Reviews with content warning for War - Seven Faceless Saints

This book pleasantly surprised me - I really enjoyed it. There were two aspects I really liked - the first being the general setting. We're in a world with a religion that revolves around 7 Saints - Patience, Strength, Mercy etc. Many people in the world are direct descendants of these Saints, these people are often blessed by magic. However, the 7th saint, Chaos, has fallen, and was struck from their religion.
Our story revolves primarily around two characters: Damien Venturi, a descendant of Strength who was not blessed with magic. He's Chief Security Officer of the Palazzo - the political heart of the country; and Rozanna Lacertosa, a disciple of Patience, who seeks retribution from those who have wronged her in the past.

This magical setting, which Saints who were undeniably real at some point was very engaging to me. We know these people existed, but were they truly Gods. The religion looks towards them, but are they watching, or were they merely powerful humans, now long dead? Not knowing what is true means that we as the reader need to decide whether we'll partake in this faith or not for ourselves.

The second aspect of this novel that I enjoyed was Damien Venturi. I loved all the time we got to spend with him. He is a good person, with strong morals, but he is a realistic person nonetheless. We watch him struggle with PTSD after returning from war, watch his struggle with faith and self worth as he questions why he was not blessed by his Saints. He's very likeable.

Roz, on the other hand, is grating. However, she is meant to be grating. She's a hard character, with a difficult past, who is fighting desperately for change - but is it for the right reasons? Normally I would enjoy a character like her, however, I was really rooting for good-boy-Damien, and so it was hard to see her, at times, take advantage of his good faith. She's equal parts selfish and compassionate, so it was tough to see the way she spoke to Damien, when we had insight to the pressures piled upon him, and the struggles he was himself facing.

This is, again, intentional though. Damien and Roz have a past, and watching them figure out whether they are compatible or not, how far love and past feeling can take you, is all part of the story. That said, I still think Damien was done dirty, but virtually everyone in his life - apart from his fellow security officers. They're the real bros. He does admirable things for those he loves, but nobody really sees how much of his own views he changes/sacrifices to make that possible. Roz doesn't really have compromise anywhere, Damien is the one making all the sacrifices. I would love to see this talked about more - by the end of the novel Damien has had to question many fundamental views he held. How is he doing now? Is his PTSD any better? He chose love over all else - will he come to regret it?

The only other part of this book I felt was a little lacking were some of the 'mystery' chapters. The book begins on a high note, chapter 1 sets up a brilliant amount of tension. However, we get 2 other chapters throughout the novel that don't centre around our main characters, and I personally think they were unnecessary. Because these chapters didn't give us crucial information, I think the mystery of the book would have been better preserved by the reader remaining with the main characters, and finding out about the actions in those two chapters when our protagonists did.

Overall, I am so glad I read this book, and I'm thrilled to hear about a sequel. Throughout this novel, the author has set up a few overarching plotlines, but the one I'm most interested in revolves around Damien. What Saint has struck up an interest in him, is it a Saint at all? I hope we get a broader sense of the bigger picture - the war; other countries/religions - in the next book, and I really just want more time with Damien and his emotions.

Content Warnings

mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Writing: 3.75⭐️/5

The writing in this novel was solid, but not outstandingly strong. At times, sections fell flat and felt a bit typical, but overall it was a solidly written read.

Characters: 4⭐️/5

The characters were interesting and engaging. I enjoyed seeing the world through their eyes. Again, at times I felt Lobb leaned a bit too heavily on certain tropes.

Plot: 4.25⭐️/5

I really enjoyed the world and how Lobb brought it to life. In turn, the plot really felt engaging and intriguing. I did really love how the fantasy elements mixed in with the murder mystery plot.

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