Saturday, March 10, 2012

Review: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton and a Book for grabs!

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton was published by MacMillan on September 27, 2011 and it has 352 pages. The next in the series, The Torn Wing has a tentative publication date of October 2, 2012!


A Personal Note & Apology: Kiki sent me an ARC of The Faerie Ring in April of 2011 for my Birthday which still stands as one of the best birthday gifts-ever! The fact that I'm only now reviewing it 11 months later is shameful! I must admit that this is my absolute favorite book and I've read it 4+ times, Heck-I could probably quote it to you or better yet, act out all the lines!


I think this is a big part of why it was so difficult for me to write my review! I'm still not satisfied with my review but I don't think I ever will be. In my mind, there is nothing I can write about The Faerie Ring that will do it justice-sure I can use words like fantastic, magical, etc... but the way I feel about it doesn't have any words. So, I did my best and finally finished my review after 11 months!


I'm so sorry, Kiki! You and The Faerie Ring deserved much better then a 10 month late review from your biggest fan!


I WILL BE GIVING A COPY OF THE FAERIE RING by KIKI HAMILTON to a lucky winner provided by the best answer of: What was the Hardest Book for You to Review and Why?!
  • For those of you with a copy of The Faerie Ring I will honor this contest with a book of your choosing for up to $12.00

The Rules Are As Follows:
  • Must be 16 or older to join
  • GFC/Mr. Linky Follower (Only Mr. Linky if you're not on Blogger/Blogspot)- Not required but would be nice!
  • Follow on Twitter - Again, not required! You don't have to Tweet contest but would help to spread the word
  • Leave your email with your answer
  • Amazon or Book Depository (will give Nook e-copy if requested)
  • Contest Ends Saturday at Midnight-I'll email the winner on Sunday and you'll have 48 hours to respond! :o]
  • Have Fun and Be Honest!


Finally, here's my review beginning with the gorgeous cover of THE FAERIE RING and a synopsis provided by Goodreads:


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 FAERYS VIEW

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton is one of my very favorite books of all time. I’ve read it a total of 4 times and I think the reason that The Faerie Ring stole my heart was that it literally transports me to another time and place. By this I mean the entire book is literally a Faerie Tale combined with a wonderful historical setting that is just so easy to get lost in-it's better than the bath salts that say "TAKE ME AWAY", for that it does! Enmeshing myself in The Faerie Ring is quite easy to do; I can picture myself in Tiki and Riekers world, it is escapism at its absolute finest. The Faerie Ring held me captivated by the enchanting world that Kiki created, the charismatic characters so vividly portrayed by Kiki, all of whom I soon came to care about and the Faery Folklore that is such a refreshing view using old time wisdom and insight. I fell in love with The Faerie Ring and it has taken me over a year to write a review because I felt there was no way I could do it justice! For this I am deeply ashamed because Kiki Hamilton and The Faerie Ring deserved much better from me.


The story is set in 1871 Victorian London and it revolves around Tiki, a teenage orphan who along with 4 other children of various ages live in a gritty almost Dickenson like setting. The get by, barely, by picking pockets and stealing but together they are family in their little hideaway in Charing Cross. When Tiki happens across the Queens ring by accident she can’t believe her good fortune after only a moment’s hesitation she takes it-weighing the options-Newgate Prison or Security/Food/Shelter/Medication for her ragtag family. Tiki’s family’s needs win in the end but Tiki gets so much more than she bargained for; she gets caught in the middle of a truce between the Royal Family and the Fae to keep humanity safe and she becomes a pawn to the Fae that will do anything to get their hands on ‘The Faerie Ring’ for their own nefarious purposes.


Tiki is considered one of the best pickpockets and is rivaled only by Rieker; Rieker is suddenly very interested in Tiki, and Tiki can’t help but to be both flattered and suspicious of his motives-flattered because he is one of the better looking ‘blokes’ and Tiki’s heart beats a little faster when he’s nearby and suspicious because he’s never really paid her much attention before. Tiki has a plan for the ring, a plan that will ensure comfort and security for her and her family but sometimes things don’t always work out the way you planned. When a mysteriously beautiful woman appears in both Tiki’s life and Rieker’s-Tiki has seen them together once-more trouble ensues! Rieker is a mystery, indeed!


"Rieker's gaze was incredulous, searching, as if trying to see into her very thoughts. She couldn't help but notice how long his dark lashes were, framing his smokey eyes. A strange nervousness started to flutter in the pit of her stomach...pg. 17


He always seems to be there when Tiki is in trouble and she isn’t sure just what to make of him and neither did I most of the time but he is an enigma and a handsome one at that!


Rieker talking to Tiki "And I have to say that you were certainly the most beautiful and interesting girl at [withheld spoiler]. Enough so to make Leo drop is glass of wine, which I can assure you has never happened before." pg.222


So many wonderful things happen in The Faerie Ring, one of my favorites is the Ball but you’ll need to read it to find out about this magical event but bad things happen in The Faerie Ring, too.


Reading ‘The Faerie Ring’ is one sure way to soothe your questions and to introduce yourself to one of the best books The Book Faery has ever had the pleasure to read!


Out of the mouth of one of my favorite secondary characters, Mamie, who was a Lady in Waiting for the Queen and great entertainment to the Princes came this bit of sparkling wisdom:


Dear [withheld spoiler], I don't believe faeries are real. I know they are." pg. 198

Kiki writes The Faerie Ring as if she lived and breathed it; her imaginative writing skills making it a extraordinary get away for the reader. Kiki skillfully weaves a magical setting along with Dickensonian-like characters set in Victorian England in such a way that every page is not only a joy to read, it is pure enchantment. The historical setting, the nods to Dickens himself and the faerie lore is seamless and authentic, as only Kiki Hamilton can be. The Faerie Ring is the first book to get my unique One-Sit-Read which is the highest honor this reviewer can give.


THE FAERY SAYS THE FAERIE RING BY KIKI HAMILTON ROCKED MY WINGS !!!

14 comments:

  1. My answer is definitely Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma... Not only does it deal with a difficult topic (incest) but it was one of the most moving and devastating books that I have every read. It's hard to put something that heart-wrenching into words. It took me close to 4 days before I was able to review it without tearing up at the thought.

    You can see what I managed to come up with for it here.

    -Sarah (Inklings Read)
    inklingsread (at) hotmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I would prefer a physical copy. Thanks for the opportunity and sorry I forgot to add this part!

      Delete
  2. It was very difficult for me to review Suddendly in the depth of the forest by Amos Oz: he's a big author and every friend of mine loved this book, while I hated it! It was so boring and repetitive!

    Thank you very much for the giveaway, I prefer a physical copy (by Bookdepository since I'm italian).
    yuko86(at)hotmail(dot)it

    ReplyDelete
  3. The most difficult book for me to review was Meeting Destiny by Nancy Strait. It was a review request and it was something that I absolutely couldn't stand, so it was hard to review it and not give it an utterly horrible review (which I ended up doing, unfortunately).

    Thank you for the giveaway! I'd prefer a physical copy via Amazon (US)!

    kyramoonmist@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Better late than never is what I say ;)

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  5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I loved it so much that it was hard to express my feelings for it!

    Thebeeandbumble at ymail.com
    I'd prefer Amazon since they are faster!! Thanks so much for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So glad to see you enjoyed this. :) I remember when It was coming out and I really wanted a copy...er, I still want a copy. ;) Thank you!

    hardest for me to review...I think one is Fate of the Fallen by Sharron Riddle. I really just wanted to tell about the book and what happened. And couldn't because it would spoil for everyone else. That seems to be when a book is hard for me to review. When I love it so much that I just want to gosh and tell all about it. lol

    Follow with GFC

    tweeted:
    https://twitter.com/#!/MelLHay/status/179366649617580033

    MyWorldinwordsandpages{at}gmail{dot}com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey-
    You'll drum up some interest with the release of the sequel coming up in a bit! I have lots of books that I have a hard time reviewing. Some I've never reviewed because I couldn't express how I felt. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I still haven't reviewed though I read it in September. I'm having a hard time right now with Demons at Deadnight because I want to quote so much and say everything and I'm so excited, but I don't know how to tone it down so I'm just not blabbing the book out to everyone, but you really need to read that one! Anywho, I have the book, so don't need to enter, just playing along!

    Love ya! Hope you're doing good!
    Heather

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  8. A faery ball! I can imagine!! This sounds like a YA book I would so enjoy. Oh and I know the feeling about not getting to a book right away and then find that it rocked!

    Oh as for the book that was hard to review? I don't want to give the title away because it was a dnf book that I owed a review. I hate to do those. I do try to be as balanced as possible since my dnf book might actually be enjoyable to someone else!

    I'm a gfc follower, twitter follower (@BooksThings)
    books (dot) things (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  9. The hardest book for me would have to be Incarnate...I just don't feel like I 'got' that book. I had no idea how to rate it.

    GFC: Vivien
    Linky: Vivien
    @deadtossedwaves

    Vivien
    deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com

    I already have the Faerie Ring.

    ReplyDelete
  10. every book that I love so much is hard to review. Just as exactly as you feel, it seems no matter how I rave I never get satisfy with my review. As if my review will never good enough to give justice for a lovely book. Checking my goodreads I got lots under my to-review-list. And they are all books that become my favorite but I just can't seem to get myself writing a review. The last book I added from that list is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I love the book so much & I hope I'll be able to write a proper review for it.

    GFC: blackplume
    @blackplumetwits
    blackplum3 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  11. The hardest books for me to review have to be books that I'm not passionate about. Especially if I just found the story to be average. One that stands out in my mind was The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegan. It's not that I didn't like it, it's just that it was just okay. No real high points or low.

    GFC: Patricia M.
    @1of2chicksonbooks
    patriciamendoza AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  12. The hardest books for me to review are the books I fall in love with because I could gush about them all day but I don't want to give away any key points in the story. I always sit down and go "OMG! That was amazing, now how do I put words to my feelings for this book?" The most recent books would be Shelly Crane's Significance series. I reviewed all 3 within days of each other and couldn't figure out what to write. They were each so good and I didn't want to spoil the story.

    GFC: Doodle
    @erencich
    doodlesbookblog(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  13. That would be The Lovely Bones as I have no interest in the book and did not like the story.

    I already own a copy of Faerie Ring.

    GFC : Malvina Beatrice
    Twitter : @darkenf
    darkenf(at)rocketmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete