This alternate telling of the Gunpowder Plot with magic wound up being a rather confusing mess because of the substitutions made. I felt like the book didn't go full-bore where it needed to, and a lot of the implications of the changes made were...either not thought through or not explored in-text.


But let's start with Thomas, because the book starts with him and that's where I first got let down. Thomas never really felt real to me throughout the book, and that might be because he had very strong goals but I didn't get a strong sense of his motivations. He was a character comprised purely of "I want X", but without a reason for wanting X, without his need for X impacting or displaying his personality at all. So he wound up feeling like a cannonball being rolled through the story, just knocking things around without rhyme or reason. He very enthusiastically jumps on the bandwagon of whoever offers him his X, and it makes him pretty wishy-washy without that wishy-washy quality every being addressed or used.


I also had problems with Emma's portrayal as (I guess technically a spoiler but also that's part of the problem) an African-English woman in 1600's England. Or, rather, not with Emma herself as she's a fine character and has a cool history and a lot of interesting personal conflict going on. She was far better than Thomas as a character, but the book wanted to have Things To Say about being a black character in 1600's England that it just...didn't do well, I don't think. Having Emma's race constantly compared to this made-up plague as if both things were on the same level of oppression just really bothered me, because 1) flattening all axis of marginalization to being treated as the same thing is problematic and 2) the author...thinks her made up thing is on the same level as racism? I can't even parse why that bothers me, but it does. (Also Emma was fetishized like woah by Thomas, this lady really deserved a better book.)


But now for the world. So there's a plague that turns people to stone, there's magic that's based on colors, and there's this big divide between Igniters and Keepers which is supposed to stand in for Catholic/Protestant tensions. Just...so much here.

Thomas, a guy who lives in this world, has no idea what the beliefs of Ignites and Keepers are. Just, none. Says he's a Keeper and then has to have that position explained to him. It's like saying you're a Catholic and then have to have the idea that God exists explained to you, we're talking that level of ignorance.
...where are Catholics and Protestants in this story? Does religion not exist? Kind of...weird, especially given the huge role the Catholic church plays in English history. White magic stands in for God in this story, but there's nothing to replace the power vacuum of the Church, so...????
Oh, yeah, God very definitely exists in this story, it's just called magic because reasons. It even talks to people. Directly. With words. How tf you going to have a Catholic/Protestant fight in a world where God can literally just pop into your mind and go "uh, no, this is what I'm about"?
No one involved in this plot seems to have really good reasons or beliefs for what they do? There's just no religious fervor going on, no strongly held beliefs (that I could tell), no sense of tradition even. Literally everyone who's in the Keeper plot is there because someone they knew died and they want revenge. Even Thomas. And outside of the plotters...well, we don't see much outside of the plotters, so we don't understand the depths of this position or what's attracting people to either side. There's a very bare bones explanation of "this group says one color per person, this group says all the colors" and that just doesn't seem like it would inspire religion-levels of social conflict.

So, yeah, I was underwhelmed or just confused by the 'alternate' part of this alternate history, and since that was a huge part of the book...


You might be wondering, is there anything good about this book? Well, yes! Literally change out 'magic' for 'god' and it's very close to the Gunpowder Plot, which I thought was really cool and interesting. The antagonist for the book had a nice reveal; I didn't even realize until late in the book that there was a mystery around the antagonist but once it came up I could retrospectively see how the book was leading up to that. I love surprises like that, where all the clues were slipped to me on the sly and I didn't even know it. The writing was pretty decent. Emma kicked ass. So there was good stuff. It was just isolated good stuff all couched in a bunch mediocre stuff. :/
(to be posted 8/24)

Masks and magic and mayhem. In a society that drew power from hiding behind masks given to them by their parents, Thomas Fawkes desired nothing more than to receive his mask and the color magic that would come from it.

Fawkes is a fascinating blend of historical fiction and fantasy. The author took the details of the Gunpowder Plot and made them into an allegorical story where the conflict isn’t over religion but over color magic and light.

I really loved the analogy of God being the pure color from which all other colors get their being. I also appreciated the way that everyone knew that the White Light talked to everyone, attempting to woo them in the way that God woos us to Himself. There were no specific references to God or religion, yet the parallel drawn was evident to me. Non-Christians would not be offended by anything in the book.

Thomas was an interesting hero. He was wonderfully flawed and weak, not even having received the mask that would provide him with power. His Spiritual journey as he sought the love and approval of his father was touching.

Emma was wonderful! She was feisty, strong and wholly committed to following the White Light. Her relationship with it allowed her to accomplish amazing things. Her mask completely hid her face yet she radiated a beauty that was unmistakable.

While I did enjoy the story and the way the allegory was handled, there were places that things seemed to move slowly and I didn’t find myself riveted to the book.

If you read this book, be sure to see the author’s notes at the back to see what parts are based on history and which are entirely fantasy. I found that interesting as well.

I am currently on chapter 17 and I may DNF (Did Not Finish) this one. Its not a bad book by any means but its also not keeping my attention at all. Its been a struggle to even make it this far.

I like the idea of the color masks and I'm curious to see if Thomas even gets his but I also feel like I could skip a few chapters and not really miss anything.

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

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

This is a debut book by Nadine Brandes which is a historical fantasy inspired YA book based on the Gunpowder Plot that occurred in 1605. In this book we follow Guy Fawkes (who was actually a member of the actually plot) but his son Thomas on his journey.

Thomas is the son of Guy Fawkes, a well-known soldier of King James I. During this period there is a war between the Keepers and the Igniters who have very different view on the White colour. In this world the magic system is based on colour- that everyone gets a mask to control one colour. Igniters use White Colour to control all other power, but the Keepers avoid White Colour because it makes people go crazy for power.

The Keepers and the Igniters are metaphors for the tension between Catholics and Protestants during this period.


Back to Thomas, on the day that he should have obtained his mask from his father, he gets a letter that the old man isn’t coming. This means that Thomas doesn’t get his magic ability, gets kicked out of school but more importantly is suffering from the plague. This plague is slowly turning him into stone. He decides that he is getting his mask one way or another and tracks down his father. Arriving in London, he finds his father, Guy Fawkes, a Keeper that is involved in a Gunpowder plot. His father and his conspirators are actively planning the assassination of King James I (who is an Igniter) and they plan to replace him with a Keeper. Thomas is offered to join, knowing that this is the last chance for him to survive the plague! If the king is dead, the plague would be gone. From here our story truly begins.

<b> Character Development </b>

I really liked the concept of the book; the fact is was a historical fantasy and it was interesting to see how the author linked the Gunpowder Plot in her story. However, I just found Thomas really dull, boring and quite a whinny. Because I didn’t like Thomas so much, I just couldn’t connect with the story. Thomas was constantly unsure of what he believed in, made immature decisions, was always complaining and that made me like him less and less.

I really wished we saw more between the father and son (Fawkes and Thomas). There was so much potential in exploring the dynamic between these two, as obviously they had so much to deal with. Thomas with his anger towards his father for leaving him and really being there and Fawkes with his guilt.

I did like the character of Emma, I liked how she was the opposite of Thomas almost. She was strong, smart, beautiful, feminine and determined. She wasn’t strong in terms of those typical YA female characters who can kill anyone and have no emotions. She was quite well developed as a character and refreshing.

<b> Magic System </b>

The Magic system in this book was quite interesting. When you finish school (I believe) you get these masks and people can call our to colours to obtained certain abilities. The Igniters and Keepers have very different opinions on White Colour, which means you can control more than one colour at a time. Keepers believe that you should ignore the White Colour while Igniters disagree.

Overall, I am going to give this book 3.5 stars because I did enjoy reading it. There is an issue with the pace, so the start of the book is a bit slow, it does pace up and get slow again before it goes back to fast. It is a well written YA historical fantasy.

Honestly this book was underwhelming. The magical element was underdeveloped and the MC, Thomas, is not relatable/likable. The plot was too slow in the middle and the story overall was too long. I loved the premise though!

Happy Sunday to you all, book lovers! Thanks for joining me: I’m here to talk to you about my newest obsession.
Sometimes a book comes along that takes you by surprise. Fawkes was definitely one of them: it’s fresh, it’s interesting and it’s stuffed with characters you love. In short, you should read it.
This is probably one of the best takes I’ve read recently when it comes to alternative history. Brandes takes the infamous Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and moulds it into a completely new story. Here, Stuart England is still ruled by James I, but it’s a world where the people are divided between Keepers and Igniters rather than Protestants and Catholics: people who put on masks to use ‘colour power’, or manipulate items or elements of a certain colour, but have different beliefs on how it should be done.
The idea of colour power is, I think, what makes the book so fresh. I’m all for mages and wizards, but this is a unique take on magic and figuring out how it works- and how this Stuart society works because of it- is really fun and interesting. I love books like this, because part of the joy of reading is figuring out what’s new and what’s familiar, seeing how the author has worked in history with fantasy.
And most of that centres around Thomas Fawkes, son of Guy. Yes, that one. He’s been cursed with the Stone Plague, which turns its victims to stone, and sets out to find his absent father in London. Then, of course, he gets embroiled in the plot to kill James I. He’s selfish and whiny, and completely committed the Keeper cause- so watching him develop over the course of the book is very satisfying.
My favourite character, though, has to be Emma. She’s Thomas’ friend, a very powerful Igniter (the more liberal type of colour power user) and watching her kick ass, be so independent, school Thomas when he’s wrong and generally be excellent is just very satisfying to watch. Seriously, she’s great: I wish I were more like her! Her relationship with Thomas is just as complicated and fraught as you’d expect from a YA book, but it’s also sweet and genuine, and with a twist towards the end that makes the whole thing even better.
The main focus of the story, though, is the Gunpowder Plot. Brandes does a great job of portraying the anger and extremism of the Keepers (or Catholics) and though the plot does lag at times, it’s always compelling, whether it’s the tensions between the plotters, Thomas’ struggles with the Stone Plague or a ball at the palace. And though the ending is inevitable, watching it come to the ending- and seeing how Thomas will fare- is fascinating.
Exciting and different, this book is a great blend of the historical and the fantastical. Read it, read it: it’s one of those ones you’ll want to read again, and again afterwards.
Three word review: magical. Historical. Unusual

Thomas Fawkes has been living under his father’s reputation for too long, now it’s time to make a name for himself as his own man. When the time comes for Thomas to prove himself and claim his mask for his Colour Test, his father, Guy Fawkes, is no where to be seen. Without a mask made by his father, Thomas cannot continue with his studies and so is expelled from St. Peter’s school. With nothing left, he has no choice but to travel to London to find and confront his father.
On top of it all, for the past year, Thomas has kept it secret that he’s plagued. Luckily the stone plague in his eye has been dormant and is easy to hid under his eye patch. Thomas believes that the colour magic can heal him once and for all which is why he’s determined to get his colour mask. If he can control grey, he can control the stone plague.
When Thomas finally discovers his father, he’s thrown into a dangerous plot that will change the world around them forever. If he is to prove to his father he’s capable of bearing the responsibility of a colour mask, he needs to put his trust in his father and the other men in the plot that Keepers are on the right side of the war.

‘Keepers were loyal to one colour, and had been for thousands of years. Whereas Igniters wanted to control all colours. Igniters broke the laws of colour magic to bind with multiple colours. Apparently monarchs loved power, because both Queen Elizabeth and King James were Igniters. Consequently all Keepers were exiled, hunted, and executed for “resisting progress”‘

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Fawkes, but the perspective of Guy Fawkes’s son was something I was definitely intrigued by. I was not, however, expecting the colour magic aspect with masks, which was an interesting concept.
It took me a while to get my head around the colour abilities and what ‘white light’ was because there wasn’t enough examples at first to understand what it was all about, only brief mentions of it;

‘A masked man in a white shirt with a russet doublet and jerkin refilled the men’s ale and stoked the fire… all with colour speech. His mask was composed of plaited brown cords, but I knew he was an Igniter because he controlled two colours at once. The ale pitcher hovered in the air, pouring its contents into the empty tankards, while his hands served chunks of bread.’

Thomas is determined to control grey so he can get rid of his stone plague forever. People all around him can hide behind a mask and are able to control colours which is frustrating for Thomas as he believes that he’s got more of a reason to hide his face than others and there is nothing he can do about it. It’s completely understandable why he reacts the way he does in most situations. He’s conflicted with wanting the power to remove the plague from himself and doing what’s right with his father’s intentions. It’s annoying that his father just refuses to make the mask when he knows how important it is. He’s a hypocrite testing Thomas for loyalty to the plot but is keeping him helpless. I didn’t expect to dislike Guy Fawkes so much in this book, the fact that he left Thomas alone in the world when he discovered he had the plague and tried walking away from the pain rather than be there for his son. Even when you discover the reasons why his abandonment, you still can’t help but hate him a little.

‘I spun from the window. “Our paths are not so dissimilar?” I sneered. “I am plagued and maskless. Tell me, can you relate to those?” I gestured to his stoic black mask. “Try taking that off for a day. See how it changes you.”
Father straightened. “A man’s mask is his honour. His identity.”
“Your mask is your pride.”‘

Thomas just wants the plague gone to find a place in the world as his own person without being treated differently. We discover that the stone plague is a curse that started many years ago when the war between the Igniters and Keepers began. In most cases it’s contagious so many people are afraid of it but for the lucky few, like Thomas, the plague can remain dormant which bides them time.
When Thomas finds his father, he needs to decide on which path to take. The war between the Keepers and the Igniters is getting worse and something must be done to avoid more innocent people from being killed. Thomas is sure he’s on the Keeper side, after all, he only wishes to speak to grey and have a grey mask. But when white light starts talking to him and proves to be trustworthy when Thomas needs help, he realises that white light isn’t the problem after all.

My favourite character was definitely Emma, a strong Igniter who hides her own secrets behind a mask. When Thomas discovers Emma in danger, he attempts to rescue her only to quickly realise that she is more than capable of taking care of herself. With her ability to control a lot of colours, she is a force to be reckoned with, however she would much prefer to use her ability to create beautiful paintings that capture the emotion of her subject. Blackmailed by a wealthy family, from the outsider’s perspective she could want for nothing, but she is trapped in a secret that will ruin any chance of freedom and prospects of an artist apprentice. Even though Thomas and Emma are on the wrong side of the war, they learn more from each other than anywhere else. Thomas shows Emma the real arrogance of the war whilst Emma who’s Thomas that white light can change his world for the better.

I really enjoyed this story, it had a great storyline, well written characters, unique fantasy colour magic and a bit of romance.

I was hooked from word one on this book! I'll admit, I did question whether I really enjoyed what I was reading, I was drawn into this story every time I picked up my phone.

I read this book aloud to my fiance at night as a way for us to wind down, and we spent a fair amount of time talking about it during his lunch breaks during the day, and I'd like to share a point he made, whether you agree with his point of view is up to you.... My fiance Wesley pointed out that the book had a religious feel to it, and even asked if one of the sub-genres was Christian Fiction. He pointed out similarities between Christian testimonies and snippets from the book such as Emma and the Wagon full of Keepers, Thomas and his conversations with White Light, Guy Fawkes Death, Thomas' mask, etc. I could see his point, but I'm not sure if this was the authors intention, or a happy accident.

There is so much to love, and hate, within this story, and you're in for one heck of a ride once you begin reading. Happy Reading!

This book was an entertaining page-turner. I liked especially the original characters and the well constructed fantasy world with historic background. I'll be checking out the next books by this author.

Overall I enjoyed this book, however I feel it was a little slow in the middle and I almost lost interest and stopped reading it. I’m glad I finished it hover, because it had a good ending. I would recommend this book.

Love it! It's a page turner. I would definitely recommend this to my friends. This is a wonderfully sweet and story. The author perfectly captured the best of life that I will most remember.. So overall, I give this book 4 stars.

A really creative and awesome fantasy, I've never read anything like this before! I loved the way the author combined history and magic and as a history student, definitely appreciated how closely the author stuck to the history of the event she was retelling whilst adding her own unique flair. I wasn't keen on Thomas to start off with but he really grew on me throughout the book and it was great to see a book which explored a father/son relationship as that is something that I rarely see. The magic system was amazing, definitely one of my favourites I've read, I loved the idea of magic controlled by masks. I also really loved the main female character Emma, she was so brave and compassionate and feisty and I just loved her, Would definitely read more from this author in the future after reading this book!

When we first meet Thomas Fawkes he is touched by the stone plague sweeping England. There is no cure, and the plagued are despised. Thomas, with a little help, has managed to hide his symptoms so far and is hoping his father, Guy (yes, that one), will provide him with his colour mask so he can train properly.
While we’re firmly set in 17th century England there are magical references aplenty that mean this is a book that will enthrall both fans of fantasy and historical fiction. It takes a while to work out exactly what the colours mean, but this was an element of the book that really captivated me.
For many readers the Gunpowder plot will be a familiar story. There’s lots in here that will be known but it was brought to life with the other elements contained within the story.
Thomas is a character who came across as rather foolish initially. He acted recklessly and wasn’t strong enough to follow his own convictions. I liked the fact that during the story we see him develop as a character, developing an inner resolve and conviction in his beliefs that you imagine will lead to him doing great things. It also did not go unnoticed that Emma, the girl who captivates him, is no mere sidekick. I’d love to have seen more of this strong young women.
A huge thank you to NetGalley for granting me access to this.

2 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this E-arc to review.

I want to start by saying I DNF'd this book. I genuinely tried to finish- I got 65% of the way through. It just became more and more clear that this book was not for me. I had such high expectations for this book. I was so sure I'd like it. I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and Guy Fawkes has always interested me. How could I not love a historical fiction novel set in London with a fascinating historical figure, an interesting new, fantasy system, and a high-stakes heist? Let's start with our main character: Thomas. An utterly boring character and narrator. I remember so little about him and his motives, he came off so winey and annoying. And it also annoyed me once someone pointed it out- he was always so surprised when a female character (Emma I believe) did ANYTHING impressive or "strong" if that makes sense. Maybe she'd stand up for herself to someone, or do something ladies weren't supposed to do, and he'd think something like "I was so impressed and surprised by it"... I understand it was different times, but why does it seem to then be forced upon us that Thomas is "different" and believes women are strong and equal? I just really disliked him. Then we get to my other problem: the plot and exciting heist, or more the lack thereof. When I picked up this book I was promised an exciting heist. I understand wanting to have the heist towards the end and building up suspense, but the way the plot was executed made the "build up" and prep for the heist incredibly boring. It felt like nothing was happening, just a lot of parties and walking around the market with a few problems sprinkled in. While Six of Crows isn't my favorite book, I will admit the build-up to the heist was everything this book didn't do- exciting, suspenseful, and thrilling. Bardugo kept you on the edge of your seats waiting to see the outcome. While reading Fawkes I came to realize I didn't care if it went wrong, I didn't even care about the heist or the characters. And lastly, the magic system. I was SO CONFUSED. Maybe it was just me, but the whole concept of the magic system made no sense to me. It felt like it needed to be fleshed out, and considering one of the reasons I was so excited for this book was because of the creative magic system you can probably see why I was frustrated. Overall, I feel like this book was so promising but ultimately let me down. I DNF'd it because I was immeasurably bored and couldn't care less about the outcome of the heist or the wellbeing of the characters. There are such better historical fiction, fantasy, and heist novels that I've read.

This book has all the elements that I love to find in a historical fantasy. I thought it was such a fun read, though it was really slow (at least for me) in the beginning and it took awhile to get into. But I'm so proud of Nadine and I can't wait to read more of her books!

DNF. I may try to finish it sometime, but I can't really "get into" this one. I did give it 3 stars because I think it has a lot of potential, but I just can't connect to it. I have read a lot of great reviews, but I really couldn't connect with Thomas and with a first person POV, that's so incredibly important to the book. I'd say it's a good book, just not for me.

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

The cover is looking really pretty. I really like the ornamental frame. Also the blue background with the scene probably showing old London, is also really nice. The mask looks mysterious and made me really curious. The color of the mask is really suiting to the story.

The writing style was fluent and easy to read. The different fonts regarding the white light and so on, where really nice. The story is written from the first person perspective of Thomas.

The main character of the book was Thomas Fawkes. Most of the time I really liked Thomas. Sometimes his uncertainty disturbed me a little, but it was nice to watch him, find his part in the world and what he wants to believe in. The growing and personal development of him were really impressing. I also found the other characters involved in the Gunpowder Plot quite interesting. The development of the relationship of Thomas with his father was fascinating. The commitment of Catsby to his plot was also interesting. Emma was also a really likeable character. I admired her coping with her origins. Regardless, she was a often really brave and strong.

The story of the book is historical fiction. I've never read that genre before, I think. However, I liked it very much. The mixture of fantasy with a real historical event with persons, that mostly really existed, was really fascinating. I was also really fond of the fantastical view of the two religions in this time period. In general, I liked the included philosophic, political and rascism parts. The were woven very nicely into the story. The fantasy parts with the different color magics and the magic masks was also really fascinating and refreshing.

The end of the story (those of you, who know the real Gunpoder Plot will know) was a little bit brutal, but it also included some little peace of hope.

Conclusion:
Wonderful weaving in of a lot of different aspects into a nice novel - I give the book 4 out of 5 stars ;)

A plague has struck in England. A plague that turns people to stone. Thomas Fawkes, son of rebel fighter Guy Fawkes, is one of those afflicted. Thomas contracted the plague while attending school to learn to control color magic. When his father doesn't arrive at graduation to give him the mask that will forever mark him as a Keeper or Ignitor, Thomas goes in search of his father and ultimately becomes involved in the, now infamous, Gun Powder Plot and discovers his true calling as a master of color.

I thought this was a very interesting take on the infamous Gun Powder Plot. Most of the characters in the novel are based on those who were involved in the plot to kill the King of England. The idea of magic through the control of colors is quite interesting and makes sense in this book. As an enthusiast of history, I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to more by the author.

This book immediately caught my interest and I flew through the first quarter of it. A combination of magic and historical fiction was definitely in my wheelhouse.

Following Thomas Fawkes’ quest to make his father, Guy Fawkes proud while simultaneously falling for Emma, spying for the gunpowder plot, fighting his stone plague, and trying to resist the pull of White light, the book seems to pull in too many directions for a while. I was immediately hooked, but definitely hit a wall around midway when the action seemed to stall. However, the last quarter definitely made up for this and my interest was recaptured. I loved the story and found myself pulled to it once again.

I received a copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Fawkes is definitely what it says it is - a sci fi. I found it very interesting. It starts right off with a huge bang and it keeps going from there. You are brought into a world that is fraught with danger and mystery. Fawkes is very adventurous and full of himself. He has a wonderful friend though - who tries to keep him on an even, steady - down to earth keel. Is he successful? well that is for you to judge. The book is worthwhile to read because it is spirited,, spectacular, outstanding, powerful and playful. The author made a wonderful world for you to visit and enjoy. Have fun reading. I received a copy of this book from the Publisher and Netgalley; all of the opinions expressed in this review are all my own.