In seventeenth-century London two forces rule the people: the color powers and the Stone Plague. Brown masks can manipulate wood. Black masks control the night. And red masks . . . Well, red is the color of blood.

Young Thomas Fawkes's Color Test has finally arrived, and he's sure his father, the infamous Guy Fawkes, will present him with a mask and Thomas will finally bond with a color. He desperately hopes for a gray mask so he can remove the stone that has invaded his body and will ultimately take his life.

But when Guy refuses to give Thomas his mask or even his presence, Thomas has no place in school or society. His only hope is to track down his father and demand a mask. His father has bigger plans: to kill the king.

Thomas must join forces with Guy if he wants to save his own life. When his errands for the cause bring him time and again to Emma Areben, a former classmate, Thomas is exposed to a whole new brand of magic. And Emma doesn't control just one color--she controls them all.

Emma wants to show Thomas the full power of color magic, but it goes against everything his father is fighting for. If Thomas sides with his father, he could save his own life--which would destroy Emma and her family. To save one, he must sacrifice the other. No matter Thomas's choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the color masks have been put on, there's no turning back.

• Full-length young adult historical fantasy
• For fans of And I Darken and My Lady Jane
• Includes discussion questions for book clubs
• Also by Nadine Brandes: Romanov and Wishtress