Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb is a book I didn’t expect to come cross my radar, let alone find myself enjoying amidst the waves of YA fantasy recommendations flooding my feed. I must thank @in_emmas_library for getting this book on my tbr because this read unlocked many ideas and insights into themes and tropes within the YA dark fantasy sphere to delve into.

Seven Faceless Saints has a moody, dark tone much like everyone’s emo phase in high school (it’s not a phase, mum) with its rich description and engaging setting. Locations feel vivid and ripe with detail, bringing to life the characters and their surroundings and intertwining the senses into the tale which is always an accomplishment with books. A good book utilises the reader’s senses and brings them into the story by drawing upon experience and memory to hook the reader in and put them in the place of the characters.

I can’t say I would be against experiencing this world first-hand as the concept seems extremely interesting. My little historian heart couldn’t stop racing with the important religious and historical details underlining the story. How did it start down this path? How did the world end up this way? Are those two questions as different or similar as they appear to be? The community facets of this city felt reminiscent of other YA novels, dystopian and fantasy alike, but the way the plot and subplots tangled together and the landscape encompassing all the action revitalised those well-used tropes and themes and gave them new life. This is all my opinion, of course, so you will have to be the judge yourself and see if Seven Faceless Saints sparks your interest as much as it has mine.

It does, like all books, have its downfalls. I was able to pick out a lot of things early in the novel, especially significant details that proved to be true in the end. That’s not bad by any means because it shows that readers are able to connect the dots to what is a well developed and structured story. If it was random and out of nowhere it would be a lot bigger of a problem. Some characters also felt a little lacking or underdeveloped but again that may just be because my preference is for the depth and layers of minor characters to be more than a few basic aspects to their being. I like multiple layers of conflict and purpose for all the characters I read and with an environment like they have and the political conflicts that shake the nation I imagine a lot of them have a lot to say about what’s been going on for decades.

Seven Faceless Saints is perfect for YA fantasy readers wanting something a little darker, a little more gothic without tearing straight into gothic romance. It’s got the roots of a decent fantasy and the architecture of a gothic fantasy with some romance flitting through its pages. If you enjoyed Vespertine and A Darker Shade of Magic I would highly recommend this for you, and maybe even Red Queen fans will enjoy this dark fantasy with tendrils of dystopian YA weaving through the shadows. Seven Faceless Saints is a great break from the traditional YA high fantasy with multiple love interests and large overarching hero’s journeys and provides a quick, immersive read for a cozy afternoon in.