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A review by johnsnowwasright
Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm a sucker for a good Italian inspired fantasy world.
This was a fun but broody YA fantasy novel that in the end doesn't seem to trust its audience's intelligence. The world and its religion were well developed and interesting. I do think that Lobb spoke to the teenage desire to better the world and end inequality. She brings to life a complicated and messy teen relationship that is able to be messy without being toxic. Roz and Damian are flawed individuals that make mistakes in a way that I feel is more realistic than some other YA novels. That was refreshing to read to be honest.
I appreciate that Lobb also kept us guessing to the end of who the murderer was and engineered a legitimately intelligent twist. However, once the culprit was unmasked so to speak, the book seems to swerve into thinking its audience is stupid territory. Our villain engages in a cliche monologue and spoon feeds information to the audience in a way that was insulting. Teens are intelligent, they don't need everything spelled out for them.
That being said, the epilogue was a banger.
This was a fun but broody YA fantasy novel that in the end doesn't seem to trust its audience's intelligence. The world and its religion were well developed and interesting. I do think that Lobb spoke to the teenage desire to better the world and end inequality. She brings to life a complicated and messy teen relationship that is able to be messy without being toxic. Roz and Damian are flawed individuals that make mistakes in a way that I feel is more realistic than some other YA novels. That was refreshing to read to be honest.
I appreciate that Lobb also kept us guessing to the end of who the murderer was and engineered a legitimately intelligent twist. However, once the culprit was unmasked so to speak, the book seems to swerve into thinking its audience is stupid territory. Our villain engages in a cliche monologue and spoon feeds information to the audience in a way that was insulting. Teens are intelligent, they don't need everything spelled out for them.
That being said, the epilogue was a banger.