Fawkes: A Review

Description from Amazon:

Guy Fawkes’s son must join his father’s plot to kill the king in this magical retelling of the Gunpowder Plot that will sweep you back in time to a divided England where plagues turn victims to stone.

In 17th-century London two forces rule the people: the color powers and the Stone Plague. Brown masks can manipulate wood. Black masks control the night. And red masks... Well, red is the color of blood.

Thomas Fawkes’s Color Test is upon him, and he is sure his father, the infamous Guy Fawkes, will present him with a mask and Thomas will finally bond with a color. He desperately hopes for a gray mask so he can remove the stone that has invaded his body and will ultimately take his life.

But when Guy refuses to give Thomas his mask or even his presence, Thomas has no place in school or society. His only hope is to track down his father and demand a mask to regain what he’s lost. But his father has other plans: to kill the king.

Thomas must join forces with his father if he wants to save his own life. When his errands for the cause bring him time and again to Emma Areben, a former classmate, Thomas is exposed to a whole new brand of magic. And Emma doesn’t control just one color—she controls them all.

Emma wants to show Thomas the full power of color magic, but it goes against everything his father is fighting for. If Thomas sides with his father, he could save his own life—which would destroy Emma and her family. To save one, he must sacrifice 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 had this book recommended to me several times before I actually read it. I’d heard several people talking about how good it was; and this summer when I joined a reading challenge I decided it was finally time for me to read the novel Fawkes that I heard spoken of so highly.

I finished it within a couple days of checking it out from my local library. And…wow. It was exceptional. I haven’t read much historical fantasy, though the novel I wrote was in that genre. Nadine Brandes masterfully portrayed Medieval England while also creating a whole world of magic and wonder. More than that, her symbolism and allegory was absolutely fantastic. It was thought provoking, and clever. Her characters were relatable, and though I usually don’t love the first person compared to third person, for Fawkes first person was perfect.

In modern day it's difficult to find deep and meaningful stories. Brandes not only wrote something deep and meaningful, but Fawkes was also written with wonderful suspense. It's a page turner. Fair warning; once you start it, you won't be able to put it down. The first sentence of the book really grabs your attention.

I highly recommend this novel. For fantasy and history lovers it is sure to please. The only content concerns would be some violence, though there’s nothing very graphic. My age recommendation for this novel would be 13+, though I know an eleven-year old who is currently reading it and enjoying it.