Author: Robin McKinleyGenre: Young Adult – Fantasy/Paranormal
Publication Date: September 30, 2003
Age Range: Young Adult (mature) - Adult
Pages: 405
Date Scoot Read: November 2010
Source: Paperback Library Book
Scoot's Rating: 8- Really good!
Synopsis (via Goodreads): Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine, lives a quiet life working at her stepfather's bakery. One night, she goes out to the lake for some peace and quiet.
Big mistake.
She is set upon by vampires, who take her to an old mansion. They chain her to the wall and leave her with another vampire, who is also chained. But the vampire, Constantine, doesn't try to eat her. Instead, he implores her to tell him stories to keep them both sane.
Realizing she will have to save herself, Sunshine calls on the long-forgotten powers her grandmother began to cultivate in her when she was a child. She transforms her pocketknife into a key and unchains herself--and Constantine. Surprised, he agrees to flee with her when she offers to protect him from the sun with magic. They escape back to town, but Constantine knows his enemies won't be far behind, which means that he and Sunshine will have to face them together.
A luminous, entrancing novel with an enthralling pair of characters at its heart.
Scoot’s Review:
This book was a refreshing change of pace from the more simple writing styles I have been reading recently. Robyn McKinkley’s writing is dense; a lot of information packed into a small amount of space, and you have to read carefully to catch all of the run-on-sentence style thoughts circling through Sunshine’s mind. As for the plot, the story throws you right into the thick of a post-apocalyptic world where magic and all types of creatures abound. The darkest of the Others are vampires. You don’t hear them coming when they attack, and neither does Rae Seddon (aka – Sunshine) when she is kidnapped and left for dead with a hungry vampire named Constantine. Striking up an unusual alliance with the vampire Sunshine manages to free them and return back to her ‘normal’ life. But her life is no longer normal, it has been turned upside down and her initial brush with vampires was just the beginning. The book has action, suspense, romance, and a strong heroine. I enjoyed the subtle and slow hint of romance between Sunshine and Con, and I liked that they slowly became – dare I say it? Friends? However, I feel like the book left a lot of unanswered questions. I enjoyed the overall story line and the ending didn’t leave me feeling bereft, but I feel that there could be a lot more. Overall an enjoyable read and I am hoping the author decides to some day write a sequel.
Content warning: This book was listed under YA, but I feel it falls more in the adult range. The book is about adults, not teens. I was guessing Sunshine’s age to be mid to late-20s, and the book does have occasional sexual situations and references.
2 comments:
Really liked this review. I also have that cover. :P Thanks for the insight into what to expect!
I really liked this book too. Apparently Robin said she won't write a sequel. So disappointing given the ending. I love how subtle the romance was.
I also think the book is more adult than YA. I figured Sunshine was about 19 or 20 because I thought she had just recently finished school, but I don't know.
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