Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
A small-town baker uses her magic to confront a post–vampire apocalypse world in this award-winning fantasy Neil Gaiman called “pretty much perfect.” Although it had been mostly deserted since the Voodoo Wars, there hadn’t been any trouble out at the lake for years. Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine, head baker at her family’s busy and popular café in downtown New Arcadia, needed a place to get away from all the noise and confusion—of the clientele and her family. Just for a few hours. Just to be able to hear herself think. She knew about the Others, of course. Everyone did. And several of her family’s best regular customers were from SOF—Special Other Forces—which had been created to deal with the threat and the danger of the Others. She drove out to her family’s old lakeside cabin and sat on the porch, swinging her feet and enjoying the silence and the silver moonlight on the water. She never heard them coming. Of course, you don’t when they’re vampires. Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Sookie Stackhouse will cheer for this tough and quirky heroine. In Sunshine, which won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature, McKinley has a vampire novel that is “a smart, funny tale of suspense and romance” (San Francisco Chronicle).
Is Sunshine appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
Mature vampire fantasy with strong violence including kidnapping, blood, and horror elements. Contains sexual tension and adult situations but no explicit sex scenes. Complex themes of survival and identity in a post-war paranormal world.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, moderate sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include kidnapping, captivity, and death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will love this tough, quirky baker who uses unexpected magic to survive a terrifying vampire kidnapping and navigate a dangerous supernatural world.