Sunstone Volume 5 Paperback – Illustrated, January 24, 2017

By all means read this. But not first. Go back and catch up on 1-4.Yea, last two books had me worried and watching and ... yea.Good read. My series review from Sunstone 1 copied below for reference (I read them all before writing any reviews)The world is a wide place. Full of strangeness, and gems like this.First, address the elephant in the room: this series is set in context and world of BDSM and fetishwear. It is assuredly NSFW, and if kinks, homosexuality, nudity, erotic themes and situations, and dialog about nonstandard sexual preference and practice is going to bother you, ye have been warned.That being said, I started this on recommendation**, honestly because Sunstone had seriously outraged someone else so I figured it'd be good for at least a glance. And oh my, but there is a story there. This is a story addressing loneliness. About the communities around us, visible and otherwise. The connections we need, we crave to be human***. Too, it talks about consent, kinks, lifestyles, hobbies, and nerding out, treating them fairly.The artwork in the series is lovely, drawn in varying degrees of realistic tones and proportions (not chibi or cartoon-y, with occasional semi-photographic style or cartoonish look for bookends or emphasis)** If it helps, this was recommended by a librarian in charge of their graphic novel curation.*** not going for the obvious bondage joke there, but feel free to reference it if you wish

Sejic finishes off his first major arc of Sunstone with the obligatory, but no less lovely, happy ending. Having fractured at the end of the previous volume, Lisa and Ally' relationship seems doomed. But thanks to help and perspective from their friends Alan and Anne (who also take their first steps towards a relationship that will be the focus of the next few volumes' new arc) the duo realize their shared love is mutual and Lisa grows up and starts healing the rift thanks to their original shared love of S&M fan fiction (how meta). From there it is only a few short steps towards the ending (for now) of Lisa and Ally's story. Sejic wraps things up on a lovely note and certainly satisfied fans of the first volumes. The final volume also includes plenty of bonus materials and notes from Sejic on how the series will progress from here on out (the next few volumes will be subtitled Mercy and focus on Anne and Alan's pasts and their growth towards each other).

I reached the end of Volume 4 and was heartbroken. So I had huge expectations for this book, and it delivered even more. The characters are so well developed, especially considering the medium and how little prose you can actually fit into a though bubble. I loved each of the characters in the book, even the tertiary characters. And the parallels that exist between the profession of the main character and the writers, and what you can read into yourself as the reader of the novel through the main character's eyes...I am gushing, and I know it. This book is a feel good story about some pretty heavy and heartbreaking events. The love and acceptance felt for and by each of the characters was palpable. The plot ending was given away in a previous book in the series, execution is just transcendent. I'm going to stop before unintentionally giving away spoilers, but I would give this 7 stars if I could.

The final chapter of Ally and Lisa's story is very joyful. Lisa overcomes her jealous and Ally learns to accept love in her life. The story comes to a very heartfelt and touching climax(no joke intended). And seeing these two finally get their happily ever after is very satisfying. The ending show the complications that come with forming a relationahip with another person. The ups and downs, the good, the bad, and yes even the ugly. But also shows how fulfilling it can be to finally find happiness in opening up to someone, and hoping they accept everything about you. Inner demons and all.

It's finally the end (not really, but work with me) of Sejic's answer to Fifty Shades of Gray. The first arc of Sejic's sexual deviance/romance story wraps up as it should. This series has been funny, moving, and heartwarming at all the right points, and I'm glad to see it stick the landing.The story starts out with Ally and Lisa not speaking to each other, still reeling from the end of part four. slowly there lives start to reintegrate, a slow build that feels all too true to the real world. Sejic up the 'fantasy' aspects, with Lisa's fictional stories on her blog taking a large part of the narrative. It works much better than you would think. The artwork remains it's usually good at times and gorgeous at others you've seen up until now.Hope you enjoy the end as much as I did.

I originally started reading this series not expecting much. I had a couple of friends who recommended it to me based on the fact that it featured some of my fellow red heads, but I was very unsure about the whole BDSM-thing. I became hooked before I even finished the reading the first volume. While we all know how it's going to end from the very start of the story, it's all about the journey there. You'll laugh and you'll cry right along side all the characters as they go through events in life that very much hit home for people who have trouble saying what they are thinking. Obviously there are very adult themes through out the book, but that shouldn't stop any adult from reading it, as you'll soon discover the adult themes just mask the feelings underneath. Looking Forward to the next part in the series Mercy!

Absolutely devastated sunstone is finished. I loved this series so much!!!

Continuación digna. Historia muy divertica, sensual y romantica; 100% recomendada.

I'm assuming if you are reading a review about volume 5, then you know a bit about what this serious is like. It's a comic unlike most others, certainly not your usual superhero comic. It is sexy and sultry and finishes the story in a wonderful way.The story, as it has been throughout, is strong. It finishes well, wrapping up stories but also leaving strands to spin off into a new series (which is very welcome for anyone enjoying this one). It's emotional, it's gripping. It's hard to go into detail without spoiling anything, but it's a satisfying conclusion.The artwork is absolutely top of it's field. The style suits the subject matter perfectly, the personality captured in all of the characters is like nothing I've seen in comics before. It is unflinching when it comes to the more revealing scenes and has you wanting more and more. I cannot say enough good things about the comic, the series, the artwork, the creator - It's fantastic, and if you are wondering whether to pick this up - Yes, do it.Just keep it out of reach of younger readers!

Sunstone's ending has been made very clear ever since Vol. 01's first pages, so no spoilers when I say the book ends with the characters revealing their love for each other, but the way Lisa declares her love is some of the best I've ever seen! The way they stand against the white background, erasing every crowded noise around them, the cool full-of-assurance composed posture of Lisa against Ally's tears, the dialogue of how the once damned signs are tearing down the walls between them, it's a huge statement of Comic's Power, and a scene that, I believe, wouldn't have the sae power in any other medium. You will forget Sunstone was previously filled with "hot lesbian sex", because this is a story of Humanity, of Love, of barriers being broken, of people tearing down their fears. Is it a great comic book? Yes, it is, and Stjepan deserves all the recognition for it.

I was initially attracted to this series because it combines two areas of interest for me...a superbly drawn graphic novel that is set in the wonderful world of bdsm. Sure...the deliciously gorgeous characters all kitted out for kinky fun make it visually stunning in an erotic way....but scratch a little deeper and you find a very well told, contemporary romantic tale that is far from your standard steamy story. The characters are initially likeable but as the plot progresses the characters develop incredible depth and you can't help but get emotionally invested in their lives and I found myself biting my nails with anticipation as to how the story will pan out....hoping beyond hope that things will go well for the characters I have grown to love, embracing the highs and lows and actually caring about them. I also thought that the series explored the world of bdsm very well, explaining the psychology of the kinky fun along with the obvious pleasures of the flesh, so to speak, without being crude or overtly pornographic....in fact not needing to be as the plot and characters drove the story so well....although don't get me wrong....the 'sex' scenes were very enjoyable and erotic, capturing the atmosphere and emotional side of things as well as being damn right sexy!If you're umming and erring as to whether to purchase the series....I say go for it...you won't be disappointed! I'm very much looking forward to reading more from the same writer and exploring the lives of some of the other fantastic characters that you meet along the way with this wonderful story! Well done Stephen! More please! 😘