Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb Tour
In the city of Ombrazia, saints and their disciples rule with terrifying and unjust power, playing favorites while the unfavored struggle to survive.
After her father’s murder at the hands of the Ombrazian military, Rossana Lacertosa is willing to do whatever it takes to dismantle the corrupt system—tapping into her powers as a disciple of Patience, joining the rebellion, and facing the boy who broke her heart. As the youngest captain in the history of Palazzo security, Damian Venturi is expected to be ruthless and strong, and to serve the saints with unquestioning devotion. But three years spent fighting in a never-ending war have left him with deeper scars than he wants to admit… and a fear of confronting the girl he left behind.
Now a murderer stalks Ombrazia’s citizens. As the body count climbs, the Palazzo is all too happy to look the other way—that is, untila disciple becomes the newest victim. With every lead turning into a dead end, Damian and Roz must team up to find the killer, even if it means digging up buried emotions. As they dive into the underbelly of Ombrazia, the pair will discover something moresinister—and far less holy. With darkness closing in and time running out, will they be able to save the city from an evil so powerful that it threatens to destroy everything in its path?
Discover what’s lurking in the shadows in this dark fantasy debut with a murder-mystery twist, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kerri Maniscalco.
Content Warning: various types of violence (shooting, poisoning, beheading), graphic descriptions of blood/bodies, death of parents/ friends/ siblings, a parent depicted with memory loss/confusion, PTSD and flashbacks, descriptions of war, prejudice, religious intolerance, hallucinations, paranoia, alcoholism, and mentions of self-harm.
Book Information:
Seven Faceless Saints (Seven Faceless Saints #1) by M.K. Lobb
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publishing Date: February 7, 2023
BOOK LINKS:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61237032-seven-faceless-saints
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031638688X/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seven-faceless-saints-mk-lobb/1141622532
Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Seven-Faceless-Saints-M-K-Lobb/9780316386883
Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/seven-faceless-saints/9780316386883-item.html
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316386883
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M. K. Lobb is a fantasy writer with a love of all things dark— be it literature, humour, or general aesthetic. She grew up in small-town Ontario and studied political science at both the University of Western Ontario and the University of Ottawa. She now lives by the lake with her partner and their cats. When not reading or writing, she can be found at the gym or contemplating the harsh realities of existence.
Her debut novel SEVEN FACELESS SAINTS will be published February 7, 2023 by Little, Brown (Hachette). The sequel, DISCIPLES OF CHAOS, will follow in early 2024. M. K. is represented by Claire Friedman at InkWell Management.
Author Links:
Website: https://mklobb.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mk_lobb
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mk_lobb/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21460101.M_K_Lobb
REVIEW
“How strange it was, to be alive. To feel at once important and so incredibly insignificant.”
A murderer is stalking the streets of Ombrazia. In the midst of war and rebellion, the city is ruled by factions of religious saints and their disciples. Citizens with inherited magic are called disciples and control the wealth and economy while those born without magic are the unfavored, relegated to the fringes of society and struggling to survive.
“Death still stalked his every waking moment. It traced cold, malevolent fingers down his spine and hissed garbled nothings in his ear.”
Damian is a former soldier of the Ombrazia military turned captain of the Palazzo security, dealing with post-war PTSD as he investigates a murderer threatening both the city and his position. His actions are very calculated but he spends too much time worrying over his past and present.
Both had honed their misery into something vicious. She only had to remind him that vengeance was sweeter than spirits.
Rossana, on the other hand, is angry. Born with late blooming magic, she is a disciple in the Patience guild but disgusted with the circumstances of her privileged position and yearning for change. The loss of her father has torn apart her family, and she wants nothing more than to seek vengeance against those that killed her father and the institution supporting it.
Damian wasn’t the only one who wanted justice. Roz wanted it too, and she wanted it more. For Amelie. For Dev. For everyone deemed unimportant in this city. She wanted the justice her father had deserved.
If you’re looking for something fast paced, this book isn’t it. It takes nearly 100 pages for Damian and Roz to even see each other again after so many years apart, but I enjoyed the slow pacing. We jump back and forth between Roz and Damian’s perspectives but these early chapters really take the time to introduce the characters. By the time the two finally join forces on the investigation we know exactly who they are and the circumstances surrounding the tension of that first meeting.
By this point the book starts to pick up and the mystery itself really pulled me in. We learn bits and pieces of the religious lore as the investigation begins in earnest and I’d love to have seen even more of it. I know this is just the first book in a series though so I hoping it gets explored in more depth in the sequel. I was surprised to find that I did manage to guess the killer in the end, but I enjoyed trying and I overall I think the mystery aspect of the story was well written.
While I normally love romance, Roz and Damian’s relationship turned out to be my least favorite part of the book. I love a good enemies to lovers trope but Roz’s personality was a little too strong for my taste. She’s a character ruled by her emotions, and in this case it just happened to be primarily anger. Damian certainly wasn’t perfect but his character appealed to me more and I enjoyed reading from his perspective more than Roz’s. While I didn’t love the romance it also didn’t detract too much from the story and I still really enjoyed the book. The book left off in a good spot and I’m looking forward to seeing where the sequel takes us.
TOUR SCHEDULE
Thank you TBR and Beyond for including me on this tour!
