"Sunshine" - Robin McKinley

"I never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires."

I have always enjoyed books written by Robin McKinley. Strangely enough I always have the same complaint: the narrator's thoughts are generally not sequential. It seems to be a part of McKinley's unique writing style, but it does get a bit frustrating from time to time. This book is no exception, in fact, it may be the worst to date. Despite all that, I still enjoyed it. I must admit that the first 3 pages were a bit much. I, quite lamely, had to take a break and re-think what I read.

The book is set post the "Voodoo Wars" in which vampires have just run a muck. Much of the world is now unlivable, with patches of "bad spots" lying about. (areas stained with evil residue that makes a person feel "bad") Rae Seddon, or Sunshine, is taken by vampires, and no one escapes from vampires. She has one trick up her sleeve....she is the daughter of the most talented magic-handler in history. Rae proceeds to use her magic to remove her bonds, and free a fellow prisoner....one that just happens to be a vampire....oh yeah, during the daylight hours!!

This novel, while a crazy roller coaster of a young woman's thoughts, is a fascinating read. Rae and the vampire Constantine share a bond that is their only hope in destroying the evil bent on their destruction. Definitely worth the confusion.

If you read, and enjoy this novel, you will also like:

*Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast
*The Hero and the Crown
*The Blue Sword
*Deerskin (retelling of Donkeyskin by Charles Perrault...heavy subject matter)
*Rose Daughter
*Spindle's End

all written by Robin McKinley.


FROM ROBIN MCKINLEY'S WEBSITE:

Sunshine originally appeared in 2003. Reissued by Berkley Trade (October 7, 2008) and Transworld/Bantam UK (August 14, 2008). Available from Amazon US

Rae, nicknamed Sunshine by her stepfather, is the baker at her family’s coffeehouse. She’s happy getting up at 4 am to make cinnamon rolls for the breakfast rush, and dealing with people and food all day. But one evening she needed somewhere she could be alone for a little while, and there hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake for years.
She never thought of vampires.
Until they found her.

"Sunshine is a gripping, funny, page-turning, pretty much perfect work of magical literature that exists more or less at the unlikely crossroads of Chocolat, Interview with the Vampire, Misery,Beauty and the Beast." Neil Gaiman and the tale of

"McKinley knows very well—and makes her readers believe—that ‘the insides of our own minds are the scariest things there are.’" Publishers Weekly, starred review.