Product Description
Charing Cross Station Image via WikipediaDebut 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…http://www.amazon.com/Faerie-Ring-Kiki-Hamilton
THE FAERIE RING
Kiki Hamilton
Sometimes a story is about magic and strikes a magical chord in its telling. It is only in the past few years that I have learned that the fae are not sweet little Tinkerbelles but are more likely the monsters under the bed. The Faerie Ring makes that point perfectly clear.
The Faerie Ring strikes that magical chord in it's good-as-gold youths who must steal to survive but who are very good at heart. These same youths, Tiki and her family of ragamuffins are also at the center of a dangerous war.
Because of these sweet kids, the danger they face and a few surprises about the means of a few and their relationship to the royal family, I found myself unable to put the book down and read the whole thing in about five hours. While there are some tender moments, and suggestion of potential incest averted, the book is a bit younger YA than I normally read. But, it will warm the cockles of your heart even as your adult ability to suspend your disbelief is stretched to its maximum elasticity. I had a hard time knowing that there were attacks on the persons of the Queen and her consort so it was hard to swallow that Buckingham Palace hadn't really stepped up security.
Even with my history skeptic in tow, this tale of the poor children and the wealthy aristocracy mixed with the danger of the fae is as compelling now, as when Dickens wrote of it (except the fae). Highly recommended—an excellent family book club book.
Sometimes a story is about magic and strikes a magical chord in its telling. It is only in the past few years that I have learned that the fae are not sweet little Tinkerbelles but are more likely the monsters under the bed. The Faerie Ring makes that point perfectly clear.
The Faerie Ring strikes that magical chord in it's good-as-gold youths who must steal to survive but who are very good at heart. These same youths, Tiki and her family of ragamuffins are also at the center of a dangerous war.
Because of these sweet kids, the danger they face and a few surprises about the means of a few and their relationship to the royal family, I found myself unable to put the book down and read the whole thing in about five hours. While there are some tender moments, and suggestion of potential incest averted, the book is a bit younger YA than I normally read. But, it will warm the cockles of your heart even as your adult ability to suspend your disbelief is stretched to its maximum elasticity. I had a hard time knowing that there were attacks on the persons of the Queen and her consort so it was hard to swallow that Buckingham Palace hadn't really stepped up security.
Even with my history skeptic in tow, this tale of the poor children and the wealthy aristocracy mixed with the danger of the fae is as compelling now, as when Dickens wrote of it (except the fae). Highly recommended—an excellent family book club book.
A nice touch: A pronunciation guide for the Gaelic words in the books.
- Reading level: Young Adult
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Tor Teen; First Edition edition (September 27, 2011)
- Language: English
- Kindle Edition: 612 KB
- Publisher: Tor Teen; 1 edition (September 27, 2011)
- Sold by: Macmillan
A little history of the time:
Imagine! Victoria and Albert had nine children.They were very attached to each other and after he died at 42 in 1861 she became depressed and for the rest of her reign remained in mourning clothes.
I have highlighted two of Victoria's offspring who figure in this story. Leopold, Duke of Albany, who is an important character in the book is no stranger to fictional portrayals; he was played by Hugh Jackman as Leopold in 2001's Kate and Leopold.Her marriage to Prince Albert brought nine children between 1840 and 1857. Most of her children married into other Royal families of Europe.
Image via Wikipedia
Prince Arthur
Prince Leopold, Image via WikipediaEdward VII (born 1841), married Alexandra, daughter of Christian IX of Denmark. Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh and of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (born 1844) married Marie of Russia. Arthur, Duke of Connaught (born 1850) married Louise Margaret of Prussia. Leopold, Duke of Albany (born 1853) married Helen of Waldeck-Pyrmont.
Victoria, Princess Royal (born 1840) married Friedrich III, German Emperor. Alice (born 1843) married Ludwig IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine. Helena (born 1846) married Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. Louise (born 1848) married John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll. Beatrice (born 1857) married Henry of Battenberg.
http://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy
FMI about the British Monarchy: http://www.royal.gov.uk/Home.aspx
FMI about the conditions of children in poverty in Victorian Britain
http://www.hiddenlives.org.uk/articles/poverty.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/bsurface_01.shtml
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