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tired_cicada's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Listen I am a simple woman. You give me a sad man who is so unbelievably in love with a woman and I will fold every time.
That said, don’t go into this expecting a romance. It’s a mystery through and through.
It did start off really slow, but picked up eventually.
The mystery was done well. I managed to guess the killer but in a way that made me feel accomplished for figuring it out. Not in a “oh this was so predictable” kinda way.
Handles delicate situations like death, social injustice, and the ramifications of war (including but not limited to PTSD) with grace.
This implication that Damian is on the aroace spectrum (Demi) was so nice to see!
Very good! I enjoyed it!
That said, don’t go into this expecting a romance. It’s a mystery through and through.
It did start off really slow, but picked up eventually.
The mystery was done well. I managed to guess the killer but in a way that made me feel accomplished for figuring it out. Not in a “oh this was so predictable” kinda way.
Handles delicate situations like death, social injustice, and the ramifications of war (including but not limited to PTSD) with grace.
Very good! I enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Abandonment, Dementia, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content and Torture
scrubsandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
2.5
An interesting religion based magic, good world-building, but I just couldn't quite connect well with the characters or the plot. Might still give the sequel a chance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
chilivanilli28's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, and Gore
criticalmiss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You are in Ombrazia, a fantasy world with Italian leaning. People are descended from saints and you are either blessed and receive the magic of your patron saint or you don’t receive magic at all and become unfavoured.
And to be unfavoured means, you don’t have a voice in the government, you get conscripted without your consent to the war and your murder doesn’t mean anything unless you a disciple of a saint.
I enjoyed the magic system , and the characters were developed and flawed. A good mystery runs throughout.
Told in a few 3rd person POV
TW: death, body mutilation, gun violence, poisoning, child death
And to be unfavoured means, you don’t have a voice in the government, you get conscripted without your consent to the war and your murder doesn’t mean anything unless you a disciple of a saint.
I enjoyed the magic system , and the characters were developed and flawed. A good mystery runs throughout.
Told in a few 3rd person POV
TW: death, body mutilation, gun violence, poisoning, child death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Child death, Grief, Blood, Death of parent, and Gun violence
lmmw230494's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
introverted_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ASPEC ASPEC ASPEC ASPEC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, War, and Gun violence
Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol
linnea1801's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Roz is a stabby queen and I love her
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Death, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Dementia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism
accidentalmuse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
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.
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
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death
mattiedancer's review against another edition
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.
Who Should Read This Book?
- Fans of fantasy and mystery novels
- Those okay with a Young Adult (~15+) read
- Those looking for a quick read with an intriguing concept
Content Warnings?
- Death of a parent, death, illness, war, sexual content, child death, violence
Post-Reading Rating: 4⭐️/5
Would have definitely picked up the second book in the series if it was out.
Final Rating: 4⭐️/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child death, Death of parent, War, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Death, and Mental illness
kirstenf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Classism, Murder, Grief, Alcohol, War, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual content