The Faerie Ring [Hardcover]

Kiki Hamilton (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 27, 2011

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.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched 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...

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Faerie Ring:

“Urban faerie fantasy meets Oliver Twist (with a dash of Cinderella) in this exciting tale of a street orphan who mingles with royalty to save olde England from dark magic. Plenty of action and suspense. Let’s hope there’ll be more adventures for Tiki and the handsome Rieker.”—O.R. Melling, author of The Chronicles of Faerie

“A delicious blend of urban fantasy, heart-stopping suspense and sizzling romance—The Faerie Ring rocks! Pulsing with excitement, this high-stakes adventure catapults you through the gritty slums of Victorian London, the glittering balls of the Royal Palace, and the menacing Otherworld, in a thrilling tale where no one and nothing is what it seems. Deception, twists, diabolical faeries, a gutsy heroine and a sexy love interest all woven into a spectacular wild ride. You'll devour every page—compelled to finish but never wanting it to end!”—Alyssa Kirk, teensreadandwrite.com

“I stayed up until 2 am devouring The Faerie Ring—it was fantastic! Deeply imaginative and creative, I was instantly absorbed into Tiki’s mysterious world.”—Ashley Simmons, booksobsession.com  

“The Faerie Ring is an intriguing, beautifully written blend of historical fiction, mixed with the perfect dose of romance, mystery, and faerie lore, all set within the time period of Victorian London. I was so completely enraptured with the story that I couldn’t devour this debut novel fast enough.”—Katie Bartow, mundiemoms.blogspot.com  

“The Faerie Ring is an enchanting novel, woven with dramatic adventure, intriguing faerie lore and a charming love story! I couldn’t stop turning the pages even though I didn’t want the story to end!”—Kristi Diehm, thestorysiren.com 

“This thrilling and otherworldly tale is full of suspense, danger, and magic. Kiki Hamilton has crafted a magical and exciting debut with a rich narrative. Set during the winter of 1871 in London, Hamilton beautifully captures that time. Ms. Hamilton’s London is grim, unforgiving, yet romantic. This is an engrossing and gut-wrenching story of loss, hardship, family and survival. The plot is filled with treachery, magic and deadly faeries. Imaginative, atmospheric, and clever, this one is definitely not to be missed.”—Angela Leonard, darkfaerietales.com   

“An exciting and mysterious debut, The Faerie Ring combines three of my favorite things: faeries, romance, and history. I can’t recommend it enough!”—Kelsey Jones, thebookscout.blogspot.com    

“A book filled with a combination of Dickens-esque charm and faerie lore, The Faerie Ring will take you on an adventure of extraordinary proportions.”—Kristen Harvey, bookworminginthe21stcentury.com

“Bold, unique and well-written, The Faerie Ring blends the fey, old-time London and strong characters to make a great story.”—Kari Olson, “If you’re interested in historical fiction, urban fantasy, faerie stories, strong female protagonists, and impeccable world building, read this book. If you’re not? Read it anyway, and find out why you should be!”—Candace Cunard, teensreadtoo.com  

From the Author

For me, THE FAERIE RING series is one of those 'what if...' kind of stories. It has been so much fun to write these books - to research the lore of the British Isles and wrap it into a new kind of faerie tale - one that makes you wonder where fact stops and fiction begins...

Thanks so much to the many, many fantastic bloggers, librarians, booksellers and readers who have supported me in this writing journey.  I couldn't do this thing I love without you! Thank you!! ~Kiki --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Tor Teen; First Edition edition (September 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765327228
• ISBN-13: 978-0765327222
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #643,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kiki Hamilton is the author of THE FAERIE RING fantasy series and the YA contemp, THE LAST DANCE. She believes in magic and the idea of hidden worlds co-existing with our own. Kiki lives near Seattle, though she dreams of living in London one day. Visit her website at: www.kikihamilton.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing! September 27, 2011

By ReadingVacation

Format:Hardcover

The Faerie Ring is a story of survival amidst the backdrop of 1871 London. When I think of historical London, I picture majestic castles and richly adorned royals. In reality, there are also dark alleys with scruffy orphans. Tiki is one of those orphans.

There is so much that I like about Tiki. She is the leader to a group of young orphans and they all pick pockets to get by. I admire the way Tiki cared for these orphans and how they all banded together like a family. My favorite orphan is little Clara because of her gentle innocence.

All heck breaks loose when Tiki steals Queen Victoria's ring from the royal castle.The ring has super powers. Now that it is in the wrong hands, the peace between England's rulers and the leaders of the fey is in jeopardy. Tiki holds the ring that will either bring peace or an all-out war. It is like a pick-pocket's worst nightmare!

Tiki finds romance with Rieker, who has acted as her protector from the shadows. A fellow orphan, Rieker has a secret past that will take you by surprise. These two are great together and I like their connection. They both have a sweet spot for orphans that I found endearing. It is not often in young adult novels that I read about a bond as special as this one.

The Faerie Ring depicts survival on more than one level. With an engaging romance and a riveting mystery, KiKi Hamilton's debut left me anxious for more.

RATING

5 Loved

COVER COMMENTS

The glowing ring is as beautiful as I imagined. The winter snow and Tiki's image are a nice addition, but the ring is what I like best.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great start to a really promising series! October 3, 2011

By Michelle@Book Briefs

Format:Hardcover

I have not read many books about faeries before this weekend. Then, in the past two days I read two and I absolutely loved both of them! I think I need to check out some more faerie books ASAP. Although, I must say, it will be very hard for another faerie book to live up to The Faerie Ring. I was so engrossed in this book that time ceased to exist for me while I was reading it. I didn't even realize how much time had went by. I didn't take a single break. That is how much I enjoyed this book.

Maybe it was because I didn't know much about the fey before picking up this book, but I loved the descriptions about the two faerie courts. It made me want to read more faerie lore and legend. They seem like such interesting creatures.

Tiki was so cool! I loved her. I loved that she wanted to teach everyone to read and how caring she was. It's so easy to see characters that have had a hard life come off as cold, but that was not Tiki at all! And if I said that I loved Tiki, then I need to come up with an even stronger word for Rieker. He was so loyal and kind and awesome, and just plain cool. It is safe to say I am a big fan of him. I'm actually a huge fan of all the characters. Even the secondary characters had such great detail and development to them, it was a pleasure to read about them.

I thought the idea of a ring holding such an important truce was so unique. I would love to see what such a magical item looks like up close. I kept trying to picture it in my head, and I kept changing what I thought it would look like. I'm also super curious to learn more about Tiki's birthmark. I can't wait to see how that is going to develop in future books.

I loved The Faerie Ring so much! It was one of my favorite 2011 releases, and I can't wait to see what is going to happen next. It is going to be such an awesome series. It has favorite potential written all over it. Go read this book right now! Seriously, go.

-Michelle @ Book Briefs
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars An Awesome Debut January 4, 2012

By Book Flame

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

4.5 STARS

I absolutely loved the setting of The Faerie Ring. Victorian Era is one of my favorite time periods to read about now add that in with some very wonderful characters this made for a very quick read. I literally flew through The Faerie Ring because I got so wrapped up in Tikis world.

Hamilton did a wonderful job with all the characters to where I couldn't help but care for each and every one of them even one of the antagonist. She did an excellent job with Tiki. I loved how she was such a strong character and with the things the world threw at her instead of growing cold and hard she still found time to take care of her "family" other orpahaned kids just like her. Honestly how can you not care for the group of orphans that we are introduced to, each one helping in taking care of each other and trying to survive the gritty slums of London.

Reiker is the love interest, and at first I didn't know what to think of him. Was he someone to trust or was he gaming Tiki. He remained a mystery, everytime I thought I knew what he was about his actions made me second guess myself. Learning about him was half the fun.

The book had alot of twists and turns that had me guessing,not to mention discovering the secrets of the characters right along side with them. I like how the main focus wasn't really the faeries but it was about Tiki, her orphan family, and of course the faerie ring which in this case really is a ring and not a circle of mushrooms.

Overall this was a refreshing read for me and looks like a start to a very promising series. I can't wait for the next book in the series although this could have been a standalone with the satisfying ending but I have a feeling there will be a few things touched in the upcoming books that was left a slight mystery.