Book Review

Title: Disciples of Chaos by M. K. Lobb (Seven Faceless Saints Book 2)

Genre: Fantasy, Dark

Synopsis:

In this thrilling sequel to Seven Faceless Saints, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kerri Maniscalco, Roz and Damian must face their destiny as the world crumbles around them.

Damian Venturi isn’t aware of it yet. But as small shifts start to crack the foundations of the Ombrazian power structure after the Rebellion’s attack, cracks are beginning to show in Damian’s own facade. Uncontrollable anger is bubbling to the surface and can’t always be pushed down. Can he keep everyone safe, even from himself?

Rossana Lacertosa should feel victorious. She accomplished everything she set out to do, and more. The Rebellion’s attack set countless prisoners free and brought attention to the unfairness in the Palazzo’s structure. And Damian is back by her side where he belongs. Yet the war with Brechaat rages on and government officials are hellbent on keeping the status quo.

Then an Ombrazian general arrives from the front lines, and orders dozens of arrests, shipping Roz and Damian’s friends up north. Determined to free those who matter most, Roz and Damian set their sights on Brechaat. But their journey is dogged by strange magic, and Damian shifts further from the boy he used to be.

The complications of love, magic, faith, and war will keep readers eagerly turning the pages as they head towards the gripping conclusion in the Seven Faceless Saints duology.

Rating: 4 Stars

After the epic ending of Seven Faceless Saints I couldn’t wait to get into the sequel and see if my thoughts on where the story is going to go are correct. Much like the first book this opens with a band as Roz and Damian are preparing for the first meeting between the disciples and the unfavoured. That meeting should go according to plan at all as none of the disciples want the system to change even though it doesn’t work and they are now targeting all the dissenters. Everyone associated with the rebellion is arrested and is going to be drafted into the army which makes Damian feel ill but he isn’t exempt from this treatment. Damian is also arrested but I don’t know if they are going to send him north like the others or whether something else waits for him. The rage Damian is displaying is also concerning but the hints from book one make me think that Damian might be a chaos disciple and doesn’t realise it.

As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Damian and the others have been imprisoned and they are going to be sent north once more to fight in the war, which terrifies Damian not just for himself but for Roz. However, in the cells he speaks to a woman who has been arrested for heresy and through her he finds out that Enzo was the last sacrifice and he might have brought Chaos back. This makes me think that Damian isn’t a disciple of Chaos but housing Chaos the saint within him. Using what I believe to be powers of chaos Damian manages to free Roz and some of the rebels but many including Kiran have already been shipped north. They escape a plan to go after them and rescue their friends but they need to get ahead of the military ship and the only way to do that is to cut through enemy territory. Meanwhile we learn about Milos, who seems to be a disciple of chaos born outside of chaos’ land and was taken away for it but his fate remains unknown at the moment. So far the pace is far quicker in this book than the first one which is increasing my enjoyment of the book and I can’t wait to see what actually happens in the north when they get there.

As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, the group travelling north consisting of Roz, Damian, Dev and Siena is caught again at the docks but whatever is coming over Damian comes to their aid and allows them to steal a boat and escape. As they begin their journey north Siena makes the suggestion of stopping at the Archives for answers. The archives aren’t just a library they are a magical place that offers answers to any questions you have. Dev and Roz are unsure they should be wasting time but since they don’t know where the disciples of chaos are going to be a problem, Damian decides it is for the best to get answers before heading truly north so they prepare for when they arrive. Roz has noticed that Damian during his episodes seems to act the same way he did under Enzo’s influence but doesn’t know what or who is doing it. They are also all aware that someone is close to them and following because the magical fog that allowed them to escape the prison and hide the boat while they are at the archives is being created by someone and it can’t be Roz, the only disciple in the group.

As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, I was really invested in this story and what was happening to Damian but I am going to be sad when it ends as it is only a duology. In the archive, they find the information they are looking for and it turns out that Enzo was right. The ritual strengthens all disciples of chaos but I have a theory about Damian. We know that Patience killed Chais and he was resurrected as a mortal, so what if Damian is a reincarnation of Chaos and when Enzo completed the ritual it awoke Chaos’ power within him. This would explain the struggle Damian is having with the power as it doesn’t suit Damian kind and loving nature and it would explain why Roz is the only person who can get throw Chaos since he was also felled by his lover. Now in enemy territory they realise that a disciple of chaos wants them there and is actively helping them but they don’t know why. We have also learnt through Milos that the disciples of chaos are feeling a pull south potentially towards Damian who is the reincarnation of their patron saint.

As we cross into the second half of the novel, the group finds an inn but are captured by soldiers and taken captive. There they are given since truths about their countries and the atrocities being committed against the people labelled as their enemy. With the disciples of chaos strengthened, their new general Calder wants to attack the heart of their nation and end the war before the siege of their country has long lasting consequences. Calder is also the one who senses that Damian is a disciple of chaos and has been suppressing his magic which could be why it’s rebelling against his will or it could be something else. Roz is the one who convinces Calder they can help him win the war if he agrees to get their friends off the front lines and he agrees if she takes away the patience Magic on the trade bridge. Roz having kept control of her magic for so long and never truly learning how to use it doesn’t have a clue what to do and ends up destroying the bridge but it still helps as trade can come through now.

As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, we can see the climax building now as the group are officially aiding the enemy in their cause but their journey is far from over. By the time they reach the city, they split into groups, most are going to surround the palazzo while Damian and Roz are heading to the basilica to keep an eye on the ceremony and those in power. However, they realise too late that it is a setup and their plan was known ahead of time. When Falco arrives she confirms that they learnt of the plan through the dead but pressed in by soldiers with no way out, Damian finally gives in to the power inside him and reveals that he is the reincarnation of Chaos. With Damian on the loose, Roz heads to Calder to see what they should do but she knows that Patience was always the one to end Chaos and in order to return Chaos to humanity, she would need to sacrifice her own meaning only one of them is going to get to the end of the book alive.

As we cross into the final section of the novel, we see everything come together but with a little twist that I wasn’t expecting. Honestly, this duology was good but there are elements that could have made it amazing. The first thing I would have changed is the pacing especially in book 1, if the first half of Seven Faceless Saints was condensed down then the opening 50-100 pages of this book could have been in there and elements like the reincarnations, the disciples of chaos and their land could have been given more development than they had. The second thing I would have changed was the reincarnations despite them being a huge element of this book, I think it would have served the characters and story better if Damian was being possessed by Chaos rather than actually being Chaos, because then he could have been fighting an internal battle for most of the book but when it came down to it, Roz would have been the one to draw him out and remind him who he is casting Chaos out but that’s just my personal opinion. Overall, I think if you like your fantasy a little dark, with some classic elements presented in a new way then this duology would be perfect for you. However, for me personally, there were a few elements that fell short of the mark to make it an amazing read.

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.

Author Links: Website Twitter Instagram Goodreads

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I received this review copy for consideration from TBR and Beyond Tours.