Fawkes

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Author(s)

Nadine Brandes

Publisher

Thomas Nelson

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

July 10, 2018

ISBN

978-0785217145

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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 it. 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.

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OK, hard to follow

June 14, 2018

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"Fawkes" is a YA historical fantasy that sounds so interesting! Unfortunately, I could not get into it. In this alternate reality of the early 1600's in Britain, we follow Guy Fawkes's son, Thomas. Thomas caught the Stone Plague about a year earlier, which turned his eye to stone- it seems to be dormant for now, but it could potentially kill him by turning him completely to stone. What Thomas is really upset about is that he is unable to declare a color power and thus wears a colorless mask. Everyone gets to declare a color when they become an adult which gives them certain powers. These people are called Keepers.

Igniters are the enemy of Keepers, as they wield the White Color Power to do untold damage- and supposedly, they created the Stone Plague (though the fault for this is less clear). There's propaganda on both sides with very clear divisions. Thomas soon learns that his distant father, Guy, is part of a revolution set on taking down the Igniter King. However, all Thomas really wants is to declare a color power.

Thomas was really hard to like- he comes across as self-involved, petulant, and petty. I had a really hard time getting into the story mainly because I didn't care for him much. He does seem to grow as the story continues, but I really had to force myself to keep going. I did love his romantic interest- she is fiercely independent and resourceful- I wish the story had been told from her point-of-view.

I also had a hard time really imaging the altered setting with color powers and why the Keepers/Igniters were so adamantly opposed. I almost would liked more background on this to explain it to me better. Overall, I think it was very promising, but I personally could not get into it as much as I hoped I would.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.