A Different Approach to Vampires

I have read a lot of Robin McKinley books.  One of my favorite books ever is "Beauty," which she wrote ages ago and which is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast and it's absolutely wonderful.  She has written a few other retellings of fairy tales and even one about Robin Hood.  She also wrote "The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword," both of which I read in 9th grade and still love.  All the books I read of hers were aimed at teenage girls.  So when I started reading "Sunshine," her take on vampires, I thought I knew what to expect.  I was wrong.  Let me break this down for you in a list, because I am a list maker, and it's the only way I can even remotely get my point across.

What was awesome about this book:
1.  After wading through the insane amount of flowery language in some of the vampire novels I've read in the past few years, this one is refreshingly...unflowery.  The story is told by sassy twenty-something year old Sunshine, a baker in a family run diner in the seedy part of one of the few remaining cities in North America.  Her voice is personable and real, and it kind of feels like your sitting at girls' night, listening to a friend tell you what crazy stuff happened to her last weekend.  It has a completely different feel than any of the other vampire books I've read, and a completely different style than the other Robin McKinley books I've read.  In short, the style isn't a copy of a copy like so much other crap that's coming out these days.

2.  It's funny.  I'm all for humor.  For example, there are lots of different kinds of were-creatures, like were-rats, werewolves, and, of course, were-chickens.  Quite enjoyable.

3.  The vampires aren't ridiculously good-looking.  There aren't any "vegetarian" vampires.  They are horrible beasts that are evil to the core that look like monsters and don't act human.  Even the so-called protagonist vampire scares the snot out of Sunshine most of the time.  So, like I've said before, it's not a copy of something else that has been ripped off from something that was somewhat mediocre to start with.  If it's drawing from anywhere it's from the legend of Vlad the Impaler and is more based on horror than on romance.  I appreciate the creativity.

What was disappointing about this book:
1.  I'm not naive enough to think that adult novels will be completely squeaky clean.  But, after having read a lot of Robin McKinley's books, I felt I was safe to read whatever she was putting out there without running across anything too unsavory.  Apparently, when she decided to do something completely different with her writing style, she also decided to throw in some naughty bits.  And not just the suggestion of naughty.  Outright naughty.  Including the f-word and some other offensive language.  It was like a slap in the face.  I always pictured Ms. McKinley, sitting in an English cottage, surrounded by roses and wildflowers, molding her phrases with a touch of elegance.  That image has been tossed right out.  I worry that there will be 14-year-old girls browsing the stacks at the library, come to McKinley, see "Sunshine" and think they're getting another book like "Beauty."  And then they'll read it and ask their moms what certain words mean, and their moms will gasp in horror (or, if they're more innocent, look it up online and then gasp in horror), and their daughters will never be allowed near the library again.  Or those girls will just know too much too young.  The real shame was that one part had no relevance to the story, and even if it had, could have been told VERY differently.  I know she could have done better because she already has.

2.  I liked the general style of storytelling in this book, but it felt a little disjointed and vague.  I'm a reader who, when something is referred to 40 pages into the book that seems pertinent but not familiar, goes back to scan the previous 39 pages to see where I missed it being mentioned in the first place.  I felt like that happened more than it should have.  There was a mention of someone and her pudding 20 pages into the book, and it felt like the end of a story that kind of mattered, but, after going back and rereading the first two chapters and finding nothing about it, I assumed it was a hint of things to come.  Nope.  It was just a random partial story thrown in.  I'm wondering if I should read the book again, more slowly, to catch stuff I must have missed the first time.  Especially now that I know where the raunchy parts are.  I can skip right over them.

3.  While the ending was, overall, ending-ish, it almost felt like a set-up for another book.  There were a lot of loose ends.  Some authors just leave loose ends and let you tie them up with your own imagination.  This might be one of those times.  But I feel like lately, most authors have become greedy book-cranking machines that feel like there has to be at least 4 books in a series.  Like I said earlier, I may just have to read it again.  It was pretty late and I was pretty tired when I finished it.

Overall, I liked the book.  But the added raunch has kind of tainted it for me and made me feel like I can't really recommend it to most people.  If you want to read it, just be aware that there is a page of nasty.  Otherwise, it's a fun new take on a world full of vampires and were-roaches.