Rating: 
Summary: If books have a voice, this one is a monotone
Review: I found this book extremely disappointing because of it's style. There is a great story with wonderful characters burried under a tedious style here. For example, in the first chapter, the herione takes a drive to a secluded lake and is kidnapped. Pretty soon she has been forced into a red silk dress, dragged up into a decaying mansion and chained to the wall in an empty ballroom. Across from her, chained to the opposite wall is a starving vampire. His chain can certainly reach hers. At this point, the author goes into a several page, stream of conciousness disertation about the herione's childhood. As a matter of fact, in the midst of driving out to the lake, being kidnapped, forced into the dress and dragged into the mansion are several stream of conciousness dissertations about things. She does this throughout the novel any time there is any possibility of suspense. By the way, this really isn't a vampire novel - it's more of a fairly routine, sci-fi post-disaster novel more than anything else.I waded through it twice since I liked the characters. I think that the story she didn't tell was much more intreging than the one she did. It's too bad she ruined the story with this awful style. If she writes another story in this same universe, I would most likely buy it. The characters are interesting. However, I have no desire to look at any of her other books. If you want to read a newer vampire novel - try one of Charlaine Harris' Dead Series (Dead til Dark, Living Dead in Dallas or Club Dead).
Rating: 
Summary: Sunshine
Review: I'm all about Robin McKinley, because she creates female characters that are real, the kind of women with which women want to be friends. I'm also absolutely addicted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so I was looking forward to getting my hands on Sunshine, Ms. McKinley's new "vampire novel." My anticipation proved quite founded.
Now, at first, it was jarring to find that Sunshine was set in a world not unlike present-day earth (with the addition of vampires, demons, and the occasional were-raccoon.) One expects expert world building from Ms. McKinley, but it was still a bit of a shock to read about cars and television and computers in the pages of one of her novels. I kept looking for the tiny glimpses of Damar Ms. McKinley sometimes throws into her stories, but couldn't find a single one.
However, Rae (Sunshine) Seddon is a classic McKinley heroine: smart, wry, self-deprecating, and, of course, chockful of magic. You want to hang out with her, and you shudder right along with her as she has her first encounter with the vampire, Constantine. The adventures that follow are mind-blowing, and require close reading not only to catch each well-chosen word, but also to make sure you know what the heck is going on. Sometimes, I felt as if I was reading sci/fi, sometimes horror, sometimes fantasy, but the entire time, I knew I was reading a good book.
So, yeah, I really liked this book. I hope there will be more stories about Sunshine. Ah, you might be saying, but why only four stars? I'll explain. Fans of Ms. McKinley will remember the shocking rape scene from Deerskin, which freaked a lot of people out, because for some reason, Ms. McKinley is always pegged as a Young Adult novelist. Sunshine is clearly a straight-up Adult novel, but that wasn't what bugged me. What bugged me was the language used during the one (graphic) and a half (not so graphic) sex scenes. It's not that the words offended me, they just seemed to fit neither the gorgeous story nor the wonderful, if flawed, protagonist. The Deerskin scene, while horrific and hard to read, was intrinsic to the story. The language used by Ms. McKinley in the sex scenes in Sunshine didn't seem intrinic, just out of place.
But it was only two or three words. And it really wasn't worth taking off one whole star. So technically, I'd give Sunshine a 4.5. Or 4.75. Okay, a 4.87, but that's as high as I'll go.
Rating: 
Summary: enter sunshine's amazing world
Review: Sunshine is a character you will not easily forget. Her voice carries you through Robin McKinley's novel decribing her world (where vampires lurk) and the people in it. McKinley has created rich characters and continues to breathe fresh life into faerie tales we love.
Rating:
Summary: Robin McKinley is an excellent world builder &storyteller
Review: Less than a decade ago, the human and vampire population went to war with the result that millions of humans died and the geo-political structure of the world changed. Rae "Sunshine" Seddon loves living a mundane life baking delicious confections for her family's café in New Arcadia. She pretends that vampires only in exist in the pages of a book until she goes out one night to her grandmother's deserted cabin. When she wakes up, she is surrounded by a group of vampires. They take her to a deserted mansion where a vampire is manacled to the wall. The vampires chain her to a wall close to Con and offer her up to him as a meal. He refuses to take her blood and Sunshine draws upon the powers she inherited from her father to escape before the vampires come back. Sunshine has suppressed memories of working spells and transmuting for years. Suddenly she is thrust into an unheard of alliance with a vampire to defeat his species that had taken them prisoner. The protagonist experiences one trauma after another as she comes to terms with her attraction to and trust of a vampire while learning to use the powers she has forgotten she possessed. Robin McKinley is an excellent world builder and innovative storyteller who insures her readers believe that vampires actually exist and control large parts of the world's geography and financial wealth. Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Tanya Huff will not want to miss the very special SUNSHINE. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Too much talk, not enough action
Review: This book seemed promising. It got right to the action in the begining and it was suspenseful. But once that bit of the story was over with, it slowed way down. About two hundred pages were filled with pointless yapping and I had to force myself to keep reading by thinking ok, it's going to get interesting soon. Alright, any time now. My hopes were in vain. The climax was way too short and the evil character that Rae was trying to protect herself against was beaten quickly and easily. I didn't even know the main character's name for the first half of the book. Waste of time!
Rating:
Summary: Sunshine- Amazing!!!!!!!
Review: I have read many of Robin McKinley's books....and they are NOTHING like this! I have no idea what she was thinking when she went off on this little writing tangent, but I'm glad she did. I was just blown away by both the writing and the wonderful plot. Constantine is just perfect...though I would really like to know more about him. My only regret for this book besides that is the fact that McKinley never actually get around to telling you (SPOILER WARNING) if Sunshine's a partblood or not. I'm not really a vampire person, but this book was just breath-taking. By the way, I'm under 13 but I still read this book. SOME of us are mature enough to handle it. It's not like I've never heard of any of it before, what with school and our American culture, which is pretty obsessed with "R-rated" notions anyways. But, Sunshine is an amazing tangent for Robin McKinley and I demand a sequel! I assure you that if you read this book, you will in all likelihood feel the exact same way. A job well done, Ms. McKinley!
Rating:
Summary: A Departure from the Norm
Review: Even for die-hard McKinley fans, this is a book you either love or hate. We're all used to her great fantasy books and her retold fairy tales, which is why this venture into sci-fi seems so...drastic.
I wasn't so sure at first that I would like Sunshine, but I quickly found that I couldn't put it down. The story draws you in, and her quirky characters and unique style adds to it. True, "Beauty and the Vampire" has been done before, but never quite like this. This vampire isn't bad-boy or sexy, at least not in the traditional way. This romance isn't anything out of fairy tales, that's for sure.
So yes, it takes some getting used to. But if you've read McKinley before you'll recognize her style, and of course, her uniqueness. In the end I was left wanting more, and that's a sure sign of a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: A departure from the norm
Review: For some McKinley fans, this book comes as something of a shock. Masterfully rendered, as always, it keeps the reader hooked to the last page. On the other hand, it's much more "adult" than any of her other works, with the possible exception of "Deerskin." Containing some pretty graphic sex scenes and more profanity than has been her norm up until now, I wouldn't recommend "Sunshine" for your young teen, or more conservative older readers (like myself). I'm giving it three stars, because it's McKinley, but I personally won't read it again -- and I've read all of her others more than once, even "Deerskin." However, if you're a fan of vampire lit, knock yourself out -- you'll probably love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Addictive
Review: I have been a fan of Robin McKinley's works for a relatively short time. And, my only regret is that it takes longer for her to write them than it does for me to read them. Sunshine is no exception. Well, that is inaccurate: Sunshine drew me in deeper and longer than a book has in a long time! (Last time was Dragons in the Waters by Madeline L'Engle!) I think the story of vampires and others among us in a setting that is the same and yet different is a wonderful hook. I hope to be caught up by another of her wonderful stories -(no pressure)- soon!
This is a story that combines science fiction, fantasy, and sex ("romance" is too pale pink and lavender of a description for the honest descriptions of lust) into an action tale with a heroine to do the rescuing and to bake some mighty fine cinnamon rolls as well.
Rating:
Summary: Sunshine is Fabulous find!!
Review: For all vamp; were and "others" fans: read this book!! It is delicious. We can only hope for more.....
|
