Nadine Brandes

Nadine Brandes thrusts readers back to the time of anarchy and Guy Fawkes, with fantastical twists and unlikely love in Fawkes.

A Novel

Fawkes

Courtney

I found the blend of historical fiction and fantasy to be amazingly done! Definitely appealed to the fantasy reader in me and if you’re a fan of the gunpowder plot not minding a fantasy twist on it, this read is also for you! The plot had a great couple of twists and I adored almost all of the characters! There were a few times that I felt like Thomas got on my nerves and I was just ready for his character to develop a little quicker. Like I wanted to read more about “end of book Thomas” rather than “most of the book Thomas” who whined whenever someone called him “boy.” I liked his character development very much, but would just have liked it come to fruition sooner so I would have liked him more! My favorite aspect of this book however is the Christian undertone that is masqued in the book so I’m also recommending it to Christian fiction readers. There are some very thought provoking questions provided at the end of the book that would make this a perfect book club choice! It has a really really good message to take away so overall, 4 Stars! Would recommend!

Nicole Dykeman

I really enjoyed reading this. It’s a fantastical spin on a part of history I’d never seen adapted to fiction before, and that alone was enough to inspire me to pick it up. The magic system was very cool and the old-time London setting felt authentic, even with the magic. I read the author’s note and I definitely appreciate the amount of research that went into writing this.

My problem with this book was that I had no clue the themes it was trying to get across. It was very wishy-washy in that everyone is kind of wrong (both the Keepers and Igniters are significantly flawed), but in the end, Thomas does kind of take a side? I also didn’t find myself getting attached to the characters the ways I always wish to when I pick up a book. I wasn’t super invested in whether they lived or died, except when it came to Thomas and his relationship with his father. 

This is also a picky thing that might’ve just been me: I wish the white light didn’t have an explicit voice. Thomas quipping back and forth with this nonentity was very weird and felt immature. Other than that, the writing was fine.

Mary Horton

Re-Read November 2019:

Finals week is upon me, and alas, so is a nasty illness. Here are just a few addled thoughts from my sick-brain upon my re-read:

- GOOD LORD, THOMAS. You need to stop being so selfish. (I love him, but he Annoyed me a lot this time around.)
- Emma is still a Boss Woman (TM)
- The aesthetic <3
- I love all the historical detail!
- The magic system is freaking fantastic 
- Wintourrrrr. *clutches heart*
- Ughhh would not recommend reading the last couple chapters when you're sick because crying + stuffy nose = a very bad combo
- White Light has grown on me a lot this time.
- Buuut the whole Keepers/Igniters thing irks me more. :P
- What a lovely, gritty tale *hugs book*

 4 stars
---

WHAT. JUST. HAPPENED.

I'm going to need time to recover, my friends. Just . . . my mind is blown.

L I K E S:

- The characters were kind of phenomenal. It's been a long time since I've read about characters who completely stole my heart. THEY WERE AMAZING. I expected to dislike Thomas, especially since (spoiler alert :P) he's really selfish at first. But personally? I thought he was extremely relatable and human, and he had one of the greatest character arcs I've witnessed in a while. Is he selfish and sometimes a little dense? Yes. He is. However, he grows so much over the course of this book and is a character that I can 100% root for. I wanted him to get his mask and restore his relationship with his father. I WANTED HIM TO SUCCEED.

Then we have Emma. OH MY STARS, THIS GIRL. She was a firecracker with a heart of gold. I'm literally so inspired by her. She was strong but (thank goodness) not one of those "strong female characters" who think the definition of strength is having no emotions or femininity. I've got news for you, YA writers - you can be strong AND feminine AND compassionate. Emma is living proof of that. Her heart for others and passion to make the world a better place were so admirable. The world needs more people like Emma. <3 (I want to say more about this amazing gal but #SPOILERS. xD)

And the plotters? OH BOY. They were all so complex! I can't get enough of Nadine's complex characters, you guys. Not one of them was flat. I especially loved jolly, red-bearded Keyes (wish I had seen more of him); the kind-hearted and logical Wintour; and of course, the ever-mysterious and guarded Guy Fawkes. His character arc and relationship with Thomas about DESTROYED ME. That's all I'm saying here. *cough*

- The plot. Ummm, can you say BRILLIANT?? The synopsis itself was intriguing enough to convince me to read this. There were amaaaazing plot twists (WHICH ARE SPOILERY AGH), and the blend of historical + fantasy? WOWZA. I think I've found a new favorite genre. The Gunpowder Plot itself was just really fascinating! There were so many secrets and tons of suspense. It about killed me. xD

- The setting. I. AM. FLOORED. The research that went into Fawkes is nothing short of jaw-dropping. It made this book come alive. I mean . . . 17th century London with magic?? SIGN ME UP. I fell in love with the setting (and determined that I would have lasted a whole of .5 seconds there, lol). It had such a shadowy and gritty aesthetic, never afraid to shy away from the unpleasant details (like the disease + terrible hygiene of that time period). And yet . . . it was bustling with life and energy. I kind of adored the setting.

- THE MAGIC SYSTEM OMW. I was a bit wary coming in since my thoughts on magic are a bit on-the-fence. However, any expectations I had were blown COMPLETELY away! I've never read a book that had such a compelling and interesting magic system. NO JOKE, GUYS. Everything you've heard about it is true. The masks and the color powers were soooooo creative & ingenious. And personally, I didn't have any issues with the magic itself. (And I'm pretty conservative, haha.) I loved the limitations that the powers had and the fact that people "bonded" with specific colors. It was absolutely phenomenal. ALL THE APPLAUSE FOR NADINE. 

- The writing style. Wowowow. Teach me how to write like Nadine, please and thank you. Thomas had such a unique character voice, and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I connected to him, especially since he's a guy. (Huzzah for YA fiction with male POVs!) 

- Literally just alllll the relationships and complex motivations. The father-son dynamic, conflicting & complex motivations, moral struggles . . . I AM SHOOK. This is the kind of quality storytelling that I signed up for!

D I S L I K E S:

- White Light. Hm, okay. So the whole White Light thing kind of bothered me. If I separated it from reality and just tried to view it as part of the magic system, I was okay with it. However, I think it's supposed to be a representation of God and I just . . . wasn't comfortable with the way God was presented. White Light was sassy and annoying and seemed to be toying with people quite a bit . . . which feels very irreverent to me. Yes, God has a sense of humor; but he doesn't give us conflicting advice or "mess with us." I felt pretty unsettled with this representation of God. It showed Him as being kind of like a mischievous imp who was purposely trying to "fool around" with all the control he had. Just my personal opinion!

- (view spoiler)[I feel rather bothered by the fact that Thomas converted and supposedly THAT was the reason he was a better person in the end. I'm not even Catholic, guys, but I have Catholic friends. And I didn't appreciate the fact that, though the author hinted at the validity of both sides, she seemed to say that BECAUSE Thomas converted, he was better than he had been as a Keeper (aka Catholic). Now, maybe she wasn't saying that. This might just be my perception. Because honestly, Nadine is SUCH a sweet person and I believe she genuinely loves all her readers, whether Catholic or Protestant or whatever. I just personally was a little unsettled by the way Thomas's conversion was handled and shown. (hide spoiler)]

So did I like this book? DEFINITELY. It was for once a book actually worth the hype. But did I fall in love with it the way I hoped? Sadly . . . not quite. My issues with it were large enough that I can't give it a higher rating. However, I can definitely foresee reading this in the future! As you can see, there were a lot of things I loved about it. ;)

4 stars

Aleena Korell

3.5 stars. Very interesting read. To me, this one feels on the younger side of YA, which I don't usually enjoy. And it surprised me by being on the longer side, at 430 pages and the story spanning nearly two years. I wouldn't say the writing is anything exceptional. Nor is the magic system. Yet, after a bit of doubt at the beginning due to MC whininess, it kept me interested enough to finish and satisfied at the end.
 
Retelling Guy Fawkes's story with magic was definitely a new premise, and it was interesting to see the direction it went. In the end, it felt rather religiously allegorical (not necessarily in a bad way, just not what I had expected when I picked it up). It's clean and has a good message, includes minority representation within the main cast, and touches on the issue of racism, particularly how it looked in the in the 1600’s, in an honest way. I'd recommend this to actual teens or people actively interested in Guy Fawkes/British history-- which was why I picked it up.

Story Eater

I haven't thought up a good literary analysis in a while. Nadine Brandes' Fawkes is a perfect break in the stagnancy because of the screaming symbolism in the pages. 

The premise of this story lies in the embedded history of the church shortly after Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to a church door in October of 1517. England and the rest of Europe caught fire in the Reformation and the schism widened between Roman Catholics and Protestants and made for bloody civil war and anarchic unrest. Brandes addresses these issues in her novel, quite obviously, through "color magic." White, the color that commands all of the other colors, and how the people in England access it and use the colors, becomes the conflict in the story instead of God and how believers "access" Him in the conflict of the Reformation. 

Keepers access the magic using only one color, and they never directly address white or speak to it directly. Any time white makes contact, they ignore it until it stops speaking to them. Igniters, on the other hand, commune with white and command all the colors for their magic. I can't quite nail down the specific mechanics of how this relates to the liturgy of Roman Catholics and Protestants, but the story says that Luther was an Igniter, so I drew my initial conclusions about the Igniters being symbolically Protestant and went from there. It also goes without saying that if the Igniters are Protestant, then the Keepers are Roman Catholic. 

Thomas Hawkes, the son of Guy Fawkes, happens to be Keeper attending an Igniter school in England. The story follows from there a very clever narrative, intertwining all of the characters from the Gunpowder Plot during the start of the Jacobean era of England. Brandes even throws in a proverbial Rose and Jack to sweeten the deal, and we have a clean fantasy YA with a historical twist. 

The story addresses more than just relations between Igniters and Keepers, however. (view spoiler)[Brandes also includes racial issues and women's rights issues in the mix of all the intrigue and magickery. A big twist in the plot comes from these issues, and I felt that this part of the narrative was forced and made the plot cluttered. The story itself churned with a civil war over which major plot issue should take precedence over the other, and the working out of the ending left both major issues with less spotlight than deserved. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, Brandes did a good job making a story about God so thoroughly absent of Him that people who are not Christian could read the story and not entertain a thought about Christ at all. On the other hand, the rest of the issues in the novel are moot without Christ, so there is a conundrum that leaves wanting quite a bit of theology that won't fit in a novel.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from JustReadTours and Thomas Nelson Publishing. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.5/5

Genre: YA Historical Fiction Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, plague, cult like things, and hearing voices)

Pages: 440

Author Website

Amazon Link

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.

I love Nadine and I love her writing. She has an unique ability to immerse the writer into unique worlds and to build something from nothing in our minds. I loved how she transformed this book from a children’s nursery rhyme (and maybe a bit of V for Vendetta) and I love the concept she grasped. She made this world and made me almost believe it was real for awhile. The characters were all unique and well developed. The plot was intriguing and engaging. And the pacing was spot on.

However, I did feel that in some parts of the book the author treaded a thin line between what was politically correct to say and what wasn’t. They were hard for me to read because those words had hurt some of my friends in the past and I can imagine that maybe they might hurt someone today too. However, there was a bit of a reason for it (debatable) and the book turned out fantastic in the end.

Verdict: If you liked V for Vendetta or if you like masks definitely check out this book!

Hope Brockway

Fawkes is one of my favorite books ever. It's so full of heart. This book is about learning not to define yourself by others' standards and figuring out what you believe in and standing up for your convictions. 

I've read this book multiple times and it never ceases to make me feel, even though I already know what's coming. 

It's full of magic and intrigue and adventure and it's so amazing. I cannot recommend this book enough. 

Emma is a total boss and I love her. She is so strong, courageous, gentle, and understanding (which is a hard combination to pull off in fiction). 

Thomas is a bit more complicated. I love him. He's a bit sarcastic, but he's a bit lost too. This is the story of him finding himself and figuring out what he believes. Through his journey, he learns to recognize the things that are worth living for. 

One thing I can never get over is how well the historical elements and fantasy elements blend together. The magic system is stunning and the setting feels so real. 

Fawkes is raw at parts, but I love this book for it. It is full of adventure, yes, but I reread this book every year for its truth. There are multiple scenes that have impacted me so much. I will forever recommend this book.

everlinet

This was really a fun read. It was hard for me to get into the plot at the beginning but I ended up being really interested in the story and wanted to see how it ends. Thomas was really a cute character & I adored him. The whole assassination plot was very interesting. Like a bit of darkness! And the magic plot felt right. The whole thing with masks that provide you with magic power is very original. Also this made me search for info about the original Guy Fawkes from 1605, real life one. 
This is truly unique story and the author did a good job. I can’t wait to read more of her books! 
Can’t decide if this is 3 or 3.5* read, but overall I had some problems with the beginning of the story, although the second part of the book was interesting.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Fawkes, by Nadine Brandes, is a well written novel in a world set in an age of knights and kings where those with power in fact wield the power of Color. Blue, brown, grey, etc. There is also a plague that is besieging the world that turns you to stone.

Again, this is a well written novel. However it just didn't hold my attention. The characters had depth, but the story line and the over all idea of Colors having power just didn't interest me. It wasn't terribly hard to follow, it was just odd. Masks, and how they worked, just made me think of the medicine masks of the medieval ages. Those medicine men who would wear giant bird-like masks.

That was it. Out side of that, I honestly mostly thought the masks were a very odd wait to approach how to handle power of the colors.

Our main character did grow, but nothing was really memorable, for me, in this novel.

If you want something that has a different magic/power basis, that does have some action in it and a father-son dynamic that is interesting, sure. Give this a shot. The writing, again, was good. Just that the premise and plot didn't hold me.

I was given a copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Fawkes A Novel

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