Review: Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb

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?

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.

What I thought

This is a debut young adult murder mystery with some horror elements.  There is also a very angsty romance.  In this world, they worship Saints, which are essentially Gods.  So, one really big question that is present in this story is can you erase a Saint/God?

The two main characters in this story are Rossana “Roz” and Damian.  Roz and Damian were childhood sweethearts that have essentially turned their back on each other for many reasons that you learn as the story goes on.  Yes, most of them will make you just shake your head, but hey they are teenagers that are thinking with their emotions mostly.  Don’t get me wrong, they just lack the life experience to know better.  Nothing is simple in this world, either you have some kind of magical ability, and you are used to make weapons for the war, or you are non-magical, and you are sent to the front lines to die.  This is all for a cause, most do not even believe in.  Roz finds out later than most that she has a magical ability, and she hates it.  She does not believe in this war, and she finds herself the only magic-wielding person in a rebel group.  And that goes about as well as you would think it would.

As much as I enjoyed the book, there were times when the angst between the two main characters became a bit much.  Then again, I am not a teenager and haven’t been one for a long time.  So, I am guessing that this is just a me issue, since I am not technically the target demographic for this book.  I liked the fact that they addressed PTSD in a very real way.  Both of these characters are molded by their traumatizing pasts.  Damian holds onto his faith as his lifeline because if it’s not real then everything he was forced to endure was for nothing.  More than once he is confronted with this reality, and I think his conflict felt real.

I am usually a character-driven reader, but I think what held me was the world and the potential for what is going to happen next.  I am really hoping that the characters will be a little stronger in the next book now that we have the will, they won’t they out of the way.

I am really excited to see where this series is going next.

My Rating: /5

Have you read this book? If so what did you think? Tell me in the comments below.