Review: The Faerie Ring

Goodreads Summary: 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…

Let me tell you guys, starting off 2013 in a reading slump is super sucky. Especially when you're suddenly coming to the end of your scheduled review posts. Oops! So I went off pile, decided to flee from the stacks of review books and just grab something that looked like fun. I adore this cover, I adore historical fiction, and I love the fey...and anything to do with the royal family...My decision to read The Faerie Ring truly wasn't a difficult one.

I had been sitting on my bed skimming through the first page or so of various books on my TBR when I spied this one, sure it was a fairly new addition to the pile but I did not allow that to stop me. A couple hours later [Mind you I was in the midst of housework when I took this impromptu reading break!] I was a hundred or so pages in and had no desire to put this book down. It's easy reading. You just want to devour it in a single sitting. It just flows, the characters are wonderful, and the time period and Kiki Hamilton's twist on it is fascinating.

I'm really fascinated by the mystery that is Tiki. From the beginning you know that there is so much more to this girl than meets the eye and though throughout the story you get a few pieces, I'm positive there's more to learn about her as the series progresses. And I can't wait to learn! For the majority of the story we're learning things right along with her, she's our main focus / protagonist. And I adored her from the first moment. She's loyal to a fault, loves her family/friends, and is exasperated easily. She's smart, she's funny and she can hold her own. I adored her.

Oh Rieker, how I adore thee. And it's not just the soft spot that I hold for thieves in fiction [don't you dare come after me in real life!]...there is just something utterly charming about his roguish ways. And who doesn't love a good rogue? I always got this goofy grin on my face when this cunning ner-do-well arrived on the scene out of nowhere.  

We meet other characters as well, and as I mentioned they are all wonderful and I really hope that we can learn everyone's complete stories...though that may be asking for a bit much. I just enjoy learning about all of them so much, I want to know everything! I especially want to learn more about the young Prince Leo, and Tiki's family of orphans. 
  
I finished the story in less than twenty-four hours despite all of the housework I was trying to accomplish, I just couldn't put this one down for long. I had to know what happened next, what was going to be resolved, and if I had placed bets on the right characters. And I cannot wait to learn more about Kiki Hamilton's faeries in the next book in the series, The Torn Wing, which is already out! :D