Vampires and Gladiators? Yes, please. This slow burn romantasy was addictive. If I could have put my responsibilities on hold, I would have finished this in a day. I loved it all....Roman-inspired world ruled by tyrant Vampires, gladiator style trials, vengeful gods, twists and turns, second chance romance, and....potentially a love triangle? The plot was great, the world was creative, and the characters were fantastic. Highly recommend. And now I eagerly away book 2.

Breathtaking. Brutal. Beautiful.

Stacia Stark has once again delivered a masterclass in dark fantasy with We Who Will Die. From the first page, I was swept into a world that is as unforgiving as it is mesmerizing. The morally gray characters, slow-burn tension, and high-stakes plot twists kept my heart racing the entire time. Stark’s writing is sharp and lyrical, painting vivid imagery while plunging deep into emotional and psychological complexity.

If you crave:
⚔️ Dark fantasy with teeth
❤️‍🔥 Angsty, high-stakes romance
👑 Morally gray characters
🖤 Found family, betrayal, sacrifice
🔥 Jaw-dropping plot twists

…this one absolutely delivers.

Stacia Stark continues to raise the bar. I’m obsessed and already counting down for what comes next.

This is the easiest 5 star rating review. I absolutely loved reading this from beginning to end. I have read Stacia Stark’s work before and this one is her very best.
I have to really praise the world-building in this book. I love how everyone kept describing it as a gladiator story but with vampires, because that’s exactly what it is. I loved Arvelle’s character and how we get full flashbacks into her backstory, how much she takes care of her brothers (eldest daughter syndrome at its finest), and how she persists even when grief is beating her down.

I personally loved the various hints to a bigger better plot. The gods conflicts, The emperor’s bad reign, the vampire’s rebellion, how they could one day walk in the sun. I loved seeing the potential of all these conflicts being connected in the future. It shows great world-building and plot scheming in the book. I also have to praise the new friendships Arvelle makes plus old reunions. Her reuniting with Tiernan gave me a lot of excitement. I still don’t know what to think of Rorik but there’s potential and I need to know their past. Maeva was a great addition and even a great parallel to Kasia. And then there’s the twins, I really hope they have a big role in the future.

Great book and I am positive many people will run to get this one when it releases next year.

6 stars. 7 stars. All the stars. A Roman gladiator-inspired romantasy with vampires, magical powers, griffons, wyverns, gorgons, and more. Yearning and romance and a morally gray situation named Rorrik. Epic battles and epic stakes. I've already recommended it to everyone I know and shall continue to do so. The writing and pacing is excellent. Every scene served a purpose and I never felt that things were happening to quickly without narrative consistency or too slowly for no reason. The characters are well-written and well-rounded and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley for selecting me as an ARC reader for this book.

My Sincere gratitude to Stacia, Avon, Harper Voyager & NetGalley for entrusting me with an advanced copy to read and give a fair review.

Vampires, Mythical Beasts, Gods, Unique Magic Users (Sigilmarked) & Gladiator Battles, what more could we ask for? Stacia Stark truly outdid herself in this stunning Romanesque, Vampire Romantasy Adventure. I was so drawn into the world that I found myself cheering for, crying over, and raging alongside the FMC. An easy 5-star series!

Arvelle has lived in the Thorn district all of her life and as such, has faced unrelenting hardships and insurmountable losses which have molded her into a woman who guards her heart, while remaining a fierce protector over her only remaining family she has left. When the health and safety of her younger brothers are at risk, she is forced to sacrifice everything and enter into the Sundering, a gladiator-style competition where contestants must survive the perilous odds in the Emperor’s Arena. As if that wasn’t enough of a risk, she is simultaneously blackmailed into a magically-binding contract where she must also win the Sundering and become a trusted elite guard where she might gain access to, and assassinate, the Emperor.

This story offers a substantial amount of character growth for both our main characters and supporting roles and I found myself wanting backstories of many of those supportive characters as well. While our FMC is certainly someone I immediately felt a connection to, I also found myself loving other characters in the story. The pacing was magnificent and left me regretful for every moment I had to put the book down for life off-page. I loved that there were elements of mystery and suspense, risks and danger where you weren't certain who would survive, and there were plot twists that will leave me guessing and making theories now that I'm finished. I genuinely cannot stand that I’ll have to wait a bit longer than everyone else for the next book in the series to get more answers. In the meantime, I’ll be encouraging all my Book-lovers to read it as soon as possible!

Excellent Read for those who loved Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games, Carissa Broadbent’s’ Nyaxia Series, Rebecca Yarros’s Empyrean Series and similar books.

Tropes: Enemies-to-lovers, Forced Proximity, Slow Burn, Plot Twists, Banter, Loyalty, Healing after Loss, Just the right amount of Spice
Triggers: Addiction survivor, Cliffhanger (but SO worth it!)

So I’ll start off with the fact that this book is well written. It’s clear and understandable; even if there are some plot holes. I also feel the need to mention that I was two chapters in before I realized Arvelle was a female. The grammar and punctuation are mostly correct and the descriptions all make sense. However, I found this book long and slow.

I also had a hard time connecting with the characters. I just had a hard time caring. Tiernon was quite irritating and Bran just dips in and out every once in a while. i was getting there with Marva and Leon… I think but they were a little too flat. I really wanted to like someone and quite frankly it took Rorrick becoming humanized towards the end before I did. Maybe that just speaks to the characters being well written in that no matter how good or bad they were they were also not all or nothing. I would recommend this book for people that like this time period but it just wasn’t for me but at least I tried.

I would have liked to see something more happen with Arvelle’s sigil too. The mind path route could have been amazing! And can we talk about Rorrick being both sigil-marked and vampire!? I wanted so much more on this point!

This book was chaos in the best way—trials, twists, and a wild friends-to-enemies-to-lovers arc that kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had it figured out? Nope. Plot twist. I had to physically pause to process.

The grief, loyalty, sibling bonds, and mythological threads hit hard. And that cliffhanger? I’ll be feral waiting for the next one.

This is a fast paced book without any filler. Theres not a dinner scene, a getting ready for bed scene or just randomly going around the place scene. Our girl Arvella doesn't stop. Action action action.

This is about Arvella, a 25ish(?) woman who survived a hunger games style gladiator game 6 years ago. Her best friend died in those games and she's pretty much been angry and grieving. Her grief is portrayed quite well and has stopped her from truly living. She's solely raising her young teen twin brothers and one of them has a lung sickness.
Fast forward to end of chapter one and she has no choice but to get into an unbreakable bond to save her brothers life, she must survive 3 rounds of a brutal gladiator style trials and then secretly assistinate a really powerful emperor who is protected at all times.

This has vampires as the all powerful citizens who lord over the sigilmarked(ranked citizens who have a magic gift and work for the vampires) and mundanes who have no rights pretty much.
There's modern day humour and dialect but in a roman colosseum paranormal setting.

This was mostly about our girl Arvella and her trials and stages of her grief. Every page is action pact and a well thought out.
There's some mystery elements and some gods thrown in the mix.

Theres a romantic interest but I would say this book is a prelude to book 2 where I think the romance element will soar!
I've got so many theories on the mysteries in this book but also the realllllly subtle foreboding. I'm dying to know if my hunched are true!
And dare I say there might be a TRUE enemies to lovers trope coming.

This is a truly five star read by a fantastic author who knows how to make the story the main focus of a book and not drag out enjoyable reads!

WOW WOW WOW!
This book was everything I needed and more! If the vampire diaries is a comp, sign me up, but TVD X GLADIATORS, yes yes yes!

I was here for every moment of this story, beginning to end. The character development through the story of Velle, our FMC, was amazing and the action and drama in this story, perfection. I felt everything from happy, excited, terrified, to relieved with all that was happening. And that love triangle in the making??? Im here for it and will be needing more of it. This story was weaved together seamlessly and I’m so sad it’s not out yet because I’m already looking forward to book two 😂 I’ll be working my way through Stacia’s backlist in the mean time because whatever she puts in her writing, I’ll be needing more of that.

Thank you so much Avon and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review! Because wow just wow.

ARC Review – We Who Will Die ✨

4.5 stars – Blood, Bonds, and Betrayal

A dramatic fantasy that has Roman gladiator brutality with supernatural politics (think gladiator with a twist of vampire diaries). Or if you’ve ever wished Spartacus had more vampires and mythical creatures, this will be your jam.

Our FMC Arvelle, a sigil-marked, is forced into the emperor’s deadly Sundering — trials in the sand with monsters and man — not for glory, but to save her sick brother. Blackmailed into a blood bond with a vampire, she has no choice but to fight.

We get centaurs and gryphons, kelpies and vampires. At its core, this story is about fractured siblings, power struggles, sacrifice, and the line between survival and honor. And yes, there’s a slow-burning possible love triangle that feels earned rather than forced.

Fans of dark epic fantasy, and morally gray characters will find so much to love here. A brutal, beautiful debut with high stakes, sharp teeth, and an aching heart.

arc reader review: 4.5stars. i feel that this book honestly will become big on social media. this book was so good in ways i do not understand. the connections between the characters is crazy, every word that left someone’s mouth revealed a twist. this book was so good, the only time i got slightly bored was the small info dumping but other than that, this book is literally amazing. i will buy this immediately when it hits the stores! thank you to netgalley and stacia for this arc!

This was my first Stasia Stark novel and if her other books are as compelling as this one then I will have to continue reading her other work! I loved how fast paced the story was and the setting was vividly portrayed. It reminded me of a vampire style hunger games/gladiator games! Can’t wait for the next book in the series!

This is my first book by this author, and I ate this up. Trying to describe what it was about to my husband sounded something like : “It’s sort of like Gladiator, and Hunger Games, and Greek mythology and vampire diaries all rolled into one.” Even typing that, or saying it out loud it sounds like it’s a lot - but it totally works!! I was hooked from the beginning to the end.

It has all the ingredients for a fantasy read - battles, rivalries, saving family, friendships made and lost, betrayal. Vampires, sigel-marked, mundanes (think muggles), corrupt emperor, power struggles. I thoroughly enjoyed the love story within as well. It gave me Tamlin/Rhysand vibes and I wonder how that is going to end as the series progresses. Unfortunately, will need to wait for the next book to see how it turns out. Cliffhangers were many. The plot twists throughout, and the way it all came together at the end was really well done; there was a lot that I didn’t see coming and I love that it wasn’t completely predictable, but not totally out of the blue either.

I have no doubts this will become a Booktok fave once it’s released. Thanks to Harper Collin’s and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy!

I devoured this book. It made me cry and healed me in ways I didn’t realize I needed to be healed. Thank you Stacia Stark!

Arvelle has survived betrayal after betrayal after surviving the brutal mandatory Sands. now she only cares about keeping her brothers alive, making enough money to get the next healing option that one of the twins will need. All the potions suddenly disappear and a powerful vampire makes her a deal she has no choice but to agree. In exchange for killing a powerful politician her sick brother will be healed but first she must get close enough to him and to do that she must step foot back into the one place she said she never would. The Arena.

Once Arvelle arrives she has another stipulation to her bargain. She cannot tell the Primus. The mysterious leader of the Emperor’s guard who never takes off his helmet. After training begins people start going missing. The power dynamics between marked ones ,Vampires -and humans a vast divide. It’s more evident than ever that Arvelle is very behind on her training. The Primus takes an interest and so does the Emperors oldest son Rorrik, the cold, cunning, monster of an heir.

Arvelle must make it passed the 3 challenges to become a novice and complete her task while fighting her feelings for the Primus and trying to stay alive.

This is a spoiler free review. This intriguing book had me hooked from the very beginning and didn’t let go…not even at the end. Gladiators, vampires and a unique magic system? Yes, you want to read this book right now. If this book isn’t viral next year, i will personally riot.

The characters are relatable and flawed. The plot gently cupped my cheeks with both hands and forced me to keep reading it well beyond my bedtime. There were so many twists and turns. Ones I truly hoped WOULD come and ones I didn’t see coming – like at all. The relationships are so complex, and nothing is easily won. Not victory, not even love. I’ll admit that I might have been rooting for the wrong MMC, but that’s on me. I have a love/hate relationship with love triangles, but I was here for this one. The slow burn was smoldering… right to ash. So painfully good.

The trials are stress-inducing nightmare material and there are surprising villains and unlikely heroes around every corner. There’s nothing typical about this book, except the angst that Stacia is known for. It has all my favorite tropes, including brother/sibling rivalry. I couldn’t get enough of them – every time they’re in a room together I’m holding my breath.

Check your trigger warnings and mind your mental health. Addiction is difficult for me, but it’s done with compassion, and takes a fresh look at what the family goes through, and I appreciate that. Nothing in this book is gratuitous, including the spice. It’s a solid 5 star read, all the way around…except the ending gets 1 star bc it hurt my soul.

I loved this book and want to thank Stacia Stark, NetGalley, and HarperCollins for this eArc gem and my voluntary and honest review. I’m going to be singing it’s praises all the way til book 2!!!!!!

We Who Will Die starts out with a scrappy woman using her fighting skills to make a living and support her sick family member while they live in the slums.

...Wait, haven't I read this plot before?

Fortunately for this book, it does take a few twists and turns along the way. Arvelle is forced into a tournament with the end goal of an assassination - in exchange, her brother's debilitating medical condition will be cured. Simple enough, except the assassination target is the Emperor, the most powerful, cruel, and well guarded vampire around. And Arvelle is woefully unprepared.

This book suffers from Too Much. There are so many competing plotlines that at times it's difficult to tell which one is actually important. Arvelle needs to win the tournament to gain the opportunity to assassinate the Emperor and cure her brothers, but then there's the mysterious Vampire who decides she needs to train with him in order to survive, and the OTHER mysterious good looking and terribly mean vampire who takes an interest in her, oh but also someone is running around murdering tournament participants and we have to figure out who it is, and then there's the class warfare that is conveniently popping up during tournament events, and the OTHER plot against the emperor by someone else that needs to be stopped, and also two of the tournament fighters want revenge on her for years past and...

I'm not trying to say that a book should have just one thing going on, because that's not it. It just felt like the all-important "I need to save my brothers" plotline just kind of disappeared in the midst of everything else going on. And of course, this ends in a cliffhanger. It's worth a read for sure, I'd just recommend waiting until the next book comes out so more can be resolved.

Thank you to publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is such a great book. With gladiator war games, rebelling against the government and resurrecting gods, there is a lot of action going on. The stakes are pretty high. Our MFC Arvelle takes care of her brothers and does what she needs to do to take care of them. There are two MMCs, Rorrick ( a cinnamon roll) and Tiernon ( morally grey villain), who are the sons of the emperor.
Can’t wait to see where this story goes and can’t wait for book 2.

4.5 🌟

No surprise that Stacia Stark has done it again.

Vampires meet Gladiators was a world I didn't know I was missing.

The tension between characters was spot on and I think the complex relationships are relatable for many.
"Do you truly believe people are just one thing? Entirely good or entirely evil? Is it really just that simple to you?"

There are so many moments of characters trying to choose the lesser of two evils, while navigating guilt and grief, and trying to make the world a better place under a tyrant who only cares for more powert.

I will absolutely be waiting for book 2.

It’s like Spartacus, but with vampires and a separate race of people with their own unique magic system. Solid storyline with little to no lag, complex interpersonal relationships (plenty of emotional baggage), political intrigue, and a little bit of spice. In other words, it’s pretty much perfect.
Even if you aren’t a hardcore fantasy fan, We Who Will Die is well worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon books for the opportunity to read this book!

Gladiators meets The Vampire Diaries in the best way possible.

We Who Will Die completely hooked me—this is the kind of book that has you clutching your Kindle at 2 a.m. The story ends on a small cliffhanger (nothing soul-destroying), but enough to make you reread the last few pages just to soak it all in. And the idea that my two favorite characters might be forced into very close proximity next book? Obsessed.
The romance? Absolute perfection. If you love slow burn and angst, this book delivers. There’s definite chemistry between Tiernon and Arvelle, but the banter and tension between Arvelle and Rorrik? Pure enemies-to-potential-lovers gold. I also loved how the author threaded in moments from Velle’s past—showing her PTSD and how her journey shaped who she is now. It added so much emotional weight to the story.
And the twist? OH. MY. GOD. I did not see it coming—and once it hit, I could not put this book down. If We Who Will Die isn’t a bestseller next year, I will personally riot.
This is the ultimate slow-burn romantasy in a Roman empire-inspired world—Stacia blended gods, vampires, sigils, mundanes, and mythical creatures into one of the most seamless, immersive fantasy settings I’ve read in a while.

If you crave enemies-to-lovers tension, twisty plots, and a world you can sink your teeth into, We Who Will Die belongs on your TBR. Immediately.

Thank you to Stacia Stark, NetGalley, and HarperCollins for this eArc and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.