Such an intriguing plot with well written characters, plenty of suspense and drama and just an overall fantastic time!

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH I was on the verge of crying 9 times out of ten and Damian has my entire heart tbh give it back please I need that thing

I knew Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb was going to be an absolute showstopper.
I binge read this book in about 24 hours!
This book is strong and atmospheric.
I really enjoyed the characters!
The chemistry was so good between Roz and Damian and I hope to see more of it in the future.
The world-building is the absolute best I have read in a long time.
And the magic was unique and extremely compelling.
The author does a fantastic job at creating a rich world that I felt I could just sink into.

I honestly think that Lobb really showed her creative side with the story, characters and writing.
I will definitely be checking back for book two in this phenomenal series.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS 💀 by @mk_lobb

New. Favorite. Thing. And new favorite characters to obsess over! Damian was like the perfect combination of strife, pride, and darkness. Rox was the perfect FMC. I wish I was her.

🤍 CHILDHOOD SWEETHEARTS TURNED ENEMIES TURNED LOVERS
🤍 MULTI POV
🤍 MAGIC
🤍 ILLUSIONS
🤍 DUTY BOUND CHARACTERS
🤍 REBELLIOUS CHARACTERS
🤍 STRONG FMC
🤍 SOFT MMC

Such a stunning debut by MK. Will be forcing this onto every single one of you. Thank you so much to @netgalley for the ARC!

I have been waiting anxiously, eagerly, expectantly for this book for A YEAR. And let me tell you---it surpassed ALL my expectations.

If you like:
-Mysteries
-Lush world building
-Delicious lore to sink your teeth into
-A STUNNING ROMANCE WHICH HAPPENS TO EMBODY MY FAVORITE PAIRING TYPE OF ALL TIME, GIRL WITH RAGE AND SOFT BOY, OTP, DAMIAN AND ROZ FOREVER. "She woke him from a slumber he didn't realize he was trapped in"... I mean, come on. That is gold.
-Prose that gives life.

I could go on and on, but without giving spoilers, this will keep you on the edge of your seat. It will hold you captive. You will be better for reading this book. M.K. did a masterful job.

I was super excited to read SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS, as it was one of my most anticipated books of 2023. Unfortunately, this one fell very flat for me. I appreciated the worldbuilding and the magic, and think that’s definitely where Lobb’s strength lies as a writer. I wanted to see even more of this city, even more of this world, it was described beautifully. However, I found the characterization to be a little formulaic (I need a little more to my characters than simply stabby girl and soft boy) and I feel like their dynamic was a little cliche. I haven’t minded this in the past, but I’m just growing a bit weary of these generic enemies to lovers dynamics, and wanted more depth to our main characters. I especially wanted more depth to the supporting cast, I wasn’t able to get a good read on most of them.

The main thing that made this book difficult to read for me was how repetitive it was. It was hammered into our heads over and over again that Roz wanted to stand up for the unfavored, that Damian was trying to prove himself…they only thought about one or two things, which was boring to read and made them seem super flat.

Anyway, this book wasn’t for me, but I’m sure others will enjoy it, due to the rich worldbuilding and interesting premise.

Three stars nothing too special but also nothing bad. I throughly enjoyed reading this book and I don’t regret it, but it’s unlikely that I will read the next book in the series.

This book is such a thrilling, evocative, romantic dream. The line-level writing is gorgeous and thoughtful, the plot is twisty and page-turning, and the world so immersive and eerie. Roz and Damian are the perfect pair (stabby girl + soft boy!) and I can't wait for the sequel!

Really enjoyed this. Mix of fantasy, romance, and horror as promised with a murder mystery twist. Darker topics touched on with care, but also without feeling too heavy.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This book had some of the best world-building I have read in a long time. The magic and belief systems were unique and extremely compelling. Roz and Damian were such compelling characters, and I love a childhood friends to enemies story. I felt connected to both of them and their struggles and I loved the way they were pitted against each other both by systemic failures and personal grudges.

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

First and foremost: this book rules. I haven’t read YA in a long time, but this story really drew me in. I love the world-building, the tension, the atmosphere…it’s really a masterclass in sucking your reader in. Roz and Damian are such a fantastic couple and I seriously can’t wait to see what more Lobb has in store for them.

This is not a book y’all want to miss!

I had such a good time reading this, it had a great fantasy murder-mystery going on. I loved the way M.K. Lobb and I was hooked from the first page and it kept me in until the end. The characters worked out so well in this world and I enjoyed getting to know them. I can't wait to read more from M.K. Lobb as I really enjoyed reading this.

“Oh.” Damian ran a hand down his bruised face. He hadn’t considered how he must look. “I was tied up in the hold. My father’s doing, apparently. Turns out the captain of this ship is Michele Russo’s brother, and he wasn’t happy I survived when Michele didn’t.”

I will be honest, I made an account just to read this because I saw you could get approved automatically and oh my god??? I wasn't planning to read this all in one day but I just had to keep going until I got to the end. I am in love with Roz and Damian, I was so infuriated when they didn't just get together but once they did it was so worth it. Damien is so complex, he's basically traumatized by his past but he it seemed like it was really done with care and I JUST WANT HIM TO BE HAPPY. After the ending I don't know if he will be and I am scared tbh. I need book 2 asap because that epilogue? what??!?
I loved Roz too, she is harder to like than Damian, but I adore female characters who are full of anger and it makes sense given everything she has been through. Her and Damian are a mess but they are MY mess. They are perfect for each other and all the reminders of their history were just *chefs kiss*. There are so many good lines and the tension between them basically had me by the throat.
It wasn't super obvious the setting was supposed to be Italy other than the language stuff, but since it's not historical I didn't really care. The general atmosphere was dark and kind of creepy and that was what mattered to me. And the saints stuff was so cool, I am dying to know more about them.
Finally, THE END?? THE CULPRIT!!! Not going to lie I didn't see that coming. Maybe I should have in hindsight, but I was super surprised by who the villain was. Overall this was a 5/5 for me!

I wanted to enjoy this but found the prose lacking something. I had a hard time connecting to the story and the characters, but really liked the world it was set in.

Fans of teen and YA will no doubt enjoy this, I was expecting something a bit more adult. I would still recommend this if you enjoy young adult fantasy.