Disciples of Chaos (Seven Faceless Saints, 2)

Disciples of Choas is the second book in the SevenFaceless Saints series, where some are favored and are disciples of one of seven gods and those that are unfavored and are the poor and oppressed. As far as everyone knows, there are no disciples of chaos as he is the one who should never be worshipped and whose disciples are killed and never seen again. But as we all know, in fantasy, when something is told, it is poorly and has been extinguished; it is never really extinguished. What is the palazzo trying to cover up about the disciple of chaos, and who is keeping this war going? There are a lot of truths and lies in this series that are uncovered as Roz, a Disciple of Patience, starts to want to fight for those who are unfavored. There is the trope of the excellent character downward spiraling as he learns he is actually not good, and I especially loved the Romeo and Juliet-type sacrifice we get at the end. It is an exciting series that shows that questioning what you have been told is true sometimes leads to complicated truths, but truths need to be known.

In Disciples of Chaos Roz feels great hope that things can change for the better in how those born without magic are treated by the Disciples born with magic. However, that proves a naïve hope as things go wrong quickly when they are all arrested, her friends are shipped off to the frontlines of war, and those in power are bloodthirsty - only wanting to keep the status quo.
Inexplicable magic saves Damian, Roz, Sienna, and Dev allowing them to capture a boat and try to save their friends. I would have thought being in close quarters, the chemistry between Damian and Roz would have been intense. However, something in Damian is changing and it is pulling them apart.
As a reader, the big reveal about Damian’s magic was not really a surprise but the fact that the characters kept attributing it to other things was not engaging. What is a surprise is the resolution to his plight and the war. How nice it would be if complex problems could be so easily swept away in real life.
Overall, this was a good conclusion to the duology. I lament that the sizzling relationship from the first book changed so greatly in the second book. However, there was a sweet evolution in their love story and a solid ending to the established conflicts making it a worthwhile read.