Sunshine: Robin McKinley

I know I was supposed to be reading Kenyon’s Dream Chaser, but there are no hard and fast rules. If there were, they’d be mine and I can break them whenever I wish.

So, what have I been reading? That would be sly if the title of this post didn’t blatantly tell you what I’ve been reading. And what do I think of Sunshine by Robin McKinley?

Hmmm, let me tell you what Neil Gaiman thinks “Pretty much perfect.” How about Jayne Ann Krentz…“Fabulous.”

These are the blurbs on the front of the book. They caught my eye. So yeah, blurbage is a great marketing tool.

Okay, so we know that some people think it’s great, some paid people even. Me? I’m not paid. Does that make my opinion more believable? Not necessarily, but it sounds good.

Now, Sunshine is not a new book by any means. It was first copyrighted in 2003. The books been around and it’s been somewhat popular on the scene. I didn’t hear about it until I saw it on the “new releases” section at Barnes and Noble. A new cover, maybe? First time in trade paperback size? (You can pay $14 for the big size or $7.99 for pocket size, new.)

Oh, you probably don’t care about all that.

Anyway, after all this time, you’d expect there to be a sequel for this book by now, but according to the writer’s blog there “probably won’t be.”

That’s kind of tragic because I really like this book and I like the characters a lot. I will agree with Krentz and say the book is fabulous. I’m not going to go so far as to say that the book is “pretty much perfect” because it isn’t.

The story moves along very well, there are a lot of twists and turns, some awesome turns of phrases and some philosophical bits that really get your synapses moving. This book, called a romance by some, is highly intelligent, has a great spin on the paranormal world, takes you to places that you never have been before. The destination is wondrous!!!

But the god-damned road is bumpy at times.

There are moments when McKinely is too indulgent in the exposition. You really get a sense that all kinds of information is being crammed into it just in case you never get to come back to the world again. After just having read that McKinley “doesn’t do re-writes” I can understand the tendency. You do need to paint the world for the reader and if you aren’t coming back to it, you’ve got to do it in limited space.

I would rather have a sequel than that though. It seems like Sunshine would be better served as a seven course meal rather than a single dinner feast after having skipped both breakfast and lunch.

Even with the every so often sense of info cram, the book is highly palatable. It’s a sweet adventure, taking the ordinary Sunshine and making her more than what she knows her self to be or capable of.

Who is Sunshine?

She’s a baker. She’s done nothing but most of her life. She has a grueling, boring life that she seems quite happy with. Her parents are divorced, she comes from a famous magic-handling family that disappeared after the War.

We come across her when she’s having a bad day, decides to forgo a weekly movie ritual with friends and family and goes to a lake, where she recalls memories of her Grandmother who taught her some basics in magic-handling.
After that, the vampires come. The story begins. It’s intense, but it’s not. It’s fast, but it’s not. The whole story is full of contradictions from the way the characters move in and out of the story to the pace of the writer’s style. Some will find this difficult to handle because we are used to the writer taking us on a ride full of anticipation that feels like it wants nothing more than to a rip a scream from your throat.

This book doesn’t.

This book would love the scream, but if all you have to give is bleating whimpers, then that’s fine, too. Here you are in charge of what you see, how you read and how fast you want to go. You might even have to re-read it to grasp the complexities of what is delivered. (Through no fault of your own, like I said, some of this shit is crammed down your cerebral throat.)

After all that what do I really want to say? Can I sum up the book in a single phrase, all blurby like?

“A fascinating, intelligent, romp that sends you spinning while you do nothing but stand still.” –Lilia DiOrfeo


© 2008

Upon the Midnight Clear: Sherrilyn Kenyon-Book Thirteen

I’m glad I decided not to skip the Dream-Hunter books. This one is very timely for the Holiday season and made me feel all gooey inside about Christmas. And this one was much better than the last Dream-Hunter novel, though it’s short.

I started and finished this book today, not because I’m a super fast reader though I can be. I finished it because out of the 282 pages of this paperback, 250 of it is the actual Dream-Hunter novel, and the rest of it holiday vignettes. Before I get into those though, let’s talk plot.

In Upon the Midnight Clear we come across Aidan O’Conner, an actor. He’s not a dream-hunter, a god or anything like that. He’s simply a human actor. He’s jaded, been betrayed by most every one he’s loved. (His brother, his nephew, his fiancée and others).

When I say jaded I should probably say he’s a bitter, enraged, recluse who has given up on the idea that humanity has any kindness flowing through its masses. He’s very emo, but he has good reason and, he’s really a nice guy. He’s been too giving, overlooked too much and was basically taken advantage of. Not in a wimpy way though.

So who is our love interest? A goddess. Just a goddess? No, not just a goddess but one of the Oneiroi. She’s been in stasis after fighting Dolor, the personification of pain. And man there is history there. There’s this whole kill your daughter while you beg and watch thing going on. Yeah, I know, not very Christmassy. Trust me, the book gets there.

Anyway, betrayal and vengeance is afoot. They collide and outcomes this Kenyon style Christmas carol. It’s brief, but it’s sweet. It’s not full of super hot sex, but it is full of hope and overcoming. That’s enough right? C’mon you can’t celebrate baby Jesus with tons of sex scenes!! One or two mild, loving ones is tastefully enough. Right?

It’s right for me.

And what about the critique? Hmmm, just remember that this is not a Dark-Hunter novel. You are not going to get the same kind of depth here as you would with them. I’m not sure why because the story doesn’t suck ass. It’s a well-rounded, brief little jewel that outshines the first official Dream-Hunter novel.

Perhaps the weakness of the Dream-Hunter series is the lack of connection with the Oneiroi and Skoti themselves. They are cool, but they seem too otherworldly and we, as mere mortals, can’t comprehend them the same way we can those who once walked amongst us.

They have no emotions or have lived ages without them. The curse is weakening yes, but maybe there aren’t enough of us so devoid of emotion that we can understand it. Or rather, maybe the curse is not enough justification for the lack of emotion. We humans like sound justifications for our assholery, right? I know I do.

This is not to say that the Dream-Hunter series is bad. The series is just different and has a hard time being compared to the Dark-Hunter standard. This is often the case with spin-offs. So, I’m giving the Dream-Hunters and Kenyon a lot of slack.

But like I said, I liked it and I’m looking forward to the next installment where Xypher takes center stage in Dream Chaser. And oh yum, after that is Acheron!!!! I’ve already heard some titillating and even worrisome things about that one. I’m itching to get to it, but I like the torture and the tease of making myself wait. (And you quite frankly.) *grins*

Oh before I head off, maybe I should say something about the vignettes…

There be three of them as we take a stroll through Christmas celebrations. We visit the Peltiers, the Hunters and Acheron’s place. In each the Holidays stir some sadness, some happiness and the stories remind us of the challenges our heroes still face. Aimee, Fang….Fury….Nick…and the grand man himself, Acheron have stories left untold.

Wow, we’re on book 13 and there is still so much to go. Good, because I’m addicted to the darkly sweets. In case I don’t see you, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you!!!!

© 2008