Book Review | Seven Faceless Saints

"All manner of vicious things are made more feasible by the dark, are they not? It provides a stage upon which to peel back the mask of morality donned beneath the wretched sun."

In the city of Ombrazia, a serial killer is stalking the streets, killing non-magic users, so Rossana Lacertosa reluctantly teams up with her former childhood best friend to try and track them down, and, all in the meanwhile, a rebellion is brewing.

Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb paints a captivating venetian-inspired fantasy crime thriller that's steeped in shadows.

I think first and foremost I really loved the world in this one. Here magic-users are descendants of the original saints, and each line has their own unique power. For instance, Roz is descended from Patience and has the ability to manipulate metal. However, on the flipside of that, occasionally a descendant doesn’t inherit their saint’s powers and is seen as a disgrace. This is the case for male lead, Damian, so he finds himself constantly trying to prove his worth to his father.

While I adored the worldbuilding, I feel like the plot and the characters' inner dialogue needed more focus in this one. For instance, the two MCs' horny thirst thoughts during their murder investigation gave me tonal whiplash and felt out of place at times. The rebellion subplot is also too often forgotten despite its importance to the plot. This felt like a missed opportunity to me because it would have added even more tension and conflict--especially since Damian is a security captain working for the state.

Overall, despite some flaws, this was still an enjoyable read for me since I'm a hopeless sucker for murder mysteries and fantasy influenced by Catholicism.

Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : February 7, 2023

Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN : 031638688X

Pages : 400

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