by Kiki Hamilton
amazon.com - Hardback $10.98
Blurb (Taken from Goodreads)
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…
My Review
*****Brilliant Read!
Kiki Hamilton’s The Faerie Ring is an absolutely charming and enchanting read that swept me back into Victorian London into a fantasy world of pure escapism.
A sixteen year old with the weight of the world on her shoulders, Tiki is a fantastic heroine that I was rooting for from the first page. An orphan, Tiki is like a mother and sister to other orphans who live in an abandoned clockworks, and together they hit the streets of London every day to pick pockets in order to survive. Responsibility and her love for her band of pickpockets drive Tiki’s motives, and she is one of the most single-minded and determined protagonists I’ve come across in a long time. Often that single-minded focus to protect those she loves has her making pretty huge mistakes, for instance stealing a ring that brokers the truce between the British Court and the Faerie Courts, but it’s hard to get mad at her when her efforts are born out of such fierce loyalty.
The secondary characters in The Faerie Ring are wonderful. Tiki’s pickpockets, Fiona, Shamus, Toots and Clara, are a loveable bunch, and Prince Leopold is adorably bemused and charming. The Faeries, Larkin and Marcus, are incredibly sinister and disturbing - I really appreciated how dark Hamilton made their characters because it added a sense of urgency to the plot. And finally of course there is Reiker, the hero of the novel. Reiker is mysterious, protective, handsome and broken. He’s utterly compelling and probably my favourite character from the entire book. Moreover the chemistry between Tiki and Reiker is palpable and I so enjoyed their interactions and misunderstandings.
The plot itself is clever and refreshing – a surprise in itself considering the ever growing pile of YA books in the faerie genre – and fast-paced. The prose is smooth with a modern, easy flow, cleverly wrapped in dialogue that befits the location and time period. The descriptions of Victorian London are vivid and well-researched and I really did feel as if I had been swept back in time.
A brilliant read that kept me captivated from page one.
Five Huge Stars!
Sam x
Rieker was my favorite as well :) I loved him so much!! I'm glad you liked this one! :)
ReplyDeleteYay, Reiker. Can't wait for more! :-)
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