Book Review :: We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark

We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark
ISBN: 0241740037
Series: Empire of Blood #1
Published by Michael Joseph
on 10 December 2025
Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Romantasy, Supernatural, Vampires
Pages: 432
Goodreads

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…

Last updated on 23 March 2026

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What is We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark about?

We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark is about Arvelle, who’s been doing whatever it takes to keep herself and her younger brothers alive in the dangerous Thorn district. It’s not pretty, but it works. Until a vampire shows up on her doorstep and blows the whole thing up.

Backed into a corner, Arvelle makes a magically binding vow to do something completely unhinged – kill the emperor, an ancient vampire created by an actual god. No pressure.

To even get close, she has to survive the Sundering – a brutal arena where only the fastest, strongest, and most ruthless make it out alive and into the emperor’s elite guard.

“One of my worst realizations was how many people will—without a second thought—trade other people’s freedoms for their own minor comforts.”

She’s barely through the door before she’s made an enemy of the Primus, the powerful figure tasked with keeping the emperor alive. Totally fine. Except the vampire under that armour turns out to be someone she never expected – and definitely wasn’t ready to deal with.

Now, with her brothers’ lives on the line, Arvelle has to team up with the man who once broke her heart AND the emperor’s sadistic son, Rorrik. Two vampires with murky motives, one impossible mission, and a set of mysterious powers Arvelle is developing that would get her killed if the emperor found out.

My thoughts on We Who Will Die

Sometimes I’ll launch into a Booktok/Bookstagram viral book like this and it will be a big flop for me (I’m looking at you, Arcana Academy), but I can tell you with certainty that We Who Will Die was not one of those books.

I loved it.

I will admit I didn’t realise it had vampires in it. I didn’t actually know much about it when I bought it, and the back synopsis of the physical book said nothing about vampires, as you can see below.

So that was a surprise.

But once I got over that and shifted into the Vampire-Ancient-Rome book mindset, I was all in.

While there were obviously lots of tropes and sequences of plot that you’ll be very familiar with if you read fantasy or romantasy, I think the combination of the Ancient Roman vibes alongside the Vampires made it really unique – at least, I hadn’t read anything with that combo before.

There was some interesting vampire lore in this book, including the fact that vampires can be made but also born, and the vampires who have the most to do with Arvelle are mostly around her age and not 500 years old. So that’s a win.

“That’s the thing about rights—you don’t realize you’ve taken them for granted until one day, you wake up, and they’re no longer a right. They’re a privilege reserved for other people.”

I also really liked how Arvelle, as our main character, isn’t a teenager. She’s in her mid-20s I believe, which gives her a bit more life experience than many MCs I’ve read. And the fact she has two younger brothers and isn’t just little Orphan Annie who gets thrown into the big bad world, but it doesn’t really matter coz she has no friends or family to be sad about it … it was a nice change, I have to say!

There are lot of other really cool characters who I’m looking forward to reading more about and having more of in the next book, We Who Will Rise. Which I’ve just discovered isn’t out until 20127.

As you can tell, I really enjoyed this book! If you like fantasy or romantasy with a bit of twist, you’re full circle back in your vampire era, or you’re a fan of Classics (Ancient Greece or Rome), then this is a goer for you!

Have you read We Who Will Die? What did you think?