I so wanted to love this novel, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn't love.
The characters are well rounded and deep, the plot is original and moving and I love that the language used fits the time in which the book is situated.
However I feel that the Victorian language used, takes a little away from the novel and I fear it will turn younger YA readers away from this novel.
All in all a good book! Definitely make sure you have a few days to really delve into this monster!

Spoiler Free review!

This book is absolutely brilliant!!!
FAWKES is an exquisite hybrid of history and fantasy that is impossible to put down!
I was blown away by brilliant originality of the plot and am beyond impressed with the author's writing, which made me feel transported right in the middle of all the action.
There are so many wonderful layers to this story. It is a book I know I will re-read multiple times and each time discover a new favorite part.

History absolutely comes alive in this book! The sights and smells are so vivid and every character is distinct and memorable. I felt the characters joys and agonies, which to me is the hallmark of an exceptional story.
I've always wanted to travel back in time and now that I've read FAWKES, I am convinced that I have!!!
What an adventure!!!!!
So captivating and profound! Easily one of the most wonderful books I have ever read. (And I've read more stories than Hermione and Belle combined!)

Even if I spent all day listing the great aspects of FAWKES, I still would have more remaining to compliment it on. It is GENIUS!!!!!
To read it is to LOVE it!!!! To read it again is to love it even more!!!!!

You know a book is good when I was up until 1:00am on a work night to finish it! 😬🙈 But guys, seriously, it's soooo good! A curse, a plot, a mysterious voice, and history sometimes turned on its head are just a few of the things that make this book absolutely amazing, so READ IT!!! ❤️

What a great and beautifully written take on the infamous Guy Fawkes and the group of men who organized the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 with a bit of a fantasy twist that unleashed my inner history nerd.

“Fawkes” begins in a prestigious school that helps young adults choose their color which in this fantasy setting determines a different set of powers they will have control over depending on which color chooses them. Thomas Fawkes is hoping to get the color he wants and his own signature mask created by his father Guy in order to seal the deal and hide his affliction of the stone plague, but quickly things don’t turn out the way he planned and he finds himself alone and ends up on a path towards the would be revolution.

The magic aspect is a great element to stand in for the religious conflict that was the actual root behind the assassination attempt while also conveying a different strength each character had within themselves and what they brought to the table and how people usually ended up being more than what you saw on the surface. It was also interesting to see how both Thomas and Emma managed to each represent other ugly aspects of human history with their individual attributes outside of magic that made them different.

As a giant dork, and someone who only knows the story of Guy Fawkes from the poem I spent a good amount of time googling each new character as they were introduced just to see how much was accurate and who came about with artistic liberties and apart from John Hawkins who was a bit of a side eye with how he’s portrayed, the rest were so on point that it made it even more interesting to see how fact and fiction were woven together with fantasy to create a strong final piece.

This book was a bit of a surprise and I’m glad I got a chance to read it and anyone hoping to explore a new world of magic, betrayal and revolution with the men, and a badass woman, behind the iconic masks look no further and thankfully you won’t have to wait until the 5th of November to get it.

**thank you to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**