We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark

Title: We Who Will Die

Author: Stacia Stark

Genre: Romantasy

Series: Empire of Blood # 1

423 pages, Hardcover

Publication: December 30, 2025

Source: Libby Library

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Life in the perilous Thorn district is a constant battle for Arvelle and her younger brothers. And the vampire standing on her doorstep is about to turn their world upside down.

Faced with an unthinkable choice, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do the impossible: kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by the god Umbros. But first, she must enter the Sundering—an arena where only the fastest, strongest, and deadliest survive long enough to be selected for the emperor’s elite guard.

She quickly draws the ire of the Primus, the powerful figure charged with protecting the emperor. But the vampire under the armor is the last person Arvelle expects to encounter in the emperor’s court.

With her brothers’ lives in the balance, Arvelle has no choice but to ally with the man who once shattered her heart… and with the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik—two vampires whose motives are impossible to pin down. Rorrik holds the key to understanding the powers Arvelle is developing—abilities that would put a price on her head if discovered by the emperor.

To survive the arena and complete her mission, Arvelle must get to the bottom of a conspiracy that will change everything she thought she knew about herself—and the two vampires who are deeply entwined with her destiny…

MY THOUGHTS

I am a big fan of Stark’s Deals with Demons and was excited to hear she was writing a new book. Gladiators and vampires with The Hunger Games vibes sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, We Who Will Die was a major disappointment for me.

I believe this book was meant to be set in the Roman Empire, or something similar but I never once got that impression. The only small hint might be the fighting in the coliseum, but that alone could apply to many settings. The world-building was all over the place, and the magic aspect was incredibly underwhelming.

This book was soooooo boring. I kept waiting for it to get better, even at 75% and it never did. I didn’t care about the plot or the characters. The storyline felt extremely generic, and while there are countless books featuring competitions or trials, this was by far the dullest execution I’ve ever read. The first two trials happened within just a couple of chapters, which was completely anticlimactic, and the final trial was so quick and uneventful that I almost missed it. Honestly, I’m not sure why the book was as long as it was, because there was barely any action or suspense. Even the reveal of who was behind Bran was unsurprising and by the time I reached the end, I simply didn’t care anymore.

I didn’t like or care about Arvelle (what an atrocious name). She’s yet another typical rage-filled character, constantly raging against society, norms, or whatever else. One thing she did over and over again that annoyed the heck out of me was constantly daydreaming or zoning out in what were supposed to be life-or-death situations. For example, she’s training and fighting against another competitor, they’re charging straight at her, and she’s completely spaced out. Then, during one of the trials, her opponent is wielding a sword and aiming straight for her head but she’s busy reminiscing about the past. Like, what the heck? There was absolutely no sense of awareness or self-preservation at all. And then there's the love triangle or love interests, who were about as interesting as a cardboard box. Could they be any more humdrum? I also guessed early on that they were brothers...again, boring and predictable.

There was nothing redeeming or worthwhile about We Who Will Die. It’s easily one of the most unoriginal and boring books I’ve read in the last few years. The use of gladiators and vampires was completely wasted on a lackluster plot and underwhelming characters. This book is absolutely nothing like The Hunger Games, not even in vibes.