Early Review--We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark

 

From the bestselling author of the Kingdom of Lies series comes a slow-burn romantasy set in a Roman-inspired world ruled by merciless vampires. Filled with breathtaking combat, vengeful gods, and magical creatures, We Who Will Die is the epic first installment in an enthralling new series perfect for fans of Carissa Broadbent, Jasmine Mas, and Rebecca Yarros.

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…

Stacia Stark's We Who Will Die was an intriguing read coupled with vampires, magic, and mystery--my favorite combo! This was a book that kept me on my toes and needing to read more to see where things would end up. With its gladiator style world, you can expect there to be bloody, brutal violence and when you add vampires to the mix you amp up the danger! Kane really sets the pacing for this one and it was amazing!

Arvelle is a young woman trying to get by through life as a bodyguard for hire as she cares for her two younger brothers, who is suffering from a fatal lung disease that is slowly killing him. Then in walks Bran, a vampire who is willing to make a deadly deal with her. He will offer up the services of a healer who can cure her brother, if Arvelle agrees to participate in the Sundering--a gladiator style competition--and essentially, kill the emperor. Arvelle competed in the Sundering years ago and won, but it cost her too much and she wants nothing more to do with the competition, but when her brother's life takes a dangerous turn, she agrees.

Unfortunately for Arvelle, her name is still somewhat known and it draws unwanted attention to her. Even the masked Primus, the emperor's top guard has taken an unwanted interest in her. He makes it very clear how unwanted her presence is at this competition but Arvelle is now duty bound to succeed. Arvelle will not just have to survive the Sundering again, she will have to survive the cutthroat competition among her fellow fighters in this dog-eat-dog kind of world. Here there are no friendships and it seems everyone is out for themselves and will use everyone else to get what they want.

It's amazing how Stark is able to incorporate some lightness into this already darkened world. Arvelle does have some kindness in her life at this competition but of course, she's protecting herself from past hurts and not really allowing herself to feel anything. Her past becomes very important to her present. As we are treated to a series of flashbacks to a past relationship that took time to grow into something more before leaving her heartbroken It becomes clear what her future holds in the current timeline once these things are revealed to us, but I won't get into that here and instead let you experience these events yourself.

But never fear, there is some romance in this one! I get the feeling that there may even be a love complication on the horizon. As of now, though, that is merely speculation. There's no hard evidence of such happening in the story itself, but just an inkling I'm getting!

I did feel like at times the pacing could have been a little better. There were moments that seemed to be stretched out a little thin to add something here and there, that wasn't really needed to that extent. But that's just a personal thing on my part. Plus I was reading the last chunk of this with a blooming head cold, so that likely could've been another factor to consider.

There were quite a few interesting developments in this one towards the end. Lots of secrets coming out of the shadows that will make for an interesting rest of the trilogy for sure! I am definitely looking forward to seeing how things will turn out in this series. 

If you're looking for a read with that epic Greek mythology feel to it coupled with vampires, mystery, mayhem, and a bit of romance, then this is a series you are going to want to check out asap!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

We Who Will Die releases December 30, 2025