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blackm00r's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
theeclecticreview's review against another edition
5.0
This is not one of your typical vampire books. In fact, it is more about Rae “Sunshine” Seddons, a young baker, who happens to get thrown into a situation where she actually saves a vampire named Constantine by using an unlikely power of her own…sunlight. The pairing is surprising and their friendship and what the consequences mean are written in a way that is clear and interesting to the reader.
I read a lot of books and many of them don’t surprise me like this one did. That is what made this novel a joy to discover.
I want to thank my friend Annie who let me borrow this book. She truly has good taste in authors.
I read a lot of books and many of them don’t surprise me like this one did. That is what made this novel a joy to discover.
I want to thank my friend Annie who let me borrow this book. She truly has good taste in authors.
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
4.0
Yet another different view on the vampire. This is set in a parallel modern world that has a special branch of police to deal with the world of vampires, weres, demons and witches. I was completely in love with this book when I started it - it is divided into thirds and at the end of the first third I seriously thought about going back and starting over so I could extend the life of the book. There's something about the first reading that is never the same and I didn't want it to be over too soon.
All that said, I didn't love the ending as much as I did the beginning. It was all too easy, which is why it only got 4 stars. I will likely go back and reread this book sometime and see if I was just too sick to enjoy the end or if it was really not quite as good as the beginning. I am definitely going to read the sequels (which is very obviously set up).
I recommend this book to all lovers of the fantasy genera. (Robin McKinley in general is a great author. Don't be fooled by the fact that many of her books have been reprinted as young adult novels, they are good for all ages.)
All that said, I didn't love the ending as much as I did the beginning. It was all too easy, which is why it only got 4 stars. I will likely go back and reread this book sometime and see if I was just too sick to enjoy the end or if it was really not quite as good as the beginning. I am definitely going to read the sequels (which is very obviously set up).
I recommend this book to all lovers of the fantasy genera. (Robin McKinley in general is a great author. Don't be fooled by the fact that many of her books have been reprinted as young adult novels, they are good for all ages.)
misguidedgoose's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
nehalism's review against another edition
its too winding and slow paced! Just when I think things are getting exciting the MC goes off on an irrelevant tangent that stretches for multiple pages and by the time we get back to the present, I just don't care as much anymore
reydeam's review against another edition
5.0
Full Review:
http://ibeeeg.blogspot.com/2009/01/sunshine.html
A Vampire book indeed this is, yet, this book is not just about vampires. This book centers around Sunshine, a woman who starts to learn about her true heritage and gift. She learns this through her encounter with Con.
Sunshine is a fantasy story of wicked vampires (none of which are beautiful - very much the opposite) and a culture of "the others" whom some have magical powers. The author weaves their lives into everyday surroundings with everyday people. The author also brings the relationship alive between Sunshine and Con through the use of Sunshine as the narrator of the story. Yes, Sunshine is intriguing. She is a strong heroine.
I was captured and had a hard time putting this book down.
I was captured by Sunshine - by her adventures, how she dealt with her relationships, her relationship with Con.
I found this book to be very satisfying - it left me wanting to read more. Sunshine, at this moment, has become my favorite vampire book.
http://ibeeeg.blogspot.com/2009/01/sunshine.html
A Vampire book indeed this is, yet, this book is not just about vampires. This book centers around Sunshine, a woman who starts to learn about her true heritage and gift. She learns this through her encounter with Con.
Sunshine is a fantasy story of wicked vampires (none of which are beautiful - very much the opposite) and a culture of "the others" whom some have magical powers. The author weaves their lives into everyday surroundings with everyday people. The author also brings the relationship alive between Sunshine and Con through the use of Sunshine as the narrator of the story. Yes, Sunshine is intriguing. She is a strong heroine.
I was captured and had a hard time putting this book down.
I was captured by Sunshine - by her adventures, how she dealt with her relationships, her relationship with Con.
I found this book to be very satisfying - it left me wanting to read more. Sunshine, at this moment, has become my favorite vampire book.
crystalstarrlight's review against another edition
3.0
Bullet Review:
This was a good read, but wow, curveballs! Firstly, the writing style/protagonist's voice takes some getting used to. Rae/Sunshine is a bit of a verbose chick. Secondly, the book opens with the impression you are reading urban fantasy of the Sookie Stackhouse variety - and then it takes a MASSIVELY dark turn. Good but dark.
My rating really wavers between 3 and 4 stars.
Full Review:
Geez Louise. Amazon just poked me today, asking how many stars I would give this book, and I realized, I ought to stop procrastinating and write a review. Which I am reluctant to do because 1) I seem to be running out of steam in writing these reviews and 2) writing a review for this particular book is going to be hard!
Rae "Sunshine" Seddon is just an average girl with an average life. She works in a bakery, reads books about "Others", and does movie night with her mom, step-dad, half-brothers, boyfriend and whoever else pops in. This ALL changes one night when she leaves Movie Night to head to the lake. There she is captured by vampires and is imprisoned with another vampire, Constantine. Will she escape? How will her life change?
This book was different than most vampire books I've ever read. Number 1, this is NOT another Twilight clone! (Breathe a sigh of relief, people!) This is a really gritty portrayal of vampires and "part blood" (meaning anything from werewolves to demons). Not once does Rae dreamily wish Constantine would bite her and whisk her away into the sunset. In fact, Rae's boyfriend is a (probably human) chef, with whom she actually has a good relationship (DO NOT FAINT!).
Number 2, Rae as a protagonist is incredibly different from most of the other first person accounts I've ever read. This style is what I would call "stream of consciousness" - Rae's narration is basically whatever is on her mind, regardless of how or if it might even pertain to the plot. This is how we learn that this society is this post-apocalyptic pseudo-waste ground where the threat of vampires (who control a good 1/5 of the world economy - I think, if I remember correctly) is imminent. It's in chunks, hidden much deeper into a novel than a reader is accustomed to. This makes "Sunshine" much more realistic, but also much more frustrating. When I started the book, I thought it would be a fluffy read in the vein of Sookie Stackhouse; by the time I ended, I was in awe of the very gritty very urban fantasy (very NOT paranormal romance) read I got.
I Buddy Read this with an engineering friend of mine, and we both came to the conclusion we liked it, but Rae's narration almost killed it for us. Also, the fact that this is a standalone is a good and bad thing; I really hate these endless series these days, because I never seem to be able to get to book 1, much less book 18. (Unless I hate-listen to Anita Blake, apparently.) On the other hand, if ever there was a book set up perfectly for sequels, this is it. It is the perfect balance of an origin story, leaving some nice little tails dangling, but still closing up all the loose ends in a way that makes you satisfied.
Am I glad I held onto this book through so many moving/shifting genres culls? Absolutely! Would I read it again? Probably not. Would I recommend? Definitely.
This was a good read, but wow, curveballs! Firstly, the writing style/protagonist's voice takes some getting used to. Rae/Sunshine is a bit of a verbose chick. Secondly, the book opens with the impression you are reading urban fantasy of the Sookie Stackhouse variety - and then it takes a MASSIVELY dark turn. Good but dark.
My rating really wavers between 3 and 4 stars.
Full Review:
Geez Louise. Amazon just poked me today, asking how many stars I would give this book, and I realized, I ought to stop procrastinating and write a review. Which I am reluctant to do because 1) I seem to be running out of steam in writing these reviews and 2) writing a review for this particular book is going to be hard!
Rae "Sunshine" Seddon is just an average girl with an average life. She works in a bakery, reads books about "Others", and does movie night with her mom, step-dad, half-brothers, boyfriend and whoever else pops in. This ALL changes one night when she leaves Movie Night to head to the lake. There she is captured by vampires and is imprisoned with another vampire, Constantine. Will she escape? How will her life change?
This book was different than most vampire books I've ever read. Number 1, this is NOT another Twilight clone! (Breathe a sigh of relief, people!) This is a really gritty portrayal of vampires and "part blood" (meaning anything from werewolves to demons). Not once does Rae dreamily wish Constantine would bite her and whisk her away into the sunset. In fact, Rae's boyfriend is a (probably human) chef, with whom she actually has a good relationship (DO NOT FAINT!).
Number 2, Rae as a protagonist is incredibly different from most of the other first person accounts I've ever read. This style is what I would call "stream of consciousness" - Rae's narration is basically whatever is on her mind, regardless of how or if it might even pertain to the plot. This is how we learn that this society is this post-apocalyptic pseudo-waste ground where the threat of vampires (who control a good 1/5 of the world economy - I think, if I remember correctly) is imminent. It's in chunks, hidden much deeper into a novel than a reader is accustomed to. This makes "Sunshine" much more realistic, but also much more frustrating. When I started the book, I thought it would be a fluffy read in the vein of Sookie Stackhouse; by the time I ended, I was in awe of the very gritty very urban fantasy (very NOT paranormal romance) read I got.
I Buddy Read this with an engineering friend of mine, and we both came to the conclusion we liked it, but Rae's narration almost killed it for us. Also, the fact that this is a standalone is a good and bad thing; I really hate these endless series these days, because I never seem to be able to get to book 1, much less book 18. (Unless I hate-listen to Anita Blake, apparently.) On the other hand, if ever there was a book set up perfectly for sequels, this is it. It is the perfect balance of an origin story, leaving some nice little tails dangling, but still closing up all the loose ends in a way that makes you satisfied.
Am I glad I held onto this book through so many moving/shifting genres culls? Absolutely! Would I read it again? Probably not. Would I recommend? Definitely.
laurora's review against another edition
3.0
I liked a lot of the world detail like the history and the supernatural stuff but I found the main character's voice a bit distracting at times. Too many tangents and overwrought slang kind of spoiled the flow.
kaitlynannette13's review against another edition
Writing was disjointed and hard to follow
blurrypetals's review against another edition
2.0
Holy shit I'm so bored. DNF'd at around the halfway point.
This is one of those books that has been on my TBR list for an inordinate amount of time. I remember one of my best friends recommending it to me back in the middle of my Twilight obsession in 2007, to give you a little perspective on just exactly how long this book has been on my radar.
I know this is going to seem like a huge slam against this book, but I would honestly rather read Twilight again that finish reading this. Yes, Twilight is super weird and problematic and not very well written but it's fun and campy and, for me, nostalgic. This book, however, might portray vampires in a more traditional way than Twilight does, but it's so dull I honestly almost fell asleep at work while listening to it last night.
The way exposition is doled out is so textbook that I feel like I'm in a class I never signed up for. All the relationships Rae has, both with the vampire, Con, and the other characters that populate the diner she bakes for all seem really stale and tired. It feels like the equivalent of someone reading off a "What I Did This Summer" essay, like Rae is just listing off things she does without much emotion or weight. The only interesting character, in my opinion, is Rae's boyfriend, Mel, and he's been hardcore sidelined to make room for the awkward, stilted "romance" between Rae and her new vampire boyf. Rae is insufferable, so is Con, the plot is so boring it's literally putting me to sleep, the narrator is truly awful, and everything is terrible so I'm not going to put myself through one more minute of this, no way.
This is one of those books that has been on my TBR list for an inordinate amount of time. I remember one of my best friends recommending it to me back in the middle of my Twilight obsession in 2007, to give you a little perspective on just exactly how long this book has been on my radar.
I know this is going to seem like a huge slam against this book, but I would honestly rather read Twilight again that finish reading this. Yes, Twilight is super weird and problematic and not very well written but it's fun and campy and, for me, nostalgic. This book, however, might portray vampires in a more traditional way than Twilight does, but it's so dull I honestly almost fell asleep at work while listening to it last night.
The way exposition is doled out is so textbook that I feel like I'm in a class I never signed up for. All the relationships Rae has, both with the vampire, Con, and the other characters that populate the diner she bakes for all seem really stale and tired. It feels like the equivalent of someone reading off a "What I Did This Summer" essay, like Rae is just listing off things she does without much emotion or weight. The only interesting character, in my opinion, is Rae's boyfriend, Mel, and he's been hardcore sidelined to make room for the awkward, stilted "romance" between Rae and her new vampire boyf. Rae is insufferable, so is Con, the plot is so boring it's literally putting me to sleep, the narrator is truly awful, and everything is terrible so I'm not going to put myself through one more minute of this, no way.