What happens when you take the bloody and high-stakes Roman Empire and inject it with Vampire Diaries vibes? Simple – you get We Who Will Die – A story of a crushing vampiric empire and the cost of surviving in a gory world that views you as evening entertainment.
This book did get one hell of a lead up prior to release, and I was lucky enough to get my hands on a limited edition copy from Book of The Month. The big question is, does We Who Will Die live up to its killer reputation?
Quality of Writing
Rating: 5/5
We Who Will Die is a clear homage to the current US political climate. The parallel between the crumbling empire and our current administration isn’t a subtle nod – it’s a flashing neon sign. With that in mind, being able to create a powerful story with such a polarizing topic is a difficult task not to be taken lightly, and this book manages to pull it off successfully. Making political discourse actually readable? 5 stars. No notes.
In case it wasn’t clear: This book is political. Books are political. If you find yourself identifying with the authoritarian empire and not the disenfranchised, sounds like you might need to think about that.
Plot Development
Rating: 5/5
I’ll be honest: the first few chapters of We Who Will Die had me checking the clock a couple times. But once the gears shifted into drive, I was hooked. This is one of those books where “trust the process” feels apt, with a perfectly executed buildup to an explosive end.
Characters
Rating: 3/5
While I loved the plot of We Who Will Die, I did not feel particularly compelled by any of the major or side characters, save for Arvelle, Rorrik and the Maginari. Tiernon comes off as a major pushover, and as a certified insta-lust hater, the dynamic between Arvelle and Tiernon fell flat for me, despite knowing the past relationship history.
I also found the lack of side character development and exploration pretty disappointing, especially for Maeva, who is allegedly such a good friend.
Ease of Reading
Rating: 3/5
In a similar vein to the above, the lack of side character development throughout We Who Will Die, while also having a metric crap ton of them, made the name drops confusing as hell. I had to backtrack several times to remember who was who, which broke a lot of the immersion for me
Ending
Rating: 4/5
This is where the hype is: We Who Will Die has some stellar twists that I genuinely did NOT expect, which is rare for a formulaic genre like Romantasy. HOWEVER, the obvious love triangle leadup between Arvelle, Tiernon, and Rorrick gives me the ick slightly, though as a fan of Vampire Diaries, I’m sure I’ll get over it eventually. All that being said, team Rorrick – not sorry!
Would I Recommend This Book
Yes. We Who Will Die presents a really intriguing concept and is not something I have ever read before. I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this series as I’m pretty jazzed to see where this trilogy goes.
Overall Rating
We Who Will Die provides excellent and relevant political commentary with a high-stakes plot. Although the character development and pure abundance of said characters feels clunky, the book still manages to stick a solid landing and leaves me excited for what’s to come.
Book Rating: 4/5 (TW: Blood, Gore, Death, Addiction)
Spice Rating: 2/5
Curious about how I rate my reads? Check out my Rating System Blog Post for more!
Let’s Talk
Are you a fan of the love triangle trope? Why or why not?
Reading Stack
Previous Book: Amid Clouds and Bones
Current Book: Rings of Fate
Next Book: Blood of Hercules
Leave a Reply