Tag: fairies

YA

Review: The Faerie Queen by Kiki Hamilton

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Faerie Ring #4

the faerie queen -kiki hamiltonThe Winter King has ordered Tiki’s death and hunts her in both the Otherworld and London. War looms ever closer and the mysterious Four Treasures of Faerie seem to offer the Seelie Court their only hope of stopping Donegal from claiming all of Faerie. The ever-enigmatic Larkin issues a threat regarding Clara that forces Tiki to choose between a child and a kingdom….

A ruthless opponent, a powerful treasure, an unforgettable decision…

4 Drink Me Potions

Oh boy, what a conclusion!

If you have read any of my other comments of the previous books in the Faerie Ring series, I have always mentioned that Kiki Hamilton is a master storyteller. She weaves in so many layers, particularly in the plotline (even the tiniest event of a previous book could have a significant meaning later), but also in her characters!

First, I have to say, Larkin is the most amazing and complex character I have read yet. She always seemed like a villain, or at least an antagonistic force when it comes to Tiki. Yet it’s been so hard to decipher what her ulterior motives are or what other random information she’s been hiding from everyone else. One moment, she seems to be acting like a guiding counsel for Tiki as she learns more about the world of the fey, and the next moment, she’s the most arrogant woman ever and seemingly aiming to claim the throne for herself. Which side should we believe? And that’s the beauty of it. She has that many layers to her.

Then comes the complexity of the plot. Thrown into the end of the The Seven Year King, she goes and says what? Clara’s her child. But wait! Other crazy relations are also revealed at Dain and Rieker’s heritage (yet again). And here I thought that it was crazy enough that Rieker even had family left. There’s more?

With this being the final book in the series, somehow, Hamilton was able to weave everything together and tie all loose ends into one happy conclusion. Yes, a happy ending, folks. Of course, some of the epic things that went down were kind of predictable, but it was still great to see how the new plot twists fit into it all.

Amidst all these crazy revelations, there’s a war to be prepped for and a treasure hunt for the last of the Four Treasures of the faeries. It seems only Tiki can find it and unite the courts of Faerie as that is her destiny. I think the ending fit well with what her character would do. She really has grown over the course of this book and possibly the previous one. Hard to imagine that the series spans only about 1.5 years or so in their lives.

Anyway, cutting this review short ’cause I could gush on and on about it some more. The Faerie Queen is an example of how an epic conclusion to a fantasy story should end. With action, suspense and tying in the crazy plotlines, Hamilton more than delivers all these elements and more. And if you’re a lover of any ancient locations (particularly those that we can actually visit) associated with the fey, London and parts of Scotland are mentioned throughout the novel. It makes me want to go there now…

Overall Recommendation:
The Faerie Queen was the epic conclusion to an ultimately heart-stopping historical fantasy series. Further plot twists (who knew there could possibly be more room for those?) all tie in nicely together for an unpredictable, yet happy, ending for Tiki and her friends. It’s like a fairy tale but with more action and character development! And who wouldn’t like a fairy tale, hmm? I recommend this series, and particularly this book, to anyone who loves adventure, fantasy, factual history and romance. It won’t disappoint, trust me. This book deserves all the praise it can get.

YA

Review: The Seven Year King by Kiki Hamilton

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Faerie Ring #3

It is the seventh year—the time when the UnSeelie Court must pay a tithe to Seelie royalty to remain a separate entity. Sacrificed at midnight on Samhain, the UnSeelies call their offering the Seven Year King. This time, Donegal plans to sacrifice someone Tiki loves. To make matters worse, Fiona disappears, Johnny lies near death, and the threat of the liche comes closer. Tiki’s only hope is that she and Rieker can find an ancient faerie treasure and outsmart the Winter King before the turning of the seasons. In this third book of The Faerie Ring series, Tiki is pulled between two worlds—and unable to find peace in either.

A deadly sacrifice, a heartbreaking choice, an uncertain future…

4 Drink Me Potions

It still constantly amazes me how well Hamilton was able to immerse the land of mythical fey with 19th century London.

In this 3rd installment of the Faerie Ring series, we get to see more of the Otherworld as Tiki spends more time there, having accepted her role in leading the Seelie Court. The novel starts off with a bang as 1) Dain has been captured at the end of The Torn Wing and possibly going to be sacrificed on Samhain, and 2) Johnny has been captured by the liche, aka hideous monster that’s been doing the Winter King’s bidding.

Torn between keeping her family safe in London and saving those who need her in the Otherworld, I was glad to see that this book really picked up the pace where The Torn Wing was a little lacking. Without ruining too much, basically some action starts happening as the liche continues to hunt down Tiki and her family, in particular Fiona.

And as always, Hamilton is the best at incorporating tidbits of new information and introducing new characters. This time, we get to see the amazing (and sometimes horrifying) creatures of the fey. From tree dryads (who are really witches!) to ugly hobgoblins and their distant relatives the Redcaps, crazy things continue to happen as Tiki embarks to rescue Dain.

I smell a love triangle with Dain, but for those who don’t love them, rest assured, I don’t think Hamilton made those hints of feelings into anything more, at least on Tiki’s side of things. Her heart is safely with Rieker (as it well should be). Oh and finally! Some seriously hot romantic action goes on here with our favourite pickpocket-slash-handsome-lord.

The one thing I felt a little off with this story was Johnny and Fiona’s romantic chemistry. I honestly didn’t feel like they knew each other well enough before suddenly, they were “in love” or something like it from the way Fiona freaked out about Johnny’s capture. But anyway, this book really won’t disappoint with suspense OR romance. The land of the fey and the gorgeous old city of London ever continues to amaze me in The Seven Year King. Not to mention, a few more real life facts/artifacts thrown into the story!

Overall Recommendation:
The Seven Year King was a truly enjoyable read. Hamilton is a master story-weaver as she immerses us into both the land of the fey and 19th century London this time. With two friends’ lives hanging in the balance, Tiki and her companions are on a timeline to save them. Not to mention there is still a horrible monster hunting them down for the Winter King. This surely sets the foundation for the ultimate conclusion to the series. Please, do yourself a favour and read it. Romance? History? Fantasy? Suspense/action? No other story blends these elements as well as this does.

YA

Review: The Torn Wing by Kiki Hamilton

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Faerie Ring #2

the torn wing -kiki hamiltonLondon 1872 –

A bloody escape, a deadly threat, a shocking revelation…

As an orphan who stole the Queen’s ring – only to find the ring was a reservoir that held a truce between the world of Faerie and the British Court – Tiki’s greatest fear suddenly becomes all too real: the fey have returned to London seeking revenge. As war escalates in the Otherworld, Queen Victoria’s youngest son, Prince Leopold, is attacked. In order to protect her family and those she loves, Tiki needs to know the meaning of an fáinne sí, the birthmark that winds around her wrist. But will she be brave enough to face the truth?

3 Drink Me Potions

Hmm, where should I start? The Torn Wing continues the story of Tiki and her band of misfit orphans, now living with the ever-handsome Rieker, aka Lord William Richmond.

I’ve always loved the historical setting of 19th century London. To mash it with the land of the fey is just perfect. Two worlds, both uniquely beautiful in their own way, with a deep mystery at the heart of it all.

Right from the prologue, there is a stirring for war as the UnSeelie Court threatened to take over both the thrones of the Seelie Court and of London’s from Queen Victoria. The mystery surrounding Tiki’s involvement with the fairies is further developed, although her initial denial of any such involvement deeply annoyed me.

The characters were sweet and intensely themselves. By that I mean, Hamilton writes in a way that makes each character something special and uniquely their own. Tiki’s family of orphans are all so different, not just because of their age. They are young, but their eyes have seen the horrors of living on the streets. They’ve developed street smarts, they’re loyal and caring for others less fortunate, yet they still maintain a sense of innocence. It’s hard to describe, but even when you want to shake them for being stubborn or doing little petty things, these are trademarks for what makes them such great characters. They come alive, doing things as little children or young orphans do.

With such great secondary characters, of course the protagonists were also enjoyable to read. Tiki may be hugely stubborn, but her heart holds enough love for anyone. Rieker always remains an enjoyable love interest, and I was a little saddened to see that Hamilton didn’t further develop him in any way in this book at least. Besides being a love interest, he’s different from any other main male characters in the YA genre these days. He also lives a double life, as a pickpocket and a lord, but there’s so much more to him. He’s just not predictable, which makes him more exciting.

The plot wasn’t as intense, although the book started off with a chaotic event. The main thing Tiki and her gang were involved in was finding the Stone of Tara, which would roar for any true queen/king of Faerie. Besides that, it didn’t really pick up too much. Mostly, Tiki was learning to accept what she may be, and Rieker was dealing with…an old frenemy.

Larkin. I don’t know what to make of her. From The Faerie Ring, I thought I knew what to feel for her, but she isn’t a straight-cut villain. There are so many layers to her, and I’m still figuring her out as I’m writing this.

Hamilton is good with the twists and turns. As new characters come into the story, new pieces of information keep falling out that continually surprises me. My goodness, talk about unpredictability. It’s rather exciting!

Lastly, I have to say, not everyone loves historical novels. I myself sometimes do find it a tad tiresome as it’s set in a society that may not be as exciting or fun as modern or even post-apocalyptic societies may be. However, to mesh olden day London and its real life history (i.e. Queen Victoria and her sons), with similarly “true” legends of the fey there, it’s absolutely fascinating . I love the author’s note explaining real life places where Tiki and her friends have gone to in the novel, and teaching the readers how to pronounce some of the Gaelic words that are used. It makes everything more real and solid, knowing Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace are real places I could visit if I wanted to.

It takes talent to creatively piece actual facts with an imaginative world of faerie lore, and to do it with such elegance and air of magic. For that, even though the pacing wasn’t all too amazing in this one, The Torn Wing has reminded me of what storytelling should be like these days. It is DEFINITELY a read that needs to be in your collection of “read books”.

Overall Recommendation:
I may be biased, but I absolutely love the setting in which this series takes place in. Imagine 19th century London with a hidden veil of the Otherworld of the fey at certain locations. And these places take into account real life locations in London, like King’s Cross Station or Hyde Park.

Cemented into this glorious setting, a dark adventure unfolds as Tiki is drawn farther into the dealings of the fey, with an old enemy coming back to warn her and the gang of an impending war. Wrought with well-developed characters from The Faerie Ring and new ones appearing, Hamilton delivers unpredictable plot twists and surprising developments as some answers are given of Tiki and Rieker’s involvement with the faeries.