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tealattes 's review for:
Seven Faceless Saints
by M.K. Lobb
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t know why people are rating this book so poorly. It’s not perfect, of course, but it had enough intrigue and a fast pace to keep me interested.
World: The world is influenced by Italy and borrows the language when it comes to names and phrases. In Ombrazia, the society is built on their faith in saints (clearly influenced by Christianity and the kingdoms in past European history, but I’ll get to that later). According to the world’s religion, the world was created by seven saints: Chaos, Patience, Grace, Strength, Cunning, Mercy, and Death. Each individual is a descendant of one of the saints, and their lineage determines their type of magic. However, some individuals are unfavored, meaning magic has skipped over them. Similar to the Red Queen and the red and silver blooded, powerless vs powerful. People with power are called disciples of a certain guild, the one of their lineage, in which they use their powers to create goods for the economy. For example, disciples of Patience can manipulate metal. Part of the history is that the reincarnation of Strength and Chaos had fought in the First War of Saints, with the kingdom splitting in half into two city states with Chaos supported in the north and Strength in the south. Chaos lost and was erased in the new southern state of Ombrazia as much as possible, while the north were deemed heretics and still believed in Chaos. Now there is a second war, as the northern city state, Brechaat (I think that’s what it’s called), does not have enough resources as they do not have the strong guilds that Onbrazia has to support their economy, and wants to gain territory. Only the unfavored are drafted into the war because they are more expendable according to the rationale that they don’t contribute as much to the guilds and the economy.
Political System: As assumed based on the importance of religion, Ombrazia is governed by a council made up of six representatives from the six guilds (excluding Chaos) along with a Chief Magistrate who is said to be the closest to the saints (almost like a high priest). These representatives stay at the Palazzo, the seat of government. Of course, the unfavored aren’t represented in the government and continue to be drafted and either die or return scarred for life. And of course, there is a rebellion working against the Palazzo to change this.
Now to the actual plot.
Actual Plot: Murders arise in the city-state of Ombrazia. After the finding of a third body in the Palazzo (what is supposed to be the most protected building), Damian Venturi, head of palace security, is blamed for it and tasked with solving it. He has been given this job due to his general father’s rank, pulled out from his draft to the war effort with their city-state neighbor in the north. Three years in the midst of war have shaken him. Only the continuous work as head of security has kept him sane. Now the case becomes his main focus. It is increasingly important Damian solves it, as his father sees him as too soft to be capable, and chief magistrate Forte (person with highest authority in the city state) is disapproving that Damian didn’t earn the job. Under threat of being sent back to war if he doesn’t work fast enough, Damian thinks looking into the first two victims’ deaths will speed up the process, but his father and Forte tell him not to. Damian can’t help but do it anyway and soon accepts the help of Rossana Lacertosa in the murder case.
Rossana and Damian had been childhood friends, but after Damian was drafted, Rossana’s father had deserted and was killed by Damian’s father, the general. And while Rossana had been awash with grief, Damian ceased correspondence and she never knew if he were dead or alive. Damian never reached out after returning either. Rossana’s grief and sadness over her father grew into hatred for the Venturis, both Damian and his own father, and the government in general that only sent the unfavored to war (people without powers) while the rest were protected. So she joins the rebellion efforts wanting a better world. The murders begin, and the first two victims are unfavored. One of them is her close friend’s sister. Officers refuse to look into it due to lack of importance. But the third victim is a disciple, and a representative of one of the guilds at the Palazzo. Finding out that Damian is working on it and secretly looking into the unfavored victims’ deaths as well, she forces him to let her help or else she’ll reveal he’s defying orders. Her intentions in solving the case are to find closure for her friend and gaining the trust of the rebellion (they don’t trust her because she’s a disciple).
DISCLAIMER: If you’re expecting a mystery-focused novel, this is not it. It’s heavily about our main characters and their personal development. The case is the center of the plot, but it’s really just a vessel to throw the MCs back together. As they discuss the case they can’t help but dissect their actions and lost relationship, and reopen past wounds. So, it’s a friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers story wrapped in the guise of magic and death and mystery.
The Mystery: The plot is simple; they are trying to find the culprit. For one thing, the reader is left in the dark as much as the characters about the murder mystery, as in there were barely any clues or information revealed that the reader could put together. The main characters working to solve this case didn’t make much progress and were at a standstill. This was why the great “reveal” was surprising, because we weren’t given anything to work with. Sure, I could try to guess, but I didn’t know enough of the other characters who were possible culprits for it to be even exciting on my part to do so.
Characters: Damian Lacertosa is one of those soft and broken MMCs. He is overly trusting of the system and his father to the point that he listens to him blindly, but it’s become harder to keep it together and be a son his father is proud of. He knows Roz hates him for her father’s death and regrets not being there when she needed it, but also knows he can’t do anything to amend it, keeping his feelings to himself.
Rossana Lacertosa is all rage. She’s not likable at all. It’s not one of those cases where they say the character hates the other but then instantly kisses them simply because they’re physically attractive. She is brutal to Damian and wants nothing to do with him or understanding his perspective.
The ONLY reason why they mended things was because of Damian, and I’m not just saying that. They were both prideful but I know Roz for sure would have gotten what she wanted out of the case and left. But Damian wanted her to know what happened to him, and he spoke to her first about his war experience and why he was so broken and desperate. And Damian was the one who compromised his beliefs for Roz while she just flaunted around because she was “always right.” It wasn’t fair and it made Roz even more arrogant and unlikeable.
But the road to an improved relationship was the most chaotic one I’ve read. It’s like this: Damian and Roz meet. They hold their ground on what they believe and yell at each other for what they did. They make no progress because they’re stubborn and never intended to understand the other. Then: One of them reveals something. The other takes it in. Can’t help but remember who the other person was to them in the past, and add this new information to the blurred story. Can’t help but empathize because they’re not monsters. Yippee. Then, something else comes up and they argue again. It should have gotten old but there was so much tension and drama that it was hard not to keep reading.
You might be thinking where 4 stars came from after all that. I did like the world and the concepts and half of the characters and just thought it was a good time.
World: The world is influenced by Italy and borrows the language when it comes to names and phrases. In Ombrazia, the society is built on their faith in saints (clearly influenced by Christianity and the kingdoms in past European history, but I’ll get to that later). According to the world’s religion, the world was created by seven saints: Chaos, Patience, Grace, Strength, Cunning, Mercy, and Death. Each individual is a descendant of one of the saints, and their lineage determines their type of magic. However, some individuals are unfavored, meaning magic has skipped over them. Similar to the Red Queen and the red and silver blooded, powerless vs powerful. People with power are called disciples of a certain guild, the one of their lineage, in which they use their powers to create goods for the economy. For example, disciples of Patience can manipulate metal. Part of the history is that the reincarnation of Strength and Chaos had fought in the First War of Saints, with the kingdom splitting in half into two city states with Chaos supported in the north and Strength in the south. Chaos lost and was erased in the new southern state of Ombrazia as much as possible, while the north were deemed heretics and still believed in Chaos. Now there is a second war, as the northern city state, Brechaat (I think that’s what it’s called), does not have enough resources as they do not have the strong guilds that Onbrazia has to support their economy, and wants to gain territory. Only the unfavored are drafted into the war because they are more expendable according to the rationale that they don’t contribute as much to the guilds and the economy.
Political System: As assumed based on the importance of religion, Ombrazia is governed by a council made up of six representatives from the six guilds (excluding Chaos) along with a Chief Magistrate who is said to be the closest to the saints (almost like a high priest). These representatives stay at the Palazzo, the seat of government. Of course, the unfavored aren’t represented in the government and continue to be drafted and either die or return scarred for life. And of course, there is a rebellion working against the Palazzo to change this.
Now to the actual plot.
Actual Plot: Murders arise in the city-state of Ombrazia. After the finding of a third body in the Palazzo (what is supposed to be the most protected building), Damian Venturi, head of palace security, is blamed for it and tasked with solving it. He has been given this job due to his general father’s rank, pulled out from his draft to the war effort with their city-state neighbor in the north. Three years in the midst of war have shaken him. Only the continuous work as head of security has kept him sane. Now the case becomes his main focus. It is increasingly important Damian solves it, as his father sees him as too soft to be capable, and chief magistrate Forte (person with highest authority in the city state) is disapproving that Damian didn’t earn the job. Under threat of being sent back to war if he doesn’t work fast enough, Damian thinks looking into the first two victims’ deaths will speed up the process, but his father and Forte tell him not to. Damian can’t help but do it anyway and soon accepts the help of Rossana Lacertosa in the murder case.
Rossana and Damian had been childhood friends, but after Damian was drafted, Rossana’s father had deserted and was killed by Damian’s father, the general. And while Rossana had been awash with grief, Damian ceased correspondence and she never knew if he were dead or alive. Damian never reached out after returning either. Rossana’s grief and sadness over her father grew into hatred for the Venturis, both Damian and his own father, and the government in general that only sent the unfavored to war (people without powers) while the rest were protected. So she joins the rebellion efforts wanting a better world. The murders begin, and the first two victims are unfavored. One of them is her close friend’s sister. Officers refuse to look into it due to lack of importance. But the third victim is a disciple, and a representative of one of the guilds at the Palazzo. Finding out that Damian is working on it and secretly looking into the unfavored victims’ deaths as well, she forces him to let her help or else she’ll reveal he’s defying orders. Her intentions in solving the case are to find closure for her friend and gaining the trust of the rebellion (they don’t trust her because she’s a disciple).
DISCLAIMER: If you’re expecting a mystery-focused novel, this is not it. It’s heavily about our main characters and their personal development. The case is the center of the plot, but it’s really just a vessel to throw the MCs back together. As they discuss the case they can’t help but dissect their actions and lost relationship, and reopen past wounds. So, it’s a friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers story wrapped in the guise of magic and death and mystery.
The Mystery: The plot is simple; they are trying to find the culprit. For one thing, the reader is left in the dark as much as the characters about the murder mystery, as in there were barely any clues or information revealed that the reader could put together. The main characters working to solve this case didn’t make much progress and were at a standstill. This was why the great “reveal” was surprising, because we weren’t given anything to work with. Sure, I could try to guess, but I didn’t know enough of the other characters who were possible culprits for it to be even exciting on my part to do so.
Characters: Damian Lacertosa is one of those soft and broken MMCs. He is overly trusting of the system and his father to the point that he listens to him blindly, but it’s become harder to keep it together and be a son his father is proud of. He knows Roz hates him for her father’s death and regrets not being there when she needed it, but also knows he can’t do anything to amend it, keeping his feelings to himself.
Rossana Lacertosa is all rage. She’s not likable at all. It’s not one of those cases where they say the character hates the other but then instantly kisses them simply because they’re physically attractive. She is brutal to Damian and wants nothing to do with him or understanding his perspective.
The ONLY reason why they mended things was because of Damian, and I’m not just saying that. They were both prideful but I know Roz for sure would have gotten what she wanted out of the case and left. But Damian wanted her to know what happened to him, and he spoke to her first about his war experience and why he was so broken and desperate. And Damian was the one who compromised his beliefs for Roz while she just flaunted around because she was “always right.” It wasn’t fair and it made Roz even more arrogant and unlikeable.
But the road to an improved relationship was the most chaotic one I’ve read. It’s like this: Damian and Roz meet. They hold their ground on what they believe and yell at each other for what they did. They make no progress because they’re stubborn and never intended to understand the other. Then: One of them reveals something. The other takes it in. Can’t help but remember who the other person was to them in the past, and add this new information to the blurred story. Can’t help but empathize because they’re not monsters. Yippee. Then, something else comes up and they argue again. It should have gotten old but there was so much tension and drama that it was hard not to keep reading.
You might be thinking where 4 stars came from after all that. I did like the world and the concepts and half of the characters and just thought it was a good time.