Title: The Death King
Author: Penelope Barsetti
Series: Death series #1
Thank you to Penelope Barsetti, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
To give a clearer warning than the one at the end of the blurb—If you can’t handle the repeated rape of the protagonist and her resultant suicidal ideations, don’t go anywhere near this book. Think it might still be worth it? Heard it’s the next Fourth Wing or some shit? Trust me, don’t.
I turned this book on while getting ready for bed, intending to listen for maybe an hour before falling asleep.
Now it’s 3 am
and
I
am
PISSED.
DNF 42% because I’ve spent the last 88 minutes listening to a woman tell a man she doesn’t want to have sex with him. Seriously, I did the math. 88 minutes of an entitled man-child having a tantrum because he wants to play with his new toy but the toy says no. Unequivocally.
And I have a very, very bad feeling that’s all this book is going to be about.
*rereads the blurb*
Oh, god. That is what the book’s about. No spoilers here, the blurb is a perfect summary of the 42% I just listened to. No need to read the first half, just skim the blurb and open ‘er up around the halfway mark.
I thought there’d be more substance. More plot. “But the Death King doesn’t accept that answer”…..so while the overarching plot explores talking to dragons and why that’s important, the romantic subplot will be the Death King wooing his way into her pants and falling in love in the process. Like a character I can respect. Right? Doesn’t that sound like a reasonable assumption?
Well, I assumed wrong. The Death King doesn’t accept no, so he keeps badgering and threatening and wheedling and ordering, over and over and over—
This book had such a wonderful start. Before the prologue had even concluded I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop until it was done. I was in for a sleepless 9-hour binge. I hated that Barsetti had thrust Calista into such horrible circumstances, I usually don’t go in for that, but her writing was so powerful, so evocative, so fluid, the premise so promising, the Death King so captivating—and dragons! Love them!—that I was willing to overlook a year of daily rape and see where the story went.
We got to the castle and the king’s appeal wavered a bit; it became apparent his arrogance was built less of confidence and conviction and more of entitlement and bluster. He held the power and wasn’t afraid to abuse it. I kept waiting to see the decency that was supposed to lay under the evil armor, the decency that would endear him to me.
But he just kept being a selfish brat, not showing her any respect. I began to worry…. Wasn’t I supposed to like this guy? Is he not the love interest?
And then he raped her. Yes, she came, no, it wasn’t penetrative sex. I don’t care. She did not consciously consent. It was sexual assault.
And I was done. Furious, nauseous, and done.
“But the Death King doesn’t accept that answer”–so he’s supposed to work that much harder to make her like him! Not fucking rape her!
And why are we spending nearly 20% of the book on this?! The book’s almost half gone and very little narrative progress as been made. Where’s the plot?
God, the wasted potential. Also, how did this get published? It’s maddening.
I’m willing to hear arguments if anyone thinks I should give it a second chance. If it gets better. If it becomes less about sex and more about anything else. Otherwise, no thank you.
