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fuascailt's review against another edition
5.0
A clear five-stars.
This book was thought provoking and heart-warming all at the same time. I felt the story and I felt the sentiments shared by the author. It was simply put **beautiful**.
[full review on Friday]
This book was thought provoking and heart-warming all at the same time. I felt the story and I felt the sentiments shared by the author. It was simply put **beautiful**.
[full review on Friday]
katherinebriggs's review against another edition
5.0
"Whoa" and "Yes!" for the twist that took my breath away. And for the hard questions and depth presented by the colors and characters. And for an ending you cannot fully prepare for. Read this!
starligh_314's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
ladytiara's review against another edition
3.0
Sometimes a book just doesn't work for me, but I know others will enjoy it. This is one of those books.
Fawkes takes the true story of the Gunpowder Plot and retells it as fight between different types of magic. The Igniters and the Keepers have been fighting a war for many years. With King James I in power, the Igniters have the upper hand and the Keepers are persecuted. The magical system involves color powers. The Keepers believe that people should only have one type of color magic, while the Igniters use multiple colors. The Keepers feel that White Light is dangerous because it gives you too much power and people shouldn't use it, while the Igniters are in favor of White Light. This parallels the real-life conflict between Catholics and Protestants that led to the Gunpowder Plot.
Thomas Fawkes is the son of the notorious Keeper (and in real life Catholic) Guy Fawkes. Thomas has the stone plague, a terrible disease that turns you slowly to stone. He's been keeping his illness a secret because people aren't exactly welcoming to those who are sick. Thomas is about to take his color test and find out which color is his specialty. His father is supposed to make him a mask, but at the last minute, Guy doesn't show up and Thomas is left maskless and expelled from his school. He goes to London, where he gets caught up in his father's plot to kill the king and blow up Parliament.
This is a really clever concept, but a lot of things just didn't work for me. I had some trouble with the magical system. I never really got a sense of how the color powers worked. The White Light is this voice that speaks to Thomas in a very snarky tone, which is somewhat at odds with the more serious tone of the book. I found Thomas sort of bland as a character. Although he's in a terrible situation with few options, I didn't really connect with him. He has a romance with Emma, an Igniter, and I really liked her, but I never really got why she liked Thomas, who is just sort of meh as a character. Emma has her own secret, and her story was more interesting to me than Thomas's.
This was a 3.5 star read for me.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
Fawkes takes the true story of the Gunpowder Plot and retells it as fight between different types of magic. The Igniters and the Keepers have been fighting a war for many years. With King James I in power, the Igniters have the upper hand and the Keepers are persecuted. The magical system involves color powers. The Keepers believe that people should only have one type of color magic, while the Igniters use multiple colors. The Keepers feel that White Light is dangerous because it gives you too much power and people shouldn't use it, while the Igniters are in favor of White Light. This parallels the real-life conflict between Catholics and Protestants that led to the Gunpowder Plot.
Thomas Fawkes is the son of the notorious Keeper (and in real life Catholic) Guy Fawkes. Thomas has the stone plague, a terrible disease that turns you slowly to stone. He's been keeping his illness a secret because people aren't exactly welcoming to those who are sick. Thomas is about to take his color test and find out which color is his specialty. His father is supposed to make him a mask, but at the last minute, Guy doesn't show up and Thomas is left maskless and expelled from his school. He goes to London, where he gets caught up in his father's plot to kill the king and blow up Parliament.
This is a really clever concept, but a lot of things just didn't work for me. I had some trouble with the magical system. I never really got a sense of how the color powers worked. The White Light is this voice that speaks to Thomas in a very snarky tone, which is somewhat at odds with the more serious tone of the book. I found Thomas sort of bland as a character. Although he's in a terrible situation with few options, I didn't really connect with him. He has a romance with Emma, an Igniter, and I really liked her, but I never really got why she liked Thomas, who is just sort of meh as a character. Emma has her own secret, and her story was more interesting to me than Thomas's.
This was a 3.5 star read for me.
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
mariagilbert's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
story_singer_101's review against another edition
4.0
As a general rule, I struggle with first person narratives, often finding the protagonist annoying until he/she finally starts growing up. In the beginning, Fawkes was no exception. However, the protagonist did experience real character development, making the story progressively more enjoyable as the tale progressed. The book also had a fascinating magic system, which I enjoyed learning about, and the magic and history blended well with greater emphasis on magic than history. Nadine Brandes tied Christian theology into the magic, which is normally something that I'm hesitant about since it doesn't always work very well. Brandes, however, did a decent job of incorporating theology without preaching. I also appreciated Brandes' themes of forgiveness and racial reconciliation. On the whole, the story was a clean, well-written, and engaging summer read.
jnwunder's review against another edition
5.0
Even though Thomas was annoying ("bad people are bad?", "wait... it's NOT good people vs. bad people??"), this was one of the most fantastic books I've read this year.
hayleerosenoerr's review against another edition
4.0
“Standing for your beliefs isn’t always the same thing as standing for what’s right.”
Ain’t that the truth.
Some parts were slow, but this book was such a fun and interesting twist on an actual historical event.
“Remember, remember, the fifth of November...”
Ain’t that the truth.
Some parts were slow, but this book was such a fun and interesting twist on an actual historical event.
“Remember, remember, the fifth of November...”
sandra29's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75