We Who Will Die: An Epic Romantasy of Forbidden Love, Deadly Secrets, and Vampires in a High-Stakes Arena, Discover a Vividly Reimagined Ancient Rome (Empire of Blood, 1)

I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read the next in the series! I always love a book with a strong female main character! She is strong and flawed and relatable!

We Who Will Die throws vampires, gladiators, political betrayal, dangerous magic, and a vicious cliffhanger into a Roman-inspired fantasy. I spent the first two-thirds wondering when the excitement would arrive. The final third answered that question with romance, betrayals, and twists that made the slower beginning worth pushing through. Arvelle Dacien enters the Sundering with one goal. She must survive the gladiatorial tournament, earn a place in the emperor’s guard, and assassinate the ancient vampire ruler before her brother dies. Her dormant gold sigil begins awakening inside an arena filled with deadly competitors, magical creatures, and a killer targeting the gladiators. The Roman influences made the setting feel fresh. The raised and lowered thumbs reminded me of the Gladiator movie. The Julius Caesar references made for public spectacle, imperial politics, and inevitable betrayal. Vampires ruling a brutal arena empire was a combination I did not know I needed. Arvelle was strong, funny, compassionate, and a baddie. She could kill someone without hesitation, but she refused to treat innocent lives as disposable. Her attempts to protect the magical creatures made their deaths even more upsetting. Those poor animals were trapped, terrified, and trying to survive. I was not emotionally prepared for this much creature death. Tiernon was the true highlight. The ruthless Primus beneath the black armor is also Arvelle’s childhood love who disappeared six years earlier breaking her heart. Their reunion gives us anger, longing, sexiness, and banter. Their arena sparring scene had me swooning when Tiernon insisted Arvelle was still alive because of him while she rolled her eyes. Sir, who do you think you are talking to? Rorrik brings danger, secrets, and romantic tension as he helps Arvelle understand her emerging abilities. His motives are difficult to trust with one major betrayal being too easy to predict. The plot tries to juggle vampires, sigils, gladiator politics, assassination, necromancy, gods, magical creatures, class warfare, religious conflict, a serial killer, family responsibilities, and two powerful love interests. No wonder I kept zoning out. I hope the next book trims a few threads and gives the strongest tropes more room to breathe. That cliffhanger was vicious. Arvelle and Tiernon’s romance, the arena battles, and the final wave of twists left me ready for the sequel. Stacia Stark has finished building the empire. I am excited to see her spread her wings. Pick this up if you love deadly tournaments, Roman-inspired vampire worlds, protective heroes, second-chance romance, and brutal cliffhangers.

Cool Vampires Cool Sigil Marked magic users Forced plot

Thank you Netgalley, Author Stacia Stark, and Avon / HarperAudio Adult for the eArc Audiobook of We Who Will Die in exchange for an honest review.

4/5
Creative take on Vampires that I haven't seen in recent years.

I actually did really love this book. The vampires were amazing and really hit on the vampirism is a curse with many draw backs. This fresh addition in a world of OP Vampires is one that had me cheering throughout the story. The world building was base level, but very solid and enjoyable. We run into Arvelle a 24 year-old sigil marked doing what she can to keep the home running while affording medicinal tonic for one of her brothers. Low and behold she is forced by a Vampire to head back to the Gladiatorial arena to compete for a spot amongst the ranks of the Emperors most trusted elite guards. The reason? To kill the paranoid Emperor! "Is it really paranoia if people are actually trying to kill you?"

The story is one filled with murder, betrayal, and fantastical creatures. Arvelle is a headstrong FMC that puts her brothers safety and well-being before anything. The story kept me going and interested to the last page and I can not wait for the next one. The FMC doesn't portray herself to be the smartest or the best. She acknowledges that she isn't as good as she once was and that her age and injuries have slowed her down. Honestly, I did enjoy her. Her choices can be irritating at times, but it was done in a way that shows her character and who she is. Some might groan at her dialogue but the follow up after is normal something that had me going "you were saying?" with a little cackle.

This book does have detailed intimate scenes near the 60 or 70 % mark, but I would argue that they aren't the focus or drive of the story. They are a sweet and nice side addition that adds to the humanity and gives us moments between the brutal bloodshed and political plotting. The narrators did a good job making the book feel more immersive than I anticipated. However, I did get a bit annoyed about half way through when all the male characters started to sound the same and all of the female characters outside of Arvelle sounded like Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlett Witch.

February 2026 - Britt’s pick