Fawkes by Nadine Brandes

Historical Fantasy. 448 Pages. 5 Stars

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.

My Review:

I’d heard a lot about this book, for several years. It’s drowned in the TBR for a while, though I’ve always been curious based on the snippets I heard. Color magic. Historical fantasy in England. Masks. Gunpowder plot. You know, that’s enough to pique the curiosity! But somehow it took me taking Nadine’s editing course and being threatened with potential spoilers to finally dig in and read the thing XD (To be fair, I had hoped to read it in November to go along with the whole fifth of November thing, but the fear of the spoilers is strong with this one!)

Audiobook note: Dude. The narrator for this one was fabulous! I loved him! His voice and inflections and accent made this a whole other experience, y’all. Dude nailed it. Also as a formatting note, I loved the title chapters and heading fonts! Added just that perfect little touch to yet further immerse you in the story world and time.

So, I personally wasn’t super familiar with the Gunpowder plot, which in one way made this neat since I didn’t really know what was going to happen. With Romanov, for instance, I’m an Anastasia nerd, so I knew enough of the history to follow the historical threads. But with this one, I didn’t know what was part of the new story and what was historical, though I could take an educated guess on pieces 😉

The color magic is what I’ve heard most about. The allegory and the magic system. While it was indeed a neat portrayal of how God seeks us out–and I absolutely loved the voice and personality of the God figure–I found myself wanting to see more of the color magic system. Seeing it used more, not just fought over how it should be used. Though the disagreement was really more the focus, so it made sense.

The setting was one of the most delightful parts of the story. I love historical England and how Nadine so effectively immersed us in a world we could touch and see and feel. Nadine has such a deft hand at bringing 1600s England to life. The streets and Thames and buildings practically leapt off the page, providing the perfect background for the plot and characters.

Speaking of, Thomas, Thomas, Thomas. What a neat journey to watch Thomas become a man and discover not only what he himself believes, but how to stand up for it. I have always loved stories with coming of age customs and traditions and this one was definitely unique. The brokenness Thomas experienced at being denied his chance to become a man in this society sends him on a journey of seeking the father who abandoned and rejected him. Which leads to such beautiful themes of forgiveness and hope as well as engaging character dynamics.

This plot unfolds with these men who dared to stand up for what they believe in, but wrestled with whether or not the ends justified the means. And Nadine’s cast keeps us on our toes. I love that they didn’t all approach the problems the same way and each man had a different strength, but they all came together for a common cause. She explores morality, oppression, loyalty, and truth in this heartfelt story. Thomas’s relationship with is father and the other conspirators is touching. And, honestly, that ending still makes me tear up a little. So well done! Light and hope shines all the brighter for having lived in the dark.

Oh! Also, Emma was fun 😀 I 100% guessed her secret, but it was so naturally woven into the world and the time that it was delight to watch unfold. I enjoyed seeing Thomas get to know her more and how the two grew to become a team.

Content: no foul language, a mild romance, and lots of daring intrigue! Some violence–it was a conspiracy after all and in the time of swashbuckling duels. But I’d think the story is fine for an early teen.