This review was originally posted on http://www.rubysreads.com. 
 The Faerie Ring is an enjoyable Historical Fantasy, but I wouldn't put it at the top of my reading list. It has some atmosphere to recommend it, but my view of life on the streets in Victorian London are too highly influenced by Dickens. I liked it, but I wasn't touched by it. There was little emotional draw in it, but maybe that's because I read it right after I read Song of the Nile. 
 Did I feel that The Faerie Ring accurately portrayed the time period? Not really. I enjoyed the glimpses into weathly Victorian London, Tiki's life on the streets felt a bit sugar-coated. Maybe I'm too influenced by Dickens (or, rather, Masterpiece Theatre Dickens adaptations), but December would have been viscerally miserable. I mean, I live in Southern California. Our current temp is 56 degrees and I'm bundled up beneath my comforter, two blankets and my flannel PJs. And, yes, I'm aware of the irony of my saying that The Faerie Ring didn't have enough suffering when my last review (Song of the Nile) complained of too much. 
 I liked Tiki, but I needed more motivation for why she decided to look after all those orphans. What was the catalyst for her doing so? I'd have like a little more backstory on her shift from semi-privileged London to homeless London. How did she learn to pickpocket? In particular--how did she learn to be so good at it without ever getting caught? What about the transition from relative wealth to complete and utter poverty? No matter how good-natured Tiki was, to go from having to not having would have been a difficult transition. Instead, Tiki seems to have made the transition with relative ease and little complaint. Sure, there are struggles, and food is hard to find, but she doesn't worry about shelter or even having coal for a little extra warmth. Nor does she think longingly of a real bed, clean clothes, or baths. Um...what? 
 And what about the hero? Reiker was...uninteresting to me. He was kind of a sap, and he veers into "too good to be true" territory. BOR-ing! I guess I like my heroes a little bit bad, and definitely a trifle more alpha. And--spoiler alert!--I more than once wanted to yell at him for not sharing his wealth. I mean, seriously--who does he help by living on the streets? I guess it helps him assuage his guilt over the death of his family members, but sheez! He's already into bucking the system, so why doesn't he set up some kind of Victorian soup kitchen? Or fund a free clinic? Is it because he's afraid of risking his social standing? Well, that would have been an interesting conflict, at least, but it's not the case. Also, I fully expected Reiker to have been responsible for getting Clara out of the hospital, but I gave him too much credit, as it turned out. 
 As for the fantasy aspect of the story, faeries aren't really my thing. I did, however, like the idea of a link between the crown and faerie. I'm hoping the rest of the books in the series focus on that a little more. I'll definitely be reading the next book in the series. Despite its faults, I enjoyed The Faerie Ring, though I'll be honest and tell you that Reiker better shape up or I'll be rejecting him as a suitable love interest.