Fawkes by Nadine Brandes
Available in the US July 10, 2018.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The story of the Gunpowder Plot gets an all new twist with magical color powers and a deadly stone plague. Forced to leave St. Peter’s Color School after his father fails to attend his color testing and bring him his hand-crafted mask, Thomas Fawkes heads out on his own to find his infamous father. Being the son of Guy Fawkes isn’t the only obstacle that Thomas must overcome, he is also infected with the deadly and mysterious stone plague. Unable to use one eye because it has literally turned to stone, Thomas does all he can to hide his affliction. After a treacherous journey to London, Thomas finds himself face to face with the father he has never met and becomes embroiled in a deadly plot to kill the King of England.
Along the way, Thomas runs into two of his former classmates. Beautiful and talented Emma Areben, who barely acknowledged him at school. Haughty and horrible Henry Parker, son of the Baron Monteagle. The situation only worsens when Thomas learns that Emma lives with Henry as his father’s ward and through a series of odd circumstances, Thomas becomes employed as her guard.
Thomas spends the year leading up to the notorious Gunpowder Plot guarding Emma, proving his worth to his father, and fighting off the mysterious White Light magical power that speaks to him in his mind.
The first three-quarters of this book was a very slow lead up to an exciting and interesting ending. I really enjoyed the mix of magic, politics, and teenage angst and hormones. Watching Thomas wrestle with his feelings towards his father and trying to prove his loyalty, against his own moral beliefs made for great tension.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Fawkes captivated me from the first chapter. It's a fast-moving story with well-drawn characters, both fictional and those inspired by real historical figures. The magic system is great, and I especially love how it's used in the end. The rivalry between the Keepers and Igniters was a clever way to fictionalize historical circumstances. Thomas is an interesting hero with both his inner and external conflicts. Emma proves to be a great heroine with her own journey that is as surprising as it is fascinating. The inclusion of real life people such as King James, John Dee, and of course Guy Fawkes only adds to the depth of this story.

So I read a sample of this book and knew I wanted to request it. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book before it’s release date.

This book touches on many things. Race, exploration, self awareness, equating looks to value, ect ect. Plus it has the fun twist of magic. This book has a unique magic system that I enjoyed. I would say it’s written for a middle grade audience. The characters we all unique and clearly defined. The plot was intriguing and kept me on my toes. I will say the ending was disappointing to me because I really wanted more of a happy ending but I realize that after reading the ending and added info this book was based on true events and what happened in the end wasn’t a happy ending for many. Though it was “happy” in a sense I just wanted a happy ending for certain characters. Overall I think many people would enjoy this book and it’s adventures through England with Thomas and Emma.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it was an exciting new way of telling the story of the gunpowder plot that actually happened in England in the early 1600's. As a history major I love reading historical stories that have a touch of fantasy/magic added in. The story follows a 16 year old Thomas Fawkes who is the son of the legendary Guy Fawkes. He is starting at a school called St. Peters that is known for schooling in color magic. The different colors can control fire, wind, earth, and different compulsions. The story follows how he finally meets his father in person and becomes involved in this plot against the King of England. This was extremely well thought out and the author did research on the history to make sure that parts were as accurate as possible besides adding her own voice to the story. This book was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone that loves magic and history.

I feel bad, but my largest complaint with this book is that I just don't understand why it had to be historical fiction along with being a fantasy novel.  The author's note at the end provided a decent explanation, but honestly I just found the "historical" figures in the novel to be super distracting from what otherwise was a really interesting world and story to me.  This is maybe especially the case because one of the reasons I was drawn to this book was due to how interested I was in Guy Fawkes in high school.  I feel like I am being too harsh, but this was really hard for me to put aside while reading the book and is probably the biggest reason I could not bring myself to bump up my rating for the book.

To finish getting my complaints out of the way, the only other major thing that was a negative about this book is that I found Thomas to be too whiny for too long in the book.  While he does eventually show growth, I thought it took too long and this made it a struggle to like the character.  Once he started to turn the corner the book became a lot more interesting and was something I couldn't put down until the finish.

The strength of the book really lies in two areas for me.  The first is the world built around the color powers and the culture clash between the Keepers and Igniters.  I found myself constantly wanting to learn more about every aspect of these different people and the powers they possessed.  The other area of interest was how the book explored various forms of prejudice and discrimination.  I think it was handled in a really interesting and nuanced way and thought that the various rifts in the society were the most interesting things explored.

Overall, if you can put aside my hang up of thinking this story would have been better completely divorced from any kind of history, I think this book is worth checking out.  The story itself is quite well done and I think a lot of the ideas developed in the world are really interesting.

A dull retelling of history with magic swapped in for religion. Not enough nuances to keep me interested.

I reeeeeally enjoyed this!

It was a tiny bit slow at times and I didn't really care for Thomas (he was kinda selfish and whiny) but I loved the rest of the characters and the story was awesome. The historical fantasy aspect was great and I loved the masks, the colour powers and the fact that Guy Fawkes and the plotters were actually in the book.

Also,
EMMA IS MY QUEEN! I just loved this girl she was amazing!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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This was beyond my expectations. The blurb really pulled me in with the magic blended into 17th century London and the Gunpowder Plot, but never did I expect a mature exploration of what it means to search for truth. Nor did I expect a mirror turned to some of the most important issues that our society faces today, let alone in a book set during the 17th century.

Let's start with the plot. It's not a long book, only 440 pages or so and yet nothing felt rushed. All the important events were given the right amount of time and there was absolutely no side-quest or tangential plot running in the background. The Gunpowder Plot was told and merged fantastically with the magical elements and setting. I could easily imagine London with colour power and masks.

The setting was vividly imagined and yet I cannot recall a single moment in this book when I was swamped by an info-dump.ing session. This is a very good sign of a skilled writer. Everything you needed to know about this setting was seamlessly integrated into the storytelling. The magic system was unique and the Stone Plague was an absolutely genius move. It seriously creeped me out, and the plight of the plagued was shown (not told about) to the reader very well. What I absolutely loved was how this book showed prejudice in so many different ways. There was prejudice against the Keepers, Igniters, the plagued and those of coloured skin. None of it read like a message being shoved in your face. It was quite brilliantly told, actually, and this brings me to my next point.

The characters. Thomas' perspective was refreshing. His confusion and personal search for truth were what drove this story. The way he was shown understanding that a lot of his prejudices arose from the common opinions of those around him was a delight to read. I loved how he came to terms with this issue and sought to make his own mind up on what/who was right or wrong/good or bad. Emma was my other favourite. Her strength and her own fight for her beliefs were shown amazingly, despite the fact that we only read from Thomas' perspective. Their relationship and arguments over their personal beliefs were also things I was not expecting when I read the blurb.

The writing was not overly flourished, nor was it underwhelmingly simple. It was well-balanced and very, very evocative in several parts. I think one of my absolute favourite scenes was one involving the Stone Plague (I won't spoil but it was absolutely terrifying to read).

There are several reasons why this book needs to be read by as many people as possible, but here are 3:

1. One of the main themes of this novel is the judgement of something/someone based on its/their appearance. The colour masks themselves heavily allude to this. There is a reason why I love this theme and the way it is integrated into the story. The setting is 17th century London and there is a prevalence of prejudice against anything unknown. This includes the plagued, those of coloured skin and those who hold different beliefs. It is something that is very much relevant today and I love how the author naturally put a mirror to our issues today in a novel set in the 1600s.

2. The colour powers. This is a unique magic system that may sound similar to Brandon Sanderson's but is actually very different. It is integrated very well into the setting and the replacement of the actual plague with the Stone Plague was a unique idea.

3. The character development in this short book is impeccable. There are so many twists and turns in the plot that leave our protagonist as confused as the reader about which side is right and which is wrong. And although Thomas finds his answers in a fictional setting, his journey and growth are something we can all relate to.

Overall, I'll give this one 5 stars. There were so many twists and turns but I enjoyed every moment of it. I would love to read this in hard copy and read other works by the same author. Historical fiction might just have become my new favourite genre.
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A short review on Litsy:
Unexpectedly awesome. 3 reasons to read this gem:

1. The theme of prejudice runs strong in this, The setting is 17th century London and prejudice exist against the plagued, Igniters, Keepers and those coloured skin. The author has mirrored crucial issues of today in a novel set in the 1600s.
2. The magic system is VERY well done.
3. Impeccable character development. Thomas' journey to find truth is something we can all relate to.

5/5 stars!

Hummm....
I am a little stuck for words here guys. I don't really know how to feel about this book.
It wasn't bad... but it wasn't good either.
The idea behind the book is good, but the execution was not always on point. Sadly the first 2/3 of the book bored me... it was long and dull. The last third of the book though pick up pace and got a lot better.

Thomas Fawkes is the main character in the story and the focus is almost solely on him. There is very poor secondary character development.
Thomas is turning to stone due to a plague, he flees to London to join his father on a plot against the king that will apparently end the plague. Needless to say, things don't go as planned.
If you haven't figured out yet, this is loosely based on Guy Fawkes, who here is Thomas father and the one who will be responsible for setting off 36 barrels of gunpowder under the Parliament against the Igniter King of England.
I really didn't like Thoma's character. He is meant to be 17 but I only know that because I was told at some point through the story. He sounded more like a 13 year old selfish, self-centered, obnoxious little boy. Everything he did the whole book was for himself. The only character in the book worthy of some praise describes him perfectly (and yet falls for him- *face palm*):
"He said I could trust you. But I'm not sure. I'm not sure he ever saw the Thomas I'm seeing now - afraid. Selfish. Evasive." She lifted her chin. "Stone cold."

The magic element drove me nuts from the very first page. It didn't always make sense. The concept is simple, there is color magic and a person might be able to control one or more colors. But it takes a while for it to make sense in this particular story. And when it does it sounds like something taken out of a juvenile book.
Eventually we learn there are Keepers, who only yield one color each, and Igniters, who yield more than one color at once. Thomas starts off fighting for and with the Keepers, but than falls in love with an Igniter girl.

The Igniter girl is Emma. She was interesting to read: fierce, truthful, loyal, independent. All the makings for a fabulous heroine. She would have made a better character than him. Her only fault really was to fall in love with Thomas.

The book get a lot better towards the end. The focus shifts from self-entered Thomas to Emma and to the magical elements, and the pace of the book pics up with more action and a stronger plot. A little to late for a better rating though...

(review up in the blog soon)

Okay, so first of all, a MASSIVE thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this book!!!!!

Now let's talk review.

Wow! I read the Out of Time series not long before blasting through Fawkes, and while they're both very different (and I think that in general I liked OoT a little better) they both have a distinctive Nadine feel to them. So that was really awesome.

The premise of this book is the Gunpowder plot, a real event in England in the early 1600s where a group of plotters discontent with the king (he was a Protestant; they were Catholic; the Protestant church at that time did shameful thing to Catholics.) Guy Fawkes was one of the leaders of that plot, and November 5th in England bears his name. If you don't know anything about the Gunpowder Plot, don't look it up before you read this book. I, I'm afraid, knew a little bit about it, so some of what happened didn't come as a surprise. But! It was still a great book!!!!

LIKES
-Guy Fawkes himself. Like just HOLY WOW. Talk about the complex dad character. You kind of have to read the thing to know exactly how awesome he is, and his character arc...man, this is my kind of character.
-EMMA. I can't really say anything about her because SPOILERS HAHA HER EXISTENCE IS A SPOILER but still. I loved her so much. <33333
-The fact that the real plotters were the characters of this book!
-While there's both Keepers (the side Thomas and his father are on) and Igniters (the side Emma and her family are on) within this story, both are portrayed as having major faults and not being totally in the right OR the wrong. Keepers are a persecuted minority, and Thomas and his father fight for them, but Brandes still shows that there are fundamental flaws with them that cannot be explained away simply because they're the minority. Igniters are in power and technically, supposedly, in the right, but their method of holding onto power and the way they torment anyone different is not once depicted as a good thing. Which I LOVED. Both sides were wrong, but neither side was TOTALLY wrong. This made it complicated. And I loved that.
-Just the whole historical fantasy aspect. That was so cool.
-The color masks/powers! I found that whole concept amazing.
-THE VILLAIN. I will not tell you who it was or anything about them...but holy cow it was so so neat when VILLAIN is revealed and I just start shrieking. Heh heh...I totally didn't scream in the middle of the doctor's office or anything like that....

DISLIKES
-So, Thomas himself really was whiny and selfish for a long time? He does have some character development, but since this is a standalone where there's already a TON happening he doesn't get a ton. I didn't HATE him...I just didn't love him, either.
-The whole White Light thing just kind of weirded me out a bit. (view spoiler) This is probably just a matter of taste, in all honesty, but it was still a little weird to me.
-The book was a TEENSY bit slow in the middle.

All in all, four stars, and I definitely recommend this one! Thanks again to Netgalley for providing a free copy! All opinions are my own.

WOW!! Okay. It was the cover that drew me in. Then, the title. Fawkes as in GUY FAWKES??? I then wondered if it would be possible to weave a brilliant magical element into history. The short answer: yes. For the long answer, keep reading.

Typically, I avoid historical fiction. Mainly because I feel like it's been there, done that, read that. But this...mash it up with some magic and apparently, I. AM. SOLD.

I found the beginning a bit slow and a little confusing as I waited for the story and world to be built up a bit. But it didn't take long to get my bearings and ultimately, I flew through this book.

I read so many books from the female point of view, so finally getting a magical story from a male POV was fantastic in itself. The idea of him being Guy Fawkes's son who also was turning to stone and needed a mask to be cured...brilliant. At times he was less than likable (as are most characters, I think), but those moments were mostly when he complained about his mask. Which, I understood the WHY, but the world definitely had larger problems. The addition of historical figures was pretty dang cool, I must say. And events, for that matter. Brandes did a great job at weaving the magical elements into true events. Obviously you cannot change pieces of the past, but she put a spin on them that made this story unique. I must mention that Emma was probably my favorite character. A young female in Victorian times who most likely had expectations set upon her, but wanted more than those things. She was many things, but I most admired her backbone.

The magic was one of the coolest things I have come across in fiction. Color magic is something I've never experienced up until now, and it was far more epic than how I make it sound. It's brutal and gruesome at times. It also works for the good, of course. I liked the idea of a 'dangerous' magic, too, that half of the world wanted nothing to do with.

The story itself has some twists and secrets. Not hard to guess for the most part, but most of that probably is due to the historical aspect and the fact that those things cannot be changed.

I really, really enjoyed this! I would recommend it to those who enjoy YA fantasy and are looking for new magical ideas.

I read most of this book in a day! This hasn't happened since winter break.

Fawkes is a novel that not only tells the historical story of the plan to blow up parliament but also has a fantasy twist on it that deals with color power, and a plague.

Thomas Fawkes is one of those characters that I wasn't sure if I was going to like or not. I ended up loving him! Seriously he's my new book boyfriend (he's passed Creswell from Stalking Jack the Ripper). Why do I love him so much? Well because not only does he grow and change throughout this book, he's not obsessed with being the hero, all he wants it to be free, and he's good-hearted and doesn't let other people make decisions for him or sway his opinion one way or another. He goes out and finds his own truth, and does what's right even if it harms the people he's grown to care for.

I'm not a romance person, but this relationship that happens in this book. OMG! So natural, so caring, and I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP!!

Now time to talk about the history in this book. I'll fully admit that I don't know a lot about the plot to blow up parliament, okay let's be honest, I only knew the song. That's beside the point though. What is the point is that you can tell Brandes did a lot of research for this book to get everything right. From start to finish I was enchanted by this book, and how even though it is a fantasy novel, the history in it was real and yes a few things were changed, but most of it is true.

As for the fantasy color power ability. I loved it! Fantasy can sometimes take me a little while to get into and understand the complexities of it. A quarter of the way into this book I understood what the colors powers were and why they are so important. Brandes did such an amazing job of letting us know what was happening, without it being too much info at once. The beauty and the intricacy of the masks and the color power were so amazing sounding that I cannot wait to see all the fanart that comes from it.

This book has so many intense moments that had me on the edge of my seat, having to know what was going to happen next. I cannot wait to see how everyone else reacts to certain moments because they were just so so good.

I want to read this book again already. I cannot wait for it to come out so I can own a physical copy!

I was intrigued by the concept of the book and that is the reason I picked it. It is a combination of a historical fiction and fantasy. I liked how the author took the known story of Guy Fawkes and added to it the fantasy elements of color power.
It was a fascinating read. Even though I knew how the story will end for Guy Fawkes and the assassination plot, I wanted to know how the story will evolve for Thomas (& Emma).

#Fawkes #NetGalley

I absolutely was drawn into this story from the very first page. The author did a great job of introducing the main character and his personality in a way that made you understand his heart. I was not familiar with the Gunpowder Plot. This book tells the story from the perspective of Thomas Fawkes, the son of Guy Fawkes. The story is written with enough truth that you can get the general idea, but then adds a bit of a fantasy flair that adds even more interest to a story full of intrigue and conspiracy. I love how the author handles difficult political and social problems that are easily relatable in current events. I also enjoyed Thomas' journey in discovering the truth for himself and his decision to do the right thing even though it forced him to make a difficult decision between the truth and his own father.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and fantasy. I have already pre-purchased a copy for myself because it was such a great read. And that cover!!
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

You know how some books make you forget you need to eat and sleep? Well, this is one of those.

I know a book is good when I can’t stop thinking about it, when it takes on a life of its own inside my head. This book is robust fiction, and the tough issues that come up in the course of the story are issues we still face today. The issues are handled in a hopeful and honest way, and I loved that the book made me think, and think deeply, while also being entertained.

Everything about the book is perfect. Every element—foreshadowing, story twists, character growth, witty writing, and satisfying ending—they’re all there. The setting of early 17th-Century England is fascinating, and a lot of the history is true. The fantasy element blends smoothly with the history.

The story was one wild ride, and I loved it! It was unpredictable, and I had fun trying to guess what new developments and plot twists meant and what was going to happen and who the bad guy was. Many times the story had me on the edge of my seat. Not many books make me feel the depths of emotion that this one did. Often I was absolutely terrified for the characters.

The characters are each distinct and fascinating. The internal journey Thomas goes on is genuine and organic as he explores his world and searches for truth. Thomas starts out so sure of what he wants and what’s right in the world but then begins to question everything. By the end, there were no easy answers, and what answers he did find came at a cost.

I loved the writing style which was fresh and full of life, sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, always creative. I didn’t notice a single cliche. The difficult subjects and circumstances that come up are handled masterfully by the author.

The writing was never awkward or obvious but instead maintained a wonderful subtlety which made the reading of it a puzzle and an adventure. It fired up my imagination and I enjoyed deciphering and analyzing the meaning behind situations and also what characters were really feeling and thinking beyond what they chose to share. Because of its depth, this book is in every good way like a classic.

This is a book that changed me because it made me think about things in a new way. It made me ask myself thoughtful questions and made me look at history in a new light, but also helped me see our own time in a new way. The themes of truth, hope, freedom, and seeing beyond stereotypes are compelling and complex and exciting.

I knew right away I’d give this book four stars, but gradually as the book went along, it grew better and better and I knew I’d give it five stars. It’s a new favorite of mine. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I think you will, too, especially if you like the genres of historical fiction and/or fantasy.

Ever since I heard about Nadine Brandes and the Out of Time series, I have wanted to read them. Well, I haven't read that trilogy yet because some country's (*coughCanadacough*) shipping is ridiculous, but I just got a review copy of Fawkes--Nadine's latest novel. And, oh my goodness, it's beautiful. The cover is captivating and intriguing, and I really didn't read anything about the book before plunging in. After reading the book, I just sat back and marveled at the way Nadine placed history and fantasy in the same book and how skillfully they were woven together. And yes, there is a deeper meaning to this story, than just the Keeper-Igniter war.

Thomas character was special. He struggles with the Stone Plague, but even more so with his purpose, mission, and loyalties. He seeks to love his father and be worthy of him even though he's been hurt badly by him. And when he finally makes his own decisions about right and wrong, he realizes that it may cost some people their lives.

I love the idea of color masks as a way of showing people's unique gifts and talents. The characters of England each have a color power, granted to them only by the color test and by a individual mask created and formed by a parent. The child is raised to learn to mold with his mask and use the colors he/she has bonded with to bring peace (and war where necessary) in the world. Thomas doesn't have a mask yet, and to gain one will take more courage, risk, and sacrifice than he imagined. But he has the strange advice of the White light, along with Emma's counsel and his father's experience to guide him.

I love the relationship between Thomas and Emma. It's definitely not forced and it grows and strengthens because of challenges. And in the end, both Thomas and Emma see that being vulnerable and honest with each other leads to love in a way they didn't expect.

This book is packed with meaning for the Christian, and is captivating and full of history. But looking back at history, we can also learn something for today and for our futures.

Thank you, Nadine! Now I really want to read the Out of Time series. ;)

Oh boy, what a ride. This book took me totally by surprise!

For the first half or so of the book it is seemingly about a boy trying to survive and prove himself to his father. Then, when you think you know what kind of book it is, it changes and becomes a story about society, how people view others that differ from them and how we have to keep true to our own quests for truth. Like I said – what a ride.

The plot centers around the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605, and young Thomas, who is drawn into the plot by his father and the need to receive his Mask – the key to his Color Powers. I must admit that the whole fantasy element felt a little flat in the beginning of the book. The magic system and “mythology” didn’t really add up or make sense in all cases when you really thought about it. The whole color powers and the reverence/fear for White Light was obviously a religious analogy, just as it was quite obvious that the Keepers and Igniters were actually Catholics and Protestants, but in the end I think it worked. It was needed to keep “real” religion out of it, and the colour magic was a good substitute.

This book is about morality, when it really boils down to it. It’s complex and not always confined to the YA-genre as it feels more mature (no, not like that) and complex. It also feels realistic, which might be because of its historical background and how it seems to follow the real events. It depicts struggles in society about religion, class and race in a nuanced way and was surprisingly, and refreshingly, raw and unapologetic.

Even though I didn’t like all parts of the book, it made a positive impression as a whole. Fawkes is an unusual ya-historical fiction novel that I definitely recommend to everyone! It will be released the 10th of July 2018, don’t miss it!

4.5/5 stars!

One-Line Summary:

All the best things of the Gunpowder Plot—treason, secrecy, Guy Fawkes, regicide, sword fights, and plague—with the added element of magic.

Summary:

At 16, Thomas Fawkes is set to take his Color Test and become a man. Soon, he’ll have bonded with a color and will enter the final stage of his color training as a masked person. There’s just one problem. Only his father can make his mask, and his father isn’t coming.

Maskless, cursed with the Stone Plague, and now turned out of his school with his dreams for the future shattered, Thomas vows to go to London, find his father, and demand the mask that’s owed to him. He succeeds in the first two, but his father insists he’s not ready yet for his mask. Even worse, Guy Fawkes is keeping secrets. The dangerous kind. The kind Thomas is determined to uncover.

Meanwhile, in London, fear of the Stone Plague is growing, and Keepers are being rounded up and executed for refusing to accept White Light and become Igniters. Convinced the plague is spread by Igniters, a group of Keepers, including Guy Fawkes, have hatched a plan. Kill the king, place a Keeper on the throne, and rid England of the plague. Simple, right?

Despite questioning his beliefs, Thomas joins the treasonous plot, sure that he’s fighting for good. As the plot thickens and more secrets come to light, he has his doubts. After all, conflicts have two sides, and each side has a perspective. He isn’t sure who’s right and who’s wrong, and worse than that, Thomas now has to find where he really belongs.

The Positives:

- HAVE YOU SEEN THE COVER? It’s SO PRETTY. Not that I judge books by their covers, of course. But if I did, well, I totally would’ve picked this book up … Oh, and look at that, I did! Funny how that works. Listen, there’s nothing wrong with the finer things in life, and this book cover is fine and should, therefore, be properly appreciated.

- Who said history couldn’t be fun? Brandes takes some of the most fun things about history—you know, plague, sword fights, and treason—and really brings them to life. Fawkes is set during the Gunpowder Plot in the early 1600s, and while I didn’t know much about the setting to start with, I was quickly immersed in it. The historical context was really significant, and it was clear the author did her research. More than I did, so I guess I’m taking her word that the research is correct, so maybe that doesn’t mean a lot. The point is, I did learn some neat facts through the story and it felt very authentic and pulled me right in.

- The plot really picks up around 65% of the way in. I say that because it was slow going to start with. I didn’t like the main character, which makes it hard, and I was confused about the world and what was going on. But around 65%? Stuff started going down. The stakes were raised. There was turmoil and mystery and lots of things going on, and I was SO ONBOARD. The payoff in the end was definitely worth it, but it took a long time to get there.

- Oooh Emma’s a mystery rolled in an enigma wrapped in a conundrum and then chopped into puzzled pieces … and I sort of love it? Also, she’s a badass. I mean, there’s this pesky fact of her being a woman, which was not a good idea in that time period, so that kind of sucks. But she’s a powerful color user and can hold her own in a fight against men. What’s not to love about that? There’s also a lot more to her than meets the eye, literally, but since I don’t want to give away any spoilers, we’ll leave it at that.

- I actually really like White Light as a character. He’s snarky and witty and sarcastic. We’d get along. Probably be BFFs. I definitely thought he added a lot to the story, though, and I loved the idea of giving him (her, it?) a voice.

- I will not give away any spoilers. I will not give away any spoilers. I will not give away any spoilers. I can neither confirm nor deny whether Thomas ever gets the mask he so desperately craves from the beginning of the book. All I can say is that if it were to happen, the manner in which it comes about would obviously be fantastic and more than I would have ever hoped for. Ahem. All of this is just conjecture, obviously. Move along.

The Negatives:

- I have a hard time believing Thomas is 16. He’s naive about pretty much everything. How did he manage to make it to 16 without learning anything except how to use a sword? Despite going to an Igniter school and supposedly having studied about colors, he’s never heard of White Light. I mean, the Igniter/Keeper conflict is pretty major, but no one’s teaching youth about White Light or the history behind either Igniters or Keepers? Since Igniters are in control, I understand not getting Keeper history, but you’re telling me they don’t teach any kids in school about White Light until they’re 17, after the Color Test, despite it supposedly being a major tenant in their beliefs? They don’t even talk about it?

- Thomas is just not a great person. Lest we forget, he reminds us constantly about his cowardice and how he lacks the ability to do things for the right reasons. All of which I can forgive because, hey, we’re all human. What really bugs me is the things he chooses to harp on. For example, when they’re witnessing a hanging, Emma tries to intercede on behalf of a child who looks about ten because he’s just a boy. Instead of this being a positive character trait, Thomas sees this as her choosing to save the black/African/colored kid and not speaking out to save the (adult, by the way) Keepers and how dare she! I just … what? I understand the Igniter/Keeper thing is a huge problem, but the things Thomas chooses to hate people for just don’t make sense to me. He’s also mad at his grandparents for announcing out loud in front of his classmates that his father wasn’t coming with his mask. Even though they tried repeatedly to pull him aside and he actively avoided them because he knew it was bad news, so they were basically left with no choice. Also, it wasn’t like the whole school wasn’t going to figure it out when he didn’t show up at the Color Test, so … I will say, though, that his personality shifted around the 75% mark, and from there on, I was onboard with him as a character. It was a pretty dramatic shift.

- Eh, I can’t follow Thomas’ line of thinking a lot of times. Since he’s the protagonist and point of view character, this is problematic. Talk to White twice before he knows any better, good things happen. Talk to White once when he shouldn’t, bad thing happens. Suddenly, he’s all dejected and spurned by White, blaming himself for bad things because he broke the Keeper code. What? A scientist he is not, because two positives and one negative do not lead to a negative conclusion.

- What’s up with the Igniter/Keeper beef? This isn’t well explained, in my opinion, at all. Igniters want to kill Keepers for refusing to use White Light, and Keepers are protectors of White Light, but it doesn’t say how. From what I can figure, White is the most powerful of all and controls the other colors, so how is it that Keepers keep it away from anyone? Especially since it talks to people telepathically and can read their thoughts and everything. The whole concept seems like hubris to me at this point, but I might buy it if there was any explanation behind it.

- I don’t understand the magic system. It’s fantasy, so maybe to some people it doesn’t matter, but darn it, if the system is going to be so specific, I want some idea behind it. I don’t need a full rundown, but it needs to feel embedded in the world, and here, it just doesn’t. Color magic only works if someone is wearing their mask. Why? Only a father can make their son’s mask and pass on the magic, and only a mother can make her daughter’s mask. Again, why? The rules are oddly specific, but there’s no reasoning behind them. Is magic gender specific? What happens if your mother has color magic and your father doesn’t and you’re male? I guess you’re just SOL, since it takes color power to make a mask?

- What the heck is White Light? It seems the Keepers basically worship it, but they kept it from the world because it was too powerful for humans to control. But it’s always watching them, according to Guy Fawkes, and can bless them and favor them, but they must never speak to it. Yet, Emma speaks to White Light and says that you can’t control it like the other colors. You have to ask it. So … I’m not seeing really a difference in belief? If it’s too powerful for humans to control but it can intervene and you have to ask it to do anything anyway and it has the ability to say no … aren’t those two sides of the same coin? Apparently, White Light taught the ancient Keepers how to speak to the other colors, which was fine and cool, but then certain Keepers rebelled and talked to White Light directly (which, as far as I can tell, all the Keepers were doing prior to this knowledge anyway) and encouraged the public to do so and they became the heretical Igniters. Ehhhhh. I get the feeling that White Light is supposed to be an allegory for God and Igniters are believers and Keepers are non-believers, but maybe that’s me just looking into it too much? I’m not a big fan of the allegory, personally, because it feels weak and not well developed, but the ties seem obvious enough. However, I don’t want to put words in the author’s mouth, and I have no idea what she was going for, so I’ll leave it at that.

Overall:

I was SO EXCITED to read Fawkes, and I don’t think it entirely lived up to my expectations (I may have had pretty overblown expectations, admittedly), but I’m not entirely disappointed, which I feel like is a good balance when you’ve hyped a book up. It started out slow and took a while to really get into it, as I said, but once stuff really started rolling, I didn’t want to put it down. My biggest sticking points were the need for greater worldbuilding and the confusing magic system, but I thought the plot was quite unique and I loved the idea of it. Despite that, it was still an enjoyable read.

Disclaimer: I received a free eARC copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book tells the story of the Gunpowder Plot with a fantasy twist. The story follows Thomas Fawkes, the son of Guy Fawkes, the man who gets most of the credit (or blame, depending on how you look at it) for the plot in 1605 to plow up the English Parliament, and is the namesake of Guy Fawkes Day. Thomas becomes involved in the plot in the hope of curing the plague that has infected his eye, and is turning it to stone. Also, in this world magic and power is tied to colors and represented by masks that people wear. By aiding in the plot. Thomas hopes to be given a mask and color magic.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of this book, but I did not enjoy the fantasy element as much as I thought I would. I understand it is symbolism and metaphor for what really happened and the reasons for it, but I thought it was just strange the way it worked, and it became tedious how much Thomas went on about wanting color power and a mask. I would recommend it to someone who likes young adult novels, and enjoys a fantasy element.

I love when history merges with fiction! And Nadine Brandes does that exceptionally well in Fawkes.

Meet the infamous Guy Fawkes, a real man involved in an attempt to kill King James in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Among the other numerous historical characters, we are introduced to a handful of well-developed fictional characters who add dimension to a rather gruesome time period of England's history.

Through the fantastic imagination of Ms. Brandes we're transported to the murky streets of London where great care was taken to detail a setting so real it required little imagination to visualize each scene. The fantasy element is not overdone and gave me no pause as I allowed the story to draw me into a world where color can be given the power to separate or unite. It took me well into the novel to figure out whether that element of the plot was antagonistic or protagonistic to the story. I think that might've been my only issue with the story overall. The amount of detail and story-building is quite heavy through most of the book (3/4) and left me anxious for the action (1/4), which came mostly towards the end. I don't think this prohibited me from enjoying the book and is probably mostly personal preference.

I enjoy learning about something new and I love that Ms. Brandes took some creative freedom fictionally to bring life to a historical event. I think this book bridges genres in a unique way bringing fantasy, history, mystery, suspense, romance, and even some political expression together in a story where characters live bravely or die in the truth of their beliefs, false or not.

**I received this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.