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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fun murder mystery with selective saint magic.
The world-building was very good and you understood right away the stakes and what was going on in the world. For example the ongoing war is a consistent plot point that is brought up to further explain the world and set up characters motivations and create an air of mystery as well.
I think they did very well creating the mystery of the murders and the progression of how they pieced it together made sense while also having the characters come to terms with their individual flaws and reflect on how well they balance each other out when they don’t pretend to hate each other.
The main guy is such a perfectly flawed character that we root for him even if he’s technically a fascist. He’s got a big heart and that gets him into trouble with the general fascism going on but he’s trying his best. He’s a fascist to help people more than he is for the power it brings.
The Romance was there but it wasn’t my priority with everything going on- id honestly would have rather them be long lost Best Friends instead of past childhood sweethearts but it wasn’t bad- the main girl was just too wishy washy for me to get too invested in their romance.
The grand reveal was not surprising to me as I guessed it but it was still entertaining and nerve racking to watch it play out and did have some surprises I didn’t expect to happen. I do have theories about one of the characters and I can’t wait to see if they are right.
Overall this was a great quick murder mystery read involving magic on a time limit during a war. Stakes could not have been higher.
The world-building was very good and you understood right away the stakes and what was going on in the world. For example the ongoing war is a consistent plot point that is brought up to further explain the world and set up characters motivations and create an air of mystery as well.
I think they did very well creating the mystery of the murders and the progression of how they pieced it together made sense while also having the characters come to terms with their individual flaws and reflect on how well they balance each other out when they don’t pretend to hate each other.
The main guy is such a perfectly flawed character that we root for him even if he’s technically a fascist. He’s got a big heart and that gets him into trouble with the general fascism going on but he’s trying his best. He’s a fascist to help people more than he is for the power it brings.
The Romance was there but it wasn’t my priority with everything going on- id honestly would have rather them be long lost Best Friends instead of past childhood sweethearts but it wasn’t bad- the main girl was just too wishy washy for me to get too invested in their romance.
The grand reveal was not surprising to me as I guessed it but it was still entertaining and nerve racking to watch it play out and did have some surprises I didn’t expect to happen. I do have theories about one of the characters and I can’t wait to see if they are right.
Overall this was a great quick murder mystery read involving magic on a time limit during a war. Stakes could not have been higher.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Death of parent, War, Classism
Alright this book got me. It’s horror, mystery, fantasy, romance and feels like it’s set in Italy. The way the buildings are described the way people speak…it gave big Italy vibes.
Anyways, this book had a really slow build but the last 50 pages were wonderful. The last 50 pages now have me excited for a sequel!
Anyways, this book had a really slow build but the last 50 pages were wonderful. The last 50 pages now have me excited for a sequel!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Seven Saintless Saints is, first and foremost, a second chance romance story, and I can see how some are disappointed by this. The blurb doesn't quite match the tone of the writing despite giving the right information and context. It also mentions "dark fantasy with a murder-mystery twist" which this VERY MUCH IS NOT for a lot of it.
A little disappointed by this one. I didn't have a difficult time getting through it at all, but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting.
The characters feel very one dimensional. Damian is a war scarred golden Retriever that I felt the author kept trying to make grey but failed at it. He's a soldier, a rule follower who thrives in structure but he also follows his heart and his gut and fights for all. There's really nothing complicated about him. Roz is probably my favorite but she's also pretty one note: firey sarcastic main female character. She seeks vengance, she lies to everyone, she doesn't hide when she doesn't care, etc. Also his father, he's supposed to be this fearsome man but he smiles at his son, doesn't want him to be on the warfront, believes in him. Layer he starts to show the other side of him to his son but it just feels like the author was struggling to write a strong antagonist. Like they struggled to make him completely evil like everyone else thought of him. Like the man who would order the murder of his best friend for deserting.
The pacing is pretty slow in the beginning. 100 pages in and you still don't have any clues as to who could be killing people. I definitely put it down more at the beginning than the end when I kept right through.
The plot twist though I didn't see coming. There wasn't a lot of foreshadowing for it but honestly, it works out. I want to see what happens next just for that.
The characters feel very one dimensional. Damian is a war scarred golden Retriever that I felt the author kept trying to make grey but failed at it. He's a soldier, a rule follower who thrives in structure but he also follows his heart and his gut and fights for all. There's really nothing complicated about him. Roz is probably my favorite but she's also pretty one note: firey sarcastic main female character. She seeks vengance, she lies to everyone, she doesn't hide when she doesn't care, etc. Also his father, he's supposed to be this fearsome man but he smiles at his son, doesn't want him to be on the warfront, believes in him. Layer he starts to show the other side of him to his son but it just feels like the author was struggling to write a strong antagonist. Like they struggled to make him completely evil like everyone else thought of him. Like the man who would order the murder of his best friend for deserting.
The pacing is pretty slow in the beginning. 100 pages in and you still don't have any clues as to who could be killing people. I definitely put it down more at the beginning than the end when I kept right through.
The plot twist though I didn't see coming. There wasn't a lot of foreshadowing for it but honestly, it works out. I want to see what happens next just for that.