4.3 (7,360 ratings)

The Death King: Death, Book 1

Name: The Death King: Death, Book 1
Rating: 4.3 (7360 reviews)
Author: Penelope Barsetti
ISBN: B0D84BZKGD

by Penelope Barsetti

demons

About this book

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 listeners.

Publication Date: May 25, 2026
ASIN: B0D84BZKGD

Reader Reviews

What a start!!! Love it!

August 30, 2024

adventurous, dark, emotional, tense, medium-paced Plot- or character-driven? Plot Strong character development? N/A Loveable characters? It's complicated Diverse cast of characters? Yes Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes Rating: 4.75 The Queen of cliffhangers strikes again; I can't wait for book 2 to be released!! I am vested in the outcome of this story. This new dark fantasy romance series has started with fire! Calista witnessed her father's death at the 'hands' of the Death King; for...

Solid 4.5

September 4, 2024

Even tho I wanted to absolutely smash the FMC at the end of the book. Granted, because I’m here reading so I can see or envision things differently but holy smokes! The story is good, really good, and I’ll be eager to see how these two dance in the next book. There were a few editing kerfuffles (a scene where his shirt is described in some detail only to state in the next sentence “he was shirtless…” There’s also the small matter, if you read Barsetti books, “his big d*ck” “his fat d*ck” And...

Of course this was even better than I was expecting!

September 2, 2024

I've been craving another Penelope Barsetti fantasy read since I finished the Dirty Blood series. If you've read that series, you already know you'll love this. No one does spice like her! Typically I read fantasy with less spice and I find it tiresome after the first couple encounters. But Penelope writes it so well it's impossible to get tired of it. The build up is as good as the reward! She still writes a killer story to boot! The characters and world in this story are fully fleshed out....

Smut rather than Fantasy

November 28, 2024

Please check book trigger warnings! Interesting dark book. I don’t know how I feel about it honestly. Was is the best writing and book I’ve ever read, no. But did I read the whole thing in a day, yes. The story is not really a romance maybe there will be more of that in the next book. It was very easy to read and more conversational than world building or internal monologue. I would say 3/4 of the book is just the MMC trying to sleep with the MFC. Which was weird and creepy and problematic but...

WOW!! Great read and excited to read the completed series!!

July 27, 2025

This is my first time reading this author and I had been waiting for the series to be completed with all five books. I'm so thankful that I started the series because the first book has really drawn me in. I'm enjoying the storyline, the World building and the enemies to friends \\ lovers plot. I love when a book is so well written that it grabs my attention and I just have a total escapism and want to spend the day reading. This book definitely checks all my boxes and I would highly recommend...