Sunshine by Robin McKinley Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Sunshine
Book Review: Buy it! Read it! Love it!
Summary: 5 Stars
From the first page, I knew this was going to be a -ripping- good story. There are millions of books out there, but very few actually make it to the 5-star rating in my eyes. I guess the best way to explain what this book has done for me is to explain that I am going out tomorrow to buy -two- of every book of Robin McKinley's that I can find, because I fully expect to read them to pieces. I am a bit bemused at the amount of 'liked it/hated it' reviews there are...but it is a testament to true greatness that causes such a controversy, isn't it? Honestly, the story was fascinating, the characters intriguing and funny in unexpected ways. She reveals them to you a little at a time, rather than the long dolorous descriptions found in a lot of pulp books. They are snapshots, and far more effective when told in Sunshine's voice.This book is brilliant. I smiled, I laughed, and I set it down a few times to fully absorb the ideas presented.
And of course I had to stop and bake a few cinnamon rolls to eat with it. The brown-sugar smears on the pages seem fitting.
Read it, and decide for yourself. I'm hoping you will enjoy it as much as I did.
Book Review: Careful...
Summary: 5 Stars
Although this is an excellent book, mine was shipped to me missing about 40 pages toward the end. It seemed like a printing or binding error from the publisher. Check near the end pages 320 to 360 if you buy the book. Amazon will take excellent care of your refund or exchange. It was an awesome book when I did get to finish it.Book Review: Coming of age in a magical world
Summary: 4 Stars
The world is similar to ours. Most people have jobs similar to the ones that you and I might work. But the things that go bump in the night are real. This includes vampires, shape shifters and demons. Unlike the beautiful vampires common in today's most prolific vampire writers (Anne Rice, L. K. Hamilton) vampires are the worst of the evils that plague the earth and society at large is protected primarily by SOF (Special Other Forces.) Against this backdrop is the comming of age story of a young twenties, not too bright baker girl called Sunshine with a strong but mostly ignored magical heritage.
Sunshine, like most of us, one night realizes that she is overwhelmed by her family and friends and feels the need to just get away. But the place she chooses for her escape is exactly the wrong place at exactly the wrong time, and she gets kidnapped by vampires. Normally this would result in an immediate and unattractive death. But Sunshine falls into a vampire war between an evil gang of vampires and a somewhat less evil solo vampire. They become unlikely and uncomfortable allies and eventually friends.
Sunshine is not a heroic character. Given a choice, she'd prefer to work in her bakery, spend time with her biker turned cook boyfriend and her more than slightly overwhelming family. But circumstances and her own magical abilities intervene and she is forced into a battle with the vampire gang.
The world of the book is rich and very well detailed. Sometimes too well detailed. The entire book is told from Sunshine's point of view, and is mostly narrative. There were times when I almost prayed that a conversation would take place with anyone to break up the narrative. But since the person telling the story isn't very old (early twenties...but a very YOUNG early twenty) the egocentric behavior falls in nicely with the character.
There are weaknesses to this book. For starters I'd like to confront Con's evil a little more directly (aka Buffy's Angel and Spike) I'd like to understand the magic system a little more clearly. A whole subplot of whether Sunshine might or might not be a demon mix goes absolutely nowhere.
But over all a book I'm glad I own in hardcover. Robin this is a book that would make a great series.
Book Review: Compelling and Mysterious
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read all of Robin McKinley's books, and prior to Sunshine, my favorites were Hero and the Crown, The Blue Sword, and Spindle's End. I was delighted when Spindle's End came out, as I knew it would be another superbly crafter tale from this brilliant author. When I heard rumors of Sunshine, I wondered how the author would treat a modern vampire-novel, as none of her previous books held the edge of the 21st century. I was surprised by Sunshine, very pleasantly; having not read spoilers for the novel first, I loved how Robin McKinley's prose draws you into a rich and textured world which you are already a part of before you catch glimpses of oddities that surprise you for their alien qualities. I am also a fan of Tanya Huff, and Laurell K. Hamilton, Buffy, etc, so I'm always on the lookout for pop-culture vampires, but I can honestly recommend Sunshine to those who prefer the mysterious, convoluted style of Patricia McKillips the Sorceress and the Cygnet, and Robin McKinley's other books.
Book Review: Deeper than your average fantasy
Summary: 5 Stars
I truly enjoyed Sunshine. The story has a great plot and great characters, with twists and turns and little idosyncracies that make it a joy to read. I thought the world McKinley brought to life was fascinating. I would love to see a sequel. I'm very amused by the reviewers who think this book is boring or tedious. This is not your typical vampire blood and gore and sex story. It has depth to it. It has a sense of humor. It's subtle. It has art to it, in the best literary sense. Buffyesque? Yeah, I can see it. The Buffy series had a similar sense of wry humor, the same way of celebrating the ordinary, even while the heroine is living through the extraordinary. But this is no Buffy copycat. Sunshine has a world of its own, and McKinley makes that world real.
Robin McKinley is a true wordsmith. She brings such richness to her work... it's incredible, the layers and levels that she creates. You can read and reread it and always come away with something new. This is a quality that I've always loved in her other works, and it's defintely there in Sunshine.
Bottom line: If you're looking for a flimsy story that goes straight from point A to point B, with nothing substantial inbetween, this is not for you. But if you're looking for a well crafted tale that goes beyond the average fantasy... read Sunshine.