Scarlette Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 I bought this book today on a whim and was wondering if anyone has read it? The description on the back is pretty dull (in my opinion), but what caught my eye are the reviews. It promises to be better than Anne Rice and Clive Barker and seems to be a new take on vampires. If anyone wanted me to, I would type up the entire back cover, just for interest's sake, but I'm feeling lazy right now, so here's a brief description of what the story is about: A girl is kidnapped by vampires, dressed in a long red gown, shackled in a castle next to another vampire and though she's worried about becoming his dinner at first, the next morning she's still alive and well and said vampire wants her help with escaping. If it wasn't for the reviews, I would have left it right there in the book store, I must admit. But anything that's said to be better than Anne Rice is worth checking out, I think. Although, that is the same reason I'm apprehensive about reading this book... So, has anyone read it and what did you think of it? I am putting my reading list on hold and starting it tonight or tomorrow at the latest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weave Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Hi Scarlette, How are you? I read 'Sunshine' a few years ago and I really enjoyed it, it had a strong story I thought, it does have a different take on the whole vampire genre and that is one of the main things I liked about it. Here is the synopsis ~ A new direction for an already successful fantasy author. They took her clothes and sneakers. They dressed her in a long red gown. And they shackled her to the wall of an abandoned mansion-within easy reach of a figure stirring in the moonlight. She knows that it is a vampire. She knows that she's to be his dinner, and that when he is finished with her, she will be dead. Yet, when light breaks, she finds that he has not attempted to harm her. And now it is he who needs her to help him survive the day... I hope you enjoy it Scarlette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted April 4, 2009 Share Posted April 4, 2009 Do let me know if it is better (or even vaguely comparable) to Anne Rice; in that case I might have to acquire this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted April 5, 2009 Author Share Posted April 5, 2009 I have started the book and plan on finishing it by Tuesday at the latest. I don't want to say anything just yet, because I'm not far along, but I'll be posting my thoughts on it shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexiepiper Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Sounds interesting, hope you enjoy it Scarlette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Alright... I am about midway with this book, now. I was planning on finishing it today and I would have if it wasn't for feeling somewhat sleep deprived and generally sluggish by mid-morning. But, I offer my thoughts none the less. First of, let me say that I'm not a big fantasy reader. I love Terry Pratchett for being laugh out loud funny and having created an entire fantasy world from scratch, that I would love to live in. And I've read my fair share of vampire novels, my favourite author being Anne Rice and I love her for having a sense of "realism" to her writing that has made me think on occasion "Hmmm, shouldn't I keep an eye on that pale guy that's been following me... I think I saw fangs when he smiled just now...". Other than that, though, I tend to prefer serious novels and you'd rather find me reading a piece set in WWII than a Harry Potter novel. So, Sunshine is my very first "fantasy in the real world" fantasy novel that is very fantastical and thus picking up on this early on, it has been difficult to enjoy this novel as much as I think it deserves to be enjoyed. Robin McKinley is a brilliant writer and she keeps you hooked, even when you're thinking "this could never, ever really happen, ever". This is a very well written novel, even though it's a bit repetitive in some places and the narrator tends to begin describing things that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what's currently going on. So, it's worth paying attention to how the story's evolving, so that you don't find yourself going "say what?" once you realize that you've just lost the storyline a little. And if you're an avid science-fiction/fantasy reader, who doesn't mind playing mixed-doubles with their vampires and the rest of the underworld, I highly recommend this. What I'm not enjoying very much is simply that I thought I was buying a book about a girl and a vampire - Done - but thus far there has been talk of werewolves, demons, and magic (that seems to be a crucial part of the story, though) . That, I feel, has very little to do with what the story should be about according to the synopsis. And another thing I'm finding frustrating is that said things are mentioned in very long ramblings (for lack of a better word) and I'm still unsure if there is any point to it or if it's just filling up space. But, perhaps that's part of the keep-the-reader-guessing-game and I should just hold out and see what happens. Again, I'm not used to reading this kind of thing, so... I'm perhaps a bit prematurely frustrated. In short, I think this is a very good book, even though it doesn't seem to be my cup of tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stillgood Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Not too bad.I just can judge a little from the name of the book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kreader Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 (edited) I've just got this book. The story is told by main character's point of view. It seems okay although the main character Sunshine, does go off on a rant about her origins in bits of the story as Scarlette has already mentioned. The list of weres are various even a skunk were was mentioned. Sunshine seems to be more than meets the eye and she's a good baker too. Edited June 1, 2009 by Kreader Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 In short, I think this is a very good book, even though it doesn't seem to be my cup of tea. Mmm... sounds like mine though... *frantically adds to evil TBR*! I already planned to discover this writer after reading god things about "Beauty" on here; then again I'm a sucker for vampires (man, I'm amusing) so maybe I should start with this instead. Decisions, decisions. Did you ever finish this Scarlette, and if so - did the ramblings have a discernible purpose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlette Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 I forgot about this thread a little... Yes, I did finish this, although as mentioned above, I wasn't all that impressed with it. Good writing, etc, but just not my kind of book, unfortunately. And the ramblings made no sense to me whatsoever. You can skip all that and you wouldn't be missing out on anything relevant. That's just my opinion, though. I gave the book to my sister and she enjoyed it very much, so it's simply a matter of taste, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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