Helpful Score: 1
[close] It's official. I am a spoiled reader of book series. I'll admit it. One of the reasons I could not give Sunshine by Robin McKinley five stars was because it just left too many loose ends dangling. I want more!
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The book Sunshine is a departure for Robin McKinley, best known for her adaptations and retellings of classic fairy tales. This story takes readers to a very different place, a dystopic world that closely mirrors our own, but with some very significant differences. Like the existance of vampires, for example.
The story is told through the voice of Rae, a coffee shop baker also known as Sunshine. Rae is a very interesting narrator. Through use of introspective first person, the author lets the story unfold very naturally and slowly, which can be frustrating for the reader at times. As narrator, Rae will, for example, interrupt an action sequence to talk about a historical nugget about the Voodoo Wars, or to describe how she makes her famous cinnamon rolls. She's a little ADHD, and as readers, we just have to go along and hope it all makes sense in the end.
The stream of consciousness storytelling was a bit frustrating for me, as it made for slow reading and I like to really tear through a book. Luckily, the story was so darn good, it was easy to forgive Sunshine's flaws.
Here's the comic strip version: Sunshine's quiet life takes a detour when she's abducted by vampires one night. She's taken to an abandoned house, chained to the wall and left within reach of a powerful -- and starving -- vampire named Constantine. Surprisingly, Rae isn't killed. What happens instead is a life-changing event that turns her world upside down, and reveals powers that Sunshine never imagined possessing. There's magic, Others, specially-trained teams of police trained to fight vampires, Bad Spots and a family tree that might include some sorcerors awaiting readers in this book. I don't want to reveal too much because it's better to let the story unfold as the author intended. But suffice to say -- its a good one.
I've been guilty of reading too many vampire books lately -- I'll admit it. However, it's important to note that these are not Stephenie Meyer's vampires. They aren't romanticized -- there's nothing hunky, or tortured or sparkly about them. They are menacing and scary and alien. Although McKinley does build tension eluding to a budding romance between Sunshine and Con, this never comes to fruition. It seems like something that would have emerged in the sequel that the book needs. (Sorry, still bitter about that.) However, the bond and complicated relationship between the two is very compelling, and definitely leaves the readers wanting more.
One final pet peeve of mine about this book: it is only divided into four "parts." There are no chapters or natural transitions, so it's difficult to find a good stopping point. Now, it's so engrossing, many readers might not notice that the end of the chapter never comes. But if you plan to read the book in small installments, be prepared for some awkward breaks.
[close]
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The book Sunshine is a departure for Robin McKinley, best known for her adaptations and retellings of classic fairy tales. This story takes readers to a very different place, a dystopic world that closely mirrors our own, but with some very significant differences. Like the existance of vampires, for example.
The story is told through the voice of Rae, a coffee shop baker also known as Sunshine. Rae is a very interesting narrator. Through use of introspective first person, the author lets the story unfold very naturally and slowly, which can be frustrating for the reader at times. As narrator, Rae will, for example, interrupt an action sequence to talk about a historical nugget about the Voodoo Wars, or to describe how she makes her famous cinnamon rolls. She's a little ADHD, and as readers, we just have to go along and hope it all makes sense in the end.
The stream of consciousness storytelling was a bit frustrating for me, as it made for slow reading and I like to really tear through a book. Luckily, the story was so darn good, it was easy to forgive Sunshine's flaws.
Here's the comic strip version: Sunshine's quiet life takes a detour when she's abducted by vampires one night. She's taken to an abandoned house, chained to the wall and left within reach of a powerful -- and starving -- vampire named Constantine. Surprisingly, Rae isn't killed. What happens instead is a life-changing event that turns her world upside down, and reveals powers that Sunshine never imagined possessing. There's magic, Others, specially-trained teams of police trained to fight vampires, Bad Spots and a family tree that might include some sorcerors awaiting readers in this book. I don't want to reveal too much because it's better to let the story unfold as the author intended. But suffice to say -- its a good one.
I've been guilty of reading too many vampire books lately -- I'll admit it. However, it's important to note that these are not Stephenie Meyer's vampires. They aren't romanticized -- there's nothing hunky, or tortured or sparkly about them. They are menacing and scary and alien. Although McKinley does build tension eluding to a budding romance between Sunshine and Con, this never comes to fruition. It seems like something that would have emerged in the sequel that the book needs. (Sorry, still bitter about that.) However, the bond and complicated relationship between the two is very compelling, and definitely leaves the readers wanting more.
One final pet peeve of mine about this book: it is only divided into four "parts." There are no chapters or natural transitions, so it's difficult to find a good stopping point. Now, it's so engrossing, many readers might not notice that the end of the chapter never comes. But if you plan to read the book in small installments, be prepared for some awkward breaks.
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