storieswithbee's reviews
394 reviews

I listened to the audiobook version of The Death King by Penelope Barsetti, and unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. There were several issues that left me disappointed, from the plot to the character dynamics to the audiobook itself. 

 

First off, the overall plot felt underdeveloped and lacked direction. The story lost serious momentum in the middle, and I found myself waiting for something to truly hook me. The pacing was uneven, with no clear narrative driving the story forward, which made it hard to stay engaged. 

 

One of my biggest issues was with the male main character (MMC) and his treatment of the female main character (FMC). His blatant disregard for her trauma and boundaries was incredibly problematic. The way he dismissed her pain and crossed lines felt insensitive, with a toxic “but you came, so you must have liked it” attitude that I simply couldn’t get behind. It’s a huge red flag for me, and it made it difficult to root for the relationship at all. 

 

The FMC’s inner monologue didn’t help matters either—it felt flat and one-dimensional. There was little emotional depth to her thoughts, which made it hard to connect with her on any meaningful level. As for the MMC, he came across as nothing more than an arrogant prick, completely dismissive of boundaries. His attitude throughout the book was a major turn-off. 

 

The audiobook voice acting didn’t do the story any favours either. The voice of the FMC made the character seem too juvenile, and the MMC’s voice actor sounded too old and lifeless for the role, which really took away from his character. Both performances fell flat and didn’t help to bring any spark or emotion to the story. 

 

In the end, The Death King just wasn’t for me. The lack of a strong plot, the toxic dynamic between the characters, and the uninspired audiobook performance all contributed to a frustrating experience. If you’re looking for a romance with emotional depth and respectful character dynamics, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. 

I was skipping large chunks of this book because it felt so repetitive. The writing was repetitive and still unrefined. Unfortunately I probably won’t read this series again 

Again, it’s a very short read. The book more ‘tells’ you what’s happening, rather than ‘showing’ you what’s happening. I really think it could have used a little more editing to spice up the content 

I liked it, but the writing is a bit unpolished and two dimensional. The story is also extremely short. I feel like you’re getting somewhere and then it cuts off into book two. 

The only reason why I didn’t give this book 5 stars is because I think the main ‘conflict’ or plight point was resolved too easily. I felt as if the solution was too easy and simple. 

The spice is SPICING. The two main characters are going at it for about 70% of the book

I really loved how domestic and homely the relationship between the main characters felt. I feel like I really was a part of their love story and their journey. I think Allegra Hall has done a really great job of capturing the mundane side of the relationship in a narrative that has a lot of fantasy plot points.  The conversations between the two main characters felt so familiar, even genuine and real. I’ve never experienced that in a book before.