Remember, remember..,

“You’ve had one moment of clarity and now you think you have all the answers.” She gave a grim smile. “Take a breath, Thomas. There has always been fear. There will always be fear. It’s up to us to stand tall, even when the fear demands we bow down to it.”

Why is it always so hard to write a review of a new favorite book? Basically I’m just squeeling and fangirling SO HARD I can’t be coherent. But I’ll try because y’all need to read this book! Let’s start with what it’s about.

Fawkes takes place during the Gunpowder Plot. I knew absolutely nothing about it, except that there was that ominous song on V for Vendetta and a bonfire in BBC Sherlock. Both I love passionately too by the way, and I also remembered the tiny tidbit that Guy Fawkes fought for the Spanish in the Netherlands during the 80 year war so I started off NOT liking the guy (pun intended) since he most likely opressed my protestant Dutch ancestors. Anyway, this has nothing to do with the story. The story is about the Plot, but WITH MAGIC. And what kind of magic! We all know the Fawkes masks, but here masks have power! Each color controls a different power! There are so many different aspects of this kind of magic (it needs to be given from father to son and mother to daughter for example) and it is also the main conflict in this stories. We have the Keepers that want to be pure and use one power, and there are Igniters that use more colors. And everyone hears a rather sassy voice in their head at one point, the mysterious White Light. What happens if you listen? Then we have a plague which turns people into stone and both sides blame the other. And then we have a Keeper, Thomas Fawkes (yes, the son of) and a very powerful Igniter, Emma. AND AN ASSASSINATION PLOT.

Both have their own struggles and desires which make them feel so real! Thomas his name is chosen well, for he does doubt a lot. He’s struggling with his identity, he has the Stone Plague in his eye and that terrifies him. He’ll do literally anything to get rid of it. His character is so well written! The uncertainty of his future, how he drives people away and then regrets that, it’s what happens to almost every ill person, so that’s very realistic. He grows a lot and I love that!

Emma is my favorite. She’s brave, loyal, kind, feisty, extremely talented - and a little bit stuck in life. As a woman, she’s denied much, and her secret makes it even more complicated. Yes, there is quite a bit of mystery.

It is absolutely impossible to guess the plot (pun not intended lol)! There are so many things happening and you just want to know more! It was a total bijge read because I could not bring myself to stop. It was engaging beginning to end, and there was enough action to keep it interesting but the most important thing was Thomas’ journey. I can’t tell much about it, but it’s totally worth it.

What was the most amazing, and still has me pondering a day later, are the themes. This book is absolutely not preachy, it’s very subtle, but we see a journey from prejudice to acceptance, and themes like racism and different classes in society are tackled, how everyone is really equal is an important aspect. And how fear keeps you from really seeing the other person. There are many positive realisations and it is a bit “a coming of age” story. The author herself is a Christian, and though this isn’t a Christian book you can definately see where some of her inspiration came from. I loved that aspect of the book, it makes it so much deeper!

All in all, this is going to be my favorite read of 2018 beside A Reaper at the Gates. In fact, it’s on my All Time Favorites shelf. And I’m gonna recommend it everywhere and I’m also going to be rereading this a lot of times. And I kinda want a mask now.