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!

This was a tough one. I was considering DNFing a few times tbh.

The overall story idea was intriguing at first but it fell flat the further it went on. And for a lot of the book the plot was seemingly left abandoned.
But my biggest problem with the book was the „relationship“ between the FMC and the MMC. It was more than painful. I don’t mind smut, and enjoy a dark romantasy if done right… that being said, this book wasn’t it. There was no romance. It was dark erotic fantasy at most. The MMC was atrocious to say the least and oh my, we got to stop excusing guys not holding themselves accountable and being too lazy to regulate their emotions. Ignoring the “no” of a girl that has been raped for years, his thoughts in those moments, his overall behavior … I have no words for this.

The star rating of this book does not reflect the narrators. Ramona Masters did a wonderful job portraying the FMCs emotions. Michael Ferraiuolo did a good job overall, but didn’t quite match the character for me. (The story also didn’t play in his favor, considering how I felt about the MMC). I’d give the narration 4 ⭐️s overall.

I overall mostly enjoyed this read. I’m a sucker for dark romance and dragons so it sucked me right in. There were some issues that I couldn’t quite get past and the main one was the MMC. There will be some spoilers in my review so don’t read on if you don’t want to read those.

I don’t mind dubious consent or cnc but it really bugged me that after the FMC had been raped for 7 years straight the MMC thought it was okay to touch her in her sleep after he specifically said he would wait for her to say it was okay. That just gave me a gross feeling. And the MMC was pretty unlikable all around. He has t had many redeeming qualities but maybe that will change in book 2.

I did like the FMC! I just think she finally deserves some kindness from someone.

I thought the narrators did a great job bringing this story to life. I love when there is dual narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy of this audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

This is my first experience with this author and I really enjoyed it. While beginning did drags a little for me. the ending was more than worth it. There is a lot of spice , pretty decent character development, and Dragons. What else do you need? The enemies to lovers is top notch between Calista and the Death King and I love Khazmuda. There is a cliffhanger so beware. Now to wait for the next book. And narrators did a good job too.

I listened to the ARC audio of this one . Definitely check all trigger warnings if you choose to read it . I loved the story line!! Plus Dragons are a bonus!! There is like 10 hot peppers of spice with this one. I found it cooks have done a bit less with that and put a bit more into the story line . With that said I can’t wait to read the rest of them!! Both narrators did a fantastic job

A captivating dark romantic fantasy filled with lots of spicy scenes (TW: sexual assault/rape)! The storyline hooked me, especially the morally grey characters. The MMC is undeniably evil, yet his motivations are compelling and complex, leaving me torn about my feelings for him. The FMC endures so much; I was frustrated by her struggles but I am eager to see her growth in the next book.

The narrators were great. I initially had some doubts about the MMC's voice; I anticipated a deeper, more gravelly tone, but it ultimately worked well. Both narrators were excellent in their pacing and tone, keeping the story engaging throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Penelope Barsetti for the audiobook! I’m looking forward to book two!

This book was kind of “icky” to me. The male main character was pretty awful. He just chased after the female character relentlessly after she’d just been raped every day for 7 years…. How can anyone be ok after that? There were also NO trigger warnings regarding SA content.

Review: "The Death King" by Penelope Barsetti — 3.5 stars

The Death King, the first entry in Penelope Barsetti’s Death series, is an ambitious fantasy novel that blends elements of dark fantasy, romance, and erotica. While the book has plenty of compelling aspects, particularly its captivating setup and final act, it falters in the middle, where the balance between plot and sexual tension skews too heavily toward the latter, leaving me craving a more gradual, slow-burn development.

The Death King ♦ Penelope Barsetti
A Review

Opinion
The opening of the story sets a strong foundation. Barsetti introduces me to the Death King, a fearsome conqueror with the ability to raise the dead and command a mighty black dragon, Khazmuda. Our protagonist, a young woman whose life has been shattered by the Death King’s conquest of her kingdom, is a sympathetic and complex character. The world-building is rich and detailed, and the early tension between the two main characters feels appropriately intense and intriguing. This part of the book delivers important insights into the protagonists’ backgrounds, giving me the necessary depth to invest in their stories.

However, after the first third of the book, things begin to unravel. As the narrative shifts from the conflict and power dynamics to a romantic-erotic focus, the pacing suffers. The relationship between the female protagonist and the Death King moves too quickly into the realm of physical attraction, given her traumatic past. For a character who has spent a decade as a slave, subjected to harsh treatment and suffering under General Titan’s obsessive control, her sudden immersion into a sexual dynamic with the Death King feels abrupt and jarring. The transition from hatred and fear to lust happens too fast to feel natural, and the intensity of their interactions overshadows the plot. A slow burn romance, one that builds over the course of the entire book and the next installments, would have provided a more organic evolution of their relationship.

The explicit scenes, while well-written for those seeking a more erotic twist, feel out of place given the tone of the story’s beginning. They detract from the character’s journey, especially considering her history of trauma, which is barely addressed during these moments. It’s as though the story loses its footing, becoming too eager to delve into sexual tension without giving the characters—and by extension, me—the emotional space needed to make that tension feel earned or believable.

Thankfully, the last third of the book brings the story back on track. The re-emergence of plot, action, and intrigue helped me to re-engage. The stakes are raised, and the pacing picks up as Barsetti reintroduces the larger narrative of the Death King’s mysterious cause and the protagonist’s involvement in it. The political and magical complexities hinted at in the beginning resurface, offering a glimpse into the wider world and the unfolding conflict. This strong finish salvages much of the earlier missteps and builds anticipation for the next installment in the series.

Conclusion

As my first audiobook ARC, The Death King was a mixed but overall enjoyable experience. While the middle portion left me frustrated, the intriguing world-building and character dynamics in the opening and closing acts kept me interested. I’m hopeful that the second volume will deliver more of a slow-burn romance and plot development that this one promised but struggled to maintain. Fans of dark fantasy with a taste for the erotic may find much to enjoy here, but those looking for a more nuanced political and romantic progression might find it uneven.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Death King by Penelope Barsetti is a fantasy romance set in an intriguing world with royalty, dragons, and borderline-r*pist necromancers. From the prologue, I was immediately hooked into this world. I mean, who can resist the story of a princess whose kingdom was just taken over by a dragon-riding man, and was just orphaned?

I thought the world seemed super interesting, and loved all the little elements like the Arid Sands and the mystical place that Talon calls home. I didn’t like the constant use of the word “f*ck” in terms of obvious s*xual assault, especially when it was also used later in the book to refer to having s*xual intercourse.

Calista was pretty annoying. The typical tragic backstory, insufferably talented, and of course BEAUTIFUL female main character that most fantasy books seem to have. I didn’t like how Talon praised her for never complaining–seeing as that’s a basic human thing to do? Just seemed pretty icky to me

There is for sure an audience for this kind of novel, but unfortunately, I am not a member of it. The plot was devoured by the rampant spice scenes. Way too many scenes. Now into these “spicy scenes”.... The male main character prided himself on being different than the general who had taken advantage of Calista for years, and yet I found myself viewing him in the same way I viewed the general.

Talon was constantly begging to use Calista, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He nonconsensually touched her while she was asleep, and it was basically shoved under the rug because she “liked” it. Yikes.

Overall, I liked the premise. It ended on a cliffhanger, and I really did enjoy the plot and the scenes that did not involve nakedness. I think that this series can go somewhere and I loved the element of the dragons. Khazmuda was so cute and I loved him so much. Overall 3/5 stars. Interesting plot, interesting premise, cute dragons, and some nonconsensual spice if you’re into that.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this book:)

HOLY S***, this book was incredible, and I am already dying for more! *The Death King* is hands down my favorite from Penelope Barsetti, and that's saying something as a longtime fan. From the opening line—"I was fifteen when the Death King came for us"—I was completely hooked. The story is a thrilling mix of high fantasy, dark romance, and unforgettable characters that stayed with me long after I finished.

The world Barsetti has created is both brutal and beautiful, and the Death King is the perfect mix of terrifying and mesmerizing. With his black dragon, Khazmuda, and the ability to command the dead, he is a force to be reckoned with—and yet, there's so much more to him. The chemistry between the Death King and the heroine is electric, and every interaction is filled with tension and desire. Her journey from being a conquered princess, a slave in the Arid Sands, to discovering her rare gift of communicating with dragons is nothing short of epic.

Michael Ferraiuolo and Ramona Master absolutely killed it in the narration. Their performances brought this already compelling story to life in a way that exceeded all my expectations. Ferraiuolo's portrayal of the Death King was everything—dark, commanding, yet nuanced, while Master captured the heroine's strength and vulnerability perfectly.

The twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat, and the ending left me desperate for the next book. If you're a fan of dark, immersive fantasy with a slow-burn, high-stakes romance, this is a must-read (or in my case, a must-listen!). 5 stars all the way!

DNF at 40%

The Death King was a book I was super happy I got early access to, however I do think that the blurb needs to include warnings, because if I had known that it contained sexual assault and the “romance” was based on non-con, then I would have never requested it. Just in case, I re-read the blurb both in Goodreads and Netgalley to check if I had carelessly missed something, but no, the only warning we got is this: <i>This book contains dark themes with subject matter that may be difficult for some readers.</i> I understand not wanting to give spoilers away, but “dark themes” can mean anything and not that the basis of the relationship between the main characters is non-consensual sexual interactions.
But that was not all there was to it.

Calista was the princess of a tranquil Kingdom until the Death King conquered the land in a matter of days, uniting the scattered kingdoms under his sole rule and enacting cruelty upon the population.

Running away from everything she ever knew, three years later, when Calista was eighteen, she was enslaved to work in the sand mines, sifting sand for years in the hope of finding a “black diamond”, a rock that nobody knows what the Death King wants it for, but whoever finds one, earns their freedom.

Now at twenty-five, Calista has spent the last year under the torment of the newest general, a man who literally <i>rap3s</i> her every day, mornings and nights, with her days free to work in the sand mines (if she is not in too much pain from the kicks and punches she receives for not being grateful to the general). Yes, it’s lovely and there is no warning whatsoever that those scenes are coming. When she learns that the Death King is coming she devices a plan: she’ll escape the general’s cabin and take the King’s dragon to fly far away. When she meets the dragon, she learns that not only can she talk to it, but her gift is something coveted by the King himself and he offers her a choice: return to the castle with him, or stay in the sand at the mercy of her rap1st. Seeing little choice, Calista decides to fly back with him and try to escape later but, of course, things won’t be so easy for her either.

I had an issue with the writing right away, and that was that it felt over the top, almost as if it tried too hard. Every time Calista saw the King or the King saw her, we would get repetitive and exaggerated descriptions, as if it was trying to convince us of what to feel and think.
The King’s eyes were “dark like the deepest river, cold like the mightiest glacier”. Her friend’s penetrating gaze was “like daggers and, right now, the points were sharp”, etc (it was an audiobook so don’t quote me on this). The insistence and repetition of these kinds of descriptions made it seem almost silly, and it made no sense because the characters could see things that weren’t at their disposal. Like, the guy dismounts his dragon and she can see that “his eyes are black, like the scales of the beast behind him, cold and unforgiving” girl, you were like 200 feet apart, how the heck could you see the colour of his eyes? This happened constantly: characters were facing the other way, or a great distance apart, yet they could always see their expression and knew precisely what it meant. My impression was that the author was trying so hard to convey what was happening, to give us information, that they dismissed logic.

Now, although beginning the book with sexual assault was a surprise for me, I knew based on the blurb that she would soon leave to be with the King, so I kept listening because I wanted to see what would happen next: how could a romance develop between an ex-princess and the monster who had enslaved her people (herself included), taken her home and installed such a cruel regime?
Well, I do not know. I stopped at the first molestation.
You see, the girl is terrified. Sure, she is away from the general, but the King also wants to sleep with her and she, of course, doesn’t want to. We get a few scenes of her trying to escape and also chatting up with Casmuda (the dragon) who tells her that yes, Talon is a tyrant and a monster but “there is more to him than that” and that’s why they are friends.

The thing is, this book is dual POV, so we see things both from Calista’s and Talon’s perspective and… oh boy, is that man a <i> treat </i>. We don’t exactly know his motives, except that he wants revenge on something and he made a deal with a powerful being to accomplish that. He has no concern nor regard for anything or anyone other than himself and his dragon, as he often complains “why should I care about the suffering and pain of others when nobody cared about mine?”. He has several “whores” (his words) who he uses for their bodies but nothing else, he actually hates and despises them, with his favourite girl being the one who never refuses him anything and lets him do whatever he wants, but he finds her care and devotion disgusting.

With Calista, he finds her attractive and likes that they have the same skill, but he doesn’t care about her either. The guy has no empathy and when he learns of what his general has been doing all he thinks is “look at what she has done to my best general, turning a great man into an obsessed lover, simping for her beauty” like, what?

He has a conversation with Casmuda, where he reveals how he is frustrated because Calista doesn’t want him but <i>he</i> wants her. The dragon reasonably questions why would he pursue her, if she doesn’t want him? If it were him, and another dragon didn’t want him, he would simply stop. Oh no, but Casmuda is a different species and he can’t understand that he KNOWS that Calista wants him, but is somehow refusing herself to him for… reasons. When the dragon suggest that, if the problem is that Calista feels unsafe, he should make her feel safe, what does he do?

He goes into his room, watches her sleep, lifts her dress and gives her a handjob while she is asleep. When she wakes up, absolutely horrified and terrified, he simply shrugs, says that she enjoyed it and so he is not sorry, even getting mad that she is reacting that way.
WHAT THE ABSOLUTE F-

No, this was the moment that I decided to drop the story, because there is simply no going back and there is no way that I would like to see a romance develop here. The guy was simply disgusting, an Andrew Tate acolyte and had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Calista has been enslaved for 10 years by the Death King. Every since he took over her fathers land. For the last year she's been enslaved to dig for black stones and the rule is if you find out you get set free the only problem is the general has taken her for his personal slave and SA her every night. She will never get out. Then she hatches the plan to steal his dragon and fly off. The only problem is she can talk to the dragon which is a very rare gift. He doesn't remembers her and because of his dragon he agrees to take her with him and teaches her how to work her gift and how to fight. He wants her and she hates him. They are both attracted to each other and both have past trauma and hold back from each other. She slowly starts to trust him but he won't let her in and once he gets with her he starts treating her different but also still won't leave her alone.

I have a love hate relationship with Talon I feel like if he was just honest with her things might be different. Calista is strong and has been through so much. But she gave into him to fast and she just take what he gives and I hate that. Shes a no bullshit kind of girl. She needs to be stronger with him.

I Couldn't put it down and I knew it was going to end on a cliff hanger but because of where we ended I can't wait to see what book 2 has in store for us.

Thank You NetGalley for this Audio-Arc in exchange for my honest review.