstresses are making the lingerie (not factory machines), but they have books of matches, and shave their nether regions? With what, a straight razor? .....it disconnected me from the story a few times when things like this would pop up.

There are three more books slated to be in this series, and while I added them all to my goodreads TBR soon after starting this book, I'm not sure if I'll continue or not.

I thought the female narrator, Ramona Master, did a great job. The voice of Michael Ferraiuolo wasn't really what I was expecting of a character called The Death King, and while I noticed every time narrators switched, I wouldn't say it was distracting.

**If you are not comfortable reading or listening to books with themes of enslavement, repeated SA, and suicidal ideation please continue with caution**

In The Death King we’re introduced to Calista, who is enslaved in one of The Death King’s mining camps to search for black diamonds. One of the king’s guards takes a liking to Calista and forces her to live with him where she endures physical and sexual abuse daily.

One day in the mines, Calista discovers one of the largest black diamonds ever found and believes this is the ticket to her freedom. The king’s guard blocks Calista’s ticket to freedom. During The Death King’s next visit, she takes a risk that changes her life forever.

I felt like the FMC gave off Celaena Sardothien in the salt mines prison of Endovier vibes, and MMC and his dragon gave off Xaden and Segael vibes but only in the sense of their communicating via their minds, and other than that, very not cutsey, not very Xaden.

I felt extremely uncomfortable with King Talon’s advances of Calista. He spends most of the book trying to convince her they’re made to be together and that’s why he needs to have sex with her and she needs to be with him. It’s very apparent he’s never heard the word ‘no’.

I will give the second book a chance. If the second book is as heavy on the SA, and whiny MMC, I’m not sure if I’d continue past the second book.

Thank you, NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Penelope Barsetti for allowing me to listen to an audiobook ARC.

I’ve seen this authors other books, but this is my first one and I really enjoyed it! The characters in the story were very well written. When it comes to fantasy there is time where I feel like the plot can drag out a bit. For this everything was fleshed out, nothing felt written for the sake of filling the page. Calista our fmc has had a very tough life and Penelope encompassed that through showing Calista at her weak moments. She a fmc that you root from from even though some of her decisions are questionable! Talon our mmc is a morally grey character and has his own sufferings he’s dealing with, but we can’t help but love him even though he can be annoying at times. There’s even dragons in the book?!?! hellooo I love that. If your looking for a dark romantasy book and want a fun time check this out!