Faceless

by Jeff Monday, Philip Anthony Bailey (Illustrator)

Would you like to know?
Would you like to know the answer to any question? Anything. Ask away. One question, though. So what would your question be?
But be warned...the price for such knowledge is steep. The answer to any question you have. And all it will cost you is your face.
Your mouth. Your nose. Your ears and your eyes.
You will still live. But I will take your face.
So what is important enough to you that you would give up so much? What question is worth the price?

Anto did not have an easy life. He was ignored and beaten as a child. When he turns sixteen, he runs away from home and wanders the countryside, almost dying along the way. But eventually, he finds a new life with glimmers of hope and love. But to hold on to that love, Anto will have to confront his worst nightmare.

Faceless is a dark fantasy by Jeff Monday that asks a simple question: Would you sacrifice everything for the answer to a single question?

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Queer, Romance, Novella

209 pages, Paperback

Published March 20, 2021

Reviews

[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sitting here having just finished reading this with tears streaming down my face.
What a truly beautiful book.
The Faceless and what they suffer are horrifying. The love story between Anto and Ven is pure and brings light to a dark tale.

[Stitching Ghost]

I should have read the blurb, this one was a pretty sedate fantasy romance with a horror aspect, not what I expected with that cover. The horror aspect wasn't enough to make it worthwhile for me and the prose was rather plain so I didn't have much to latch onto. It was a really quick read though so there's that.

No rating because I wasn't the right audience for it.

[The Morbid Mama ☠︎︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my absolute favorites. I did think that it was going to be a horror book, but it was far from it!

https://www.themorbidmama.com/post/fa...

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book broke my heart in all the right ways. I couldn’t put it down and had to read and find out what happened.

What would you do if you could ask one question? Anything. But there would be consequences and you would become one of the Faceless. So is it important enough to never hear or see or breathe or eat again? You have to decide.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG...What a beautiful book.
This broke my heart...put it back together again...then broke it all over again several times.
The cover of this book drew me in thinking it was going to be some kind of horror story...but...boy...I couldn't have been more mistaken.
It was truly a love story like no other kind.
It grabbed me violently...pulled me in until I cried...real tears.
This will stay within my soul for many years to come...maybe forever?

5 "What Would You Do For True Love" 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟's

This book was amazing, beautiful, heartbreaking and sad 🤩😍💔😭

[October · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book deserves more than five stars.. I give it all the stars. It had me staying up to 3 am to finish it and it was 100% worth it. A beautiful love story, a found family, and a overall magical story is what you get in this book. I would say this is fantasy for people who don't normally read fantasy with a bit of horror torn in. Read this book!!!

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. Even though I read it in a matter of hours, I know it now has a permanent place in my soul. Beautiful just doesn't do it justice. It's every emotion at once...love, anger, horror, desperation. My heart smiled and broke a hundred times over in 200 short pages. I bought it for the incredible cover and couldn't have imagined it contained such an incredible story.

[PaperbackGhosts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, first of all, this cover. Gorgeous. Love it. This book was surprising to me, though. I went in expecting a creepy, horror story and instead got a story of love and grief (with some creepy monsters sprinkled in). The beginning read like an old school Reddit creepypasta, but went full blown romance on me.

I am obsessed with the quipen, Telos. WHAT A SWEET LIL BABY 🥹 I also really loved Anto and Ven’s story. It was beautiful. I’m so glad they found each other. All the different creatures/monsters gave the story a creepy edge, especially the Faceless, of course. I thought of them like the Silent Hill nurses, but without the bandages, and more sad than scary. Overall, not what I expected but still a good, quick read.

[Casey Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a horror, but I really liked it regardless. It was a super short fast read and I love the thought of someone so in love with someone else that they’d risk their life to save the one they love. *sigh* we can all only hope for love like that

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my heart. I was drawn in by the cover and the synopsis, even knowing that this wasn't horror, but rather a love story with some dark fantasy elements. Despite it only being 176 pages, I quickly fell in love with the characters and their world. This one is going to stay with me for a while, but in a good way!

[Donald Armfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re single most important question could be answered, in exchange for your face and all senses put on hold if you would succeed in your journey of said answer…. Would you take that risk?

A coming of age happily ever after story of such a faceless journey, and looking back at what made us, to only hold it once again, even if there’s a horrifying outcome.

[Jessicka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I was expecting with this book but what I got wasn’t it.

I can see why other reviewers loved it and how it broke their hearts but for me it felt kind of immature. More like a YA novel than what I guess I was expecting (there’s nothing wrong with YA novels, they’re just typically not my jam).

It was well written and cohesive, I just didn’t really enjoy it.

[Kal burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

“His body shook, needing a way to purge the emotions that consumed him. Unshod tears were drowning him. Unscreamed cries deafened him.”

As somebody who relies mostly on intuition to guide me, this hit HARD.

This book affirms the crucial importance of human expression.

Disclaimer: If you’re a hopeless romantic, this book will tug at your heartstrings.

I’m a touchy feely person, but deeply in tune with my senses, and my feelings… and how in tune my senses are with my feelings. Expressing is important to me. I didn’t maybe realize how intensely and passionately thankful I am/should be every day until I read this book. Holy shit. Not having these things, even with someone who knows you well and can communicate with you seamlessly… is still disorienting as fuck. The most fucked game of charades to ever exist… with the highest of stakes.

Touches on themes of the power of community, hope, and the validity of intuition.

A reminder that there is much hope in healing childhood trauma in the ways in which we love and touch one another’s lives.

I have nothing but the utmost praise for this beautiful work, honestly.

[Jennifer Matchett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of surprises. The more I read, the more I enjoyed it.

It’s heartbreaking to live through Anto’s struggles. I wasn’t expecting a coming of age story going in, but I’m glad that’s how it played out.

I was so happy when he befriended Ven and his family, then sad that he lost them. But then Telos came along, and Mum Gwinth. Just pulled at my heartstrings to know he found kindness and compassion just when he needed it.

The way everything played out was really special. Again, not what I expected going in. This was a story about despair, love, hope, and conquering demons against all odds.

This really shouldn’t be slept on. It was a beautiful story.

[Kirsty Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expecting a tale of horror I was surprised to find this was a beautiful story of friendship, love, adventure determination and sacrifice. Wonderfully written and truly moving we follow the story of a boy, as he grows into a man, his quest to find his place in the world and a sense of belonging and love. I would say this is more fantasy with a horror element and definitely worth picking up.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story! I loved the characters. The structure of the book was unique.

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hidden gem
This book was gifted to me by someone who wanted to shine some light on an Author that doesn't get nearly enough of the praise he deserves!  This beautiful twisted fairytale-like novel is more of a dark fantasy than horror but definitely has its horrifying moments!

Jeff Monday asks the question- How much are you willing to gamble, for someone you love ?

[Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected but a unique, moving story. 3.5 stars

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Little one, little one
Don’t ask any questions.
The faceless ones are coming
Oh, little one, be silent.”

“Faceless” by Jeff Monday gets a 4 out of 5 stars.

This book popped up in a bookswap group and I heard good feedback so I decided to read it. It is categorized as a dark fantasy, but it was definitely not what I was expecting!

The Faceless, in the beginning, seemed to be a child’s bedtime story or old handed down legend. There’s even a “cult following” (church / congregation) that search for the divine question to ask the “Face Stealer.” This deity gives the answers but takes the faces of those who ask a question only to be doomed for all eternity by roaming the earth literally faceless unless they can utilize the information the Face Stealer provided. The legend is very specific, horrific and we learn that it is very real.

We follow the adventurous journey of Anto as he escapes his abusive father. He has some very close calls with death as well as learning experiences throughout his journey. At one point, Anto is near death from starvation and ailments from his travels, but is taken in by a passing family who nursed him to better health. The younger son, Ven, and Anto’s friendship grows into a heartwarming love story. To Anto, Ven brought purpose to his life and stopped his suffering. Anto fell in love with Ven and without him, he felt his sense of life would diminish; therefore, he would do anything.

Anto goes through some serious experiences since he ran away. From nature driven obstacles to being kidnapped to near death but to meeting kind people (like Ven and his family as well as the special, Mum Gwinth), thriving and falling love. Anto never gave up, put others before himself and would sacrifice anything to care for those he loved. I found myself eager to see what happened next and hoped for him to keep going! He is definitely one to be looked up to as a genuine good person. This story is coming of age with horror, fantasy and heartwarming all wrapped into it. Plus the cover a pretty and trippy too.

Please visit my GoodReads profile for more reviews. Thank you!

[Ky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am floored. This book is written with such poetic and flowing prose, it pulls you in and makes you fall in love with the characters so easily. I love the themes in the book, those of chosen family, grief processing and deep, effortless love. It was not the book I was expecting (I also read it due to the really interesting cover) and I think it will stay with me forever. An all time favourite, I couldn’t recommend it more!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This...was not at all what I expected. I am someone who goes into books knowing as little as possible. I don't even like to read the descriptions. This one was recommended in a horror group...so I made an assumption that this was horror and I knew the cover was amazing...and that was pretty much all I knew.

But this book isn't horror...at least not in my opinion. To me...this is a very basic fantasy story...only without a lot of world building because it's under 200 pages. I kept waiting for the "horror" elements to come into the story and they never did. Had I gone into this knowing it was just a fantasy and not a horror novella...I think i would have been able to enjoy the ride more because I just had this unfulfilled expectation while reading.

That said...I DID find this book surprisingly compelling. The writing could definitely use some polishing...grammar errors, typos, missing words, etc are present and, at times, can be a bit distracting. Usually, this is a big issue for me because it pulls me out of the story too much...but I was honestly so drawn into the story and found the style of the writing to be very compelling. I think with just a little fine tuning...this could have easily been a 5 star read for me.

So...if you are looking for a short fantasy story with LGBTQ+ rep, and some mildly dark elements, then definitely check this one out.

[Megan Wintrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Little pup, little pup where have you gone? The sun is going down oh, little pup, come home. Little kit, little kit don't run too far. The dark things are here oh, little kit, come home. Little one, little one don't ask any questions. The faceless ones are coming oh, little one be silent."

Anto grows up with a mother and father, he has no siblings, no friends, nothing. He has an abusive father and a mother who seems to be treading on eggshells constantly. As the years pass by things are still the same day in and day out until one day it's not.

When Anto is 16 and befriends a boy named Ven and his family. The two boys share the same nursery rhyme but are the faceless really real?

With more hardship coming Anto's way as he grows up and a heartbreaking discovery about his one true friend Ven. What will happen to his future? And will it evolve the faceless?

I've never read anything like this before.l, it was such a well written story. It's classed as a horror but it's not gory or frightening or anything but it's a really good book. With some unexpected turns. I also cried like a baby at the end.

[Brit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up from 2.5

Like a lot of other reviewers, I went into this expecting horror and what I got was a romantic fantasy.

There’s a good story at the heart of this book. However, the writing style was not for me. A lot of spelling and grammatical errors, missing words, repeated words took me out of the story more than a few times. It’s not something that will bother everyone, but unfortunately it did bother me.
I know it can be more difficult for self published authors (which I’m just assuming Jeff Monday is) but this book would benefit greatly from some deft editing. He also does a lot of telling instead of (or in addition to) showing, which he absolutely doesn’t need to do. He’ll build up the relationship between two characters, make their emotional growth and connection clear through his writing, but will then include lines overly/obviously explaining something that’s already been made clear. Like Anto giving up after trying to reconnect with his father, we didn’t need the follow up paragraph explaining that he tried to mend what was broken but failed, etc. There’s a lot of little bits of that throughout the book, where we’re told “he knows he truly” - something that the writing has already established (if your reading comprehension skills are good). Almost like he either doesn’t trust his own storytelling skills or doesn’t trust the reader to pick up what he’s putting down. Trust yourself dude, you’re doing a good job of showing, no need to ALSO tell us.

[Kristen Mendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap what a beautifully, touching, dreadful, tragic, tear jerking book! I finished this book absolutely sobbing. I really thought this was going to be a horror book so at first I was like…ok any second now it’s either going to get gory or creepy. Nope! But honestly, I’m not disappointed at all. I can’t stop gushing about the beauty of this book. It mostly gave me “The Song Of Achilles” vibes. Our main character Anto has the hardest life growing up. He feels lost, misguided, unloved, unseen etc. Our hearts break as we travel through the first long 16 years of his life like this. (It’s actually very fast in the book don’t worry - Jeff Monday doesn’t draw things out, he’s precise in explaining Anto’s woes and his feelings) When Anto finally runs from home, his world gradually changes for the better as he meets people that will show him what it’s like to be loved and appreciated. BECAUSE of meeting one of those people though, we get to travel with Anto to a point of certain dramatic desperation to heal that said person. In the acts that occur though, gosh, idk just be prepared to cry at the end.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one broke me... a wonderful read.

Some deep expressions can become difficult when you don't realize just how traumatic your childhood was... Looking back, it's easier to express and remember the positives of your formative years. Better (convenient) to repress the destructive ones. The ones that took the actual range of the situation. The ones buried deep. The ones that really shaped you. The ones that twisted you up, like the wire barbs on a fence.

The thing about humans is, as we age, we tend to slowly drop the dark memories, and focus on the present. So naturally the negatives get regulated to a corner of your brain's landscape... surrounded by barbed wire and do not enter signs. Signs reading: Trespassers will be shot on sight. On one side is, happy and endless fields. Ready for development. On the other is the insidious and murky swamp. Devoid of habitation. Slowly, that parcel of land gets smaller. You start selling off those fucked up pieces, making room for new and happier memories. However, there are a few that instead of relinquishing there plot, they sprout tall posts and hang above the land on billboards. Ones that as your driving through life, you periodically see, and it ruins your damn day. Week. Year. Years. Sometimes, you're on your phone and blow right past them. Sometimes you take the scenic route, and avoid them. Sometimes you're in the car with a loved one, and don't even notice them. Most of the time however, you pretend that they aren't even there. Though you know they are there... Hovering right above you. Shouting their fucked up message, regardless of how fast you try and fly by. You know the words written upon them by heart... You've already lived and stared into that void. That eyesore, remains in your mind whether conscious or subconscious. It has imparted on you, information that can never be unlearned.

I had started to survey the land in my mind a few months back. When I came upon the fenced off area, I crawled into the "no mans land" and took a look around. As I expected it was a bleak dark place. One I immediately wanted to leave. I stayed though, longer than I wanted to for sure. I left after it got too much to bear (or bare). Then I read this book. It gave me a flashlight and the courage to explore the darkest recesses of that swamp. It gave me the wherewithal to stare up at those billboards. I read them. Deciphered them. Then accepted them... They've been shrinking as of late. I've since took down the barbwire barrier I used to enclose them with too. The billboards have become just small signs on the side of the road. Just like the ones you see reading "Vote Tim Jamieson for Sheriff" or "Garage Sale on Needless Street." It's much better... but they will always be there. I know they will be.

This book tugged at my heartstrings. It had the fantasy elements I've always hid in, and the elements of raw emotion I thrive and LIVE in. It has become another catalyst for positive change in me. I'm grateful everyday, for everything I've loved and experienced. The good and the bad.

[Annisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So…. Completely expected this to be like splatterpunk horror. It was certainly not that. Ended up being more of a song of Achilles type deal except less heart wrenching.

The only thing that was weird is it seemed like parts were missing. Like one chapter he gave up searching for ven at the market and then the next page they were together. Never explained how they found each other again or what happened to vens father or what happened to the slave girl who escaped.
Other times it went from night time when they were in bed to the next day on horses in one sentence. Not sure if it’s intentional or an editing problem.

[joeysbooked · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not the horror book I expected it to be with the cover and description. It was definitely more of a queer dark fantasy that briefly touched in horror.

With that said, I still REALLY enjoyed this. I was not expecting this to be cute queer story that it was, but it really drug me in.

I really wanted it to be fleshed out even more. At times the writing was a bit simple or repetitive and the pacing in the last half felt a bit all over the place. Plus there was not near enough of the Faceless in the story.

It was really the quick, simple read I needed and I really enjoyed the glimpses of this world that we got.

[Empresscarrot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and I'm surprised that this hasn't blown up yet. The narrative is easy to follow and the world building is mystical. The creature in the story is creepy but the driving force of this novel is the story. The friendship, loyalty, and surprisingly, there's even romance! This book will have you rooting for the main character and you'll understand why the monsters became that way. This is a very unique story and I finished this in just 2 days (could have been 1 day if I didn't sleep haha).

[Sarah Cooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was much more of a coming of age story and a romance with some light horror elements thrown in. It wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for but I still enjoyed it.

I thought the book could have used some tighter editing, there was some weird sentence structuring and a few grammatical errors. Also, I think it the story could have benefitted from being longer and fleshing out the world and the faceless more.

However, the love story was quite sweet and overall I did enjoy myself.

[David Swisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not what I was expecting. It was so much more. A story filled with emotions of loss, love, wanting, grief, terror, and more.

Faceless is told in a style similar to a fairy tale following our hero, Anto, throughout a few years in his life that ends up defining everything. Equal parts gut wrenching and heart warming with splashes of whimsy and horror, this is not one to miss. Go into it blind, you'll appreciate it more I think.