Title: The Faerie Ring
Author: Kiki Hamilton
Release Date: September 27th, 2011
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
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…
Summary from Goodreads.com
My Review: I was approached to review this book by the publisher and was really excited because it was a book I had been looking forward too for a long time. I thought it was going to be a paranormal book that was set in Victorian London, but what I got was a historic novel with a little paranormal peppered throughout. I am not really a lover of historical and because of this I had a really hard time getting through this book. Before I talk about my reason why, I want to talk about some positives.
Kiki has painted a perfect picture of Victorian London and all the hustle and bustle that goes along with it. She had an eloquent writing style that brought this world and the characters in it to life. The scenery was vibrant and the people in it were interesting to observe. Our protagonist, Tiki, is a wonderful lead and has a good heart. She takes care of the few people around her that she can call family and I admired that about her. Her makeshift family of other orphans were so sweet, I wanted to reach into the book and give them a hug to help ease their pain and suffering.
The downside of this book was the pacing. I was at about page one hundred when my mind started to wander. There was just not enough going on in the book to keep my attention and I quickly lost interest. I tried to read on a little farther, but I was never truly sucked in. It is not because this is not a good book, because I think if you enjoy historical books you would love this one! But I am not a fan of time period or historical books and therefore I could not finish it.
Overall this book was just not for me. I think Kiki is a beautiful writer and The Faerie Ring had a lot of potential, it just never truly captured my interest. If you are a fan of historical and like a little paranormal mixed in then I would give The Faerie Ring a try and see what you think. Or at least go check out the links I put below from fellow bloggers who did love the book and see what they think before you make a decsion.
FTC: Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this book to review.
