Review: All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

From Goodreads: Emrys - a fiery, red-headed Fae - always embraced her life in the Highlands, far from the city’s draining technology, until she’s sent to London to rejoin the Faery Guard. But this isn’t any normal assignment - she’s sent to guard Prince Richard: Britain’s notorious, partying bad boy and soon-to-be King. The prince’s careless ways and royal blood make him the irresistible for the dark spirits that feed on mortals. Sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure - Richard is one charge who will put Emrys’s magic and heart to the test. When an ancient force begins preying on the monarchy, Emrys must hunt through the London’s magical underworld, facing down Banshees, Black Dogs and Green Women to find the one who threatens Richard’s life. In this chaos of dark magic, palace murders and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, Emrys has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love. 

My Rating: 3 hearts 

Thoughts on the Novel: Although I haven’t had much luck with faerie novels in the past, I was hoping that All That Glows by Ryan Graudin would break that trend. Unfortunately, while it wasn’t a bad read, All That Glows could have been better with some changes. I therefore thought a pros and cons list would best highlight what I enjoyed about the novel and what I didn’t. 

Pros:

• I liked the mix of fantasy with contemporary elements. 
• I always love reading books that have foreign settings – in this case, London. 
• I thought the plot was decent, and remained curious throughout the novel about who could be behind the attacks on Richard. 

Cons:

• For a faery who is supposed to be centuries old, Emrys acted very much like a teenage girl.
• The romance was an insta-love romance.
• Richard wasn’t a very memorable character so I didn’t really understand what made him stand out in Emrys’ mind from all the other mortals she has ever seen.
• I hate when couples give each other cutesy nicknames! Repeatedly having to read Emrys be called Embers by Prince Richard was very annoying!

All That Glows will be released by HarperTeen on February 11, 2014. 

Comments About the Cover: It’s so pretty! I love the colour scheme and the font that was used for the title. I also think whoever was responsible for makeup did a good job of making the model’s face kind of look fae-like.  

In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.