This book seemed a little long for the amount of things that happened in it, but it was very good otherwise. The characters are well-developed. I personally liked seeing the character Emma in the book. She is a very feisty character that I do not often find in Christian fiction. The plot is supposed to mirror the original Gunpowder Plot. In the book there are many disagreements between Igniters and Keepers. This is a representation of the conflicting views between the Catholics and Protestants that divided Europe in the 1600's. The Stone Plague represents the Bubonic Plague.
I can’t wait for the new book by Nadine Brandes that comes out in May 2019. It is called Rominav and looks very exciting. ( )

Ack. I don't know how to rate this! I don't even know how I feel about this book! I always know how I feel about a book, whether it's love or sadness or obsession or annoyance, but I don't know how I feel about this. And for the first time ever, I also don't know how to rate a book. This book! I guess I love it but I also hate it? I'm not sure! ( )

Fawkes is one of those books that surprised me. I went into it believing that this was going to be a Young Adult Fantasy novels, which is the reason why I picked it up! I have been on a Fantasy kick lately. This book was so much more than that.

This is technically a Historical Fiction novel with a fantastical twist. It was a wonderful rendition of 1600s England. An outcast of people who live by the pure way of magic called the Keepers versus the Igniters a group of people who talk to the White Light, the original color who created all other color powers. There is a war between them with the Keepers being exiled, killed, tortured, and worse.

This story is based on true events with fantastical characteristics. I loved the characters. The elements of magic were really intricate and fun. I loved the idea of having a mask that helps with their magic.

Our main character is Thomas Fawkes. He is a teenager who is readying himself for his last year in school where he will get his mask from his famous father Guy Fawkes and he will finally be able to cure himself from the Stone Plague that has swept through the country since the Igniters have taken the White Light.

Thomas' father fails to show up to the ceremony where he is supposed to be getting his mask. Thomas is bound and determined to find his father and demand his mask. He finds himself in London and scary place for Keepers and Plague. He is drawn into a plot, trying to find his feelings for his father, whether or not he is a Keeper or an Igniter.

This was a fun, magical, and well written book about finding yourself, accepting others for their differences, and learning a little bit about history. I highly recommend.

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

In a mix of historical fiction and fantasy, Thomas, son of Guy Fawkes suffers from a plague ravaging England that turns its victims to stone. He’s managed to conceal the sickness behind an eyepatch, but when his absentee father fails to send the mask he needs to complete his magical ceremony, he is tossed out of boarding school before his powers can manifest.

But when he arrives in London and finds his father, he becomes mixed up in the Gunpowder Plot. I found the historical fiction aspect of this absolutely fascinating, as well as the relationship between Thomas and Emma and Henry. The magical system and how exactly it functioned remained a bit murky for me, even by the end, although that didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment of the tale as a historical. Will definitely be checking out “Romanov” when it releases!

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. ( )

Interesting world build of magic & masks to parallel with the Guy Fawkes conspiracy from history. The unique touches of magic & how politics grew around the same made this a 4-star read.

While engaging on many accounts, I found myself wanting the plot to move along at a better pace. Also found it hard to empathize with most of the characters given the conspiratorial focus of the novel. These issues knocked the book down to 3.5 stars for me.

In short, a good read in a world I'd love to see again to flesh it & its inhabitants out more fully.

Received via Netgalley for review ( )