Worth Every Minute
In “Fawkes,” (affiliate link) Nadine Brandes captures the historic war between Protestants and Catholics of England through the light of a fantasy war between two factions of a color-mask society. She masterfully weaves real historical details into the tale of a young man dying of a plague that is ravaging Europe. Thomas Fawkes has the misfortune of being the son of a conspirator to assassinate the king. He is led to believe that his only chance at healing is by joining the plot. He tries to convince himself that the plot is just, but his conscience keeps poking holes in his conviction.
Entertaining All The Way Through
As Thomas works through his personal issues, the reader gets an opportunity to see the what-ifs of history. What if you believed everything depended on you destroying your government? What if you learned it was a lie? What if people you respected turned on you? Thomas must face these questions and more during the entire story, and Nadine Brandes builds them into a captivating tale that will keep her readers turning page after page.
Within the magical world of colors that Nadine Brandes imagined for this story, she intertwines the real question of where we should look for truth. She brings the battle of the Christian faith into the true focus of seeking the one true God before swearing loyalty to any faction within any denomination or religious group. She brings the battle further into the truth by revealing that we actually have a common enemy who is playing us against each other. Even with this allegory, it is so subtle that you are deep within the life of the story without the distraction of any preachy storytelling. Instead, the truths are wound so seamlessly into the story that if you don’t agree with this theology, you can still enjoy the historical fantasy of it.
Appealing to Multiple Ages
“Fawkes” is listed as young adult fiction and keeps things clean throughout the story to stay within this realm. Yet, the story can engage adults as well. Every setup on each page draws you farther into the book until you find yourself on the last page asking for more. If you are looking for history and fantasy safe within Christian beliefs, try Nadine Brandes’ captivating tales.
Another Book by Nadine Brandes that I enjoyed:
Romanov (affiliate link) – about the last days of the Romanov royal family with a magical twist
