Review: All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

All That Glows

Author: Ryan Graudin
Series: Standalone
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: YA Fantasy
Format: ebook
Release Date: February 11, 2014
Source: eARC received from publisher via Edelweiss
Rating: 2.5 Stars
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***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***  

Synopsis 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 Review:

I’ve been on a fantasy kick lately and this book sounded awesome. I feel like there’s not a lot of YA written about Fae so my interest was piqued when I read the synopsis. A badass Fae guarding the Prince (who I hoped to be pretty swoony) and an ancient power threatening to destroy them all? Sounds awesome!

Well, this book had a lot of potential, but I was kind of disappointed. There were good parts, but there were also some issues I had. I loved reading about all the magic, the shape-shifting, the spells, all the different fantastical creatures. This was my favorite part of the book. The author introduces so many different creatures into this book. Banshees, Green Women, Dryads, and more. The Fae were super interesting to read about. I loved witnessing their powers, the extent of their magic, the court, the queen. It was all great.

The plot felt a bit lacking though. I wanted more world-building. What was present was good, but I didn’t feel like it was enough. I wanted to know more about Queen Mab, the Faery Court, Herne (another spirit that rules the forest). I wanted to learn more about the Faery’s spells. How did they work? It almost seemed like the spells came from nowhere. There were no explanations as to how the spells were weaved or how the Fae were taught to use them.

Emrys, our main character is a talented Fae with pretty strong magic. Or so we’re told. Except that I never saw it. I saw Emrys constantly being saved by other people. I never connected to Emrys and I never particularly liked her to be honest. I think she fell in love with the prince way too quickly and it turned her into a stupid lovesick girl that couldn’t think clearly anymore. She seemed all consumed by this love and as a result, made stupid rash decisions.

The prince was also mediocre. He didn’t interest me much. I felt like he accepted the Fae’s presence way too easily. I did like watching him work through his emotions and fears when preparing to take the throne. It was interesting to watch him develop into a noble, courageous king. Even though I liked the way he developed, his decisions and the ending felt a bit unbelievable. Everything was tied up, but I didn’t believe that things were going to work out the way that the prince had planned so I’m left wondering what will really happen.

I think my biggest issue is that I just didn’t believe in the romance. It never clicked for me and the book was completely centered on it. I wanted it to be more of a background thing, with the fighting and fantasy elements taking center stage, but unfortunately it was the other way around. I think that this book could have benefited from being a series. I know, I know. I’m always complaining about too many series, but in the case of fantasy, I think it’s really hard to cram all the information and the story into one book. Not a bad book, but one that could have been so much more. Happy reading all!

Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you also wish this was going to be a series? How did you feel about the ending? Do you have any other good fairy book recommendations for me?