Rose, Brian and Lily live in Marchland, Vermont where their parents are preparing the family cottage for sale. Rose finds the Book of Faeries, some mysterious rings and then uncovers a hidden, magical door. The three slip through the portal into the land of Faerie where elves, wolves, dragons and other demons surround them. The trio battle a series of dangers-including losing the memory of who they once were-and risk becoming slaves to a world of strange creatures dominated by a Queen who may or may not be a long-lost relation. The reader is irresistibly lured through the magic door along with Rose, Brian and Lily into a dangerous and enchanted land both alluring and treacherous where they must mysteriously find themselves before they can return to the lives they once knew.
Faerie Rings - The Book of Forests
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse has worked extensively in children's theater and Off-Off Broadway. She has also published widely in science-fiction, fantasy and horror, including the award-winning story "To Die For" and the science-fiction novel, "The Kill Switch Review." She lives in suburban Philadelphia with her husband, daughter and rescue cat.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By LAS Reviewer
Format:Paperback
Originally posted at [...].
The summer holidays for the Seward family should be a happy time. Unfortunately Mrs Seward's aunt has died and they have the unhappy task of sorting out her home on the edge of the forest. The three children, Rose (14 y.o.), Brian (12 y.o.) and Lily (10 y.o.) are unaware their parents can't afford to keep the house and intend to put it on the market.
While sorting through Great Aunt Edith's things they find three lovely rings and each child receives one as a memento of Edith. While their parents are out the children also find "The Book of Forests" and their adventure begins when the book helps them to open the Green Door into the land of Faerie.
Rose feels responsible for her younger siblings, and her magic at first seems to allow her to do this, but it is not as strong as Lily's and cannot be relied upon. They are found by the Faerie and Queen Mab reveals the Seward's are distant grandchildren of her daughter Gwenhafar who was banished to the world of man many centuries before. The children are tested and Lily appears to be the true heir to the throne. The Queen assures them she can return them to their own time at the instant they left, so they settle down to enjoy and learn about the land of Faerie. Unfortunately unrest and distrust is taking over the land and Queen Mab needs to solve her problems as well as assure her people all is well now that the heirs have returned to Faerie.
Allegiance is also given to the Queen by wolves, serpents, cats and many other types who can all change to human form when required. Rose is headstrong and finds herself in trouble more than once, but her friendship with Eamonn, brother of the wolf chief, saves her from too much peril.
Fantasy tales always catch my imagination and this is one of the best. It has the magic and mystique of the land of Faerie, but remains believable because Faerie is built with similar constraints to the world we know. The story provides.
This book holds the attention and stirs the imagination. Handsome heroes, strong warriors, nasty mindless flits and huge ever hungry trolls, they are all within the covers of The Book of Forest and weave together to make a truly enchanting read. Plus Rose, Brian and Lily get the chance to be treated as royalty and dress up in fine clothes. Even the Seward's cat is not as it appears in the everyday world of Vermont.
Told from Rose's point of view it also reveals how a fourteen year old girl manages to solve her difficulties and protect her siblings.
A truly captivating book for any age. I would recommend this to any lover of fantasy as a book that must be read.
The summer holidays for the Seward family should be a happy time. Unfortunately Mrs Seward's aunt has died and they have the unhappy task of sorting out her home on the edge of the forest. The three children, Rose (14 y.o.), Brian (12 y.o.) and Lily (10 y.o.) are unaware their parents can't afford to keep the house and intend to put it on the market.
While sorting through Great Aunt Edith's things they find three lovely rings and each child receives one as a memento of Edith. While their parents are out the children also find "The Book of Forests" and their adventure begins when the book helps them to open the Green Door into the land of Faerie.
Rose feels responsible for her younger siblings, and her magic at first seems to allow her to do this, but it is not as strong as Lily's and cannot be relied upon. They are found by the Faerie and Queen Mab reveals the Seward's are distant grandchildren of her daughter Gwenhafar who was banished to the world of man many centuries before. The children are tested and Lily appears to be the true heir to the throne. The Queen assures them she can return them to their own time at the instant they left, so they settle down to enjoy and learn about the land of Faerie. Unfortunately unrest and distrust is taking over the land and Queen Mab needs to solve her problems as well as assure her people all is well now that the heirs have returned to Faerie.
Allegiance is also given to the Queen by wolves, serpents, cats and many other types who can all change to human form when required. Rose is headstrong and finds herself in trouble more than once, but her friendship with Eamonn, brother of the wolf chief, saves her from too much peril.
Fantasy tales always catch my imagination and this is one of the best. It has the magic and mystique of the land of Faerie, but remains believable because Faerie is built with similar constraints to the world we know. The story provides.
This book holds the attention and stirs the imagination. Handsome heroes, strong warriors, nasty mindless flits and huge ever hungry trolls, they are all within the covers of The Book of Forest and weave together to make a truly enchanting read. Plus Rose, Brian and Lily get the chance to be treated as royalty and dress up in fine clothes. Even the Seward's cat is not as it appears in the everyday world of Vermont.
Told from Rose's point of view it also reveals how a fourteen year old girl manages to solve her difficulties and protect her siblings.
A truly captivating book for any age. I would recommend this to any lover of fantasy as a book that must be read.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Buzzbuzz
Format:Paperback
Rose Seward is a typical young teen who bickers with her younger brother, is protective of her baby sister, puts up with her cat, Lassie's, fondness for sleeping on her head, and crushes on cute boys. She is a proud nerd who loves to play an online computer game about Elven Warriors, and is too grown up to believe the bedtime stories Great Aunt Edith always told her, her brother and sister about how they were all descended from a Faerie princess. But when the family inherits Great Aunt Edith's house, a house they might not be able to afford to keep, an ancient, rune-covered book, "The Book of Forests" reveals that the bedtime story was only a sugar-coated version of darker, more interesting truths. Throw in some antique rings the children feel compelled to wear, and a door with a stained-glass window that might lead to more than just an overgrown back yard, and you've got the start of a journey into a world of beauty, intrigue and treachery.
Okay, so, I am a sucker for well-written fantasy, especially fantasy that is solidly rooted in medieval and historical lore. Add a heroine who fights back rather than waiting to be rescued by the heroes, good guys who are capable of doing wicked things and bad guys who may have a point about why they are trying their power grab and I'm good to go. I also like lyrical writing and DeKelb-Rittenhouse's prose smoothly transitions between contemporary sass and older, darker imagery when Rose reads passages in the rune-covered book that had been written centuries before. The worlds described in the book are vivid and immediate, whether the modern one in which the children live, the magical forest kingdom into which they venture, or the dystopian, science-fiction future they briefly glimpse on their journey home. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it . As other reviewers have said, this is an engaging, page-turner of a story that will appeal to adults as well as children, which should surprise no one as some of the most popular books in recent years have been coming out of the YA portion of the literary world (Harry Potter, Twilight, Blood and Chocolate to name just a few.)
In DeKelb-Rittenhouse's Faerie, crystal trees sing in the wind, tiny pixies fly about on chromatic wings, flowers bloom in swirls of colored smoke, and unicorns outrace the wind. It is also a dangerous world, with ogres ready to turn unwary travelers into supper, flits who carry their prey to far-off mountains, and wolves, cats and serpents that can shift into human form. And there is treachery, when Queen Mab, who happens to be the children's great-grandmother, has no compunction about using them to safeguard her kingdom while half of those who befriend them at at her court have a claim to her throne and someone seems interested in pressing that claim. But, for all its treachery, beauty and danger, it is an inclusive world. Women warriors and blond haired, blue-eyed elves being closely related to elves as dark as "night, were night made mortal and turned to flesh" are simply presented as facts without comment. In some ways, that's more of a fantasy then the magic with which Faerie is imbued, but it is also a refreshing fantasy.
Yes, there is definitely something here for readers of all ages: appealing characters, smart writing, intrigue, mystery, and (age-appropriate) romance. What more could you ask?
Okay, so, I am a sucker for well-written fantasy, especially fantasy that is solidly rooted in medieval and historical lore. Add a heroine who fights back rather than waiting to be rescued by the heroes, good guys who are capable of doing wicked things and bad guys who may have a point about why they are trying their power grab and I'm good to go. I also like lyrical writing and DeKelb-Rittenhouse's prose smoothly transitions between contemporary sass and older, darker imagery when Rose reads passages in the rune-covered book that had been written centuries before. The worlds described in the book are vivid and immediate, whether the modern one in which the children live, the magical forest kingdom into which they venture, or the dystopian, science-fiction future they briefly glimpse on their journey home. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it . As other reviewers have said, this is an engaging, page-turner of a story that will appeal to adults as well as children, which should surprise no one as some of the most popular books in recent years have been coming out of the YA portion of the literary world (Harry Potter, Twilight, Blood and Chocolate to name just a few.)
In DeKelb-Rittenhouse's Faerie, crystal trees sing in the wind, tiny pixies fly about on chromatic wings, flowers bloom in swirls of colored smoke, and unicorns outrace the wind. It is also a dangerous world, with ogres ready to turn unwary travelers into supper, flits who carry their prey to far-off mountains, and wolves, cats and serpents that can shift into human form. And there is treachery, when Queen Mab, who happens to be the children's great-grandmother, has no compunction about using them to safeguard her kingdom while half of those who befriend them at at her court have a claim to her throne and someone seems interested in pressing that claim. But, for all its treachery, beauty and danger, it is an inclusive world. Women warriors and blond haired, blue-eyed elves being closely related to elves as dark as "night, were night made mortal and turned to flesh" are simply presented as facts without comment. In some ways, that's more of a fantasy then the magic with which Faerie is imbued, but it is also a refreshing fantasy.
Yes, there is definitely something here for readers of all ages: appealing characters, smart writing, intrigue, mystery, and (age-appropriate) romance. What more could you ask?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Miranda Kent
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Faerie Rings: Book of Forests is an engaging, page-turning fantasy. Reviewed by Miranda Kent, author of the Madison McKenna mystery series
Since Harry Potter captured the imaginations of children and adults alike, allegorical fantasies have become the new must-reads, drawing readers into their enchanted parallel worlds. "Faerie Rings: Book of Forests" is the latest in this compelling genre.
Rose, Brian and Lily Seward reluctantly accompany their parents to their Great Aunt Edith's house in Marchland, Vermont. The plan is to spend the summer refurbishing the house, but then Rose discovers that the Seward family home might be lost altogether and the trio search for ways to save the family home without telling their parents.
One part of visiting their aunt that Rose, Brian and Lily have always loved is the seemingly apocryphal tales they've been told about the family. But as Rose delves into the actual family history, she discovers these are far more than bedtime stories. What she discovers may, she thinks, help the family to hold onto their Marchland home.
The pieces fall into place slowly-first there are the ancient rings. Then the Book of Forests reveals itself to them. Then Brian finds the portal that leads to the land of Faerie. Rose and Lily follow, with their pet cat, who turns out to be something quite else on the other side of the portal.
Once the three are on the other side, in the parallel world that is Faerie, the intrigue and danger begin. Before going to Marchland, Rose has spent much of her free time playing elven warriors; now, in Faerie, she meets the real elven warriors. The denizens of Faerie are a mixed group, from dragons and trolls to elves and pixies. But it is Queen Mabs, the very queen of Faerie who lures Lily into the birthright of the Seward family, surrounded by the amazing lamia and the protective but deadly wolves. As Rose, Brian and Lily discover, it's not just the Seward home that needs saving, it's Faerie itself.
Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse, known for her gothic and horror fiction for adults, has created a vivid, visually enticing world in Faerie. The characters will give all readers someone with whom to identify. Like the Harry Potter books, "Faerie Rings: Book of Forests," is both a coming of age novel and fantasy battle between Good and Evil. This book is highly entertaining and suitable for tweens, young adults and adults-a thoroughly engaging, page-turning fantasy.
Since Harry Potter captured the imaginations of children and adults alike, allegorical fantasies have become the new must-reads, drawing readers into their enchanted parallel worlds. "Faerie Rings: Book of Forests" is the latest in this compelling genre.
Rose, Brian and Lily Seward reluctantly accompany their parents to their Great Aunt Edith's house in Marchland, Vermont. The plan is to spend the summer refurbishing the house, but then Rose discovers that the Seward family home might be lost altogether and the trio search for ways to save the family home without telling their parents.
One part of visiting their aunt that Rose, Brian and Lily have always loved is the seemingly apocryphal tales they've been told about the family. But as Rose delves into the actual family history, she discovers these are far more than bedtime stories. What she discovers may, she thinks, help the family to hold onto their Marchland home.
The pieces fall into place slowly-first there are the ancient rings. Then the Book of Forests reveals itself to them. Then Brian finds the portal that leads to the land of Faerie. Rose and Lily follow, with their pet cat, who turns out to be something quite else on the other side of the portal.
Once the three are on the other side, in the parallel world that is Faerie, the intrigue and danger begin. Before going to Marchland, Rose has spent much of her free time playing elven warriors; now, in Faerie, she meets the real elven warriors. The denizens of Faerie are a mixed group, from dragons and trolls to elves and pixies. But it is Queen Mabs, the very queen of Faerie who lures Lily into the birthright of the Seward family, surrounded by the amazing lamia and the protective but deadly wolves. As Rose, Brian and Lily discover, it's not just the Seward home that needs saving, it's Faerie itself.
Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse, known for her gothic and horror fiction for adults, has created a vivid, visually enticing world in Faerie. The characters will give all readers someone with whom to identify. Like the Harry Potter books, "Faerie Rings: Book of Forests," is both a coming of age novel and fantasy battle between Good and Evil. This book is highly entertaining and suitable for tweens, young adults and adults-a thoroughly engaging, page-turning fantasy.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
An alright book to read when you're bored
This was a good book, the ending was a bit predictable and there were many spelling errors and switching point of views in the middle of a sentence. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Cheyenne Bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is impressive!
Clearly written by a lover of fae. There are nuances to this story I loved that aren't things I have read in oh so many stories about the wee-folk. Read more
Published 7 months ago by stimpsonjcat
5.0 out of 5 stars
A richly rewarding read!
Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse's book is one of those rare gems that remains in the mind long after the reader has closed the last page. Read more
Published on August 1, 2010 by amelia
5.0 out of 5 stars
A feast for the imagination!
The three Seward children, Rose, Brian and Lily, accompany their parents to Great Aunt Edith's house in Marchland, Vermont. Read more
Published on September 8, 2009 by emw
