*I received an advance reading copy of this book from Hachette Book Group Canada in exchange for an honest review.
(Seven Faceless Saints #1)
by M.K. Lobb
February 7, 2023
Goodreads Summary:
In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with terrifying and unjust power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive.
After her father’s murder at the hands of the Ombrazian military, Rossana Lacertosa is willing to do whatever it takes to dismantle the corrupt system—tapping into her powers as a disciple of Patience, joining the rebellion, and facing the boy who broke her heart. As the youngest captain in the history of Palazzo security, Damian Venturi is expected to be ruthless and strong, and to serve the saints with unquestioning devotion. But three years spent fighting in a never-ending war have left him with deeper scars than he wants to admit… and a fear of confronting the girl he left behind.
Now a murderer stalks Ombrazia’s citizens. As the body count climbs, the Palazzo is all too happy to look the other way—that is, until a disciple becomes the newest victim. With every lead turning into a dead end, Damian and Roz must team up to find the killer, even if it means digging up buried emotions. As they dive into the underbelly of Ombrazia, the pair will discover something more sinister—and far less holy. With darkness closing in and time running out, will they be able to save the city from an evil so powerful that it threatens to destroy everything in its path?
Discover what’s lurking in the shadows in this dark fantasy debut with a murder-mystery twist, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kerri Maniscalco.
Review
Seven Faceless Saints has such a promising synopsis I'm honestly disappointed I didn't like it more. The story was quite slow; I was constantly hoping for more things to be happening.
"If you accept that one thing might not be true, everything unravels." (arc, p. 282) Religion is a strong theme in Seven Faceless Saints. It also happens to be the one aspect of the story that I didn't really enjoy. The saints felt like convenient excuses used by the characters to justify certain behaviours of theirs. I didn't like that at all.
I was however, hooked on finding the truth about the murders. They felt senseless yet methodical. Each one found was dark and horrifying. They made me uneasy but invested. Following the subtle hints, I was able to guess who the true villain was. While they did not surprise me, their fanatical nature was very chilling.
M.K. Lobb is really good at writing emotions. Her characters dealt with anger, fear and grief on a deeply realistic level. Roz had so many good reasons to be angry. While she may not have made any big differences yet, I applaud her for taking up arms. It was hard to relive the trauma Damian went through and is still experiencing. He was a completely different person because of it. I hope the darkness inside him doesn't lead him too astray.
Presently I am unsure if I'd pick up the sequel to Seven Faceless Saints. I am filing it under maybe as I do care quite a bit about the characters. If the pacing picks up in the next book, I may give it a go.
*I received an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the ARC I received.
Oh that has me nervous! I just got this in a book box. I thought it sounded like a maybe kind of read as well. I was hoping to find that I would be pleasantly surprised but now I'm terrified! Lol. Still might give it a read at some point! I do enjoy a good mystery and glad to hear that the characters were enjoyable still! Nice review!
ReplyDeleteThe book box edition is so gorgeous, I'm sad I didn't love this book more :( Fingers crossed you'll like this one a lot more than I did!
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