11 Jan 2011

SUNSHINE.



There are places in the world where darkness rules, where its unwise to walk. But the lake had been quiet for years ...... She never heard them coming. Of course you don't, when they're vampires.

They took her clothes and her sneakers. They dressed her in a long red gown. And they shackled her to the wall of an abandoned mansion - within easy reach of her fellow prisoner.

She knows he is a vampire. She knows that she's his dinner, and that when he is finished with her, she will be dead. Yet when dawn breaks, she is still alive. And now he needs her to help him survive the day .....
..... From the outer back cover.

FIRST SENTENCE: It was a dumb thing to do but it wasn't that dumb.

MEMORABLE MOMENT: I didn't want to know that the monster that lived under your bed when you were a kid not only really is there but used to have a few beers with your dad.

Where to begin? There were so many things I enjoyed about this book and some (including the lack of chapters, a personal dislike of mine) that I didn't.

A fascinating idea - I loved the thought of a vampire needing a mere mortal to help him survive the day. But then, and I'm hoping I'm not giving too much away here, that mere mortal may need the help of that vampire just as much.

Set in a world post-'voodoo wars' there are so many things similar to our own times and yet so many things different. Populated by both humans and 'others' (some tolerated but most feared and hated, none more so than the vampire) the world is policed by Special Other Forces (SOF).

I loved the mixture of characters in this book - especially Sunshine (Rae Seddon)  and Con (Constantine to give him his full name).

Sunshine I found to be feisty and brave and yet vulnerable all at the same time. Having recently made some discoveries about not only her 'lost' family but also about her powers, I thought she was on a real journey of discovery. As for Con, my favourite character, he was not a typical vampire and yet not quite one of the 'new breed' (I'm thinking Twilight's Edward here), I loved the almost 'human' side of him and the very touching relationship he developed with Sunshine which according to Time Out magazine:-

 'takes everything we have always known about the menacing eroticism of pale men with sharp teeth and throws it up into the air.'

Hmm, eroticism? I suppose so but it was quite understated, bubbling gently away in the background you might say.

The plot? A wonderful idea but not what I expected. Somehow lacking in any real sense of danger and, despite the 'final showdown', totally lacking in any real sense of suspense, to me Sunshine was more of a modern day romance (thankfully without the soppy element).

 A novel with loads of potential BUT to me it was just far too long a story with too much time being spent by Sunshine repeatedly dissecting the events. AND if cinnamon rolls had been mentioned once more (Sunshine was a baker when not in Buffy The Vampire Slayer mode) I would have screamed.

Many thanks to MISHA from whom I received this book as a competition win, it is the first book read as part of the 2011 100+ book challenge.


glitter-graphics.com

15 comments:

serendipity_viv said...

I do have this one and I did look at it the other day wondering whether to read it. I have heard such rave reviews about Kinley's work. Glad to read you liked it.

Arti said...

Loved the reading from the back cover...
Looks a good read!! The cover page looks impressive too...
Have a nice day:-)

Melissa Gill said...

Hmm, I don't have anything against vampire books, I just think I need a break from them right now. Thanks for the review though.

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

Sorry it didn't live up to what looks like a great book. It still sounds interesting. Thanks so much for the balanced review. I'm not sure if it is for me, but I love the premise!

Golden Eagle said...

I love Robin McKinley's books, so I really want to read this one, despite the fact I try to stay away from most vampire books these days.

Thank you for the review!

Suko said...

Nice, honest review, as usual, Petty.

Oddyoddyo13 said...

That cover did not look very Sunshine-y! However, it did sound intriguing. I wonder how one would create an entire plot when it begins with being tied up, presumably unable to escape?

The Bookworm said...

It sounds very good!
Good luck with the reading challenge.
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

Misha said...

I am sorry that you did enjoy it more. When potentially good books end up being unnecessarily long, it is just sad!
Thanks for letting me know about your review! :)

Gina said...

I was curious about this title. I read her recent book (PEGASUS...rather enjoyable start to a series) and saw the YA rerelease cover of this title which gave me pause. Sounds like it has potential though what's up with the cinnamon roll references? (Hmm..a baker...okay....) May give it a go at some point, thanks for sharing! Happy reading....

Bad Alice said...

I started reading your review and then realized that I have actually read this book. I remember I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure why it left so little impression on me.

Heather said...

Daughter and I have Spindle's End though it's buried in her room. Will have to dig it out and give it a read.

Kelly said...

I hate when books don't have chapters, too. I hope it at least had paragraph breaks here and there so you'd have good stopping points while reading!

My computer spent the night in the hospital and is feeling better.
: )

Bookingly Yours said...

i heard a lot of good reviews for sunshine. im including this in my to-buy-list.

Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...

I've never heard of this book, but it sounds great! I like the premisis you gave here about them needing each other. :) Thanks for the review!