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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
It was good but I didn’t have enough time to read it and had to return it to the library
A second chance romance that's a murder mystery in a religious-magical system? Okay, I'll bite.
If you're not into murder mysteries, this definitely is not the book for you. It's a strong murder mystery vibe the whole way through. The second chance romance is definitely there, but is more the character driving plot and less the story plot. I found the murder mystery a definite YA murder mystery. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't super intriguing.
I found the world interesting. The world is set in a place that vaguely reminds you of the Vatican, but with magic and the local non-magic are incredibly oppressed. The religious-magical system (i.e., the Seven Saints) I thought was interesting. I still don't have all the Saints and their magic down, but you really don't need it as you only really need Patience and you get that in full dosage. However, I have a feeling we'll learn more about the system in the follow-up books. I always enjoy understanding book titles and their covers and the title and the cover do fit it well.
The rebellion factor of the book was okay. It's my least favorite thing of the book; however, you completely understand WHY there is a brewing rebellion. It's a very skewed world they are in with magic and non-magic. I think I liked it least because it was so obvious and nothing new that it was just another plot and character division point.
The second chance romance was okay. It was a little quick, but also added depth to both sides during the multi-POV. I will say, though, that sometimes things were repeated a little too closely between the characters that sometimes I thought I'd accidentally went backwards in the book. Doesn't happen often, but happened enough that I had to catch on that this was a writing quirk.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I'm looking forward to the next one that left an open ending for a next book and also the characters.
If you're not into murder mysteries, this definitely is not the book for you. It's a strong murder mystery vibe the whole way through. The second chance romance is definitely there, but is more the character driving plot and less the story plot. I found the murder mystery a definite YA murder mystery. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't super intriguing.
I found the world interesting. The world is set in a place that vaguely reminds you of the Vatican, but with magic and the local non-magic are incredibly oppressed. The religious-magical system (i.e., the Seven Saints) I thought was interesting. I still don't have all the Saints and their magic down, but you really don't need it as you only really need Patience and you get that in full dosage. However, I have a feeling we'll learn more about the system in the follow-up books. I always enjoy understanding book titles and their covers and the title and the cover do fit it well.
The rebellion factor of the book was okay. It's my least favorite thing of the book; however, you completely understand WHY there is a brewing rebellion. It's a very skewed world they are in with magic and non-magic. I think I liked it least because it was so obvious and nothing new that it was just another plot and character division point.
The second chance romance was okay. It was a little quick, but also added depth to both sides during the multi-POV. I will say, though, that sometimes things were repeated a little too closely between the characters that sometimes I thought I'd accidentally went backwards in the book. Doesn't happen often, but happened enough that I had to catch on that this was a writing quirk.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I'm looking forward to the next one that left an open ending for a next book and also the characters.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Unsatisfying delivery of what seemed like an interesting concept. Too much of the content is focused on the main characters being hung up on each other rather than investigating the murders they're trying to solve. I found the characters flat and all their chemistry leaning on their shared personal history. Plot development was stilted. Several points felt like they were just written to progress a certain way, regardless of how believable it was. By the end, the murderer reveal didn't have much impact because it just felt like a side story to the "romance" and interpersonal conflict.
Seven Faceless Saints was a book I was SO excited for. The description, the comps… everything made it sound like it would be my kind of read but unfortunately, the execution fell a little flat for me. The city of Ombrazia is ruled by the disciples who are descendants of the seven Saints who brought the country to life. The disciples lead a cushy life with many options open to them, the other citizens however, are seen as less important, sent to fight in a war that has little to do with them and left to fend for themselves. Roz is a disciple, but she leads a secret life as part of the rebellion hoping to bring down the reign of the Saints, and ensure all of Ombrazia’s citizens are treated equally. Damian is the youngest Captain in Palazzo security history, security used to protect the safety of the disciples, so when one turns up dead he is asked to investigate. Damian quickly comes to realise that the disciple’s death may be linked to that of a few other, regular, citizens in the city and quickly finds himself and Roz investigating. But the deeper they look into the deaths, the more they come to fear that there is a darkness spreading through Ombrazia and they will have to work together if they are going to save the city and people they love.
Sounds good right? Unfortunately the execution of this book left a lot to be desired. I felt there were too many moving pieces, and everything from the world, the magic and the characters needed more development. Roz and Damian were childhood friends who split apart after Roz’s father was murdered, and they now find themselves on opposite sides of a war. Roz became a disciple when all she wanted was to be regular like her father, instead she now works for the people who had him killed. Damian never gained any Saint touched powers, much to the disdain of his father who sent him off to war instead, but the Damian that returned was a shell of the boy who left. Both these characters have dark and emotional backstories, but I just didn’t get emotionally attached to either of them. Their personalities were incredibly one dimensional, there was no room for growth or any kind of deep insight into them and a lot of their introspection and interactions were constantly repeated to the point where it got a little annoying and I ended up skipping parts of the book.
The world building was intriguing, but never truly fleshed out enough for me to get a true understanding of it. We know that Ombrazia was said to have been created by Seven Saints, and their descendants are now the disciples, people with the ability to use the saints powers. The saints names and their powers made very little sense together, and I just felt like we were always missing bits of information that we needed to get a proper understanding of it. I feel like the author wanted to use this story as a commentary on religion, but it just didn’t really work at all. Mainly because the Saints, apart from a minor section of the story, played a drastically small part. In fact the story could have been written without them and would have turned out largely the same.
The writing style was flat and way too descriptive in parts. I’m all for flowy, descriptive writing, but this wasn’t that at all. Rather the author used as many words as possible to describe things and because of this I seriously struggled to stay connected to the story. I also really disliked the romance. It as described as enemies to lovers, but was more rekindled romance. Yes there was a part of the book where one disliked the other, but their introspection showed that while they outwardly showed hatred, inside they were more interested in how their muscles had grown in their time apart. It seemed really unrealistic, jarring in parts with the back and forth between wanting to kill and wanting to kiss and the amount of repetition that was used as reasoning for why they wouldn’t work really started to annoy me.
I’m so sad that I didn’t love this book, in fact the only part I actually enjoyed was the murder mystery woven throughout that played a distressingly small part in the overall story. There were a few chapters centred around this that added some intrigue to the story, and those I enjoyed, but it just played too small a part for it to make up for all the things I didn’t enjoy. I think if you’re someone who doesn’t mind a story that sticks to the surface of everything, never delving deep into the world, characters or magic, then you might enjoy it. But for those who like something to get their teeth stuck into, it might be worth giving this one a miss.
Sounds good right? Unfortunately the execution of this book left a lot to be desired. I felt there were too many moving pieces, and everything from the world, the magic and the characters needed more development. Roz and Damian were childhood friends who split apart after Roz’s father was murdered, and they now find themselves on opposite sides of a war. Roz became a disciple when all she wanted was to be regular like her father, instead she now works for the people who had him killed. Damian never gained any Saint touched powers, much to the disdain of his father who sent him off to war instead, but the Damian that returned was a shell of the boy who left. Both these characters have dark and emotional backstories, but I just didn’t get emotionally attached to either of them. Their personalities were incredibly one dimensional, there was no room for growth or any kind of deep insight into them and a lot of their introspection and interactions were constantly repeated to the point where it got a little annoying and I ended up skipping parts of the book.
The world building was intriguing, but never truly fleshed out enough for me to get a true understanding of it. We know that Ombrazia was said to have been created by Seven Saints, and their descendants are now the disciples, people with the ability to use the saints powers. The saints names and their powers made very little sense together, and I just felt like we were always missing bits of information that we needed to get a proper understanding of it. I feel like the author wanted to use this story as a commentary on religion, but it just didn’t really work at all. Mainly because the Saints, apart from a minor section of the story, played a drastically small part. In fact the story could have been written without them and would have turned out largely the same.
The writing style was flat and way too descriptive in parts. I’m all for flowy, descriptive writing, but this wasn’t that at all. Rather the author used as many words as possible to describe things and because of this I seriously struggled to stay connected to the story. I also really disliked the romance. It as described as enemies to lovers, but was more rekindled romance. Yes there was a part of the book where one disliked the other, but their introspection showed that while they outwardly showed hatred, inside they were more interested in how their muscles had grown in their time apart. It seemed really unrealistic, jarring in parts with the back and forth between wanting to kill and wanting to kiss and the amount of repetition that was used as reasoning for why they wouldn’t work really started to annoy me.
I’m so sad that I didn’t love this book, in fact the only part I actually enjoyed was the murder mystery woven throughout that played a distressingly small part in the overall story. There were a few chapters centred around this that added some intrigue to the story, and those I enjoyed, but it just played too small a part for it to make up for all the things I didn’t enjoy. I think if you’re someone who doesn’t mind a story that sticks to the surface of everything, never delving deep into the world, characters or magic, then you might enjoy it. But for those who like something to get their teeth stuck into, it might be worth giving this one a miss.
Overall a pretty good story really enjoyed the ending of the book though. Can't wait to read the next one. Only thing I didn't really care for in the story was how much pining of love for each other showed in the story. Character were fun and enjoyable to read. I did find my self more invested in Damien's story. I did have a fun time and the plot was interesting. Also once I got to the middle of the book I couldn't wait to listen/read more. I did listen to it as an audiobook but it as worth it. Three different narrators and they did a great job.
This is my second attempt at the book; the first few chapters and the setting are so intriguing and then it’s just a rehash of the character’s teen romance and every single thing the characters did while apart with a few extra details each time. Annoyingly, you already know something from a POV thought and then that character goes ahead and explains it, in detail, to the other main character during their POV—I don’t need that! I know that! Just say “he explained his thoughts” or whatever! I was so into the mystery—the mystery should be the core story— but the characters just kept talking about the same things over and over until I gave up
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Many thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for access to the eARC
In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with terrifying and unjust power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive. Rossana "Roz" Lacertosa, a disciple of one of the seven saints, and Damian Venturi, the youngest captain of Palazzo security are on opposite sides of a war between those blessed by the saints and those left unchosen. But a murderer loose in the streets upends their rivalry and demands they work together before the another victim is claimed.
Seven Faceless Saints was an anticipated release of mine so imagine my disappointment when i was praying for it to end so i could read a different book.
The biggest disappoint of this book could be narrowed exclusively down to one character. The setting of a slightly magical Italy, the concept of seven saints who bless individuals at their own discretion and a growing rebellion between the classes was what drew me in and and kept me reading. Damian’s wavering faith in the face of adversity and ptsd was something I particularly enjoyed about the story and was a surprising source of depth I hadn’t expected but wished was explored more. However all that being said, it was killed by the insufferable character of Roz.
I love angry women characters - the angrier and more insane she is the more i'm rooting for her. But Roz’s entire personality consisted of being angry and being right. She is incredibly one dimensional, and incredibly annoying in her self-righteous holier-than-thou attitude at every turn. She, a privileged disciple of the saints, was constantly telling those unchosen by the saints how mad and angry they should be at their society who favors people like Roz. And when I say constantly I mean constantly for 40 chapters. She wouldn’t shut up about how unprivileged these people are, like they weren’t already aware that they are treated as less than for not having been blessed by the saints. A champion for the proletariat she is not, and unprivileged people don’t want to hear about how they’re unprivileged from someone who is privileged. If there is an economic class equivalent of white saviorism, her character is a prime example of it.
I’m not even kidding when i say her entire character ruined the book for me. If she wasn’t in the story, I would have enjoyed it so much more, and I’m hesitant and frankly uninterested in picking up the sequel despite enjoying the story.
In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with terrifying and unjust power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive. Rossana "Roz" Lacertosa, a disciple of one of the seven saints, and Damian Venturi, the youngest captain of Palazzo security are on opposite sides of a war between those blessed by the saints and those left unchosen. But a murderer loose in the streets upends their rivalry and demands they work together before the another victim is claimed.
Seven Faceless Saints was an anticipated release of mine so imagine my disappointment when i was praying for it to end so i could read a different book.
The biggest disappoint of this book could be narrowed exclusively down to one character. The setting of a slightly magical Italy, the concept of seven saints who bless individuals at their own discretion and a growing rebellion between the classes was what drew me in and and kept me reading. Damian’s wavering faith in the face of adversity and ptsd was something I particularly enjoyed about the story and was a surprising source of depth I hadn’t expected but wished was explored more. However all that being said, it was killed by the insufferable character of Roz.
I love angry women characters - the angrier and more insane she is the more i'm rooting for her. But Roz’s entire personality consisted of being angry and being right. She is incredibly one dimensional, and incredibly annoying in her self-righteous holier-than-thou attitude at every turn. She, a privileged disciple of the saints, was constantly telling those unchosen by the saints how mad and angry they should be at their society who favors people like Roz. And when I say constantly I mean constantly for 40 chapters. She wouldn’t shut up about how unprivileged these people are, like they weren’t already aware that they are treated as less than for not having been blessed by the saints. A champion for the proletariat she is not, and unprivileged people don’t want to hear about how they’re unprivileged from someone who is privileged. If there is an economic class equivalent of white saviorism, her character is a prime example of it.
I’m not even kidding when i say her entire character ruined the book for me. If she wasn’t in the story, I would have enjoyed it so much more, and I’m hesitant and frankly uninterested in picking up the sequel despite enjoying the story.