Series Name: Seven Faceless Saints, # 1
Review By Veronica
Seven Faceless Saints is a dark fantasy that is sure to keep you up until the wee hours of the morning.
Favourite Quote:
Then he picked up the knife.
When the first drops of blood fell, it was almost a relief. Stark fear gave way to welcome inertia.
By the time he realized he was dying, it was far too late.
Goodreads Synopsis:
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?
I love YA fantasy books and am always excited when I discover a new series I can sink into. I met M.K. Lobb when she was part of a local YA fantasy event in our area. Firstly, she is absolutely delightful, and I loved listening to her talk about her writing process and her books. She pitched this book as a fantasy with a murder mystery twist, which instantly piqued my interest. I loved this book. M.K. does a great job hooking readers in with a dark, twisty first chapter. This story opens with Leonzio, who is a disciple (aka someone with magic). He is in a paranoid state. He thinks there is something in the darkness out to get him and that he is about to die. A quick series of actions follows that leaves Leonzio dead. I love a good murder mystery, but I’ve never read one that is set in a fantasy world where magic exists. I’m going to break this review down into three parts: one that talks about the mystery elements, the next about the fantasy elements, and finally, the characters.
This story is an excellent and dark murder mystery. Usually, I am pretty good at figuring out whodunit, but in this case, the murderer was someone I was not expecting. At the beginning of the book, we already know that one man has been murdered, but we soon come to realize that there are other murders out there that are eerily similar to Leonizo’s murder. The problem is that Damian has only been tasked with finding out who murdered Leonizo and has been ordered not to look into any connections between the murders. This is because the other people who have been murdered are part of the “unfavoured” class, aka people who don’t have magic. They are considered second-class citizens who are often seen as expendable. The class system and political elements in this story dictate the direction in which the mystery elements go. Damian and Roz are forced to investigate these murders in secret so as not to draw attention to the fact that they are breaking orders, which gives this story this cloak-and-dagger feel to it. I got this double dose of heightened urgency while reading this book. The first was the feeling of urgency because there was a murderer on the loose, and the other was there were so many moments when it felt like Damian and Roz were going to get caught. It really made this book an addictive read. I got this rush of adrenaline. M.K. knows how to write a good mystery. She knows when to put in those twists and turns and does a great job at leaving those breadcrumbs that readers can follow as they try to figure out who the murderer is.
Now, let’s chat about the fantasy elements in this story. M.K. has built an interesting world. She does a great job of not overwhelming her readers with world-building information right at the beginning of the book. I like the world she has created. It’s interesting, and I loved learning about the history of this world. Within Damion and Roz’s world, there is this prominent feeling of the haves and have-nots. The Disciples are the ones whom the saints bless with magic. With the support of the military, the Disciples rule with an iron fist, and the unfavourable often suffer at the hands of the Disciples. In the background of this story is this war that is waging up north. This war and its effects on society are always present and are the catalyst for some major plot movements in this book. I loved the history, and I will say folklore around the Saints. The Saints are worshipped like gods, and their “will” is upheld by the Disciples and the military. M.K. did a fabulous job at blending together all these fantasy elements with a complex political system.
Damion and Roz are great MCs. They are really opposites in nature. Damion is calm and willingly follows any order that he has been given. Roz is a force of nature that sees the system as corrupt and unjust and wants to watch it burn. Watching two characters who are the complete opposite of each other work together is always entertaining. The added bonus with this story is that Damion and Roz used to be friends and lovers but had a falling out when Damion’s father murdered Roz’s father. This means that there is also this enemy-to-lover element in their relationship. I enjoyed both of these characters. They are both trying to navigate and survive. Damion’s character was particularly interesting. He often comes across as this just and calm man, but underneath that exterior is something dark and chaotic. We get a glimpse of it occasionally, but you know that there is more going on with him. Roz is that typical brash heroine who often acts before she thinks. She is passionate about what she believes in and fiercely protective of those she cares about. Overall, I really enjoyed their characters and cannot wait to see what happens to them in the second book.
Seven Faceless Saints is a fascinating and addictive read.
