I loved this book. I knew I would like it, the whole premise was something that was so me. I was really excited to start reading it and I had high expectations which were not let down. This is a thrill ride, y'all. Great characters, great storyline. I felt like I was there when I was reading this and I...don't know a better compliment to give an author than that. Just brilliantly written. I can't wait to see what else this author puts out because it will be going on my shelves, for sure. Also, the cover for this book? Beautiful. One of my favorites of the year thus far.

Thank you for the early copy.

I picked this up because of the strange cover. It was an interesting and well done novel. I recommend this for fans of historical fiction with a twist!

I chose to read this book before bed. What a mistake because I ended up staying all night reading it. I don't think I can describe the book without spoiling you so you just have to read it!

(published also at speculativechic.com)

Remember, remember the fifth of November. You've heard that one before, right?

I'll be honest, I didn't know that much about Guy Fawkes before I watched V for Vendetta a few years ago. After I watched the movie, I went looking for books about the Gunpowder Plot, but there wasn't much out there. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover that somebody had decided to finally take a look, albeit through the lens of fiction, at this interesting moment in history. I was not disappointed.

Discussion: I enjoyed this novel. It was a fun read! I want that to be clear. That said, I need to address a few of the problems that I had here.

I understand that writers take artistic and stylistic liberties with their fiction, especially in historical fiction. That said, there were some moments that completely threw me out of the idea that this story was supposed to be taking place in the seventeenth century. These always took place when a certain "character" was speaking. I don't expect authors to actually write historical fiction in Olde English (can you imagine how difficult that would be?), but I also don't expect to see a sarcastic side character speaking as if it is fresh from 2018 and full of snark. I like snark. I also like a bit of consistency with my storytelling. Therefore, having one character who was so modernly antagonizing at some points and mystically wise during others made me a little discombobulated. That character? Is the voice of white light. Stay with me here.

The premise mentions "color powers," and what that refers to within the context of the novel is the idea that, in this version of history, humans are almost all capable of practicing magic by bonding with different colors. These colors, it seems, can speak to the people that bond with them most closely. Each color has its own purpose and uses. When a teenager finishes their education, their same-gendered parent presents them with a handmade mask that allows them to control colors and use their power (mothers make masks for their daughters and fathers for their sons). I liked the entire idea of color magic, but it wasn't fully explored or explained enough for my own taste. I wanted more information, but sadly never got it, as our protagonist is young and still learning about this magical practice himself.

I was a little disappointed by the lack of female characters. There was exactly one named female character who was a part of the story. Naturally, she was also a love interest. I was more than a little disappointed when the dialogue included the phrase "worry like a woman." I realize that the time period of the story had certain views, but if Brandes can address racial issues, why not add a more progressive stance on feminism as well? The notes at the end of the novel state that Brandes wished to be as close to history as possible, and that's fine. Still, a fierce woman joining the Gunpowder Plot would have been an excellent addition, in my humble opinion.

That said, what Brandes ended up focusing on the most -- Thomas and his desire for a relationship with his father, true power, and a way to rid himself of the Stone Plague -- made for a great YA book. The coming-of-age aspect of the story was nicely framed around Thomas and his conflicting beliefs: follow what his father taught him or follow his own instinct? This is an important decision that teenagers and young adults must all make at some point, and the fact that Thomas's internal struggle had potentially dangerous real-world consequences made the story of his growth compelling.

In conclusion: As I stated when I began this review, I enjoyed this book a great deal. Yes, I had some issues, but it was a fun story. I'm not sorry that I read it, and I'll be looking for more of Brandes' fiction in the future. And, even though the story wrapped up very nicely at the end, I hope there's a sequel. I'd like to see more of Thomas and maybe learn more about color magic.

(link will be active as of July 31, 2018)

Who will he betray? His father? His king?

Wow! Loved, loved, loved this mesmerizing reimagining of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Have you ever loved a book so much, you could wait to talk to your friends about it? Fawkes is the type of book that makes me want to grab coffee with friends to discuss every aspect of how this book manages to pull in so many ideas and ideals, so much of what is true in the world, and how it makes us look differently at so many things. Not to mention, it’s just an awesome story in its own right. (I was so fired up about Fawkes that I gifted it to my BFF and bought my own copy to share it with my daughter, so we could all discuss it.)

All the intricacies of the real life Gunpowder Plot weave their way through Fawkes, creating a brilliant tapestry threaded with danger, ambition, and magic. The magic system is a cornerstone of the story, while Thomas Fawkes’ relationship with his father is another. The story opens as Thomas, a boy of 16, is abandoned yet again by his father, whom he has not seen in 13 years. His father is absent at Thomas’s coming-of-age ceremony, in which he was to have presented his son with a mask he created especially for his son’s emergence into adulthood. It is a life-altering lapse that causes Thomas to be expelled from his school, unable to claim his use of magic or finish his education and pursue a profession. Worse than that, it leaves Thomas stranded with no recourse for healing the plague that has turned his left eye to stone.

Thomas journeys to London to confront his father and finds himself embroiled in the Gunpowder Plot. It is a journey that takes him from his start as a young, self-centered, frightened, and somewhat cowardly boy to a conflicted conspirator questioning the beliefs and attitudes foisted upon him by others. He is a boy starting to believe there is more to magic and murder than he’s been told, a boy who begins to question the loyalty that he has to men who may have very little loyalty to him or the truth.

Fawkes investigates the motives and truths behind the Gunpowder Plot, how it affected our world and what drove it. It is plot fraught with men willing to murder entire groups to bring about a change in their government, while some of the men they intend to murder had been too willing to murder those that they themselves disagreed with. As one character says, “Did murder ever free anyone?” The more you look below the surface of Fawkes, the deeper it gets, touching on racism, bravery, truth, loyalty, love, faith, and fanaticism.

As the story progresses, Thomas questions the attitudes that have shaped his thinking: “My culture had affected my thinking without my consent. How many other things had it shaped without my knowing it? It made me want to examine things—to seek the heart of matters. Of skin color, of Keepers, of Igniters, of White Light, of all my assumptions.” “How many of us acted and spoke out and fought for beliefs that we held because our environment told us to? As much as I wanted to blame my England, I knew the blame sat with me. I hadn’t trained myself to discern. To examine. To seek the source.”

From Thomas’s struggles to understand the source of magic, he learns to discover and fight for truth. “Shouldn’t I fight for what I believe in?” “It’s not as simple as that. Fighting for what you believe in is too subjective.” … “We need to fight for truth. Your beliefs can be misguided.” “Do you really think there’s some ultimate truth out there?” “Of course there is! It is the foundation of morals and justice. A foundation of truth represents what life was intended to be.”

Thomas Fawkes grows along his journey, moving away from blindly following anyone he thinks has a truth and discovering the secret of magic for himself. “Before I received my mask, I didn’t know who I was—my skill, my purpose, my identity. I thought I was supposed to know. But instead, I learned how to search—how to track down the origins of skill, purpose, and identity. How to get to the source.”

As he allows truth to guide him, Thomas must leave behind those who would lead him astray. “Catesby asked us to sacrifice not only our lives for Keeper freedom but our own consciences and morals.” As Thomas discovers, truth doesn’t bend itself to anyone’s agenda. “Both Igniters and Keepers and people in between fight for their own agendas . . . instead of being willing to discuss and seek what’s right.” And the source magic might have a mind of its own. “A lot of people do things ‘for’ me, but without my guidance. I have never asked for murder. I have never asked for force or blind rage. I’ve only ever asked for people to respond to my voice.”

It’s an enlightening coming-of-age journey that’s well worth the read. Don’t forget to read an important addition to the story, the Author’s Note: What’s True and What’s Not. And if you’re really into the story like me, read up on the Gunpowder Plot; the more you read, the more you realize how much meticulous historical detail Nadine Brandes wove into Fawkes.

Highly recommended for those who love fantasy, history, allegories, or simply wonderful storytelling. If you love Brandon Sanderson, Connie Willis, Lois McMaster Bujold, Diana Wynne Jones, or any of the other greats who weave engaging multi-layered stories around wisdom and truths about the human condition, you’ll love Fawkes.

DNF 40%

I really tried to finish this book but I couldn't. First of all, the writing style was confusing and not engaging, the magic system wasn't developed enough and the main character was annoying and dull. I really expected more from this book because the premises were very interesting and original... too bad.

4 stars

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

This was a quick, fun read. It's a young adult, historical fiction fantasy book. England is suffering from a plague that turns infected people's body to stone. If the infection spreads enough in the person's body, it is deadly. Thomas Fawkes is the son of legendary Guy Fawkes. He has been infected with the stone plague in his eye, which he needs to hide from the public.

Certain people have magic, called color power. It allows them to manipulate objects and elements. One group of people identify as Keepers, the other as Igniters. Each group things the other created the stone plague and are at war with each other. Thomas joins his father's plot to blow up the King and Parliment, called the Gunpowder Plot. They believe doing so will stop the plague. But as Thomas gets deeper into the planning, he begins to have doubts about following through with it.

This was an interesting twist on historical fiction. I had never heard of the Gunpowder Plot, but was fascinated to learn that most of the characters and events in the book were true - except the magic, of course. The story was entertaining and had plenty of likeable characters and fun villains. It's a stand alone novel, so if you don't like book series, this is a good book for you.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from JustReadTours and Thomas Nelson Publishing. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: YA Historical Fiction Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, plague, cult like things, and hearing voices)

Pages: 440

Author Website

Amazon Link

Synopsis: Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England.

Silent wars leave the most carnage. The wars that are never declared, but are carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. Wars where color power alters the natural rhythm of 17th century London. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death.

But what if death finds him first?

Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did. But all Thomas knows is that the Stone Plague infecting his eye is spreading. And if he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So when his Keeper father, Guy Fawkes, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot—claiming it will put an end to the plague—Thomas is in.

The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow up the Igniter King.

The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of the girl Thomas loves. But backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.

No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.

I love Nadine and I love her writing. She has an unique ability to immerse the writer into unique worlds and to build something from nothing in our minds. I loved how she transformed this book from a children’s nursery rhyme (and maybe a bit of V for Vendetta) and I love the concept she grasped. She made this world and made me almost believe it was real for awhile. The characters were all unique and well developed. The plot was intriguing and engaging. And the pacing was spot on.

However, I did feel that in some parts of the book the author treaded a thin line between what was politically correct to say and what wasn’t. They were hard for me to read because those words had hurt some of my friends in the past and I can imagine that maybe they might hurt someone today too. However, there was a bit of a reason for it (debatable) and the book turned out fantastic in the end.

Verdict: If you liked V for Vendetta or if you like masks definitely check out this book!

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Original, moving, fun, despite the seriousness of the subject matter. I cared for the characters deeply and I was fully immersed in their story. I would gladly follow this author through the tales she tells.

This book was certainly a fun read. It’s interpretation of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and Guy Fawkes presented a unique character in the son of Fawkes, Thomas. The magic living inside this world did not contain strict rules, but their abilities and functions added a lovely story-building aspect to the overall book. I would love to read more about the color magic and its abilities in a future book.

My favorite character of all time was Emma. Her story was well-written, she seemed to be well-represented as a WOC, and she possessed the ability to easily be a main character in another book. In fact, I would label her as a co-main character in this one!

Overall, this was a beautiful book to read. I loved that the author tied in her historical research of the real Gunpowder Plot with the story and brought its events to life with her magic and story.

I dnf'd this book around 40%. I'm positive it will appeal to my students and I will still recommend it, especially to those who want male protagonists, but I just wasn't invested in it personally enough to finish.

I was sent an e arc from netgalley in exchange from a honest review. Fawkes was not the book for me. This may not have been the actual book, but more of the fact that it wasn’t my kind of book. Historical books are not my thing and I felt as though this book dragged by.

Even though it is a good book and a great concept, something in the way it is written made me really slow in reading it. Nadine Brandes writing is pretty good and it gives you the opportunity to sink in the story. I really liked it but it was such a slow read. I would love to find it in a physical form and read it again because i think that the ebook format isn't really convenient for a such powerfull book.

Unfortunately, I ended up DNF'ing this book. Parts of it were enjoyable and I found the writing to be okay but the plot just couldn't draw me in.

Choices determine our fate, but passion puts the life into it. Thomas has many decisions to make as he is thrust into society and adulthood, ready or not. With a plot to engage, and friends to support, things turn personal and Thomas finds the passion he needs to seek the source, seek the truth and become the man he’s meant to be.
Formidable and interesting characters drive this fantasy laced, historical fiction plot. Intelligently written, with undertones of racism, sacrifice, faith and religious history, Fawkes is a different type of historical fiction. It will have you pondering how one person can wreak havoc on an entire people, and how others often blindly follow those who are out only for themselves...when really all you need to do is seek the truth, regardless of the beliefs society has pressed upon you. Fawkes is thought provoking and really quite fantastic.

Fawkes is the perfect history buff and fantasy lovers dream. Fawkes is based on a real person named Guy Fawkes. I have no knowledge of this character but the author takes this character weaves a magical tale set in london, with a devasting plauge that changes people to stone and weaves in color magic. If that doesn’t intrigue you then maybe you should pick up another book.

I loved how much is packed into this one story, you get historical references and the magic system is weaved into perfectly. The magic system in this story is based on masks which are made by fathers and given to sons or mothers given to daughters. We have two sides fighting against each other all in the farce of believing in how they fell magic should be used. Those who are loyal to one color or those who wield all colors and follow the white color.

The author did a amazing job of pacing this story out and keeping me entranced that almost wish their was more story to read. Pick this one up right now.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

My immediate thoughts on Fawkes are that is was alright. I adored the setting and the historical fiction aspect of it. The magic system seemed intriguing but it was not my favorite.
Fawkes is a historical fiction novel based on the Gunpowder Plot and Guy Fawkes. It has a fantasy twist to it and I appreciated that this novel taught me a lot the history lessons in school failed to inform me on. It is set in 17th century England, which was what really draw me to this book. It is a very atmospheric read, you really feel like you venture through London back in 1605. In this novel it is possible to possess color magic but therefore you have to receive a mask made by a parent.
while I liked the overall concept of the book I felt like it could have been condensed a lot. There is a lot of back and forth and I sometimes grew tired of our main character's perspective. In my opinion it could have been at least 100 pages shorter.

Overall I still recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and fantasy novels.

Title: Fawkes
Author: Nadine Brandes
Genre: YA, fantasy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

The Stone Plague has tormented England for years. There is no cure. In most cases, it means death. For a lucky few, it means a life of despair and being shunned and beaten. Thomas Fawkes has the plague, but it’s dormant, hidden behind his eye patch, and almost no one knows.

Except his father, the legendary Guy Fawkes, known for his bravery and courage. But he abandoned Thomas after his son got the plague, and all Thomas wants from him is his own mask—so he can graduate and make his way in the world using his color power as a Keeper, one who bonds with a single color power. Keepers are beaten and killed now that an Igniter king is on the throne, so Thomas trusts no one.

When his father doesn’t show up, Thomas is kicked out and abandoned. Angry, he makes his way to London, and finds his father embroiled in a plot to kill the king and Parliament, destroying Igniter power forever and putting a Keeper on the throne. But Thomas starts to see that things aren’t as his father believes, and with the help of a classmate, an Igniter girl with more power than he’s ever seen, he learns the truth. Now Thomas must decide between his father and the girl he loves—and his choice is a death sentence for one.

I found the magic system in Fawkes fascinating and unique. Thomas is a troubled character searching for the truth amid many obstacles. His relationship with his father—the notorious Guy Fawkes—is complex and nuanced, and the exploration of English culture is vivid and probably uncomfortably accurate. I highly enjoyed reading this adventure.

Nadine Brandes loves Harry Potter and Oreos. Fawkes is her newest novel.

(Galley provided by Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.)

My Review: I kept hearing about this book in Instagram, it has a beautiful cover so I was pretty excited when I was approved on Netgalley for an ARC. I went into this story a little blind, I only vaguely knew it was a historical fiction with a fantasy twist (and the fantasy is what drew me in), and honestly this is a book not to go into blind. I really struggled with this book, the pacing is really slow and if you are not invested in the characters or the story you will quickly loose interest. I ended up downloading the audio book in hopes of getting the story moving a little better for me and the voice fluctuation did help identifying the characters but it really didn't help the story too much for me. I appreciate the amount of research that went into this story to keep it as close to accurate as possible but I feel like that added to the story dragging, it became too dense and too detail oriented. There were also a few statements that were made throughout the story about race, beliefs and getting to the truth but again they didn't add to the story and were a bit of a filler, even though they are important topics, it just didn't fit with this story for me. Clearly a lot of other readers really enjoyed this story and that is great but it didn't work for me.

My Rating: I so struggled with this book, for a book just over 400 pages and using the ebook with the audio book it should have taken me only a few days to get through it but it took nearly 10 days. I really had to force myself to keep picking it up. Sadly this is a One Star and a Stump Wag book for me.

FAWKES has a very unique premise. Each parent makes their child a mask which will then bind them with their color magic. Thomas has always craved his grey power that will accompany him when his father provides him with has mask. Thomas however is plagued. Though his plague has been dormant for years it still haunts him. Thomas has been raised to believe white light is evil, until one day it speaks to him and he must question everything he knows. There are assassiantion plots and lots of political intrigues. Although FAWKES is historical fiction the fantasy elements are very intriguing. I found those moments more exciting. I gave FAWKES a three out of five stars. Sometimes I found the historical elements to be slower and less exciting. However I think Nadine is a brilliant writer and I’m looking forward to more of her works.