All That Glows

All That Glows #1

by Ryan Graudin

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal, Fairies, Fae, Magic

463 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 2014

About the author

Ryan Graudin was born in Charleston, South Carolina, with a severe case of wanderlust. When she’s not traveling, she’s busy writing and spending time with her husband and wolf dog. She is the author of Invictus, the Wolf By Wolf duology, The Walled City, and the All That Glows Series.

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even though I knew there were assassins on the loose, I’d let myself get caught up in Richard, in these ...feelings I can’t seem to shake. I ignored my duties, skipped protocol. Richard almost ended up dead for it.

You know how when you're 12 years old sometimes you have these silly daydreams you're secretly a stunningly beautiful fairy princess who meets a hot prince who's such a playboy and everyone thinks he's such an asshole but secretly he's really really smart and deep and meaningful but only you know about his hidden self but then you guys fall in love! only to find out that your romance is doomed in the Arwen-Aragorn kind of way because hello! elf + human = interspecies breeding (ohmigod breeding! that means sex!!!! *blushhhhh* (you're 12 years old, remember?)) but whatever, TWOO WUV wins in the end!11!11! NO MATTER WHAT!!!!11

Well, this is the book for you. This is, more or less, Prince Harry fanfiction. It comes complete with a fucking stupid little fairy ass princess who can't see beyond her tits...I mean heart. Who places love. LOOOOOOOOVE. Fucking LOOOOOOOOOOVE over everything. Rationality. Loyalty. Secrecy. Duty. Life. All for the love of someone she barely fucking knows. Fuck that shit. Seriously. Fuck that shit.



I've read a fair share of idiotic YA fiction in which the heroine does dumb shit for love. Rarely have I encountered someone with this amount of incomprehensible romantic stupidity. Emrys shouldn't be Prince Richard's bodyguard. She should be Prince Richard's chambermaid so that she can secretly sniff his used boxers and clean his shit (which smells like English Leather combined with the the scent of a square kilometer of French tea roses in full bloom during the springtime) and scratch at his cum-stiffened sheets and be fucking deliriously happy that she has been granted the privilege to do so.

Not since the days of Romeo and Juliet have there been two dumber idiots in love. Did I miss something? Was this book intended to be a parody? I like Faeries. I like female bodyguards. I surely must like this book?

Wrong. Here we fucking go again.

- We have SEVERE insta-love and a declaration of love without any sort of relationship building

- We have a fairy bodyguard who does fucking jack shit, her job seems to be:

1) Watching (but mostly drooling) over the prince she's supposed to guard while he sleeps (when she's not IN BED together with him)

**If Emrys were a guy, we'd be calling him a stalker by now

2) Being his eye candy when he's partying with his friends

- We have a fucking TSTL Mary Sue fairy bogyguard who does a fucking horrible job at being a protector of any kind, since she can't fucking handle anything in the fucking modern world when her compatriots seem to be handling it just fine

The Writing: Before I get into the summary, I have to tell you guys about the writing in this book: to put it gently, it's as horrible as a drought in Somalia. Uncomfortable like a baby with a wet, soggy diaper. I felt as trapped as a kitten on a box on a plane without temperature control.

You think my metaphors are bad? Wait til you read this book. The writing stinks like the farting of a particularly flatulent warthog. The flatulence that comes from dining on rotten liver and kidney pie with raw garlic, garnished with a side of beans and broccoli. My brain was rendered into mushiness, akin to mashed potatoes whipped with an ample amount of butter and cream, with a dash of salt and pepper just to spice it up.

I wouldn't claim that the writing is horrible without any evidence, so without further ado: I present you some of the fabulous examples of writing within this book.

Richard’s only response a long, leaden sigh. Like the sound of a sleeping bear poked into drowsiness.

“I think I can handle him,” I say in a voice even tarter than lemons.

The veiling spell is still fighting, wriggling out of my control like an eel caught by its tail.

Those lips are quirked into a permanent coy grin as she goes down the line, eyeing men like baskets of fish and chips.

The acid behind my tongue only grows, rises like a beast coming out of a long winter sleep.

I’m like a hare, frozen by the headlamps of an approaching vehicle.

His face is pale, whited out like a window looking into a blizzard.

His jacket crumples like a dead animal on the rug.

Breena approaches with selective steps, the same way a cat uses grass and slowness to snag a songbird.

I’m a glacier, plunging, falling apart against the sea.

My heart becomes a lion, roaring and beating against its fibrous, fleshy cage. Yearning to be free.

I watch as the window to his pain flicks past, like the light of a train car at full speed. There and gone.

This question feels rambling, desperate. Like a grappling hook violently flung by some plummeting climber.



The Summary: Emrys is a Fae. She is a Faery Guardian. She is ancient, around 1000 years old. She has seen the rise and fall of many an empires.

Which only goes to tell you that age does not necessarily equal wisdom.

Emrys is a Frithemaeg, a Faery Guardian. She has been assigned to protect Prince Richard. She hasn't seen him since he was a baby, but man, the teenaged Richard sure is fucking hot. Richard is sleeping. Emrys is invisible. She watches him sleep, and talks to him, because that's not creepy at all.

“Why are you sleeping?” I slip into the room and approach the bed.

Richard blinks in his sleep---and cue insta-love. Jesus Fucking Christ, the man isn't even awake and she's feeling shit for him already.

His eyes open, and for the briefest second I feel their hazel irises on me. Something inside me clenches.

Emrys is supposed to protect Richard's life. Her powers are failing. She is no longer able to do her job. She cannot protect him. Richard sees Emrys, even though she is supposed to be invisible.

“Who—who are you?” he asks, his stare vague. “How’d you get in here?”
He sees me. It’s not possible. The veiling spell...somehow, my magic has failed.

So naturally, the thing to do is NOT to tell your queen (Mab) that you can't do your fucking job and because of that, your Prince's life is in danger. It just makes so much more sense to tell the prince about the secret Faery world that's been existing aside his own that your people have kept secret for thousands of years.

I revealed myself to a mortal—to Britain’s prince—and instead of wiping his memory, I ran. I broke the barrier between magic and mortal. And I didn’t fix it.

Brilliant. Such wisdom as the ancients have never seen. *wipes away tear*

Richard's father, the King, dies. The human world thinks he suffered from a heart attack, but the Faery Guard knows better. He has been killed by a malevolent, evil force bent on destroying the world.

In order to protect Prince Richard against the evil that killed his father, Emrys will:

1. Have romantic meals with Richard on a sunlit balcony.

A petite, linen-cloaked table waits for us on the lawn, covered with plates of freshly sliced fruits, eggs, sausage, and toast. An elegant china teapot sits to one side, steam rising from its spout like the breath of a sleeping dragon. Hundreds of roses, in every hue, seduce me with their scent.

2. Be his arm candy at a pub

“Damn, Rich. When you said you were bringing a friend, I thought...” He doesn’t bother finishing his sentence. “What runway did you get her off of? And where can I get one?”

3. Practice dancing with him in his room

We move together as one being, in sweet unison to the lingering guitar solo. We dance even after the last notes die, moving about in each other’s arms to some unheard song. We dance until nothing is left.

4. Go swimming with him, complete with acrobatics

I lunge into the air, taking advantage of my magic to perform a string of elaborate acrobatics before I sink into the pool’s embrace.

5. Give Richard fashion advice

“Nothing too nice,” I tell him. “Try jeans and a T-shirt.”

6. Go on a date to a romantic location so that Richard can look over his kingdom over which he is such a benevolent ruler!!

“No.” I smile coyly, satisfied he hasn’t guessed. “We’re going to look at your kingdom.”
“The Eye,” he mutters under his breath. “You’re talking about the London Eye.”

And naturally, since Emrys is such a powerful Fae, she will use her power, her GLAMOUR to fulfil the tremendous, important, riveting task of...

“I could magic us to the front.” I frown. Are there always so many mortals clamoring for a taste of flight? The queue is so sluggish it makes my skin itch.

...skipping the tourist lines.

Christ in heaven.

Royally Fucked: Emrys is supposed to be bad-ass Fae Bodyguard, bestowed with the powers of the Faery Court, designated to protect the future Heir to the Throne of England. Emrys is supposed to be strong, fierce, powerful!

Not exactly.

Faeries don't do well with modern technology, but somehow everyone else on her team seems to be doing just fucking fine in the technology-filled world of modern-day England EXCEPT FOR EMRYS.

Breena’s energy seems boundless as she strides ahead. There’s no rust or corrosion in her aura. No weariness to her magic. As if all these modern metals and electric currents swirling around us don’t exist.

Emrys can't hold it together. Everything makes her sick.

The smell of food and drink, the smell of anything at this point is enough to wake the deeper sickness in my bowels.

Everything makes her want to vomit.

I lunge to the top of the table in a single movement, ignoring the stress on my humanoid muscles and how much I want to vomit.

Scarcely does a moment go by when Emrys doesn't feel faint.

Although the pain has been latent over the past few weeks, its return is fiery and lancing. My knees nearly buckle under it.

Protector of None: Despite the fact that she's Richard's bodyguard...a useless, helpless human, no less, Emrys allows him to come to her rescue way too fucking often.He saves her from a leering, lecherous man.

The prince came to my rescue. He protected me. This is so shocking, so unprecedented, that I can’t think of anything to say.

And yet again when they're ambushed.

Richard has her pinned to the ground, his face a war mask. The prince just saved our lives.

What the fuck kind of a bodyguard is that? Do you expect us to believe that Emrys is a bad-ass bodyguard when she constantly fucking gets sick to her stomach, constantly gets ill from modern technology, constantly gets her ass saved...if not by Richard, then by a human princess---Richard's little sister?

I can’t move. I can’t think of any spells to protect us.
It’s Anabelle who saves us.

The Princess Diaries: Dear Diary, Today I wore a really really pretty dress to protect my Prince!

...

Why the FUCK are you so fucking concerned with clothes, Emrys? You know, if I were a bodyguard, I'd be wearing all black spandex with many concealed pockets in which I can carry my knives. Emrys wears..."piles of skirts"

...Which constantly gets in the way. BECAUSE SKIRTS. NO SHIT. YOU DO NOT WEAR FUCKING SKIRTS IN A FIGHT.

The Black Dog’s aged-yellow canines snag my many layers of skirts—it ends up with only a mouthful of taffeta and cotton.

And a tulle dress? No. Just NO.

I look down at my outfit. Layer after layer of colors. Sea-foam tulle peeking out from aqua and daffodil cotton. Silver-threaded plum fabric mixes steadily with champagne silk.

And not only that, she has terrible tastes in clothes.

Romance Uber Alles: This book has something even worse than insta-love: a girl who would sacrifice everything for love, a girl who believes that love in the most important thing in the world, more than loyalty, more than her own existence

Without him, I would be nothing now. Unraveled into ether and air.

It sickens me. This is an OLD Fae. She is supposed to be wise. I see no evidence of it. From the very first fucking moment she lays eyes on Richard, she falls in love with him. Her heart beats unceasingly. Her stomach clenches endlessly. She feels currents, jolts, bolts of electricity in the air whenever she is around him. That's pretty standard in YA fiction.

Something about Richard is different from the others I’ve guarded. Something connects us: something dangerous and electric.

But what sickens me is that she holds her love for Richard over everything else. Over all the danger she faces.

I love him.
What I have to say. The thought turns my stomach over and over. Far more terrifying than the idea of hunting soul feeders with Breena tonight.

Yeah, because telling someone you LOVE THEM is more important than fucking putting your damned life on the line. Than hunting with your age-old companion. Than the triumph of battle.

I’m at the height of my bound, incarnate power, ready to take on an army of soul feeders.
But something is unmistakably missing. A hole has been sawed through my chest. A piece of myself I lost without consent.
I can’t not think of him.

To put your own existence on the line, because human and fae cannot be together. To betray your own line and endanger all the secrets that have been kept throughout the eons. What the fuck kind of betraying, faithless, stupid fucking bitch would do that to her own kind?

Dropping the veiling spell, showing and telling who I am, reaching out my hand . . . Had I done all of those things because I wanted to? Because I knew, in some unreached part of myself, that there was this—spark, flame, inferno—between us?
Suddenly I feel selfish. Undone. No self-respecting Fae would do what I just did. She wouldn’t be so weak.

And to DIE for him.

You’ll die for him either way. Breena’s words are haunting, inescapable here.
But that’s what I’m doing. Isn’t it?

TO DIE for someone you barely fucking know.

How can I explain to her that none of this was for the Guard or the crown? That it was all for Richard? For a life and a future with him?

Fuck this book.

[Wendy Darling · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars This might've been better with a little tinkering. I don't dislike it as much as some of my friends seem to, but after the intriguing first few chapters, the story really does wander all over the place, with repetitive attacks on the Prince without much cohesion.

It's also annoying that a faery guardian that is hundreds of years old and can fight off attackers (except when the Prince saves her, of course) falls so easily in love. Especially for a guy who's kind of bland and uninteresting. The romance is the central thing in this book, so if you aren't into that, it's unlikely you'll enjoy the story.

Still, I thought some of the non-romantic scenes were decently written, and though the story ends as you'd expect (I read 200 pages and skimmed the last couple of chapters or so), I thought the ending chapter with her talking about mortality was interesting. It probably would also have helped if this wasn't set in England (very little attempt is made there), if Richard wasn't a Prince, if "Embers" was younger or supposedly less experienced, if Embers didn't have that awful nickname, if this were more tightly plotted, if the characters had better arcs, and if the book was about 150 pages shorter. That's all, hah. Not awful, but not great either.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review. Which only appears here because my coblogger is already scheduled to cover this book for the blog.

[Melanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

Probably no full review because this doesn't deserve my time.

But yeah, here's some problems I had with this book:
- Mary Sue protagonist
- Really awful metaphors. Think infinity worse than Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
- Insta-love
- Illogical things happening all over the place
- Romance everywhere. I swear, it's on every page
- Protagonist has a seriously bad obsession with vomiting and her bile
- Really random and irrelevant plot twist.
- Retarded nickname. Like what even.
- Love interest becomes a better person for protagonist like the second he meets her. I need some build up!

Etc.

Yeah, there's more than that.

Blythe and I did a discussion review on this one because well...SNARK and you can read that by following this link: http://bit.ly/19w9wD1

[Wendy Higgins]

I beta-read this for Ryan and her writing is beautiful!!! We met because we share the same editor at HarperTeen. I loved her take on faeries, and this gorgeous cover fits the tone of the book perfectly!! :)

It's modern, not historical, and the characters/royalty are all fictional.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always seem to be one of those people, and by one of those people I mean I always seem to hate something the mass population of this planet loves. Case in point:

** I’m not a fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I love peanut butter, but can’t stand jelly.**
**For some reason, I always seem to be on the wrong ‘Team’ of ships. Team Jacob, Team Gale, Team Darkling… you get the idea.**
** I think Titanic is overrated and is one of the cheesiest, most cringe-worthy movies of all time. Furthermore, there was plenty of room on that fucking door for both of them.**
** Unlike the saying ‘As American as apple pie’, I’m pretty sure I’m the only American who can’t stand apple pie, or pie in general (give me cake any day of the week).**
** I can’t stand superhero films, and by can’t stand I mean I dislike them with every fiber of my being (runs for cover)**

See what I mean? The same thing applies to me for books, apparently. If a book is overhyped, you can probably bet your house on the fact that I won’t like it. And while I never thought this would be the case, it appears the opposite is happening as well. To put it very politely, the reviews for this book were… atrocious, to say the least. From the instalovey plot…

”’I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Embers. Your being gone was... agony. I never stopped seeing your face. That’s my truth.”

To the special snowflake heroine…

”It’s true that I’ve advanced ranks in Mab’s court much more quickly than others of my generation, but it isn’t something I enjoy emphasizing.”

to the dreaded Purple Pose Syndrome that seemingly infected this book like the plague…

”The ghost of my reflection, the snarling, dutiful beast, is screaming.”

, this book was destined to be a disaster. An automatic one star. And since well written fairy lore fiction is about as hard to find as fairies themselves, I just assumed this book would be a garbage fire.

Or so I thought.

Did the book have instalove? Yup.

Was Emrys the specialist of special snowflakes? Yeah, she can probably poop out Unicorn Frappucinos.

Was the prose purple? Let’s just say Barney the Dinosaur would be proud.

Did I care?

NAH, SON.

This book was basically fan-fiction about what would happen if Prince Harry of England decided to ditch Meghan Markle and date a fellow ginger. But that fellow ginger just happened to be drop dead gorgeous, immortal fairy who’s assigned to be his bodyguard. The premise is ludicrous, but I somehow really liked it. Liked it as in it was literary crack that I couldn’t stop inhaling.

Richard and Emrys, in all their instalovey glory, made for actually an OK couple. Usually with couples who fall into a similar trap, I find myself rolling my eyes so hard I’m afraid they’re going to end up in the back of my head. For some reason, this wasn’t the case with them, even though they could also border on the sickenley romantic side.

”Something about Richard is different from the others I’ve guarded. Something connects us: something dangerous and electric.
And I don’t know why.”

But they didn’t annoy me as much as I thought they would. Then again, I am total trash for anything royal sounding, so that might be the answer to that particular question.

The fairy lore and legend was done quite well. Having had a healthy dose of Celtic lore thanks in large part to my Celtic father, the author clearly did her research and left no stone unturned when it came to Celtic myth and legend. Out of all the supernatural creatures that authors write about, I find that fairies are particularly hard to get right, if we’re talking about strict accuracy. But Ryan Graudin did a marvelous job with the fairies, which was one of the strongest points of this book.

For some, this book will probably drive you nuts. Emrys can be a bit on the dramatic side (especially when describing herself)

”The Emrys without body, without name. She’s a feral thing. All power, magic, and fierceness. Richard and his friends don’t want to see her. They can’t. The creature I used to be- that deep, deep down inside I still am- might kill them.”

, but she’s likable enough, if extremely gullable. If you’re complete trash for anything having to do with England, royals, hot bad boy princes, or just need some quasi-Prince Harry fan fiction, this is the book for you. Unpopular opinions don’t always have to be bad!

Purple Prose Quotes with Mama Grizzley, In Which I Read and She Reacts

”My heart becomes a lion, roaring and beating against its fibrous, fleshy cage. Yearning to be free.”

Mom: I believe this is what you call a heart attack. He’s so hot he’s literally giving her a heart attack. I can just see it now. BREAKING NEWS: IMMORTAL FEY DIES FROM A HEART ATTACK BECAUSE SHE SAW A HOT DUDE.
Me: FAKE NEWS!!!

”He pulls away and I gasp, fighting the intense need to bring him back to me. But I feel traces of magic stirring like a lioness in a zoo, pacing just behind the glass, waiting for it to shatter.”

Mom: What is it with the author and lions? This is the second quote you read where lions are mentioned as similes.
Me: Maybe she just really likes them.
Mom: I would say that. But then I would be… LYIN.
Me: MOTHER. STAHP.

”A piece of him is still there, smoldering with memories of that last kiss. The kiss that collapsed all the air from my lungs, took me up to the nest of the stars and sown to the molten core of the earth.”

Mom: Is this quote near the end of the book?
Me: No, it’s kind of in the middle of the story.
Mom: You’re kidding.
Me: No, why?
Mom: BECAUSE IF A MAN KISSES YOU IN SUCH A MANNER THAT YOU ARE DEPRIVED OF ALL OXYGEN, SHOT UP LIKE A FIRECRACKER INTO SPACE, AND THEN PLUNGED BACK DOWN INTO THE FIERY PITS OF HELL AND BURNED ALIVE BY MOLTEN LAVA, YOU WOULDN’T BE ALIVE TO HAVE A PIECE OF HIM ANYWHERE ON YOUR PERSONAGE.
Me: Well, she is an immortal fairy from back in the age of Camelot
Mom: JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR COULDN’T SURVIVE THAT.

I don’t my mom is a big fan of purple prose.

[Kate Bond · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars

I’ll admit that I am partially to blame for what happened here. I read the premise, and I thought this would be a reverse Jane Eyre–or at the very least a reverse Twilight–with, you know, like a billion-year-old lady who falls in love with a teenage boy. I thought the power dynamics would be knocked on their tiny heads. I thought this bad-ass Fae warrior would have to make some tough choices about a humble soldier’s worthiness as a match for a prince. Basically I wanted She-Hector.

And that’s all on me. Totally, no sarcasm, my fault. I know that the thing I wanted can’t really work in a young adult romance novel. I get it. Young women tend to be more mature than young men, so the popular fantasy is of an older dude (who doesn’t look creepily older). It really is super appealing. And your audience (teenage girls) needs to relate to your protagonist. Teenage girls are insecure and awkward. They are terrified of absolutely everything. They think 18-year-old boys (or boys who WILL be 18 in 21 days, and THEN they’ll also be KING) are really freaking cool.
(BTW, this concept could absolutely work in an adult romance novel, because the dude would be an age that isn’t terrible, and the power thing might be interesting because she’s magical and old and super confident, but he’s the freaking KING, and that’s pretty cool, and she loves him…)

But this fairy chick is hundreds of years old. She can afford to wear absolutely anything she likes. She can change her appearance whenever she wants to because she is magical (right now she’s a redhead). She is an amazing enough soldier that she’s been assigned to guard the human crown prince against magical attacks.

Why. Why on earth. I mean–what does she see in this dude? He’s just a vanilla pudding nothing of a human being. He’s awful. He’s a Prince Freaking Harry. He goes to clubs and sits in a booth getting drunk with his lame friends like some frat boy dumb-dumb.

And our girl falls in love with HIM? Because, what, he’s the only human who can see through her dumb fairy shield? Are you fucking kidding me? He’s an idiot. A TEENAGED idiot. And she decides she’s in love with him and sits in his dumb bar booth like some silly ornament, treating all the age-appropriate chicks who are interested in him like worthless sluts, giving them nicknames like “Eyeliner” and “Mousy Hair?” Get over yourself. Other women are not the enemy, no matter how much cleavage they show. God, I hate you, Emrys. You are the worst.

Oh, the other reason she’s in love with the prince–this is great–is that she gets hit on by a SUPER drunk dude in the restroom, and she loses her head (don’t get me started, I am SO angry), and Drunky McPrinceling punches the dude in the face. And rescues her. Magical warrior lady. Hundreds of years old. Elite fighting force. Five percent into the book. Scared of a drunk guy. In love with a child.

Oh, and the lady’s name is Emrys, right? So guess what the dumb prince’s dumb nick-name for her is? Guess. No, really, guess. It’s Embers. EMBERS. What the–that’s like the name you live with because your two-year-old sister can’t pronounce your real one, and the wrong name is too adorable for anyone to ever let it go (like my old boss Wah Wah). And the prince’s name is Richard, of all boring things with potentially terrible (and accurate) nicknames.

I… You guys, I really did not enjoy this book (I also really, really, really hope the author does not Google herself today. I’d originally written much more, but I deleted a lot of it because, honestly, why beat a dead horse). There is just absolutely no excuse for this level of sexism in a book for young readers. None. And if you’re going to be sexist, or racist (there is no diversity here), or whatever, then at least don’t be boring and over-long. Sigh.

An advance copy was provided by the publisher for this review.

Also posted at The Midnight Garden

[Jillian -always aspiring-]

In which a partying prince falls in love a Kate Middletonesque fae, who has been protecting the British royal family for centuries, and who must make an impossible choice amidst a backdrop of a palace murder and paparazzi mayhem.

Wait...what?

Since I feel as though I'm being punked by the placeholder book blurb, I'm just going to say that I love the idea of a fae guardian protecting a royal family, so...here's hoping the book will be good reading come 2013.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

All That Glows by Ryan Graudin
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: February 11, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (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.

What I Liked:

When I first saw the cover of this book months ago, I was like, AHH, IT'S SO PRETTY! The cover model is pretty, but the cover design itself is rather breathtaking. I'm not a huge fan of pink, but I love the swirls of shades of pink and the occasional purple. The typography is stunning. I feel like the design team outdid themselves with this cover!

Anyway, the cover is beautiful, and oh my goodness, the WRITING STYLE is beautiful. There were so many wonderful parts to this book, including the writing style, the plot, the characters, the romance. Despite a review or two I saw from some other bloggers, I really liked this book, and I am glad that I still read this book, despite some negative reviews that did a great job of convincing me otherwise.

As I mentioned above, the writing is really something else. At first, I was like, there are wayyy too many similes. This author uses "like" or "as" or even the comparison "than", or metaphors, way too often. But, it seemed to work, after a while. I still think that there were wayyy too many comparisons going on, but it didn't bother me after a while. That aside, I really like Graudin's writing style. It's lyrical, almost, and while there are many descriptions, they're not all lumped together, and they aren't too boring.

At first, I thought the plot was a little simplistic and almost predictable. Protect the prince, figure out who is targeting the royal family. All the while, try not to fall in love with the prince. In a nutshell, it IS that simple, but it's so much more. The prince's life is at stake, but he's worth even more to Emrys because she loves him, and he loves her. Finding out who is sabotaging her Fae kingdom is also extremely important and significant, because there is a traitor in the ranks. The world is changing - both human and Fae - and Emrys and the others will have to choose. The plot doesn't seem overly complicated, and it's not, I suppose, but it's not clear-cut and obvious. There are some twists (not many), and I didn't really see the culprit coming.

I think I actually do really like Emrys. Throughout the story, I vacillated between liking her and rolling my eyes at her. OF COURSE she would let the prince see her. She's selfish, in that regard, and stupid, but then, I understand why she did it. She still risked and almost ruined everything, especially not knowing that she would fall in love with him, but I forgive her. Mostly.

I really, really like Richard. He isn't flat or one-dimensional, which is nice. At times, especially in the beginning, he seemed sub-par compared to Emrys, which bothered me for some reason, but as the story progressed, he really grew into his role and became quite the leader. Only then did he seem to rank alongside Emrys, and not behind her. He's swoony and lovable in a different way than what we're used to in YA literature.

Which leads me to my next point - the romance. This book is all about the romance between Emrys and Richard. While the romance does NOT directly affect the overall plot (which is the threat to the Fae kingdom and to the human royal family), the romance is very significant. However, I liked the Graudin didn't turn Richard into the sex-god male love interest. Richard is NOT just a love interest - he is an important protagonist in this story. His role is just as important as Emrys'.

The romance progresses throughout this book, though it may seem insta-lovey at first. I think it gradually developed, though at times, it seemed to move quicker than at other times. I think Richard and Emrys are a good fit for each other, and I really enjoyed reading their interactions.

Graudin really did her research, in terms of faeries and spells and lore and legends. I liked that she kept the spells authentic (in terms of the incantations). and how she twisted legends and old lore to fit her story. And, her portrayal of historical London is pretty great! Especially the effect on faeries - that was a nice touch.

Overall, this book is definitely a solid debut. It's a bit longer than the usual YA novel, but I rather like this, especially since this novel is a standalone novel. Graudin did an excellent job of pacing this story, as well as the romance within the story. I'll be reading more of Graudin's work!

What I Did Not Like:

There were a few things that bothered me - I already mentioned the writing style, in terms of the frequent comparisons. Right from the start, we're hit with an arsenal of comparisons, and it's a little odd and overwhelming. I've never seen so many comparisons used in a modern day YA novel. But, I suppose there is a first for everything!

I also was a bit put off by the ending. Don't get me wrong, it's a satisfactory ending, and all the characters get what they deserve (especially Titania). BUT, it wraps up a little *too* perfectly, you know? Everything happens exactly as a happy ending would call for, and that bothered me a bit. I almost saw a tragic ending coming... but it didn't happen. Everything wrapped up so nicely, with a cute little bow on the top.

Perfection, my friends, is so not the way to go. Wrapping up the ending with all your ducks in a row? No. Don't do that. It's so fake. Emrys gets her way, Richard gets his way, Herne gets his way, Mab gets what she was looking for, so does Titania, the royal family is safe, blah blah blah. I hope I didn't spoil anything there (really, I didn't, because some of those things are NOT what they seem - trust me).

Would I Recommend It:

Despite the few problems I had with this book, I would DEFINITELY recommend this novel! Especially to historical fiction fans, or fantasy fans. I usually hate books dealing directly with the faeries, because they're silly, usually, but I really enjoyed this one.

Rating:

3.5 stars -> rounded up to 4 stars. A pretty awesome debut! I look forward to reading more of Graudin's book - especially her other upcoming release, The Walled City!

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

You know when you have a huge pile of books and for once in your life, you’re actually ahead of your reading schedule? For me, this happens once every blue moon. So of course I was flipping my shit when I was ahead by two books! However, all that hard work went to shit once I started this novel. All that Glows is just so. Boring. It’s so boring that even my blogger friends who adore anything fey had a hard time caring about anything in this novel. There’s is just so much bad and so little good and I forced myself to finish this hoping that the ending will be something worth-while. What a huge disappointment that was.

The biggest problem with this book is the romance and its insta-love. Because of it, everything else fell to mush and things that should have been important to Emrys become petty compared to her love for prince Richard. From the moment she meets him, she’s flustered and slipping. Throughout the novel, Ryan Graudin boasts about Emrys being so young yet so very talented but all I saw was a girl who couldn’t keep her emotions in checked least of all her magic. An example of this is the fact that after years of being told not to do something for quite a good reason, she goes and does it because she’s tired of pretending! What’s even worse is that there’s a lot of talk and anxiety about being caught yet nothing bad happens. It seems that whatever Emrys does is okay as long as it’s for the sake of love. Hell, she does a lot of shit just because she knows she can, she agrees with the prince while she should actually be disagreeing with him! She’s an idiot. End of story.

Another thing that I really disliked about this story are all of the characters. After the very first page to the very end I felt nothing but annoyance with these characters and their idiocy. They are all very stiff and awkward and actually make no sense. The story is also extremely predictable. I knew the ending before reading it, the bad guy makes sense

Only one thing didn’t annoy me as much as everything else and that was the writing. Although it’s not perfect and it’s a bit awkward at times, I didn’t have a hard time with it. Also, have you seen that cover?! Why, oh why are all of the books with the prettiest covers this year are so shitty? It’s such a sad thing.

All that Glows relies heavily on the romance and nothing else. The plot, the action, everything is swallowed up by the huge amount of romance that goes on between Emrys and Richard. This unlikely duo has just about nothing in common, yet Graudin shoved them together anyway. I don’t recommend this to anyone. Stay away from this unless you actually enjoy stories that are all romance and nothing else.

[What Makes Patri · Rating 4 out of 5]

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All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

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Rate: 4 stars

Review:

The first time I saw Ryan Graudin's debut novel, I was drawn to it. Not only by the incredible synopsis, but by the beautiful cover.
The story is everything the cover and the synopsis promises: it's full of magic, romance, action, danger, faeries and magical creatures. And Graudin has the ability to bring all the old magic to our new and modern world, without missing the unique touch that only the faerie world can bring to a story.

The story starts with Emrys magical world. She's a fae that ends up being the guard of Prince Richard. Simple right? Well, Prince Richard is known to party hard and be careless and that makes every faerie guardian have quite a difficult job. Prince Richard doesn't want to grow up and much else take the responsibility of being King, since he has plenty of time before that happens. But one incident changes everything.
Emrys ends up revealing herself to Prince Richard and, to her surprise, she doesn't want the Prince to forget about her. They start a dangerous and strange relationship and when all the magical and dangerous creatures try to kill Richard, they start to search for the one ordering the murder.
But Emrys has another battle to solve. An interior battle: will she leave her life as a Fae to be with Richard or will she try to live as a Fae without Richard? Will love be enough?

First of all, I loved this "forbidden" love between Richard and Emrys. She's not supposed to show her presence to Richard, but she does. And they end up having a funny relationship, starting as friends and ending up as much more. However, they not only have against their relationship the fact that a fae cannot reveal herself to a human. Every time they kiss, Emrys magic hurts Richard and that's why Emrys needs to decide whether she wants to live almost forever as a fae or to live with Richard as a human. See the forbidden touch here? This is one of the very intense things in this story. And I completely adore it.
It was beyond magical to see these two fall in love, even when the story's only from Emry's point of view. It was super sweet to see Emry's change all her beliefs just to spent a little bit more time with Richard and him changing his rebel behavior to spend more time with the beautiful fae that only he could see. Their relationship starts as a curiosity friendship and a huge attraction to end up as true love. And this is something no one should miss!

Emrys is a strong, sweet fae that takes her "job" very seriously. That's until she meets Prince Richard. She has seen him when he was little, but Prince Richard's not little anymore. The future British King makes her want to forget about all the rules she firmly believes in.
The author describes the main character, Emrys, in a way that makes you see her as a heroine in this story. Girl saves boy! It was about time.
Richard is simply a sweet teen boy with too much responsibility on his shoulders. Being the future heir to the British throne makes him want to scape all responsibility by living his "free" years partying hard and not caring about his behavior in front of paparazzi. In my opinion, he's a better person with Emrys. He's funny, sweet and tries to be more responsible. However, when tragedy strikes, Richard also becomes more serious, strong and determined. You can perfectly see this transition throughout the story.

The plot starts a little bit slowly. It starts with Emry's work in the faerie court, how she meets Prince Richard (truly meeting him) and how they start their strange relationship. In the middle of the story, the plot start to fasten and that's when all the action starts. That's when I was truly unable to stop reading it until I knew how this story would end.
There were a lot of unexpected scenes and revealed secrets that made the ending of this story mind-blowing and I wasn't expecting at all, since everyone looked guilty to me. I have to congratulate Ms. Graudin for this, since is very difficult to keep the reader clueless until the very end.

Ryan Graudin's faerie world is beautiful, magical, dangerous and simply amazing. She created an unforgettable world followed by a mind-blowing story, full of shocking revelations and constant danger. I loved Ryan's story and I think that you, Book Addicts, are going to love it, too. That's why I'm highly recommending you to read this book and making you a promise: you're gonna love Ryan's magical world and completely adore Emrys and Prince Richard.

My Dream cast:



Holland Roden as Emrys
Francisco Lachowski as Prince Richard
Chloë Grace Moretz as Princess Anabelle

Ryan Graudin's Dream cast:



Karen Gillan as Emrys
Francisco Lachowski as Prince Richard
Blake Lively as Princess Anabelle
Benedict Cumberbatch as Herne the Hunter
Tilda Swinton as Mab

[Pam Pho · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it halfway through. The beginning three chapters were full of so much promise. Then it became page after page of redundancies and so many scenes that did nothing to advance the plot. I didn't care for "Embers" or her worries. I didn't care for Richard. Side characters were seen in instances only to give the MC information. Absolutely nothing happened. I'm not wasting another 250 pages on hundreds of more scenes that won't advance the plot for a BOOM BOOM BOOM cliffhanger this is a series baby ending.

I finished the book. I don't feel it redeemed at all.

[Farrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical, romantic, and lovely! All That Glows was absolutely brilliant. I loved this book so much! It was absolute perfection. Loved it!

I really loved the idea for this book. It was a mix of modern life and faerie magic and it was blended perfectly. It was set in the present but not bogged down by contemporary details, which allowed that magical feel of the book to remain at the focus. And the atmosphere that the author create was lovely. It had an air of magic and it brought me right into the world of faerie guardians. Brilliantly done!

Emrys was a wonderful heroine. She was extremely dedicated to her job as a guardian and she was one of the best. But, when she meets her new charge, the heir to the British throne, her rigid views start to shake. And, she realizes why some faeries gave up their magic for love because she begins contemplating just that. I really liked her. She was a strong character who would do anything for what she believed in. She was very likable and I thought she was lovely.

Richard was absolutely lovable. I totally and completely adored him. When we first meet him, he isn't the most upstanding of people. He was a party boy who preferred to forget the responsibilities of the crown he never wanted. But, over the course of the book, he grew up. After something happened that made him realize his responsibilities, he proved himself as a worthy prince. He was dedicated to protecting his country and he wasn't going to run away from the fae that were trying to harm it. He was strong, clever, and determined. He was also very sweet and utterly adorable. I thought he was just perfect.

The romance was super sweet. It developed slowly over the course of the book, progressing from a little crush, to infatuation, and finally to love. Emrys and Richard were so sweet together. Their romance was just lovely.

The plot was fast paced. I was completely hooked the entire way through. This book had no shortage of thrills as Emrys and Richard fought off the dark fey determined to destroy humanity for daring to upset the balance of nature. That definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. And there were plenty of surprises, not the least of which was who turned out to be behind it all. I never saw it coming. I think I suspected just about everyone except who it actually was. When it was finally revealed, it totally blew me away. I really enjoyed the story and I thought the ending was perfect. I couldn't imagine a better way for they story to conclude, even though I wish I could have remained in that world forever.

All That Glows was a brilliant YA paranormal romance. The romance was sweet, the thrills were constant, and the surprises were shocking. I absolutely adored this book. It was so utterly sweet and lovely and perfect. Lovers of anything YA, romance, or faerie, this is a book you must read, because it was perfection.



*I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Giselle · Rating 2 out of 5]

An Electronic Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for review. Quotes have been pulled from an ARC and may be subject to change.

All That Glows is probably my second ever fae novel that I have read. There's not a lot within this genre because I always assume they're like Tinkerbell and the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty. This one didn't have that. We have a plethora of evil faes and good ones too.

Going into the story, I thought it was pretty standard, a body guard for the royal family and the like. I pretty much assumed this would be a romance because let's face it, this is one predictable story-line. You just know she's going to have to give something up. I didn't really understand where the faes came from even though there was snippets of the past and how faes were always around humans in history, there was no clear cut explanations as to where they come from. I only assumed they were part of nature and along the way humans who started building technology that made them sick.

As for the characters? I had a lot of trouble with the decisions these characters made. I guess you can say they were blinded by love. The worst character who fell under the spell is our main character, Emrys. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. Being a good guard and following her Queen's orders. That is until she starts to guard the crown prince Richard. All her logic goes out the window. I couldn't understand how naive she became around him. She's supposed to protect him but she doesn't and ends up in the worst scenarios ever. I couldn't really understand her actions at all. Ultimately the romance was the biggest downfall for this book. It was cheesy, instant and downright unnecessary? I couldn't fathom why she fell in love in the first place? He barely had a personality except being a party boy. Not someone you'd love to be with in my opinion.

Overall, I think it's safe to pass this one unless you're really into romance.


RATING 2/5

QUOTES

"Why's a pretty girl like you getting dressed up and hitting the clubs for water?"

"Always? So, like, an invisible stalker?"

"What runway did you get her off of? And where can I get one?"

"You'll become hunt king you're written to be."

"Strawberries and spring. That's what you taste like."

"You're like no one I've ever known."

"You aren't my escape. You're the reason I stayed."

"Let me do this for you. For us."

[Sabrina]

The worst case of Mary Sue & Gary Stu I've come across in quite some time.
I didn't even reach the end of the second chapter, but I just couldn't go on with this kind of crap.

I'm sorry. I'm always so grateful to receive ARCs and I feel bad when I have to trash them. But there's no way for me to say something positive about this book.

Oh, wait. Yes. I like the font treatment on the cover.
There.

[Seeing Double in Neverland · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Full Review go to http://seeingdoubleinneverland.blogsp...

3.5 out 5 Stars

I felt that this was a good story, just not a great one.

[Jana (Nikki) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

-----------------------------

This book promised me badass Faery guards, a bad-boy British prince, a battle against ancient evil, and a swoony romance. ...Well, I'm still waiting for that book, because this is most definitely not that book.

Let's break it down:

The Plot and Worldbuilding

The plot is mediocre, at best. Really, this book is a romance (and not a swoony one), that tries to add a little intrigue and tension by having Richard be the target of a very vague but apparently very threatening evil Faery. Except... I felt no tension in the plot. It took a long time to get any sort of information leading to an overarching plot-arc, and up to that point there were just random attacks on Richard. It was all over the place.

(Additionally, the 'plot' is all wrapped up via the longest Bwahaha-I've-won!-Now-let-me-tell-you-how-I-did-it! speech I've ever read. -_- Why is this still a thing?! The only place this is okay is in Scooby-Doo.)

The worldbuilding is basically nonexistent. It's set in London. Faeries are a thing. Apparently they guard the royal family because the royals' blood has magic in it or something. That's... pretty much it. Oh, and the faeries are all girls. All of them. Apparently they come into being by... actually, I have no idea, because this question is literally answered by Emrys saying something like, (to Richard) "Well, do you remember being born?" O_o Apparently faeries just appear out of thin air... Okay!

The Characters

I found Emrys to be extremely boring. This is unfortunate, as she also narrates the book. -_- You'd think, for a skilled Faery guard who was alive during King Arthur's time, who has lived for so long, she'd gain some kind of personality over the years. But apparently not. After having spent the entire book inside her head, the only things I remember her doing are: Protecting Richard from evil faeries (probably 10%), trying to resist her attraction to Richard (25%), and finally, pining after Richard and trying to decide whether to give up her Fae powers in order to be with him (60%). (I realize there's 5% missing - that's the last 5% of the book.)

Emrys struck me more as a lovesick teenager than any kind of cool faery guard (which is what I was expecting from the synopsis). Emrys's personality and "youngness" is hand-waved away by saying that, in Faery-years, she's apparently the human equivalent of a teenager, which... whatever. Experience is experience, and she's lived through a LOT. She's supposed to be one of the most powerful Faery guards, one of their most skilled fighters! I was not sold, at all.

As for Richard, I found him to be extremely boring, as well. He's flat, uninteresting, and has very little personality -- despite supposedly starting out as a partying bad-boy, and then becoming a regal, responsible king. In my opinion, neither of these aspects, nor the transition between them, were convincingly portrayed. Richard's flat personality does not lend itself to a "bad-boy" or "troublemaker" vibe. He actually struck me as a (very boring) sweetheart most of the time, which was just weird, considering how Emrys (and everyone) acted like he was this notorious bad boy (the blurb's words, not mine).

(Interesting note: Richard, as described in the official blurb, is both "Britain’s notorious, partying bad boy" and "sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure". If that doesn't tell you something about awkward characterization -- that the synopsis couldn't even make up its mind...?)

The Relationship

I was really hoping that the love story in this book would make up for something... But there was nothing about Emrys and Richard's relationship that was remotely interesting or engaging. All I saw were vague, sweepingly romantic feelings that originated from... well, nowhere. Their relationship isn't even based on anything concrete. The first time they meet, there's this spark between them (you'd be right if you guessed that "spark" would be important later!), and they end up falling for each other. But don't ask me why.

I have no idea what she saw in Richard to make her even remotely consider him to be relationship-material, let alone make her fall in love with him. Throughout the book, they have zero chemistry, other than Emrys stating over and over how much Richard means to her. Richard "makes Emrys feel whole" (though we're never shown how), and she apparently "fills a void in Richard's life" too. But I didn't see any connection based on Emrys loving Richard for being himself, or Richard being drawn to Emrys's personality (or lack thereof).

The Writing

The writing... just... no. First, the book was narrated by Emrys, who we've already established I did not like. And boy oh boy, does Emrys love her similes and metaphors! She had more chemistry with those terrible similes than she had with Richard. XP No but really, there are similes and metaphors everywhere (a single page did not go by without one) and they did not make one bit of sense. "A terrible sound murders the sky"..?! (quote from ARC) Gahhhhhh.

 

In conclusion...

Just... nope. There was not a single thing I liked about this book. Why did I even finish it, you ask? Well, I made it to about 50% before I started to genuinely regret it, because I felt like maybe, maybe, the plot would kick in, and maybe some chemistry would appear, and maybe, please, God, let it get better.

No luck.

--

There were books involved...

[Alisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read the rest of my review at http://www.thereadingobsession.blogsp...

Thank you, Edelweiss, for giving me the opportunity of reading and review this book.

One Star

It's no secret I politely enjoy novels fairies in a non-obsessive way that does not freak everyone around me out. I blame the Fever series for this. But really, can you say no to this: 




And the books are even better than Jericho Barrons.

So when I heard about All that Glows being on Edelweiss, I snatched it up. When none of the reviews were up yet. Which is a horrible, horrible idea that I always end up doing. A few days later, multiple reviews pop up. And, of course, most of the people I followed hated it. Because I didn't want to start 2014 with a bad book, I decided not to read it. Good choice, right?

[Bèbè ✦ RANT ✦ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trying to get through this book was painful. Not only because I wanted to find things that I liked about it but also trying to find some sort of excitement in writing.

Story begins with Emrys being assigned to rejoin the Faery Guard and her assignment is Prince Richard – party animal who just graduated and needs some serious protection from soul feeders that are roaring London. But since advanced technology been growing, the Fae cannot stay within the city long enough without getting sick. With ancient Fae starting to rise against mortals to go back to the way it used to be, Emrys needs to protect Richard and figure out if loving him will be worth losing all of her magic.

I definitely couldn’t get into the story and one thing that bothered me most was narrator’s voice. Emrys is supposed to be this elder Fae who lived through centuries and supposed to be one of the most powerful Guards. But reading her thoughts and view on the world is like reading teenager’s diary.

Teenager: “Ahhhhhhhhhh he’s so cute, like OMG! I totally wanna kiss him but my mom is gonna find out but I want to risk like everything just to be with him”.

It’s like the author had a great idea for a great Fae warrior but got side tracked by an amazing romance idea. The story did have some potential but was poorly executed and was not for me.

[Celeste_pewter · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book. I really hope Ryan Graudin decides to set more books in this world.

Review to come closer to release date.

[Ornella]

DNF at 37%. This girl's uselessness at being a bodyguard is beyond ridiculous, and the romance? Forced and of the insta-love variety.

[MK ( MaKayla) · Rating 3 out of 5]

All That Glows started out so well , but unfortunately the romance took over , and on top of that I found the plot and identity of the villian to be very predictable . I was really frustred with the romance it felt very physical based ( insta love ..lust ). I'm a bit of a romantic so I usually love those over the top sappy declaration of love scenes , but this just felt so contrived . It was off in a way I can't quite explain . I also didn't buy the fact that the prince who was a wild, partying, " bad boy " who goes through women like a chain smoker goes through cigarettes , settles down the second Emrys enters his life . It's completely unrealistic . Not to mention the fact that once the bad boy persona by page twenty the Prince is as bland as a person can be .🤷 Needless to say there's nothing that entices me to finish the duology , especiall duy the fact that there's allegedly a love triangle in the next book . 😅 But who knows anyone's better than Prince Bland . 😂

[Yunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It turns out this was a great book. I really liked it. It was different from the typical faerie books. It had the right amount of romance, drama, and suspense. It was a really nice reading.

[Aly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like All That Glows, I thought the concept could be interesting. I was intrigued by a fairy falling in love with a prince, it mix a couple of my favorite things together: falling in love and princes. Each is a complicated aspect on it's own but add in the fantasy aspect the possibilities are endless. Not that I am a huge fantasy, but the premise of All That Glows reminded me of Incarnate by Jodi Meadows, so I decided to give a chance.

When I started reading, the first thing I noticed what the narrator's voice. It's so distinct, but I couldn't tell if I liked it or not. It made sense to the character. Emyrs is supposed to be this fairy who has been alive since before King Author's time, so it makes sense that the narrator's voice sounds old and kind of stilted, but it really didn't work for me. Emyrs just makes a lot of short and declarative statements and reading it is just odd. Still, I tried to ignore it and focus on what was actually happening but that wasn't much better.

I feel like everything that's being described is so monotoned. When the really big and exciting stuff is supposed to be happening, I didn't actually realize it. It didn't feel momentous, you can't really tell the highs and the lows from the tone, you're just supposed to be able to figure it out.

You're also supposed to take Emrys' and Prince Richard's love at face value and just accept it. I don't know what makes Richard so different from all the millions of humans that Emrys has been exposed to. He's just supposed to be different. Emerys is constantly internally battling her feelings for him, but Richard doesn't seem like someone you'd risk it all for, especially after witnessing humans adhere to their human nature for thousands of years.

My last major issue with All That Glows is that I don't know much about the fairies and their rules from reading this. I get that their magical creatures and they guard royals but that's all that stuck out after reading this novel. I don't know any more about the basic rules, but I do know that they don't seem to follow the rules that I've read in other novels. Which is fine, but I feel if that's what you're going to do it need to be woven into the story. For example, in All That Glows fairies are allowed to lie. What else are they allowed to do, what aren't allowed to do. I know that Emyrs falling in love with Richard is kind of taboo but I need to know how bad it is, I need some point of reference for how bad it is.

All That Glows just wasn't for me. I think fans of fantasy might like it more than I did. Even though I seem to harp on the bad, it isn't all bad, it just wasn't for me.

e-ARC provided by Publisher via Edelwiess.

[All Things Urban Fantasy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

ALL THAT GLOWS is exactly what a thirteen year old Kate would look for in a book. We have a faerie heroine who falls in love with a British prince (beautiful girl – check! British accents – check!) and because she is his bodyguard, she gets to spend every minute of the day with him. Is this not what every teenage girl fantasizes about?

Unfortunately, Kate now was not so entranced. There isn’t anything terrible about ALL THAT GLOWS, it just tends toward the melodramatic, with a side of tender first kisses. The premise (suspending disbelief and accepting the faerie bodyguards, the banshees and green women and prophecy giving ravens, obviously) of a centuries old faerie falling in love with a seventeen year old boy is, when you think about it, doubtful at best and completely ridiculous at worst. Emrys and Richard do have that tender, first love feeling that I expect from my young adult novels, and their relationship is cute, once you get past the minor details, like that she was alive during the time of King Arthur.

If I had a teenager who was looking for some fantasy and romance, ALL THAT GLOWS is one I would hand over. Emrys is pretty badass as a heroine. She does magic, and protects the prince and his friends multiple times from getting hurt or killed, and she basically leads a giant battle at the end. There are things I didn’t like (how she has to decide to give up her magic if she wants to be with Richard being primary on the list) but it’s no better or worse than most YA out there these days. At least along with the iffy aspects, there are some positive ones as well – no doormat heroines here. Plus, faeries and the mythology that Graudin builds is a lot different from our standard vampires and werewolves. And despite the fact that they seem to be in every YA romance these days, ALL THAT GLOWS doesn’t even have a hint of a love triangle.

If we awarded half bats here at All Things Urban Fantasy, ALL THAT GLOWS would merit a 2.5. While I’m pretty sure that actual young adults (well, at least the girls) would love ALL THAT GLOWS, it just didn’t do it for not so young adult me.

Sexual content: Kissing

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5

Emrys is a fairy godmother. It isn’t one of those wish granting, magical wands fairy godmothers but more of a guardian. She’s been assigned to protect the prince and soon king Richard. Richard is a partying British royal bad boy. Since being irresponsible most of the time and drinking, the dark spirits wants him. Now Emrys is doing whatever she can to protect the future king. Even if she falls in love for him.

I love Ryan Graudin’s take on faeries and the world of it. It’s not old or historical at all but modern where there are paparazzi, dark magic, and murders going on. I wonder if Graudin will write another book in this world because it’s actually really fascinating where faeries are looking over people without the people knowing. It’s not long or boring at all and its actually worth reading.

Some parts of the book were a little sketchy but the writing alone will make you keep you reading all night. You can literally feel the magic when Emrys is casting a spell. And can I say the romance was done right!

Richard isn’t one of those conceited royals like Henry VIII. He’s sweet and aside from being royal, he’s like a normal person. Like off the bat, I knew I’d like Richard. You can tell that he’s nervous and a little bit lonely.

The romance, I LOVED! I love the relationship between Emrys and Richard even though at first people thought Richard was a little crazy speaking to an invisible person. Yeah, Richard is the only person (most of the time) that sees Emrys because of her invisible vale.

Near the end, I almost died! Something huge happened and I started panicking and kept reading and I just couldn’t. The ending though was so beautiful and it’s one of those feelings that just satisfies you and also want more.

An amazing debut novel full of faeries, magic, and an intriguing, irresistible romance.

More reviews at: http://www.bookyareviews.blogspot.com

ARC provided by Edelweiss and HarperTeen

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

All That Glows is a fast paced, action packed fantasy with an endearing romance and an epic battle that can't be missed.

I just flat out enjoyed this story. I found it highly entertaining and even though it was somewhat predictable, I was completely intrigued by the world Graudin creates. Graudin's Fae world is dark with a carefully constructed back ground that was quite original while using the Faery names that are very familiar. Making the cast of characters you might think you know but giving us a surprising new perspective on the Fae.

I was surprised by the transformation of Richard's playboy character and I did feel that Emrys did get sick a little too much. But I didn't find it too distracting and in the end it didn't effect my enjoyment of this book.

The story is safe for teen + reading. With intimate encounters implied instead of vividly described, All That Glows made for a fun adventure that all ages can share.

Ryan Graudin created a stand alone, contemporary, magically infused, fantasy that simply dazzles in All That Glows.

I received this ARC copy of All That Glows from HarperTeen in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication Feb. 11, 2014.

[Lex · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Hmmm... I didn't get frustrated with this book, actually. After thinking things through, I bumped this one down. It was an okay story. A bit annoying but I held on and continued reading. The way it was written was so-so. I mean, all those lame metaphors. I think I just breezed past it. Didn't actually stick with me, not memorable. But I think a few readers will argue with me. Saying it's actually memorable because it's so lame. lol.

But I actually like the plot. I mean if it's written more fascinating in a sense that readers wouldn't lash out about it, then yeah. I would love it. I like the idea behind it. BUT in all honesty, I think it was still lacking something. I want the characters to grow, know more about them. I don't need the freakin' metaphors all the time. Action scenes are good but I feel like it's just there for the sake of having it. I want more define on it.

It just have an excessive use of metaphors. *le sigh*

[Danielle (Love at First Page) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually quite funny. And sad. It's a sad sort of funny. I enjoyed All That Glows more than I expected to - the love interest is adorable! - but I peeked ahead in book 2 afterwards, and guess what? There seems to be some sort of love triangle or at least a half-hearted one introduced. I've never been so lazy with my detective skills, especially if I have the next book right in front of me. I mean, is that just not my luck, the ONE time I don't investigate properly? Fuuuuuck.

I'm not even going to review this, I'm so annoyed with myself/it. It'll be a nice standalone in my head, how's that?

*shakes fist*

Featured on my 2014 REC IT post.

[Bookbitten1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly this book has a pretty cover and that is about the only good thing I can say about it. Was looking forward to reading about the Fae but the plot was very predictable and characters one dimensional. The "love" story was lukewarm at best and I honestly couldn't see the attraction between these two characters.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed. Was looking forward to this one but SO many things were absolutely cliche. 1.5 stars only because of a decent plot and a twist I didn't see coming.