Fawkes, by Nadine Brandes

 

Guy Fawkes son must join his fathers plot to kill the king in this magical retelling of the Gunpowder Plot that will sweep you back in time to a divided England plagues turns people into 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 mask. . . Well, that's the color of blood. Thomas Fawkes color test is upon him, and he is sure his father, the infamous Guy Fawkes, will present him a mask and Thomas will finally bond with a color. He desperetly 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 a mask, or 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 hes 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 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 another. No matter Thomas's choices, one thing is clear: once the decicion is clear and the color masks have been put on, theres no turning back.

"But perhaps bravery is entering a storm you already knew would destroy you,"

-"Have you no honor to stand for your beliefs?" 

"Standing for my beliefs isn't the same as standing for the truth."

"You sound like a woman."

I swept into a bow, the sword pricking my sternum

"Why, thank you,"

This was such a unique and different book, and really inspired me. It was the first I read of Nadine Brandes and was a great introduction to her style. Its layout of the world is really intriguing and very unique! The color masks is such a great Idea! But at best, God is the center of it all. I really like the representation of the Holy Spirit, and its not flat, cringe, or preachy. This is technically a historical fiction--- because Thomas's dad is Guy Fawkes, who was part of the gun powder plot, to kill the king. 

It isn't a heavy read, but still does get you to dive in to the characters emotions and world, and can give alot of inspiration and spiritual guide. I really enjoyed this, thanks Ari! She showed this to us. 

The plot is not exactly action-packed, because for the most part, their preparing and planning for the big thing. It feels rushed towards the end, which is when the action actually ignites though. It wasn't as great as this authors other works, but definitely a great book, with good grammar, appropriate content, and good morales. 

I rate it 12-Adults and 8/10. 

Romance: Mild. One calm kiss. Violence: Mild. Sword wounds. Decease. Speach: Mild. Teasing, 

Slight Racism due to era.

Heres the link for Amazon.

Happy reading :D