Book Review: All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

All That Glows
All That Glows #1
Author: Ryan Graudin
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal | Fairies
Released: February 11th 2014
Review Source: HarperTeen

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.

Let the truth be told, I am a sucker when it comes to bad boys and love stories. So when I read the synopsis of All That Glows I was in all in, party boy prince, sign me up! Unfortunately the story just didn’t do it for me.

All That Glows is about a Faery, Emrys, who is sent to guard Prince Richard. The blood that runs through the royal family is one that the dark magic creatures crave; The Green Woman, Banshees, and Black Dogs. But when a more powerful force tries to take down and destroy the Royal Family, Emrys must do all in her power to save the Royal Family and most importantly protect Richard, who she falls deeply in love with.

I don’t want to bash the book, but something wasn’t there for me. The love story didn’t drag me in, making me want more; I just didn’t feel the love. Maybe because I like the chase of love stories, someone falls first and hard, but can’t show the feelings because it’ll destroy or ruin what they have. Emrys is not supposed to be seen by the Prince, or by mortals, but she unveils herself to him shortly after taking guard. Then quickly after that the love begins to blossom. I wish I would have seen more party boy in Richard, more “bad boy” ways and maybe have had Emrys fall in love from a distance. I feel like with them just falling so quick for each other made me lose interest just a quickly. I needed the fight and the desire to be with one another to make be really love a characters love for one another.

Though one thing that I liked about the book was that the Faery’s magic dwindles down when around machines and technology. They become ill when they are around too much of it. I love seeing in a different form on how technology is taking over, making us numb to what is around us, what is beautiful in the world. The real world, the trees, the oceans, mountains, the terrain, and today the machines are taking over and soon real beauty will be obsolete and we’ll just Google pictures to get our fix of the essence of what the world was. I don’t know if that was the message Ryan Graudin was trying to make, but that’s what I took from it.

Would I recommend this book? To be completely honest, I probably would not recommend it. Though it was an easy read and maybe a good book for someone who is trying to get into reading, it just didn’t do much for me.