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Book Review: Sunshine
I sort of reviewed this before on my livejournal, but that review was long and unorganized, and since I've yet to really post anything of relevance here, I figured I would start with a review of a book that I did like, instead of diving straight away into bitchdom over books I didn't like. That said, here is my hopefully more coherent second shot at reviewing Sunshine by Robin McKinley.
Rae Seddon was a simple baker in her step-father's cafe, and she made the best damned cinnamon rolls in the world, as we are often reminded throughout the story. That world, so seemingly like our own, is really a parallel wherein supernatural creatures exist, along with sorcerers and magic handlers. Despite this, Rae, nicknamed Sunshine due to her attraction to the sun, has lived a fairly normal life with the exception of a few childhood brushes with her now dormant magical abilities.
Any semblance of normality is shattered when she's kidnapped by vampires and shackled inside of an abandoned house alongside another vampire. In this world, "others" are to be feared, but none moreso than the vampire. Luckily for Sunshine, she's held captive alongside a candidate for Humanitarian Vampire of the Year. Sort of. Constantine really isn't the nicest guy in the world, but he refrains from eating Sunshine out of spite for his captors, and this is the beginning of a tentative partnership. "Any enemy of my enemy is a friend," as they say. Rae manages to spring them both with her magic abilities, but in doing so cements her position in his conflicts.
Characters
Rae Seddon is very normal, despite her magical talents. While some have complained that she's a touch whiny, and she is, that flaw serves to properly flesh her out and make her more relateable. Who wouldn't whine when vampires are trying to kill you? She's reacts to the unraveling of her formerly safe life realistically, and despite any whining she handles herself and the terrible situations she's been placed it competently and as bravely as any sane person could manage. Her narrative is very personal, though at times the usage of parallel world slang and the slight stream-of-consciousness influence can make it difficult to follow.
Constantine breaks the mold as far as common vampiric "heroes" these days. He isn't handsome, in fact, he's described as being very odd in appearance. Vampires in the world of Sunshine aren't anything like humans, and I find that refreshing and interesting. Vampires look, move, smell, act, and even exist in an entirely different manner than most creatures. He's meant to be a pretty scary fellow, and follows through quite well. As an inhuman being, he is appropriately detached and seemingly emotionless. This has the effect of making him appear flat on the surface, but as the relationship between Rae and Constantine develops, you can read emotions and intentions in his words and actions. It's subtle, but it's there, and far preferable to the typically overt attentions of most vampiric heroes in your standard urban fantasy novel.
The other characters aren't really worth mentioning, and that's one of the flaws of the book. The story gets bogged down in superfluous, under-developed characters, some of whom are forced upon us quite insistently. I suppose it could simply be a matter of opinion, but I felt like the "Special Other Forces," a government team designed to deal with supernatural threats, was mostly useless. The members were interchangeable to me, except for Patrick, and I only remember him because he was the most annoying and persistent of them all. They did have some impact on the plot, but that could have been accomplished in other, more efficient ways. Mel is another character of note, I suppose, as he is Rae's boyfriend. I guess. They seem pretty casual and distant as a couple, which works to the advantage of the Rae/Constantine undertones, but we still had to deal with Mel occasionally, and the fact that he was a biker/cook with potential sorcerer powers was not enough to make him interesting. He might have become so with more development and relevance.
Plot
The plot, when you break it down, is fairly simple. Evil vampires have been trying to kill Constantine, and now they're trying to kill Rae. There aren't really a lot of twists or surprises, and it's never explained while those evil vamps are trying to knock off Constantine. It's never explained why Constantine is different from those other vampires, though it's stated that he is.
Despite the simplicity of the plot, it works. It usually pulls you along quite nicely, thanks in part to a solidly constructed world. There are, however, issues, namely in the pacing. Exciting parts are over too quickly, while an unnecessary number of pages in between would be devoted to Rae dealing with "real life." I get that the bakery is an integral part of her life and character, but I didn't buy the book to read about someone baking or dealing with the drama of their 2-D family members. Massive dumps of exposition, sometimes mid-scene, and redundant introspection also dragged the story down a bit.
On the relationship between Rae and Constantine, it was nice to see a relationship that was, for once, developed slowly, and I usually found interactions between them to be interesting, but by the end of the book they haven't gotten far. Rae spends most of the book flip-flopping between "I miss him" and "OMG vampires and darkness and what am I thinking?!" until the very end of the book. The subtlety gets frustrating, as does the fact that Constantine just doesn't get enough page time. Far less important characters get more page time than him. There's also one instance of cock block, I'm afraid. Quite a let-down. The book really isn't a romance when it all comes down to it, but you can see that it wants to be. Or rather, the plot wants to be a romance at some point in the future.
Conclusion
"At some point in the future" is definitely the right term, I feel. A lot of the problems from the first book could be fixed if there was a sequel to flesh out the other characters and make them more important, and to develop Rae and Con's romance into something more... well, existent. The first book would have been a great foundation for a series, or even just a two or three part story, but on its own it suffers. No sequel has been planned to date, and though the author has made comments about ideas she would like to implement for one, she currently cites fickle muses as the reason why one has yet to be written. It's been years now, so as disappointed as I am, I wouldn't hold my breath for a follow-up.
It probably seems like I panned this book, but despite my complaints I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I was left longing for more. Unfortunately, it seems that longing will never be sated. There isn't even any fanfiction for the title. Perhaps I'll have to change that?
Rae Seddon was a simple baker in her step-father's cafe, and she made the best damned cinnamon rolls in the world, as we are often reminded throughout the story. That world, so seemingly like our own, is really a parallel wherein supernatural creatures exist, along with sorcerers and magic handlers. Despite this, Rae, nicknamed Sunshine due to her attraction to the sun, has lived a fairly normal life with the exception of a few childhood brushes with her now dormant magical abilities.
Any semblance of normality is shattered when she's kidnapped by vampires and shackled inside of an abandoned house alongside another vampire. In this world, "others" are to be feared, but none moreso than the vampire. Luckily for Sunshine, she's held captive alongside a candidate for Humanitarian Vampire of the Year. Sort of. Constantine really isn't the nicest guy in the world, but he refrains from eating Sunshine out of spite for his captors, and this is the beginning of a tentative partnership. "Any enemy of my enemy is a friend," as they say. Rae manages to spring them both with her magic abilities, but in doing so cements her position in his conflicts.
Characters
Rae Seddon is very normal, despite her magical talents. While some have complained that she's a touch whiny, and she is, that flaw serves to properly flesh her out and make her more relateable. Who wouldn't whine when vampires are trying to kill you? She's reacts to the unraveling of her formerly safe life realistically, and despite any whining she handles herself and the terrible situations she's been placed it competently and as bravely as any sane person could manage. Her narrative is very personal, though at times the usage of parallel world slang and the slight stream-of-consciousness influence can make it difficult to follow.
Constantine breaks the mold as far as common vampiric "heroes" these days. He isn't handsome, in fact, he's described as being very odd in appearance. Vampires in the world of Sunshine aren't anything like humans, and I find that refreshing and interesting. Vampires look, move, smell, act, and even exist in an entirely different manner than most creatures. He's meant to be a pretty scary fellow, and follows through quite well. As an inhuman being, he is appropriately detached and seemingly emotionless. This has the effect of making him appear flat on the surface, but as the relationship between Rae and Constantine develops, you can read emotions and intentions in his words and actions. It's subtle, but it's there, and far preferable to the typically overt attentions of most vampiric heroes in your standard urban fantasy novel.
The other characters aren't really worth mentioning, and that's one of the flaws of the book. The story gets bogged down in superfluous, under-developed characters, some of whom are forced upon us quite insistently. I suppose it could simply be a matter of opinion, but I felt like the "Special Other Forces," a government team designed to deal with supernatural threats, was mostly useless. The members were interchangeable to me, except for Patrick, and I only remember him because he was the most annoying and persistent of them all. They did have some impact on the plot, but that could have been accomplished in other, more efficient ways. Mel is another character of note, I suppose, as he is Rae's boyfriend. I guess. They seem pretty casual and distant as a couple, which works to the advantage of the Rae/Constantine undertones, but we still had to deal with Mel occasionally, and the fact that he was a biker/cook with potential sorcerer powers was not enough to make him interesting. He might have become so with more development and relevance.
Plot
The plot, when you break it down, is fairly simple. Evil vampires have been trying to kill Constantine, and now they're trying to kill Rae. There aren't really a lot of twists or surprises, and it's never explained while those evil vamps are trying to knock off Constantine. It's never explained why Constantine is different from those other vampires, though it's stated that he is.
Despite the simplicity of the plot, it works. It usually pulls you along quite nicely, thanks in part to a solidly constructed world. There are, however, issues, namely in the pacing. Exciting parts are over too quickly, while an unnecessary number of pages in between would be devoted to Rae dealing with "real life." I get that the bakery is an integral part of her life and character, but I didn't buy the book to read about someone baking or dealing with the drama of their 2-D family members. Massive dumps of exposition, sometimes mid-scene, and redundant introspection also dragged the story down a bit.
On the relationship between Rae and Constantine, it was nice to see a relationship that was, for once, developed slowly, and I usually found interactions between them to be interesting, but by the end of the book they haven't gotten far. Rae spends most of the book flip-flopping between "I miss him" and "OMG vampires and darkness and what am I thinking?!" until the very end of the book. The subtlety gets frustrating, as does the fact that Constantine just doesn't get enough page time. Far less important characters get more page time than him. There's also one instance of cock block, I'm afraid. Quite a let-down. The book really isn't a romance when it all comes down to it, but you can see that it wants to be. Or rather, the plot wants to be a romance at some point in the future.
Conclusion
"At some point in the future" is definitely the right term, I feel. A lot of the problems from the first book could be fixed if there was a sequel to flesh out the other characters and make them more important, and to develop Rae and Con's romance into something more... well, existent. The first book would have been a great foundation for a series, or even just a two or three part story, but on its own it suffers. No sequel has been planned to date, and though the author has made comments about ideas she would like to implement for one, she currently cites fickle muses as the reason why one has yet to be written. It's been years now, so as disappointed as I am, I wouldn't hold my breath for a follow-up.
It probably seems like I panned this book, but despite my complaints I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I was left longing for more. Unfortunately, it seems that longing will never be sated. There isn't even any fanfiction for the title. Perhaps I'll have to change that?