**I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**
Thomas is infected with the Stone Plague. He thinks that by getting his mask and bonding with his color, he can cure himself. But when his famous father Guy Fawkes doesn’t show up to his color test, Thomas sets off to London to find him.
When he finds his father, Thomas is invited to join a deadly assassination plot that his father says will cure the plague forever. There is just one problem, this plot would destroy the family of the girl he loves.
My inner history nerd and fantasy geek are so happy with this book
First of all the setup is great. You are given a lot of information up front, but in a way that doesn’t just feel like an information dump. It makes sense in the context of the story, and so often in fantasy, there is a boring information dump at the beginning of the story. It also seemed more like historical fiction with light fantasy thrown in, the fantasy aspects while ever-present never seemed to be at the forefront of the story.
I liked Thomas, he seemed like a typical adolescent on the crest of adulthood. Other characters, however, I’m just going to say it Guy Fawkes is an ass. It wasn’t until the very end of the book that I even liked him a little, and because of that, I had a hard time understanding Thomas’s loyalty to him, even if he is his father. Emma is great and her relationship with Thomas is even better. Thomas respects Emma for her abilities and I really loved that.
The story is pretty easy to guess. This is set against the infamous plot to blow up parliament by Guy Fawkes, except this time it isn’t about religion, it’s about how to use color magic. The historical elements lend themselves well to this fantasy world. The plot (no pun intended) kept my interest and even though I knew basically how it would end, there was so much more at stake that I just had to know.
If you enjoy historical fiction at all, I highly recommend this!
Overall: 4