It's better than Romanov. You can't compare the two.

I didn't expect much, but Fawkes delivered all the same. I loved the protagonist, Thomas, and it was refreshing seeing the story through the POV of a teenage boy who actually reads like a teenage boy. He was a delightful mix of cleverness and indecision, skill in his survival as well as that silly childish chivalry that just makes you sigh deeply and love a character even more. He battled his fears and self-doubt, but in the end he was brave and did the right thing. Emma is great too. At first I thought she was just your average Strong Female Character thrown in for the sake of having a Strong Female Character Who Is Better Than All The Boys. But as the story progressed I grew to love her strength and warmth. She let her guard down and showed that she was just as human and frail as Thomas was, and that she was fighting for the right to just BE.
Guy Fawkes was also an interesting character, and his rocky relationship with his son handled well. My heart ached for Thomas, who was so in need of his father's love and affirmation, but could never measure up. He was just so ...lost. At the same time Guy struggled so much in his relationship with Thomas. He went through so much, and he didn't deal with it well at all, but it was HUMAN. It was realistic. And it hurt. (Okay, and the scene of his death... just heartwrenching.)

The plot was interesting and the twists were...okay. I saw a few of them coming, but they were rendered with enough skill to keep me invested all the same. It did feel like it was dragging a bit, but whatever. I still enjoyed it very much (and it helped me get out of the reading slump I was in when I started it).

My greatest complaint, though, is with Brandes' style.

It's not ALL bad, don't get me wrong! I did like some of the dialogue (a few quotes in there are just WHOA) and some of the descriptions. However, there are these...similes and metaphors that just made me groan aloud. Simplistic and melodramatic. Words are also used that didn't even exist during that time period (or at least weren't used the way Brandes employs them). All this chips away at the otherwise pleasingly vivid image of early 17th century London, its vice and filth and crime not glossed over or euphemized.

That being said, I'm going to end on a positive note, because overall I really did like Fawkes. Kudos to Brandes for the creative magic system. Loved it.