Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Release date: September 27th, 2011
Received from an ARC Tour from I READ BANNED BOOKS
Reviewed by AmyG

Summary from www.goodreads.com


Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger. 
The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.
Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.
Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…



The Faerie ring took me to a place that I hadn't expected!  It took me to the great setting of historical London, England.  It honestly had a classic feel, but with a taste of the supernatural that we all love today.  If you have ever read Perilous Gard or Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Pope, I would say that The Faerie Ring has that same feel.  I loved this book because of that fact.  Its a refreshing change from the everyday angsty, teenage paranormal romance.  It had everything to recommend itself to young adults and adults alike.

The story revolves around Tiki who is an orphan on the streets of London.  She's an Oliver Twist type character, who has fallen in with a bunch of pickpockets.  Except in this situation, they have grown to care for each other and have become a family.  The characters are lovable and funny and keep the plot moving.  Unbeknownst to Tiki, she ends up stealing a ring, that turns the world upside down.  She steals a faerie ring that symbolizes the truce between the fey and the human world.  Now, both the crown and the fey are in search of Tiki.  There is no place where she can go that is safe!  Through this all, Tiki has a very strange but beautiful birthmark on her wrist that holds secrets of its own!

Now, for what you have all the been waiting for!  The swoon-worthy, Rieker.  Yes, there is a love story.    A very sweet one that will have you dreaming about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth all over again! Who can resist a man with a British accent that bows to you and kisses your hand!  Not this girl right here!  Plus, it all happens with the backdrop of historical London.  Reiker plus London equals a dream made in Victorian Heaven!!!

This book is the best of so many worlds!  It is a story that you can feel safe letting your middle grader read, but it also has all that appeals to the adults that are so drawn to YA literature today.  We need more books like this in the young adult genre!