Review: Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Title:Sunshine
Author: Robin McKinley
Publisher: Jove
Pub. Date: November 30, 2004
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought

There hadn't been any trouble out at the lake in years. Sunshine just needed a spot where she could be alone with her thoughts for a minute. But then the vampires found her . . . Now, chained and imprisoned in a once-beautiful decaying mansion, alone but for the vampire, Constantine, shackled next to her, Sunshine realizes that she must call on her own hidden strength if she is to survive. But Constantine is not what she expected of a vampire, and soon Sunshine discovers that it is he who needs her, more than either of them know.


Originally published as an adult novel, but now in YA for the first time, Sunshine is an alluring and captivating vampire story, one that will ensnare fans of paranormals everywhere.

Review

I read Sunshine a few years ago, but I want to share it with those of you who have not experienced this dark, yet satisfying novel. Robin McKinley is truly a gifted author and she managed to take the world of Vampires and turn it upside down. I can always appreciate an author who is unafraid to try new things. Rae (also known as Sunshine) is the likeable protagonist in Sunshine. She doesn't possess those "tough-girl" qualities, such as the typical protagonist in this particular genre. She is as uncomplicated as they come, Rae works at a bakery and she enjoys her job.

McKinley lays out a complex world in which the magical easily mixes with humans. Humans even use charms on a daily basis to protect their homes and cars. It's a world in which humans and Vampires are at war. It just happens that Rae, rather reluctantly, ends up in the middle of that war. She is kidnapped one day by Vampires and chained to a wall in an abandoned house. Certainly those circumstances are difficult enough, but try adding a starved vampire to the equation, named Constantine, who is also a prisoner. That creates an even more complicated situation. Rae is unsure if she can survive the night, but something peculiar happens, even though he can drain her at any time, he chooses not to. Instead, Con and Rae form a bond. All vampires in Rae's world are evil, and Con, isn't necessarily good, he is just different. And he helps Rae in a way that she never imagined. Rae in that house discovers something within herself that she never knew she had. It is through this new discovery that she and Con are able to escape. But they are not long separated, Con continues to seek her out, and she welcomes him. They almost form an unspoken connection, and a dependency upon one another.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sunshine and wish that McKinley had graced fans of this book with a sequel. Many questions were left unanswered, which made it seem incomplete. Other than that, it was a pleasure and fans of the Vampire genre should add Sunshine to their book collections.