Although I enjoyed aspects of this read well enough
— I’m a huge fan of dragons, so I usually gravitate towards stories like this, the negative content kind of killed it for me. The plot was intriguing, and in a lot of ways, it’s a novel I would’ve loved.
However, so much of the dialogue felt VERY out of place (extremely modern terms, for an otherwise wholly fantasy setting)
and — the biggest issue of all;
I felt deeply uncomfortable with the sexual content in this novel.

I love a spicy read as much as the next person, but this was borderline r**pe-romanticizing/very much anti-female (also, please, please, please check out the trigger warnings before diving in. I could see this being a very tough read for some.)

The main male character was extremely hard (more like impossible) to stand, because there wasn’t much, if anything at all, to like about him. Simply put, he was a bad person, and we weren’t given much reason as to why that was; don’t go into this thinking you’ll be getting a traditional morally gray MMC, who’s good deep down.

I would assume he’ll have some sort of redemption arc in the sequel/an attempt to justify why he is how he is, but frankly, I’m not sure much could justify his behavior or get me to feel sympathetic towards him.

He had very little sympathy for what Calista has been put through — and wholly refused to acknowledge or care that he was entirely to blame for literally all of it. There is no “touch her an you die” because he didn’t care enough, and actually pardoned the man who’d abused her because he was a “loyal soldier”

Talon was consistently focused on himself &his own wants/needs (a red-flag kind of guy, by definition.) and I’m entirely convinced he never even like Calista in any kind of genuine way, outside of simply wanting what he couldn’t have. She was a novelty to him.

The novel wasn’t horrible, and with a full overhaul to the male lead, it actually would’ve been something I could’ve seen myself loving;

but the negative aspects are very troubling and just too difficult to look past.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

This is a well written book and will definitely be great for the right people but I do think there was a bit much smut for my liking especially some of the smut being a TW, whatever you’d call it for a dark Romantasy (heavy on the romance light on the fantasy) I felt a little too uncomfortable about some of the smut scenes. The fantasy plot was interesting though but it felt a bit slow until everything progressed at the end, and I wasn’t super happy with how it progressed but that’s just me not liking conflict in relationships haha, so that’s probably only me. Writing and descriptions were beautiful though and I really like casmuda or however it’s spelt , I only listened to it so I’m making a guess. Love casmuda. I probably won’t read the next book just because of how it ended, gives me too much stress on what is held in the next book ahhh.

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 8th October and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of November.

If I have to hear them call her privates a honeypot one more time…

I loved the first 25% and the last 5%, but I’m not sure about the rest. The backstory was well executed, and I was enamored by the story’s plot. Then, Calista met Talon, and every chapter got worse until the very last chapter. Talon is everything terrible about this book, which made me root against their relationship. There’s no way either one of them cares about the other because their only conversations are about dragons, how him violating her in her sleep was somehow consensual, and dirty talk.

That is, until the last chapter. That was really good. I just wish I liked the middle as much as I loved the very beginning and the very end.

Let’s start with the great!

The beginning setup is intriguing and had me all in on Calista. The ending is high stakes and exciting. Loved the dragons!

The plot in the middle was the MMC forcing himself on the FMC (even in her sleep!) all while insisting that he respected her consent. There’s even an unexplained character who pops in and begs the king to please continue his plot and stop being so obsessive.

I know the CWs and expected Calista’s early SA. But for the love interest to know that about her and still touch her without her consent and then insist she liked it on repeat for most of the book made it a difficult read.

Death King by Penelope Barsetti pulled me in with its blend of dark romance and dragons, two things I love. Overall, I enjoyed the story, but I did have a few issues that took away from the experience. My main struggle was with the male main character (MMC), who didn't quite meet my expectations. Despite this, the world-building and intensity of the romance kept me engaged, making it a mostly enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and dreamscape media for allowing me to listen to an audiobook arc. I loved listening to this book. The female main character goes through trauma and loses her dad at a young age and she is taken and enslaved, and she wants her freedom back. Talon, the death king, I fell in love with him. He was trying to fight off his feelings for Calista for so long. I loved the dragons so much and the banter and I love that he called her pretty it was so cute. There were some spicy scenes, so make sure to check your trigger warnings before reading. And the ending the ending leaves you wanting more. I cannot wait to read the next book.

I enjoyed the storyline of this book. The FMC went through so much and then is forced to live with her #1 enemy who she ends up falling in loveee with! The MMC was a little much for me with him forcing the FMC to be with her but then not giving her anything in return. I don’t like the couch scene when she was asleep and he touched her and his justification was her “liking” it. I could have done without that scene; I also don’t feel much romance from the MMC which I understand that was the point but I feel like the FMC was supposed to change that about him; maybe we’ll get that in the next book? I wish we had more dragon scenes especially with Calista and Inferno, we only got that at the very end. I will be reading the 2nd book just to find out what becomes of the characters and if they’ll rule together or fight against each other. I really enjoyed the FMC voice in the audio I felt all the emotion and feelings so that was great!
Thank you NetGalley allow me to read this ARC!

Calista was witness to her father's death at the hands of the Death King as a teenager. After a decade of his reign, and 7 years as a slave mining in the Arid Sands for black diamonds, she is finally able to attempt to escape from her prison and the general who has claimed her body as his own for a year. Unfortunately, the only real escape route is on the back of the Death King's dragon. With the the Death King sees that his dragon can communicate with Calista, he proclaims that she has the gift and that she will be returning to his castle with him.

So begins a dark story of terror, captivity, bravery, and attraction. Calista hates the Death King for all he has taken from her...but he also rescued her from the Arid Sands and has given her the closest chance for freedom she has had since she lost her father. This is a story with trauma, abuse, and imprisonment. Read at your own discretion.

Thank you to Penelope Barsetti, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Not sure I should rate this book. I DNF'dit at 52%. I have never been bothered by trigger warnings before, but this one pushd me a little.past my comfort zone. The repetitive mention of the MC being raped for 7 years to.only be covered by the MMC anf chased around d like a dog in heat annoyed me. Thank you netgalley for the chance to listen to this ARC

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.