Blog Tour: Book Review & Giveaway, The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Welcome to the first stop in our The Faerie Ring Blog Tour! I'm so excited to be kicking off the tour for Kiki's debut book, which will be out TOMORROW! Through out the two week tour there will be spoiler free reviews posted, giveaways, author interviews and more. You can find out all the tour information here.

By: Kiki Hamilton

Published by: Tor Teens

To Be Released on: September 27th, 2011 TOMORROW

Source: ARC from publisher to review

5 stars- I Loved It! Go Pick It Up

Purchase from: Amazon| Barnes & Noble| Indie Bound| The Book Depository| Powell's Books| Books A Million

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… quoted from Goodreads

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 completely enraptured with the story that I couldn't devour this debut novel fast enough. I absolutely loved reading this! Kiki Hamilton's writing is spellbinding and her story completely mesmerizing. The way Kiki mixed historical London with faerie lore was masterfully done, making this a truly unique YA book.

The Faerie Ring has a refreshing, fast paced, exciting plot that not only brought the historical parts of the story to life, but it introduced me to characters I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know. I was intrigued with the mystery that surrounds some of them, and totally surprised with the well written romance that develops perfectly as the story goes on. Kiki wrote her characters in such a way that allowed me to connect with them on an emotional level. I couldn't help but become invested with them, their surroundings, and what was going on with each of them. I wanted to know more about them and for me as a reader that is huge in bringing a story to life.

The story is centered on Tiki, a character I really grew to admire. She's not been dwelt the best hand in life, but she's made do with what she has, which makes her such an enduring character. She's a compassionate, strong character and someone I quickly connected with. She does what she has to survive, which means turning to pick pocketing and living with a group of misfits who all look after each other, regardless of how they ended up in the situation they're in. It's through Tiki's pick pocketing that she finds 1) the Faerie Ring, 2) that Faeries really do exist and she's been thrust into their world at the wrong time and 3) she meets Riecker.

I loved the way Riecker's character is introduced into the story. There's such an air of mystery surrounding him. I was really intrigued with what his motives were for wanting to help and protect Tiki, and his tie to the Faerie Ring. The way he treats Tiki is completely sigh worthy! It didn't take me long to fall in love with him.

I adored the story's setting! It really felt like a character in itself. I liked the way Kiki introduces the two different parts of Victorian London, which is done through Tiki's life in the slums and Rieker's life of wealth. The streets of Victorian London really came to life for me through Kiki's vivid details, and her descriptions of places that still exist to this day. If London wasn't already at the top of my list of cities to visit before I die, it would have been added after reading this book. There's also a map that's found in the published book which will allow readers to see the various places where the story takes place.

If you enjoy a story with a beautiful Victorian setting, that includes orphans, adventure, faeries, magic, mystery, characters with secrets and of course romance, than I highly recommend picking up this enthralling story tomorrow when it's out officially released! This book has been at the top of my must have reads since I read last year! It's a fantastic YA paranormal/historical read. I'm really looking forward to reading many more of Kiki's books.

The Faerie Ring blog tour continues tomorrow on Teens Read and Write. Be sure to go HERE to follow the rest of the blog tour.

GIVEAWAY TIME! Thank you to Kiki I've got 5 signed book marks I'm giving away.

To ENTER, please leave me a comment with your email address. I'll email the 5 winners when this giveaway closes on October 8th, 2011. 1 email per person please. This is open INTERNATIONALLY!