Author : Aita Ighodaro
Publication date : 7th November 2012
Publisher : Corvus (Atlantic Books)
Source : Sent by the publisher for review, thank you!
Isabel doesn't want to marry a tycoon. She wants to be one.
Isabel Suarez-Octavio is ravishing, intelligent and ambitious. But unlike some of her friends, she's not planning to use her looks to seduce a billionaire and become someone's trophy wife. She's just arrived at Oxford University, and she is determined to make her mark on the world. The city of dreaming spires is everything she hoped for. The parties are riotous, the societies thrilling, and the people are the power brokers of tomorrow. Before long, Isabel is prowling the corridors of Westminster by day, partying in Miami by night: a rising star pursuing good times and a glittering career.
Until a yacht trip along Italy's glamorous Amalfi Coast goes horribly wrong. Suddenly, Isabel is in the frame for murder, standing utterly alone against some of the world's most powerful men. After years of thinking only of the future, she must finally confront the secrets of her past - and face her biggest challenge yet.
When the publicity officer from Atlantic Books emailed me, asking if I'd be interested in reviewing All That Glitters by Aita Ighodaro, I said yes! Well, recently, I have become really hooked on bonkbusters and the press release did promise that Aita is a new generation of bonkbuster writers. Aita Ighodaro's debut novel, Sin Tropez, out last year, sounds quite good, at the sound of it. But back then, I was more mainstream, so I stuck to chick lit.
The main reason I agreed to review this book is because the book blurb sounds absolutely amazing! Really, it did. I was so excited to read the book when it arrived as the blurb promised scandal, murder and lots of spark. But when I started, I was a bit disappointed. It seems the "blurb" was raher misleading, mainly because the part where the "murder" takes place happens to be in the last part of the book. The book is divided into three parts, each part of the plot telling how Isabel grew and progressed to become a tycoon.
For me, Isabel was indeed a very good character - strong, independent and determined. I really liked her as she is driven to achieve whatever she has her eyes on. That is what I call a good, proper fictional character. However, as the blurb suggested, Isabel is the main character, the protagonist. But as I read along, it wasn't so. The story focused more on her friends and how other things meshed up to create the storyline. I understand the book was written from a third-person point of view, but I felt I didn't get much of Isabel.
The progress of the story was quite slow for me, as I didn't particularly enjoy the first part as it was rather dreary for me. The plot started to get more exciting for me come part two and I was so relieved. I was really intrigued by Isabel's dark past though, but it was only revealed at the last part of the book, so it contributed to the ending well. The thought that circulated my mind the entire time I was reading the book was, "When does she get on the yatch and gets framed for murder?". My excitement for the book was starting to wear off as I had to read about how Isabel help her friend Chloe, campaign for president of The Union. Don't get me wrong, Aita's writing is good, but the plot was rather hard going - long and slow. I had expected the pace to be quick, fast and thrilling.
As I have mentioned, the first part was a bit of a letdown because it started off slow for me. But I think the ending was pretty good, so it balances it out, I hope. It was just good for me, nothing about the book did shock or shake me. I thought the progession of the story was a bit choppy as it jumps from one moment to the other abruptly. I really wanted to like the story but unfortunately, I couldn't. I had such high hopes to read it, to get lost in the glamorous world of the rich and bad, instead I was misled by the blurb and it took forever to get to the exciting part.
I didn't particularly love the book, but there were some parts that I did like. If you're a massive fan of bonkbusters or you love Jackie Collins's, then you might like All That Glitters.
I would like to thank Corvus for sending me a copy of All That Glitters.
Rating : 3.5/5
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