Thank you to the publisher for the free copy!
While the premise of Seven Faceless Saints was interesting, I found the pacing slow and it was not enough to grip my interest. Hence, I had to dnf it midway through the story.

This was well written and so much fun to read. I have been moving away from young adult novels as I get older, but this one was well worth the read!! I enjoyed how mysterious and dark it was.

Having had some time to think about it, I think this book firmly sits at 3.5 stars for me. But I rounded it up to 4 stars.

As is probably evident from my notes below, I loved most of this book—it was sitting at 5 stars for me most of the way through. And then the ending happened—that last 25% of the book fell flat for me, and was somewhat underwhelming.


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My notes while reading:

- I love Roz and Damien’s relationship. The banter. The angst. The memories ugh. I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers, but childhood friends to enemies to lovers is even better!

- The writing was great. I loved it a lot.

- I know some people took issue with Roz because of how angry she was. But I think it was totally justified. Was she unnecessarily rude in some instances? Yes. But in terms of her deep-seated rage over what happened to her father, and how the unfavored are being treated, I understood where she was coming from.

- Damian is a soft boy soldier and I absolutely adored him as a character! His pining (obsession) for Roz was a bit much at times, but I still loved his journey outside of that.

- I absolute adore Isla, the Coroner. I wish we’d seen more of her!

- The angst was laid on a little too thick sometimes; but I did enjoy it for the most part. There were just some moments where Roz and Damien were potentially in danger, and I felt like it wasn’t a good time to be pining for the other person so hard.

- The narrators for the audiobook were both great, but I especially loved the narrator for Damian. He was fantastic, and really captured Damian’s voice well! I also really liked their voice for the killer.

- I will say I guessed the killer fairly early on in the book. But then I started to second guess myself as the investigation went on. So in a way I was right, and in another way I was wrong. Anyway, I wish that there had been clues as to who the killer was, so that readers who were paying close attention could figure it out (unless there were clues that I just missed? that's totally possible)

- Once I reached the last quarter or so of the book, and once the villain was revealed, the story fell a bit flat for me. I won’t give spoilers, but the killer’s monologue just felt a bit too mustache-twirling for my liking. The way the villain treated Roz and Damian (toying with them almost) in those final chapters also felt a bit off to me. Also, Roz's thinking at the end kind of threw me. That is the main reason why I ultimately couldn’t give this book a higher rating.


Overall this was an enjoyable read, and I will most likely read the sequel. I was just more excited about doing so before I read the ending, if that makes sense.

If you know me, you know that I love books about gods and magic and myths, especially when part of the story interrogating the stories the characters grew up with and finding what the truth actually is. The world of Seven Faceless Saints definitely falls into this sort of category, where we have a city ruled by these saints and their disciples, and power is shifted to those graced with the magic of these saints. It’s a setting rife with corruption, making it the perfect place to break down these saints and their influence and wonder what it really means to be blessed by them.

While I do wish we explored other aspects of this world a bit more, I did like how the mystery brought together so many factions of people and led to a nuanced discussion of power and oppression within this city. We had characters with power and without, with some powerful characters hating their gift and wishing they didn’t have it (while still understanding and appreciating the benefits it brought them in terms of status and wealth), and characters that struggled with the lack of power when they believed they should have it, and how that calls their worth as a person into question. All of this was framed in a murder mystery, as our two MCs try to figure out who has been killing people in the city (even though those in power only care about the deaths of a few).

I also really liked the dynamic between our two main characters, as it had plenty of layers to it that made the book feel deeper as a result. In one way, it’s a second-chance romance between two characters who were together before but were split by war and circumstances. In another way, it’s a story about atoning and learning to forgive, as one character’s family is directly responsible for the pain and suffering of the other’s. Then there’s also the angle where one of the two has power, and doesn’t want it, while the other lacks power, and bases his entire self-worth (or lack of it) on the fact he doesn’t have it. It made for a fascinating power dynamic between the two, and I’m curious to see where it goes in the rest of the series.

This book was far from perfect, and it’s definitely not one that will stick with me for a long time, but I did enjoy my time with it and I can see the second book possibly focusing more on the aspects I liked about the story. I did find the pacing a bit slow at times and enjoyed the characters more for how they were together than them individually, but I’m hoping the second book will help them stand out a little more for me!

I liked a lot about this book, but I think the thing I enjoyed most was the writing. The prose was lush and immersive, and it made the world come alive for me. After reading Seven Faceless Saints, I'll be seeking out many more fantasy murder mystery stories, because I thought this was a ton of fun!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was stunning. I read it in one sitting. This is now an auto-buy author for me. I purchased a physical copy as soon as I finished the ARC. Such a deep, dark world. Highly recommend!

A great romantacy read! Easy to get caught up in the mystery. Very interesting world building - excited for the next one!

An engaging, immersive story combining fantasy and mystery in a way I felt I hadn't experienced before. I think that with its unique magic system, and a romance that will make readers invested, this is sure to be a new favorite for many YA readers.

SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS is a fresh new fantasy from debut author M.K. Lobb. I particularly enjoyed the childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers aspect, as it's not a common dynamic in books I read! Very much looking forward to the sequel

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

A fun, immersive mystery with an interesting magic system and a crackling romance at its core. Enjoyed this one!

I really wanted to love this book because the premise sounded interesting. I thought that I would have a good mix of both fantasy and mystery. However, the story was confusing and hard to follow. I could not understand the plot or world-building. Still, I recommend this for fantasy fans!

This book was so so so good!!! I could not put it down. The prose was amazing and rich and just beautiful and I was instantly sucked into the world. This is such an amazing debut and I can’t wait for the next book and what M.K. Lobb brings out next!

It took me more than two months to get through the book. No, the plot wasn't boring or repetitive. It just didn't click. I sincerely hope you give the book a chance because it might be the one for you. Who knows!

While I love the world building ( The incredible amount of thoughts and efforts that were put into perfect it is commendable), I don't like how it was unnecessarily stretched. The romance felt forced and the writing was very stiff. I wish it wasn't rushed. But if I were offered to read the book again, I would because the universe Lobb created is interesting and I really admire it.

If Roz has 100 fans I'm one of them, if Roz has 10 fans l'm one of them, if Roz has 1 fan it's me. If Roz has no fans l'm dead. If the world is against Roz I am against the world.

I, unfortunately, will not be picking up this book to read. It just wasn't my cup of tea but I could imagine other readers enjoying it.

This was a good debut but I didn’t fully connect with the characters. I think it was a little too on the nose for a fantasy trying to be darker.

So i haven't read a dark academia type book before, and unfortunately this book was my first and made me realize that it isnt really my vibe. i found it intriguing and interesting, but it didn't hit me as something that i enjoyed. it took me some time to get into this book and have it hold my attention but as the world building developed and starting making sense, it got better. I am giving this 3 stars because the story does have potential and the characters are likeable. it just overall, was not my favorite. so nothing against the author or writing here.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Seven Faceless Saints is the first chaotic book within the series. From the very first chapter, I was completely hooked and just wanted to know more. Whether it was about the characters, the worldbuilding, or just the overall mystery - I just wanted more.

The only downside of that is actually always wanting more and never being satisfied. Mostly when it comes to the saints because they all seem so freaking interesting. I'm definitely hoping we learn more about them, or maybe even one more, in the next book.

Other than that, I loved the murder mystery, sassy comments, and the entire cast of characters. Yes, even the evil ones because we always need a good villain every now and then. As for who the murderer was, well, that was pretty easy to spot on before the big reveal. I still have no complaints about that because I just really enjoyed this book. So much that I have the physical copy and audiobook as well.

In the end, I definitely need my hands on the next book because I just want to know what is going to happen next.

Really enjoyed this debut, will absolutely be continuing with the series. Excited to see what M.K. Lobb does next!