Sunshine discussion

In my opinion, Sunshine is so much better than . If you disliked Twilight, this will probably be a breath of fresh air. You might also want to try Companions of the Night.

I really enjoyed Sunshine, I loved Rae's internal meandering dialog.

I haven't read Twilight so can't fairly comment, but Sunshine isn't a children's book, it is written very much for adults.

Oh, my, no. I disliked Twilight and never read past the first book. Sunshine is very different. The mood, the characters, the real sense of threat, the unlikely cooperation, the mystery of magic, the attitude, the baking...it is such an interesting mix. It's not aimed at teens so much, but definitely works for anyone who has worked jobs in the wee hours of the night, lol.
Sunshine has great energy from page one. Just give it a chapter and see what you think.
I also think Sunshine was written before the latest vampire lit craze. It is unbeholden to the fashion of teenie lit.
And a fantastic book, on its own merits, not because I crush on someone in there.

This book is nothing like Twilight. Why would you think that?

I was a little worried too, when I came across it. Twilight was already out and I thought this might be fanfic kinda stuff. I only read it because of the author, Robin McKinley, and loved it. It's not like any of her stuff I had read before, either!
But shhh...Michaela is reading...
Let us know what you think!

happy reading!

I loved the book, apart from a couple of unnecessary and slightly jarring scenes it was almost perfect.

I've read it twice now, it's become a bit of a comfort read for me.

Sunshine is nothing like Twilight, it's a little dark. There are some slow parts,but overall the story is quite different and a little unexpected. Although, there were parts of me that wished more of a romance developed ...

I wanted more romance too! But I always want romance. Well, except in Hunger Games. It felt forced and unnecessary there.

For me, romance isn't as important- in some books. Couldn't imagine no romance in pride & persuasion, for instance! But I liked that in Sunshine, that the characters didn't HAVE to fall in love. They just learned to work together. Freindship can be at least as compelling as romance, and in so much media all friendships always tend to end up as romance of some sort or other.
Oh, and btw, we don't want to spoil too much for Michaela, lol.
One of my favorite friendships is Sam & Frodo. Beautifully done.
One of my favorite separations is when they have to be parted, too. So beautifully heart breaking!

Nothing Like twilight!

I read it. I liked it. It isn't even a little bit like Twilight.

Not even close. This is a great book! I wanted more when I was finished. Hoped it was the first in a series!

Sunshine is a way better book than Twilight.

Not at all like Twilight. It's a fun book, a little dark, and the vampires feel more like traditional vampires (no sparkling!). The protag is substantially more interesting as a person, as well. She doesn't find her sense of identity in someone else.

This is a really good and no not all like Twilight. I agree with D.B. wrote.

This is better then Twilight, maybe not the best book by the author, but still good.

Short answer 'NO' Twilight not like Sunshine. Sunshine is not like most other vampire books. YMMV

Naiya wrote: "Sunshine is a vampire romance done right. Nuff said."
"Romance"? and I'm presuming you mean romance in the genre/marketing sense; IOW, like the books shelved in a bookstore's romance section. I'm pretty sure that's an erroneous classification; in other words and this is not a spoiler really, the two main characters are not going off together into the sunset to raise little dhampir babies. YMMV

Additionally, you all know that Robin is a HUGE "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fan. :)

Thank goodness no this is nothing like twilight, a book I found unreadable (but good because it got a lot of teenagers to read). McKinley is in a class far above Meyer.

Sunshine was nothing like Twilight- it was actually well written. I see by now you read Sunshine and rated it only 2 stars. It's hard to figure what you are interested in- but take a look at Tanya Huff's Blood or Smoke series, which have a vamp presence, or for more vamps-
Moning Karen Marie Darkfever (UF/PNR)
Hunter, Faith Skinwalker (vamps and shifters)
Andrews, Ilona Magic Bites (vamp,shifters,strange creatures)
Frost, Jeaniene Halfway to the Grave
Harrison Kim Dead Witch Walking
Rardin, Jennifer Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Rowland, Diana My Life as a White Trash Zombie (hilarious, but no vamps)

Don't feel bad. I didn't like Twilight, either. I did like Sunshine a lot. It has a lot of attitude and is lots more fun and a lot more interesting-- and much better written. Several of Robin McKinley's books are on my "keepers" shelf-- Sunshine, Beauty and Rose Daughter. She does a mean Beauty and the Beast retelling, which in the end, is a lot of what Sunshine is.

Michaela wrote: "Hi, so nobody take offense, but the only vampire book I've ever read is Twilight, and I really hated it (Again, nobody be mad at me!)"
I would NEVER hate you for that. It just means your taste in literature isn't completely hopeless. I LOVE Sunshine. It's one of my favorite vampire books. What I like best is that even though the alliance is there, at all times Sunshine is aware of that fact that she's working with a being that preys on her kind. It keeps it nice and dark, like a vampire story should tend to be. I also just love the contrasting themes in the book, right down to the main one: Sunshine and Constantine. They both contrast each other and compliment each other, and it makes for a really good story.

EJ wrote: "This book is nothing like Twilight. Why would you think that?"
Probably because so many people these days hears "vampires" and thinks "Twilight". I once tried to explain Sunshine to someone as I was reading it. I got as far as "it's a vampire story" before they were like "Ah, so you like that whole twilight vampire genre, eh?" I was like "Hell NO I don't like Twilight. I like GOOD vampire stories." It's frustrating, but unfortunately for now "vampires" connects to "twilight".

I thought the sexual content was kind of random and was maybe the only weak part of the book for me.

I dunno. I didn't feel the sexual content was that strange. I think it served to form a divide between vampire fantasies and vampire realities. Haha, in fact, in a way you could say it's Twilight vs Sunshine. I think a lot of that content is used to display how fantasies are not realities. You may want to believe that vampires are charming and elegant, but that's not what they may actually be.

Okay I feel like I may have entered the Twilight Zone because this is the worst book I have ever read. Granted I tend to read classics and YA Books with really high reviews, but still. The main character is ALL OVER THE PLACE. She has no one personality, and she is greatly and clearly influenced by the writer. Seriously its been years since I read this and the astoundment and anger in my recollection of this book is crazy. Seriously the worst book I have ever read. AND I do not go around saying that. Strictly because of the main character.. "oh he smells of bees and honey.. oh you cunt!" Right.. that makes TONS of sense.

It has a lot of the same elements as Twilight, vampire romance, broody good looking ageless vampire, young attractive female heroin, but it's ultimately a very different beast. It reads in many ways like an alternate history novel, where vampires are known about and have effected the course of history. The female protagonist is far more competent then Bella, probably attributed to the fact that she's older as well. Generally speaking it's a much smarter book and much better written. I have a hard time flat out recommending it, because I just dont particularly care for vampire romance as a genre (It's a long story as to why I ended up read this and Twilight) but if that is your thing, then you can certainly do far worse.

When it was published is irrelevant to whether or not it resembles Twilight.

None of this book resembles Twilight. If I remember this came out before Twilight, but I may be wrong. Anyone, the protagonist here is well more defined, and she doesn't really "fall in love" with the vampire, at least from my opinion. But she does have an attraction. The vampire isn't made as this gorgeous sex god, but as the moss skin-colored being which I liked. Something different in this type of story's department. I like it's pace, which can be slow but I acknowledge the work the author put into it for a reason. I also like the detail and history of the world which one-volume books don't normally. Normally they leave stuff out or don't go into enough detail on the setting which can confuse some readers and make them question the ending. Still, it's best not to compare every vampire book with Twilight. All that book was a typical cliche with vampires. Not much different then other high school drama books.

SUNSHINE IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVES! There's way less romance in Sunshine, it's not even a romance, technically it's fiction. I read this when I was in high school years ago, and I love the main character! Every time I see the cover of this book I want some cinnamon rolls. LOL!

Did she ever do a sequel to this? Anyone know?

Lora wrote: "Oh, my, no. I disliked Twilight and never read past the first book. Sunshine is very different. The mood, the characters, the real sense of threat, the unlikely cooperation, the mystery of magic, t..."

Well said!

I liked this book very much, but I had already read other works by this author. I think it was written much better than Twilight and there's a depth to the characters that just isn't there with the Twilight cast. I liked Twilight, but it's a mindless fluff read. This book actually makes you think a little bit. I also liked the darker story line that Sunshine has. I just find it more intriguing.

Very, very different. OF course, I'm a huge fan of Robin McKinley, though her books are all very different, so if you like one there's no guarantee you'll like the others.

That's very true. Some of her books are fantastic for younger readers, and others are not. She also has gone from wondrous fairy tale(Beauty) to gritty urban dystopia, if I may refer to Sunshine in that way.

Robin McKinley knows how to write a book. AND it was written before Twilight etc.

Sunshine is nothing like Twilight! It is sooo much better. I loved it.

I would say No.
it's a little darker and not as romantically exciting and suspenseful. the emptiness i felt is something i can do without.
I'd much rather read kim harrison's Hallows series or j.frost's Cat and bones series. try them :)

I found Twilight easier to read. Sunshine needed chapters with cliff-hanger endings because I had a hard time sticking with it. Sunshine is a good book, but the lengthy descriptive writing made it hard to stay awake at night! There were not enough Constantine/Sunshine scenes, which made the story interesting. I'd say if you're looking for a love story, read Twilight, because you won't find it with Sunshine.

Sunshine isn't a conventional love story and it doesn't try to be. McKinley's vampires are dark and dangerous. It's not twilight-esque but that's because it's in a completely different genre. The Twilight series is YA paranormal romance (which of course is fine if you like that genre). Sunshine is adult fantasy/ paranormal horror. They're not really comparable as in my opinion they're written for entirely different audiences. in terms of narrative, they don't share any similarity except they contain vampires.

If you prefer the HEA romance that Twilight has you'll likely find this too dark. That being said, if you like a bit of grit to your fiction then you might enjoy Sunshine.

It's been a while, but I remember really liking this. Was a sequel ever written?

I don't think so. I've been watching for one, just in case. But I often worried a sequel might lose something along the way.

No, it's Nothing like Twilight. :)

It's nothing like Twilight at all! Personally, I disliked Twilight, but completely adored Sunshine. The protagonist is great, the vampires are well-written and creepy, and the world-building is great.

I do wish there was a sequel to pick up!