Fawkes- Book Review

Remember, remember the fifth of November.

Hi guys! I finished Fawkes by Nadine Brandes two days ago, so here is my official thoughts on it.

What Goodreads has to say:

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.  

What I have to say:

I really liked this book. While I'm no stranger to historical fiction, historical fantasy was new to me. I can't think of any other book I've read that took real events and put a magical spin on them. It was very cool.

While I don't actually know a lot about the real Gunpowder Plot, the historical and fantasy aspects seemed to meld together really well.

Emma was fantastic, and took me totally by surprise. I knew something was up with her from the first time she walked onto the page, but had no idea what.

All of the characters were wrapped in mystery. I was really drawn in by all the plotters, trying to figure out what was making each of them tick. Guy Fawkes especially intrigued me, and I loved how delightfully creepy and passionate he was.

White Light was hilarious, and I loved all the parts where it spoke.

Really, my only complaint, and the reason I gave it four stars, is Thomas. I had a really hard time connecting with him for about half of the book. He seemed a little whiney to me (which granted, as I read on, I think he was supposed to be that way). He did eventually shape up, and turned into a character I could really root for, so I definitely didn't hate him, and by the end of the book he was pretty boss, I just wish it hadn't taken quite so long.

All in all though, definitely worth the read. It is 100% clean, and a really neat twist on real events.

 Have you read Fawkes yet? What did you think?