I think the world building is fun and compelling but the characters are SUCH stuck ya tropes that I honestly could not tell you the difference between the main girl and Katniss Everdeen if you put a gun to my head.

All you need to know about this book is that there is a girl sharp as a knife and the softest of cinnamon roll boys on an adventure (Nay, a quest??) the likes of which I've been craving since I finished Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows storyline. Can't wait until I can have a physical copy on my shelf!!!

I've been following this author since she announced her deal and let me tell you it did not disappoint 7FS was so rich in setting and the main character is one to root for. the romance is great I almost wanted more I loved them so much

i didn't like this one at all. emotionally jarring while at the same time feeling very haughty and unpleasant. i get that lobb dislikes organized religion but they just come across as fundamentally un-curious about why people are religious in the first place. not only is it reductive and closed-minded, it also makes the story BORINGGGG. skip!

3.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seven Faceless Saints is a YA fantasy murder mystery set in fantasy medieval Italy where your social standing is determined by whether or not you're blessed by your patron saint. Roz, who is both a rebel and a disciple, has some Issues with the way Ombrazia functions, and Damian, who is not recognized by his family's saint and is the head of city security. I liked the two voices and found them to be distinct, though what drives each of them is fairly basic. It's very Angry Girl and Soft Boy, which I do tend to find interesting, and I think Lobb did a good job at establishing their relationship prior to the start of the story. I also liked the way Lobb used alternating POVs and found it helped give the society a little more depth.

I think there's some interesting stuff here—the religion/magic was neat, I liked the two leads, I thought the way people were murdered was sufficiently creepy, and I think the overarching story in this duology is interesting. It just all together felt a bit flat to me, and I found on the whole the novel just missed the mark and maybe was trying a bit too hard? I don't think that's a reason not to pick this up, though, especially if YA fantasy is your thing—this is a genre that is very hit or miss for me anymore, and while I was hoping for a hit I just didn't quite get it, but I'd happily recommend this to people who are most at home in the genre. There's some interesting stuff here, but it's very firmly YA and there's a couple of things I hope the second book expands upon, like the religion and the Seven Saints.

Overall I think this was a really good debut and I am looking forward to seeing how the story continues, even if I found this one fell a bit short.

This was a decent fantasy debut. It had my favorite combo of fantasy and a murder mystery. There is romance between childhood friends turned enemies and a unique magic system. I thought the saints and the powers of the disciples and different factions were an interesting concept. But yet somehow something just fell a little flat,

The pacing was a little inconsistent at times. It started out with a murder right away but then sort of slowed down as we moved through the world building and learning the history of Ombrazia and the backstory’s of the main characters. I did appreciate the mystery aspect as it drove the plot forward and felt that the clues were well placed and made it exciting to guess the who and why.

The characters were interesting. If you enjoy the angry girl trope then this might be for you. I understand why Roz is angry and she has every right to be. It just sometimes feels a bit heavy to read an entire book with a very angry MC. It made the romance feel a bit unnatural at times and that the characters lacked chemistry. I did love that Damian and Roz had unique voices and that this was told in alternative POVs. It was nice to see how they each processed things and gathered clues.

The last 20% of the story was probably my favorite. It had action, the big bad reveal and the cliffhanger ending actually made me want to pick up the next book to find out what happens next.

Overall I do recommend this and think fans of unique magic, dark rituals, murder mysteries would enjoy this story. It is bloody and violent at times but it fits the cover and story perfectly.

Thank you Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

The first half was slower than usual in YA fantasies but it picks up in the second half. Recommend to readers who are interested in Italian fantasy settings.

Seven Faceless Saints was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. All I needed to hear was that it's based in a fictionalized Venice with a bi female lead and I was sold. However, it didn't really hold up to my expectations. It tries to be a lot of things and while it's portrayal of religious trauma and trauma in general was nuanced, it fell into all the YA tropes that have become generic. I wish this story was adult, if only so it was given the media it deserved to tell its story. It was trying to be "more" but I'm not really sure how to describe what it wanted to be and where it fell short. However, I am interested in seeing how the series progresses.

3 Stars

Seven Faceless Saints takes place in Ombrazia, where citizens worship saints and their disciples while the unfavored struggle to survive. The country is separated into seven crafts each with its own patron saint. Those descended from one of the saints could be born with their ancestor’s magic. Those who aren’t are called the unfavored and forced to fight in a war against others who seceded for the fallen seventh saint. Seven Faceless Saints follows Damian and Roz as they try to solve murders popping up around the city.

The worldbuilding behind Seven Faceless Saints was interesting, but it wasn’t well developed. If you were to remove the saints from the story, then it would be the same as most YA fantasies. Those with magic are considered useful, therefore favored by society. Those that aren’t are called the unfavored and forced to fight in a war that they don’t necessarily want to. Then throw in a rebel group that’s fighting against the system filled with suffering and injustice, and you’ve got yourself any other YA fantasy that has been done in the past.

The idea of saints and religion was oftentimes confusing and I was left with more questions than answers. There would be dialogue that seemed like it was going to give us more explanation but then cut off suddenly. If the world of Seven Faceless Saints was better developed, it could have led to some interesting commentary on the dangers of belief and a critique of how a set of ideals can be corrupted by a political system. Unfortunately, the worldbuilding fell flat and needed to be strengthened in order for this story to have more of an impact on the critique it’s trying to make on faith and religion.

Roz is a disciple of patience but doesn’t believe in the saints. After the death of her father by the Ombrazia military, she joins the rebels and is willing to do anything to tear down the corrupt system. While I usually enjoy hardened and angry females this wasn’t the case here. Roz came off as flat and oftentimes would let her anger and desire for revenge get the better of her. This is fine, but there wasn’t much development in her character arc. The story doesn’t challenge Roz to grow that much rather it suggests you’re always supposed to be on Roz’s side. She came off as very one-dimensional, constantly thinking that she is right and immediately downplaying those who had a differing opinion.

Damian is the head of security at the Palazzo, a descendent of a saint but without any powers which makes him unfavored. He is expected to be ruthless and strong while serving the saints with unquestioning devotion. But three years after fighting in the war has left him with scars and questioning what he thought before. Damian was an intriguing character as when the story starts off he follows his faith blindly but slowly starts to question it. Damian’s PTSD from the war and his wavering faith provided depth to his character allowing an interesting exploration of faith, beliefs, and struggle. While Damian is set to have a fall from faith arc, it doesn’t quite hit as impactful as it could be since the worldbuilding didn’t do well on diving deep into the religion and faith of this world.

The relationship between Damian and Roz was enjoyable to read as their two characters acted in juxtaposition with one another. Damian is soft and vulnerable acting as a counterbalance to Roz’s desire for revenge and her anger. Their relationship started off as childhood friends to enemies and then shifted to lovers over the course of the story. The complication and frustration that was built into their relationship allowed for a compelling narrative as they navigate through their afflicted trauma and past together.

The murder mystery element was thrilling as the twists and turns were slowly revealed. The added element of childhood friends turning enemies into lovers added an extra level of tension as Roz and Damian had to work through struggles to solve the mystery. The climax of this story was especially enjoyable and had me on the edge of

Even though I had some qualms with Seven Faceless Saints, I’m interested to see if it can reach its full potential in future works in the series. Readers who are intrigued by the exploration of faith, murder mysteries, and childhood friends to enemies to lovers relationships will surely love this new YA fantasy series debut.

I honestly barely even remember what happened. Aside from the wonderfully, slightly creepy cover, nothing really stood out to me.

I only made it 24% into this book when I realized that I had to stop.

This book is nothing like Six of Crows or anything Leigh Bardugo writes. The only thing they seem to share in common is the fact there are factions of magic users that have powers that the 'gods' once had.

The story has a murder mystery like element to it, which I was excited to read... and then I realized that the two ex-lovers were paired up alongside one another and they absolutely had no. chemistry. at. all. Which is sad because you do find out they were a bit of a thing years ago... but then he went to war, and war changed him and his father didn't want her dating his son.

I absolutely dislike her and how she is written. She is too heavy-handed angry all the time and has no likeable qualities. She just started becoming paired with her ex-lover interest and she cannot resist treating him like shit or calling out the fact the didn't do x, y, or z. Everything is a quip to her.

I honestly cannot sit through this story if I m partnered to follow a character like that.

SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS was not at all like what I was expecting it to be. I was pleasantly surprised.

SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS follows Roz and Damien in the land of Ombrazia, war torn and desperate. Ombrazia is ruled by the disciples of six of these saints, split into groups of people with magic and those who do not, the unfavoured. Those who do not have magic are sent to fight in the war of the saints, whereas those who do have magic are allowed to stay in Ombrazia, safe and sound. A murderer roams Ombrazia. At first, the murderer only targets the unfavoured and no one seems to care, but when a disciple is killed, it’s suddenly a fight to identify the murderer. Roz and Damien are thrown together, forced to rehash what tore them apart years before, determined to solve the murders before the murderer can strike again.

Like I said, this book pleasantly surprised me. I’d expected it to be heavier on the fantasy aspect, something that borders on difficult to understand, but both the prose and the descriptions helped me understand just what was going on throughout this book and how, exactly, everything came to be.

I adored Roz and her determination to make things right no matter what the odds were. I loved how bold and confident she was, and how she truly wasn’t afraid to do what needed to be done. The progression of her relationship with Damien captured my attention right from the start and kept me hooked until the very end. There was very little about this book that I disliked.

I did feel a bit conflicted about who, exactly, the murderer was. It felt like it came out of nowhere and it left me a little confused, but that could easily be my fault for expecting it to be foreshadowed instead of just revealed when the moment came.

Other than that, I had no faults and I look forward to the second book.

Thank you, Netgalley, for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the eARC.

Unfortunately, I have picked up SFS several times and I just cannot get into it. Everything seems so hollow and I’m so disappointed since this was one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. I DNF’d at 44%

Seven Faceless Saints was one of my most anticipated debuts of 2023 and I was so excited to be able to grab an eARC of it! Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for making it available to me to review.
The biggest strength of this novel is the world-building, with a rich lore of the saints and how the society revolved around them and the disciples. Roz and Damian's history of childhood friends turned to lovers turned to animosity was incredibly well-executed and the tension between them rolled off the page and I enjoyed watching them make peace with each other and rekindle their love.
The first half of the novel was slow and I kept disengaging from it, but I was intrigued enough that I kept coming back to read more and I'm glad I did because things picked up at the halfway mark and I finished the book in an evening.
This book is for readers who want friends to lovers to enemies to lovers, atmospheric writing, rebelling against a system that fails its system, and books that explore PTSD and trauma.
Now for the hard part, waiting for book two!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS by M.K. Lobb. I was a little worried this would be too dark for me, but I actually loved the murder mystery combined with the childhood lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance. The pining was excellent, as well as all the psychological trauma these characters had to work through. The dark, fallen religion was an interesting, atmospheric backdrop to it all and I was definitely pulled through by the ever-mounting tension. I did find the ending a smidge disappointing, but not enough to ruin the rest of it. Overall, it was definitely an enjoyable read.

Seven Faceless Saints was an absolute joy and I highly recommend it!

It was one of those books that I sat down to read and knew from the first page that I was going to love it. It's dramatic and atmospheric and the characters are just *chefs kiss*. It feels like thousands YA in the best way and I go absolutely lost in it. It's got great twists and turns and the characters were so well done. I will be counting down the days until Disciples of Chaos and if you haven't already preordered it you should absolutely pick it up!

I went into this book convinced I'd love it. The aesthetics of the world building in the blurb were all the way up my alley, and I adore bitter and jaded leads with a sad soft love interest. I was excited about the idea of a darker world governed by faceless gods and a flawed theocracy.

I struggled so much to get through this book. The author's writing style is oddly detached and I had trouble connecting to the flow of the book for any length of time. The world-building is much leaner than I expected, with much of everything being told to the reader rather than shown. I was constantly confused about the ramifications of the politics and religious systems. The pacing was unbearably slow and I would come out of the book after a few chapters feel like nothing happened.

The female lead is the prime reason for my frustration. I enjoy unlikeable leads, but I found her to be insufferable and dreaded returning to her POV. Her entire character revolves around her frustrations with the system separating those with magic and those without, and she comes off as very rude and bratty. She was raised as someone without magic until later in life, and the system greatly traumatized her. When she discovers her powers, she reluctantly uses her powers to support her family. Throughout the book she benefits from the privilege she's given, but turns around and tells those oppressed how they should feel about being oppressed. Regardless about how conflicted she is about the benefits of her powers, she comes off as entitled in her worldview. She constantly rejects all other viewpoints, regardless of their validity. Additionally, it is apparent the author wants us to agree with her and her actions. No one ever challenges her, even when she objectively does something wrong. She never introspects on anything or anyone.

Unfortunately, there isn't much I enjoyed about this book. I did enjoy our male lead and desperately wanted to keep reading his POV. His internal conflict was arguably the most interesting part of the book to me, as someone who uniquely benefitted from the same system that had irreparably damaged him. His struggles with PTSD and his relationships were nuanced and believable and I wanted to stay with him every chapter.

I wish this book had more in-depth world building that felt more interwoven into the story, as well as focused more on our male lead. Or at the very least, made the female lead a little less tone-deaf.

2.5 rounded up.

I'm honestly a bit disappointed. I went into this expecting a solid, no-frills YA fantasy with an entertaining romance subplot, but it ended up taking me over a month to read this book. While the individual elements sound good on paper—exes to enemies to reluctant allies usually hits—and there's a fair amount of interesting worldbuilding, I feel like nothing was handled very effectively. Basically, I found myself constantly wanting... more. More from the story, more from the character, more from the alleged darkness of the world and premise.

This book centers around a murder mystery that quickly entangles both main characters in its web, but there is rarely a sense of urgency, even as more bodies keep dropping. Side characters (and even the leads, to a degree) are fleshed out very little, so it's difficult to feel invested in any of the twists. A major reveal at the end literally had me going "Who???"

The romance was also a big lackluster. I feel like there was so much room for complex emotions and more conflict, but everything resolves rather effortlessly. I don't know!! I just think this book plays it too safe in a lot of areas, and ended up being a lot blander than it needed to be.

Rating 3.5 stars

Firstly, thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Admittedly, I went into this book without knowing much about the plot. I knew it was lovers to enemies, both on opposite sides of a political divide, but it’s a bit more than that. Childhood friends turned almost lovers run into each other years later when one has returned from the frontlines of an unending war and the other has become favored by their religion driven society and hates her newfound position and privilege. What then follows is a murder mystery with socio-political commentary that falls a bit thin for me.

I liked the main two characters Damian and Roz and their tense relationship as they reconnect after both have experienced and afflicted trauma and pain. Their relationship needed to be complicated and frustrating for it to feel worth it considering the huddles between them - but then you realize the timeline of the book is within a week or two, so their resolution feels deserved yet rushed.

I wanted to like the larger cast of characters but they all just seem to support the main two without enough depth of their own, especially now realizing this is book one of a potential series. Even the villain reveal would’ve felt more impactful of that character was more critical to the plot as opposed to a “good” person who was there a few times but didn’t do much of import.

I enjoyed the writing, though it got dense at times. Not so much in concept or depth but in internally explaining what had just been said and why the character said it along with the conflicting feelings they had that may contradict what they just said. It feel heavy on tell, don’t show that it took me longer than anticipated to get through.

And like other reviews have noted, I wish the religious system their society and political structure had been explained more. Some people having magic while some didn’t and society favoring those with magic with Italian catholic imagery fell flat for me. I wanted to know why Damian was so hard pressed to hold fast to a faith that was the antithesis of everything he saw and felt. Even the smallest mentions of hope or joy in the face of war and death and grief would’ve made his determination to do “right” make more sense. But his need to do “right” simply meant do what he was told, so it was hard to understand why he believed so hard and obeyed beyond the “well, this is how I was raised and how it’s always been” sentiment.

And for now, I’ll leave the “there are good cops” rhetoric alone…

Overall, the characterizations of the two mains were the strongest part of the book with a world that I wanted more from but I’m left lacking.

The writing style didn't work for me. The plot felt slow and predictable. The romance felt underdeveloped.