Book Review
Title: Seven Faceless Saints by M. K. Lobb (Seven Faceless Saints Book 1)
Genre: Fantasy, Dark
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Seven Faceless Saints definitely opens with a bang as we witness the death of Leonzio, the chosen Disciple for the Saint of Death. One thing you have to understand early on is the caste system the world of Ombrazia resides. At the bottom you have unfavourable, those not a descendant of one of the Faceless Saints, in the middle are those like our protagonist, Damian, descended from a Saint but without magic and the Disciples are at the top, those born with magic. Due to this the murder or suicide of a Disciple is huge news and Damian is assigned to find out who is responsible. Damien is obviously suffering from PTSD due to his service in the Second War of the Saints which is happening against Brechaat. The only other perspective we have gotten so far is Ron, Damian’s ex-girlfriend whose father was branded a traitor and killed by Damian’s father.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, there was a lot of info dumping happening which was quite boring as we continue to meet characters, learn their dynamics and the state of the world. We learn of a rebellion with the city because of how the unfavourable are being treated, used a cannon fodder in the war but otherwise ignored and properly treated which is seen in the two unsolved murders of unfavourable which the people in charge aren’t even trying to solve. Roz happens to be a member of this rebellion and one of her friends is the brother of one of the victims driving her need for justice in addition to her own father’s death and Damian’s betrayal. We don’t know exactly what happened but it has to do with Damian’s silence after her father’s death which I am assuming is the time he was on the frontline being traumatised by the war. In attempting to gather information, Roz Halle s to learn Damian is also looking into these murder and offers to help him despite her hatred because she can use him as a source of information for the rebellion. This is a critical time for Damian because if he fails he will be sent back to the front and doesn’t think he will cope a second time when he barely survived the first time. This is important since I second disciple for death has been chosen in Salvestro Agosti and he might be a target.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, I was super invested in the characters since they seem a little flat and repetitive right now but once some action kicks in that might change, although I am invested in the murder mystery aspect. Roz and Damian soon learn that the murders are connected because all were killed with the same unknown poison and had their eyes removed and replaced. In speaking with the Guild of Death, Damian learns that the guild can’t speak to the dead that have had their eyes removed because they can’t see through their eyes. This seems to indicate that the murderer is either a disciple of death or someone that is privy to guild secrets meaning either way it is someone high up in society but that doesn’t answer the question of how they moved about unseen since someone high profile would be noticed by everyone around them. Damian is also keeping a close eye on Roz, suspecting that there is something she is hiding which we know she is.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, we see Roz and Damian working together to try and solve these murders and Roz is helping break some rebels out of prison. However, outside of this nothing has really happened and I was a little bored so I am hoping that something happens soon. For the first time since her father’s death, Roz and Damian talk about his time in the north and the role he played in her father’s death. Roz in anger takes Damian’s master key to go looking for answers herself. In the Chief Justice’s office she finds several things putting the uniform Damian loaned her to use. The first thing she finds is a letter to Forte from Damian’s father claiming his son is too soft and he is seeing him back up north by the end of the week uncaring if he does out it destroys him emotionally. The second thing she finds is the coroners reports which prove the murders are connected but Forte is hiding something about them and she is going to find out what it is. We also get the perspective of Bianca who is going to be victim number four.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, things definitely started to pick up as we see Roz stumble across Bianca’s body but she is caught by Damian who assumes she is the killer. Roz ends up coming clean to him about what she is doing and how his father is involved and might be pulling all the strings behind the scenes, which Damian doesn’t want to believe but he knows deep down it’s true. They end up reconnecting on more than one level, but Roz hasn’t told him she is part of the rebellion yet but she is planning to at some point. However, Damian goes to confront his father after he finds the corpse of Forte and realises someone had been masquerading him as him using illusions which is the power that belongs to Disciples of Chaos, who were supposedly wiped out. In response, his father knocks Damian out and sends him back north with Michele’s brother who immediately begins beating him and I think it might be up to Roz to save him.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Roz realises what is happening and recruiters Siena and Kiran to rescue Damian which they manage to do. Damian obviously can’t return to where he was so Roz takes him to Piera, the rebel leader and she offers him shelter for a few days. That night Damian and Roz talk seriously and sleep together but she doesn’t tell him she’s a rebel. During the night Piera is killed and Roz has to face that in the morning but it is more than that. Piera wanted Roz to take over the rebellion but the others refuse to follow her and essentially cast her out but she is allowed to help free the other rebels first. By the time Damian wakes up she has gone with the rebels and he gives chase but he has learnt the stones in the victims eyes are used by Chaos disciples to amplify their power. Damian stumbles across the chaos and finds Roz in the middle of it but can’t accept what she is doing is the right choice and he has a hard choice to make himself now whether he stands with her or against her.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, we see all the threads that have been unravelling finally explode into the thing I was waiting for in the first half of the novel. As this is my second reading I was expecting to rate it about the same but I think I was so bored during my first read that it tainted the reveals that happen in the second half but that didn’t happen this time. I could also see the possible plot line for the second book and I can’t wait to see if I’m right. Overall, Seven Faceless Saints is definitely slow to take off considering the length of the book but the second half really does make up for it. My rating has definitely gone up on rereading and I can’t wait to jump into the sequel.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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