Helpful Score: 2
I really hesitated to start this book. Deerskin (the only previous experience I had with this author) was a particularly dark story for a young adult book, and perhaps I was too young to appreciate it at the time, but I was pleasantly surprised by Sunshine. The book was a well paced first person narrative and pulled me right along.
Unfortunately, narrative is the key word for a good part of the book. The author tells, in a rather passive voice, the story leaving very little showing, even in the action scenes. Half the suspense of reading this book is letting the story unfold and meander at the narrator's own pace.
My main problem was the large exposition dumps. I was constantly thrown out of the flow of the story and I'm not sure that all that information was necessary. Sunshine's first person voice was difficult to sympathize with. (Which is hard for me to say because I love first person point-of-view.) She came across somewhat childish for a woman in her mid to late twenties and a bit whiny. The secondary characters were never fleshed out. Mel's a great example. Here's this intriguing guy, a bit of a bad-boy but also a cook, and you know he's got something going on, but what? The vampires are loathsome creatures that don't share a lot with humans other than looking basically human. And Con's head is one I'd love to get inside of.
Sunshine's universe, is at once familiar, yet different enough to be confusing on occasion. Sunshine uses terminology familiar to her world while giving minimal explanation to the reader. I came away with the feeling the author assumed the reader had a brain therefore didn't hand all the information on a platter. It was a rather refreshing experience.
I suspect this is a story that becomes richer with each re-read. I find myself in the curious position of having liked Sunshine in spite of itself. So, perhaps, I will re-read Deerskin and pick up some more of McKinley's novels.
Unfortunately, narrative is the key word for a good part of the book. The author tells, in a rather passive voice, the story leaving very little showing, even in the action scenes. Half the suspense of reading this book is letting the story unfold and meander at the narrator's own pace.
My main problem was the large exposition dumps. I was constantly thrown out of the flow of the story and I'm not sure that all that information was necessary. Sunshine's first person voice was difficult to sympathize with. (Which is hard for me to say because I love first person point-of-view.) She came across somewhat childish for a woman in her mid to late twenties and a bit whiny. The secondary characters were never fleshed out. Mel's a great example. Here's this intriguing guy, a bit of a bad-boy but also a cook, and you know he's got something going on, but what? The vampires are loathsome creatures that don't share a lot with humans other than looking basically human. And Con's head is one I'd love to get inside of.
Sunshine's universe, is at once familiar, yet different enough to be confusing on occasion. Sunshine uses terminology familiar to her world while giving minimal explanation to the reader. I came away with the feeling the author assumed the reader had a brain therefore didn't hand all the information on a platter. It was a rather refreshing experience.
I suspect this is a story that becomes richer with each re-read. I find myself in the curious position of having liked Sunshine in spite of itself. So, perhaps, I will re-read Deerskin and pick up some more of McKinley's novels.
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