Review: All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

All That Glows
by Ryan Graudin
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Publication Date: February 11th 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 480
ISBN: 9780062187413
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Fairies
Source: Edelweiss

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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. (Goodreads)

I was really looking forward to finally starting All That Glows. I had been swooning over the gorgeous cover for some time, and I couldn’t wait to check out the story.

Before I begin this review, I want to clarify that the characters of the royal family in this book are completely fictional. There are some references to actual kings and queens in history, but Prince Richard and his family are, in fact, fictional. This is not about any prince/king in history.

Emrys is a centuries old Fae, a member of the Faery Guard, a group of fae that are sworn to protect Britain’s Royal Blood at all costs. When Emrys is set with the task to discover who is threatening to kill her newest assignment, Prince Richard, party-boy extraordinaire, she discovers that things are not always what they seem, and that there is more to life than just magic.

Emrys was a very interesting character. I didn’t really think that I was going to like her when I first started the book. She seemed a little cold and guarded. But over time as she interacts with Richard more and more, we see her become a completely different person, and definitely a more likeable person. Richard was definitely a party-boy in the beginning of the book. But was he a party-boy, or was he just looking for a way to forget all of the responsibilities that were on his shoulders? All that changes when Emrys comes into his life, and see him become a much better person under her influence.

The storyline for the book was very interesting. I kind of like that the author mixed in some fiction with some facts. Books with historical natures are always interesting to me, and I always find myself researching what I’ve read in the book. I love reading about past kings and queens. I thought that the merging between the two worlds was pretty interesting; the fae world and the modern London. I read this book at a surprisingly quick pace; everything came together to make quite an interesting read.

Overall; I found this book to be a quick, enjoyable read! I’m really looking forward to reading more by this author in the future.

Happy Reading!