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A Long, Long Sleep
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A Long, Long Sleep
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A Long, Long Sleep
Audiobook9 hours

A Long, Long Sleep

Written by Anna Sheehan

Narrated by Angela Dawe

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss.

Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten subbasement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose-hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire-is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat.

Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existence, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes-or be left without any future at all.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 9, 2011
ISBN9781455820542
Unavailable
A Long, Long Sleep

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    At first glance, this book seems to be unoriginal. The synopsis even relates it to Sleeping Beauty, the young girl who is awoken from her long sleep by a kiss. But don't be fooled, that's just the beginning of an interesting and unique story.Rose has been asleep for 62 years; everything and everyone she ever knew is dead. The author, Anna Sheehan does an excellent job building Rose's character. She moves from the weak, grieving young girl into a strong, resourceful young woman. As she tries to fit in to the new life thrust upon her, she learns more about her past. This novel is about a young girl coming into her own. Life keeps dealing her blow after blow, but she fights back and gets stronger every time. It's a good read for young women and science fiction fans.*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher Candlewick Press through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Science fiction for people who don't like science fiction.This book was truly a great find, not the kind of thing I normally read. I had never heard of the Oregon author, Anna Sheehan, but hope to see at least one sequel before long. The story takes place at indefinite times in the future, presumably some time in the 21st century. 16 year old Rosalinda Fitzroy has been in a hibernation state for 62 years in a tube in the sub-basement of a house where her family once lived. The wakes up when kissed(just like Sleeping Beauty) by a young man named Brendan. Much has changed in the world since her time and Rosalinda at first assumes that her strict and powerful industrialist parents put her under for her own good, to protect her from the "dark times" of social unrest, plagues and famines. They were in the habit of "stassing" her throughout her childhood often to suit their own convenience. It turns out hat this is illegal--stasis is only supposed to be used for space travel or certain medical crises. Who knew? Each time she has lost time of course, causing her childhood to be prolonged. The longer Rosalinda is awake, the more reason she has to wonder about the motives of her parents and some of the others close to her, both in her old life and her new one.And of course, since she's not just any teenager, but heiress to an empire, she is at the center of a power struggle among people who would rather she'd have stayed out of the way. Of course she gets a lot of attention from the media. Most frightening of all is the Plastine--a robot assassin created from a human corpse that someone has sent to target her. Like any kid, Rosalinda wants friends, misses Xavier, the boyfriend from her old life, wants to be loved for herself and not be an outside. Physically weak from decades in the stasis tube and out of touch with modern customs and trends, she struggles with interpersonal relationships. She's a gifted visual artist, but by her own admission, not very good at anything else. Her parents overprotective parenting style has left her lacking many life skills (except for personal defense, luckily) I found this a refreshing contrast to young heroes and heroines who are multi-talented, always brave and wise beyond their years. Though probably smarter than she gives herself credit for being, Rosalinda seems more like a real kid. The novel has a refreshing human-ness about it. It deals with various bio-ethical issues, including an experiment with alien-human hybrids that wasn't altogether successful.(Just as in our society, these technologies are often one or two steps ahead of a legal system attempting to sort it all out.) But unlike so many science fiction novels and thrillers, characters and their human motivations always take precedence over the science and technical babble. This isn't one of those books with pages of numbers, symbols, charts and diagrams.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I rather enjoyed A Long, Long Sleep, although some of the pacing was a bit off. I even thought some things, like many of the scenes at school, probably could have been edited out. And I guessed the big reveal WELL before Rose put two and two together.

    Well, one of the big reveals. The one dealing with boys. The one dealing with who was trying to kill her threw me completely. How ridiculously dark. I loved it. That was a rather twisted twist, if you will.

    I certainly wouldn't call this a retelling, even though it appears to be at first. And I wouldn't call this one a complete win - but there were some interesting (read: scary) takes on the future, which I always enjoy and, as mentioned above, a pretty unexpected (on my end) twist and lingering mystery at the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If this had been the book I thought it was, it would have been a solid three stars--a fairly predictable story with an interesting premise. But halfway through you start to realize that there are deeper layers to it.
    I'm kind of anti-sequel at the moment, but I would read a sequel to this one!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    At its core, A Long, Long Sleep is a reimagined version of Sleeping Beauty. This is most apparent in the opening scenes and then occasionally referenced. The fairy tale elements are what drew me to the story, but this is way different than most revised fairy tales, which generally keep to the story but flesh out characters and plots. Sheehan has taken an old, familiar story and created an amazing science fiction world and made the heroine someone new and different than just a girl trapped in a castle.

    Rosalinda made a really great main character. Usually, I would dislike a heroine like her, at least in the first parts of the book, because she is, essentially, helpless and is physically weak. She is also filled with self-loathing and serious feelings of inadequacy. She is painfully shy and awkward, unable to make friends. Still, there are reasons for this and they are so clearly put forward that I did not expect her to be any other way; instead, I just rooted for her to overcome her problems. To some extent, she does, but at the end of the novel, she still has a ways to go, which is awesome too because that's how real life works. Those kinds of deep-rooted insecurities are really hard to get over, just like her weakness from so long spent in stasis will take a couple of years to go away completely. What I love about Rosalinda is that she is so real and that, when push comes to shove, she will do whatever she can to save herself and those around her, even though she doesn't think she's smart or worthy.

    The worldbuilding here was so awesome. I really hope Sheehan writes some more books set here, like one written during the Dark Times maybe? As my dear readers may know, I am obsessed with dystopias and that book would totally be a dystopia. That makes me wonder if this one could be to; certainly, the community they live in, all owned by one corporation, could qualify as a completely terrifying future, not to mention the creation of people like Otto and the horrible treatment his kind received. Also, I have to say how much I love Otto.

    I just ate this book up. I loved it right from the start. It was one of those books where I just did not want to stop reading. Last night, I almost stayed up until I could finish it, but then thought better of it, knowing that I'm an adult who has to get up and go to work. (Lame!) Now, having finished it, I just want more. Anna Sheehan needs to write more books for me to enjoy. This is an excellent example of YA fiction.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Rose has just been pulled out of stasis by someone she's never met, only to discover that she's been in her stasis tube for 62 years, awakening to a world she doesn't recognize and can't understand. Everyone she's ever known is long dead, victims of the Dark Times that killed millions of people. She gives her name, Rosalinda Fitzroy, to the boy who rescues her, and he is shocked: the lone heir to the multinational UniCorp survives, after all this time? Rose's recovery in this new world is not easy: in her new school (where she is behind all her classes; she's always been behind in her classes), she learns the gruesome details of the Dark Times of plague and disease that she slept through; at home, she has the robotic assassin who has been carefully tracking her every movement.

    But along the way she's learning things, coming to understand what happened to her; how she's only 16 years old despite being born a century earlier; what has become of Xavier, the love of her life, and how she could possibly be falling for a new boy before she's had closure from her previous one. There is a lot of creepy in these answers.

    What's it like to wake up in a world you can't recognize, anyway? This may start out as a Sleeping Beauty retelling, but it's so much more than that. It's a bit clunky in the writing, certainly, but also compulsively readable and compelling. I didn't love most of the characters (I liked Otto and would have liked to have seen more of him that wasn't in Tell Not Show mode, but I still liked him and wanted more of his story), but I give the writer a ton of credit for not insisting on certain romantic pairings (even though there's one implied at the end, it's more a could-happen than a this-girl-must-be-partnered-at-all-costs).

    Readalikes: Across the Universe for suspended animation, Sleeping Beauty for all the allusions, Enclave and Boy at the End of the World for coming into a world radically different from everything one knew before, Reincarnation for love across time periods. High school appeal, mostly girls, for the whole romance-across-time thing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Beautiful, intriguing and sometimes heartbreaking, A Long Long Sleep is a book that sucks you in and holds on. The story is framed as a futuristic Sleeping Beauty. The main character is Rose, a shy, sheltered heiress, who wakes up one day to find that her idyllic world is gone and that she is now a ward of her late father's company, UniCorp. We soon get the feeling, however, that Rose's world wasn't as perfect as it seemed. Secrets about her former life and her family begin to reveal themselves as Rose starts to fall for the new CEO's grandson, the dreamy Bren. Meanwhile she is still holding on to the memory of her long lost love Xavier.A Long Long Sleep has all the makings of a great book and, for the most part, it delivers. First though, let me talk about the few issues I had with this book. The first, and biggest issue, was that the beginning tended to drag on a bit. There were times in the first half of the book where I felt that several pages could have been compressed into a couple of paragraphs. Second, again in the first half, the language was sometimes confusing. Rose is trying to fit into a new world and the reader sometimes has to struggle along with her as she learns the new slang. While this drives home the empathy factor, it did tend to make me me feel like an 80 year old trying to make sense out of high school lunch table conversation. Finally, I really wish we could have seen more of the romance between Rose and Xavier. I didn't feel very emotionally connected to him until about midway through the book and I feel like, since this is the main love story in the book, it could have been explored a little more.Now, with that out of the way, let me tell you what I loved (and I did love this book). I loved Rose! She was strong, sweet, and just vulnerable enough. Her struggle as she fell for another guy while still holding on to her first love felt very real to me. And there's another thing, even though this book is taking place a couple hundred years in the future it was all very relateable. Usually I don't go for sci fi stuff because I can't really relate to it, but this story felt very plausible and even the super futuristic elements felt realistic. I think one reason the story seemed so realistic was the character development. I knew all of the characters, even the background characters, and their motivations. The relationship that I loved the most was the friendship between Rose and Otto (a half alien/ half human hybrid). You could feel how much they cared about each other and Otto's dry humor was the perfect companion to Rose's panicked thoughts. The thing that really sealed the deal for me though was the end of the book. I really did not see the last couple of chapters coming. Some of the revelations made my head spin. More than that though, the ending was incredibly emotional. I rarely cry when I read and this book made me weep both with joy and with sadness. I truly hope that Sheehan plans on a sequel because I would love to explore the relationships in the book more and really see Rose come into her own. Certainly this book will stay with me for a very long time. I highly recommend picking up A Long Long Sleep, it makes a great bedtime story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In essence, Sheehan has imagined Sleeping Beauty with a science fiction setting. If you're not a fan of science fiction, don't let it keep you from reading this novel. Rose is an outsider trying to figure out how she fits into this new world and what she wants from her life.The plot is solid and asks some tough questions about how to raise children. The characterizations of Rose and her two friends, Otto and Bren, are deep. All have their faults and their merits.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A Long, Long Sleep reached "page turner" status for me. The set up was very intriguing. It reminded me a bit of Beth Revis' Across the Universe. At its core this novel was about something else entirely. This book will hit home for anyone who has ever been a victim of emotional abuse at the hands of a relative (or at the hands of anyone really). I also have to give the author props for the way the romance was handled in this book. The boy does not instantly fall for the girl the moment he looks into her eyes. He's a normal teenage boy who hardly knows her and this isn't one of those bullshit "instant love" YA novels where the girl is swept off of her feet. Don't come here looking for that. In fact, there are multiple people in Rose's life that she cares for, as is usually the case in real life, and none of these relationships are singled out by the author. She does an excellent job of displaying Rose's relationships, past and present, and there isn't even a love triangle to be found. Nor is Rose treated as if every boy she knows will instantly fall at her feet. She is just a normal girl with normal relationships and she knows rejection as well as the rest of us do.Even if she doesn't believe it at first, Rose doesn't need to be saved, she can save herself. This wasn't a perfect book (debut book for the author) and the writing wasn't spectacular but I think the story shines through that.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The world has been to Hell and back again. War, plagues, you name it - all of it destroyed our world. But we put it back together. Rosalinda Samantha Fitzroy was asleep, in stasis for over sixty years and missed it all. She is found by chance in the basement of the complex she lived in before being put into the stasis tube. Bren kisses her and she wakes up into a stranger world and a life that is no longer really hers. The company that was previously owned and run by her parents, UniCorp, is now her legal guardian and she is sent to live in her old apartment once she's released from the hospital with employees as stand-in parents. That is when things really start to get strange. A Plastine (robot assassin) is trying to kill her, she becomes friends with blue alien Otto who was bred by her company, and tries to figure out who she is and where she belongs without Xavier, the boy she loved who is now beyond her reach. All of this while grappling with her budding feelings for Bren and dealing with the emotional abuse her parents inflicted on her by using stasis as a punishment, and trying to regain her artistic balance. I have to say that I LOVED this book! Rose was an extremely interesting character who always had something going on inside of her head and her heart. Also, the descriptive language was wonderful. This book truly has some surprising twists and turns, with a truly shocking ending that leaves you wanting more. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys light science-fiction, mixed with romance and a hint of dystopia. I did not want to put this book down and neither will you!VERDICT: 5/5 Stars*No money was exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I have to admit, going into this one brought back the same feelings and emotions as Across the Universe by Beth Revis contained. But this one takes a new turn that makes it stand out on it's own. I enjoyed this one just as much as I enjoyed ATU and recommend it for you as well. It has the same dark mystery going on in it that drives you crazy trying to figure out what's going on.Rose is very likeable, her feelings very understandable and with technology today I could imagine her situation very clearly. How would that be to wake up 60 years later, not knowing who you are anymore, where you belong and how to function normally. What happened to your family? Then to find out your in danger, cannot figure out who or why and not knowing people well enough to know who to trust or where to go. I became almost addicted to this story once I got into it, stuck in my thoughts for a couple of weeks. Very entertaining, intriguing and contagious..I want more.I loved the twists in this story, I did not see them coming, I really did not know what to expect and was very delighted with the turn of events.*Possible Spoiler Sentence*Although the book does round out nicely in the end, it leaves only a few questions that could be taken into a series, but I have not heard yet on whether this one is intended to be the first of a series or not.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A few words come to mind when I reflect on this book. They are dysfunction, obsessive, and abuse. Don't let the words stop you from reading this book. Rose has to overcome the effects of these actions. This book is well written and uses a setting that is non-threatening to her readers to discuss these issues.Rose has been in stasis for 62 years. Her parents regularly put her in stasis for their convenience. Somehow during her last stasis session she was forgotten and put into storage.She was "awakened" by a young man (Bran) and her first few weeks are a blur and confusing. She didn't realize while she lived with her parents how dysfunctional her life with them was.When I first started this book I thought it would be similar to Across the Universe, probably because of the stasis thing. This book is a futuristic take off of Sleeping Beauty.She awakens to a life very different from the one she left. Technology has progresses and she feels left behind. The people around her are unfamiliar and she is not fully accepted by the youth she meets. She makes friends with a being who is even more different than she is. To top it is she is being chased by an assassin.At first she let's circumstances control her. I loved that she learned to take control of her life.I struggled to determine my rating for this book. In the end it met my criteria for five stars. I stayed up until early morning reading and not able to put it down. There are a few cuss words, but overall it is very clean and appropriate for a broad age range.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I had no idea what to expect going into A Long, Long Sleep. The synopsis gave just enough away to get me intrigued and excited to find out what the novel would bring. I am so happy that I took a chance on this compelling sci-fi novel. Sheehan has crafted a beautifully woven story that is sure to keep you up waaaaay past your bed time.Rose was a meek, scared, and misunderstood girl who is woken up from her 62 year stasis by a "kiss" from a boy. The world that she awakens to has changed so much since she last saw it. Her parents and friend Xavier are gone and she doesn't have much to live for. A Long, Long Sleep takes Rose on a frightening journey in which she learns much about her past and tries to create a space for herself in this new world.I hurt for all that Rose had to go through. Her parents are dead, her boyfriend Xavier is probably dead, and she has no one left. Yes, she is the only surviving heir to the vast empire of UniCorp, but that doesn't make any difference to her. She feels lost in the world and doesn't know how to cope. Thank goodness for Bren and Otto. They are so amazing with Rose and I could tell that their presences in her new life made a difference. Rose makes many frightening revelations as she lives her new life and must learn to cope.Bren is the teenage boy with the beautiful green eyes that "kisses" Rose awake. I didn't know what to make of him at first, but as time went on I was able to understand him better, even if I didn't like what I learned about him. While I had some misgivings about him, he truly made a positive impact in Rose's life. I adored Otto. He is so unique and I fell in love with him for his differences. He and Rose have so much in common! It was sweet seeing them grow into friends, and as they got to know one another, more than friends. A Long, Long Sleep wouldn't have been the same without Otto!A Long, Long Sleep is a gripping sci-fi novel that left me wanting more of Sheehan's characters and writing! She has created a fascinating story that is sure to be a hit!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was really excited about this book when I heard about it a couple of months ago, when I had not yet read "Across the Universe" by Beth Revis. When I noticed it on NetGalley and my request got accepted, I admit I did the happy dance. I finished it just now at work, and sadly I have to say that my expectations were not met the way I thought they would.You could call "A Long Long Sleep" a futuristic retelling of Sleeping Beauty. But I liked it, really I did. I found the final reason as to why Rose would be "trapped" in stasis for so long really believable and I could see it happening just like that. While I read it pretty fast (5 hours or something, during a pretty boring meeting) I had some trouble getting into the world. Barely anything is revealed about the state of the world Rose lives on after sixty-two years of sleeping in a stass tube. While we know that the population is diminished and apparently there are colonies on other planets, that's about it.I'm not sure whether this is going to be blown up into a series, because there are some loose ends that I think need to be tied up. I think this story missed some spunk, which is probably why I'm having some trouble writing about it.Then again, I was very engrossed while reading it, so it may just be my current mood. I liked it while reading it, it was pretty good all in all (even with a slightly wimpy heroine) and I just loved most of the male characters (like Otto and Bren). It's a good and recommended read :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Ok so I would not consider myself a science fiction fan at all, in fact I usually tend to stay away from books that are science fiction in nature. But when a good friend, and fellow blogger Krista at CubicleBlindness said it was one of her favorite books of the year so far, I decided I needed to put my guard down and give it a try. This was a sleeping beauty retelling with an added dose of futuristic appeal, crazy technology, and a bit of supernatural beings as well. Rosalinda Fitzroy was put in what's called a stasis tube for 62 years, she is woken up by a kiss from a boy to find that she's still 16 years old, and her parents, and her first love and everyone she's ever known is long gone. She's in a whole new world and has no idea why she was put in stasis and left there for so many years. I found this story to be interesting, at times I felt it dragged a little, but the suprises and twists and turns that occured sporadically throughout the book, make up for those moments that seemed a bit dull. Usually I'm pretty good with guessing which way a story is going to go, but this one definitely threw me for a loop, and What occured I definitely didn't see coming at all. This book made me rethink my reservations regarding sci-fiction. I still don't think I can say i'm a fan, but books with a bit of science-fiction in them, that i might not have previously read, will most likely be on my radar from now on thanks to Anna Sheehan. Great Job.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The premise of this book intrigued me from the beginning. I loved the characters, I loved the plot line. There were lots of twists and turns to keep me reading. I was a little disappointed with the world building. As science fiction worlds go, this one lacked a lot. There seemed to be very few recognizable changes or differences between the present and the future where this story took place.Rose awakens to learn everyone she knew or loved is gone. She also learns she is the heir to her parents inter-galactic empire. While she tries to make her way in this new time period, and make friends, someone is out to kill her. Some of the things we learn as we go along in the story make it very easy to dislike her parents. The author did a great job of telling this story in bits and pieces that kept you hanging in. I would recommend this to those who love a good story line that will carry you all the way through.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I honestly don't know how I would categorize A Long, Long Sleep beyond a mix of all things good. Dystopian-ish, sci-fi-ish, romantic-ish, mysterisy-ish. Anna Sheehan painted us a world in a time where the concepts of life are still ultimately the same with the new wave of electronics and communication systems, along with evolving transportation and fad words, in a light which left me truly seeing the slightly foreign world from Rosalinda Fitzroy's eyes. The sci-fi-ish-ness (love that word there?) of this new time isn't so over the top it is overwhelming. A Long, Long Sleep is touched by the sci-fi factor and it wears it well, not too thick and perfect for those who tend to neglect the sci-fi-ish books, like myself.Money and power seem to be a driving force in A Long, Long Sleep, which actually, in a way, paves the way for the whole story with Rose and how she ended up in her stasis tube, only to be awoken 62 years later. The power and money influences weave themselves throughout the book justifying what is, what isn't and what happened.The romance in A Long, Long Sleep was all over the place but it worked. I loved how, like the sci-fi aspects, it wasn't too thick and there was a real story line beyond Rose's past, unrequited, and possible love factors. The connection between Rose and Xavier, the boy she loved before her 62 year hiatus, was one that was brought to life by the moments Anna Sheehan showed us before Rose's extended stasis. Rose's new friend, and possible interest Bren, is another which is brought to life by Anna's hand. The connection, the moments, the way Rose feels her past in her future. I will admit there is a certain oddity to the love between Rose and Xavier but it worked and it wasn't anything but tasteful and true. We can't forget Rose's friendship with Otto, a supposed failed-experiment. It was a connection that was true to them and their time. Neither the past or previous connections dictated the sincerity and understanding between the two and I absolutely adored that about those them.Honestly, this whole story was a pleasant surprise for me. Never did I expect to be up until two a.m. finishing this book after starting it at eleven. I devoured every word of this Rose's story and enjoyed doing it. All aspects of this book were balanced beautifully. The love, the abandonment, the betrayal, the loyalty, the past, the future. With beautiful writing like this I will definitely picking up anything else Anna Sheehan may put out. As well as Rose's story was concluded my feelings definitely wouldn't be hurt if at some point we received a report to see how Rose, Bren, Otto, and Xavier were doing. And at the risk of sounding fan-girlish, I'm Team Otto all the way.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A Long, Long Sleep was an unexpected futuristic twist to this centuries-old fairy tale. At first I wasn't entirely convinced that it would work out, but the fairy tale picked up steam once Rosalinda's past started to catch up with her strange and new present.I liked how the romance wasn't of the cookie-cutter variety where Prince Charming sweeps in with his life-saving kiss and they live happily-in-love forever. No, instead Rosalinda has already met the love of her life - too bad it happened 60+ years ago and there is no sign that Xavier survived the Dark Times. They had such a beautiful and obviously strong bond that transcends time, and I cannot blame Rosalinda for feeling so alone when she wakes up. With Xavier no longer there to support Rosalinda, she has to move on and finds herself soul-searching with 2 very different boys - the Prince Charming who gallantly escorts her through this new world and the Ugly Duckling who feels just as lonely and out-of-place as she does. In the end, though, Rosalinda finds happiness on her own terms (boyfriend not necessary).The truth behind Rosalinda's Sleeping Beauty experience is horrifying and sad when you realize who is to blame and why. I wish I could say more without spoiling the story, but I cannot. Let's just say it is tragic and heart-breaking to watch Rosalinda piece the past together and realize that she had been left behind. For protection from the Dark Times? For fun? For neglect? For love?A Long, Long Sleep steadily builds momentum and unfurls a fairy tale that will leave an impression on your mind and want you wondering where things go from here for Rosalinda. Coming back alone into the world after years of absence is tough, but how will things change when she finds out that she is no longer alone? I hope we get to find out!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I was very surprised when I read A Long Long Sleep. I actually read a review on this book while blog hopping (I forgot which blog it was) and I thought the blurb sounded very interesting. When the ebook was available at the library, I immediately checked it out and promptly forgot about it.

    Fast forward to three days before the book was due and I received an email from the library that the book was due. I started reading it that same day and I enjoyed it.

    The story is that Rosalinda, daughter of one of the most powerful families/rich corporate CEO's of the day, is woken up from a 62 year sleep by Brendan, a grandson of the current CEO of Rose's company. She wakes up to a world after the Dark Times, which I compare to the Dark Ages. In fact, it is like the Dark Ages, where the Beubonic Plague and Tuberculosis outbreak resurface. Naturally, everyone Rose loves, even her boyfriend Xavier, are long gone. Add in a Plastine (a robot with a human corpse for a body that is programmed to be an assasin) who tries to track and kill Rose, and a dark secret that ultimately transforms Rose into a stong young woman, and you have a recipe for a really awsome book.

    As much as I liked this book, I had a few problems with it. One was the non sci-fi element of the book. Sure, it was set in the future and there were future tech stuff that were mentioned (e.g. hover cars that travel over water, a techie notepad/tablet) and future slang like "this is so sky", "coit", "noid", and "I comm", it didn't feel like a true sci-fi novel. The book also lacked description. I wanted to see what the world looked like post Dark Times. For a sci-fi novel, this lacked a lot of description.

    Another thing that I did not like about it was that this book was basically about Rose moping about, trying to navigate the futuristic high school, developing her art, and falling for Brendan. I expected to read about how Rose would investigate the dilemma that is the reason why she had a long stasis sleep. I expected to read about her taking over her parent's company that was under the influence of a slimy CEO. If Rose did not redeem herself by the end of the book and stood up against her attacker and destroyed her stasis tube, I would have given this a 2! Oh, and Rose's voice sounded like a little girl. I really had problems with that. For a 16 year old, she seemed pretty immature to me. A

    What was iffy about this was when it was revealed in the end that Ron, Brendan's grandfather and CEO of the corporation is in fact Xavier, Rose's boyfriend! Ick! Although I was expecting this to be the case, I still thought it was very, very, very weird. Plus, Rose demands that he becomes her guardian!

    What I did like about this, however was how the author showed us the emotional abuse that Rose went through - the detachment of how her parents treated her. I actually liked that the author hinted at the abuse and how we were gradually introduced as to Rose's actual age. Apparently, Rose has been in and out of stass all through childhood. In fact, Rose practically raised Xavier since she was about 7 when he was a toddler.

    Another surprising character that I liked was Otto, the blue alien/human that has powers but is unable to speak. Rose and Otto have a very interesting relationship via the web where they have long conversations between each other. The only thing I had problems with was that Otto had a girlfriend that he broke up with probably because he was falling for Rose.

    All in all, this was a quick read for me that I recommend to those who love non sci-fi YA sort of romance.

    Originally posted on my blog I Heart Romance
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Little BookwormI really loved this book. It surprised me because I figured it to be some sort of science fiction Sleeping Beauty (which is was) but it was took the story and molded into something beyond the fairy tale. It became less of just a Sleeping Beauty retell and more of a story of abuse and lost love. I was glad that there was no real romantic storyline other than the one in Rose's past because it would have felt more artificial. When Rose develops a crush on, Bren, the boy woke her up, I was worried since it seemed less like her feelings and more like a contrivance, but that is cleared up eventually. The "realest" relationship would be Rose's friendship with the odd alien-human hybrid, Otto. That was a relationship that was enjoyable to watch progress. Overall, it was easy to see where the story was going, except for two details revealed at the end that I wasn't expecting at all. It was nice to be surprised. One of my few complaints was how heavy handed the Sleeping Beauty or Briar Rose comparisons felt at times. The story had all the earmarks of that fairytale without it being forcibly shoved into the story. My only other complaint was an unresolved storyline that would be good for a follow-up book. I certainly hope it gets written since I am curious about what happens to Rose next.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The end made me happy cry. I love the love angle of this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Dare I say this was much better than I expected? I've read a lot of YA lately that's really fallen flat for me, but this retelling of Sleeping Beauty set in a dystopian future was much more than I anticipated. As Rose, who has awoken from a sixty-year-long stasis, adapts to the very changed world, she also discovers she is being hunted and her very life is in danger. As the novel unfolds and the reasons come to light, Rose faces some very harsh truths about her past and the world she inhabits. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This science fiction Sleeping Beauty twist was a little bit slow to start, but once it got going and we get past Rosalinda dealing with the attacks on her, she really starts dealing with her feelings and we learn the truth about her time in stasis the book really picks up. By the end I found myself liking Rosalinda more and I have definite opinions about who I wanted her to end up with. It feels like there could be room for sequels and I'm wondering if any are planned.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sleeping beauty, modern fairy tale retelling, sci-fi, romance, YA, child abuse, Kindle, addiction

    I’d never thought of Sleeping Beauty as tragic before reading this version. In the traditional version Beauty’s whole family remains asleep with her and all are awakened to a wonderful reunion. Not so in Rose’s story, she’s been asleep and forgotten for 62 years, her parents are dead, her boyfriend is dead, and the world she knew is dead. Rose’s awakening to her new world and herself is complicated by a threat from the past. She has to figure out what her childhood taught her and how she will go forward now. I cried at the reveal, and I want more story. I am buying a hard copy for the high school library.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love a well-written book that takes its inspiration from classic fairy tales. Obviously, this one is inspired by Sleeping Beauty. However, instead of writing a fantasy, Sheehan has written a suspenseful and compelling science fiction novel.The long long sleep refers to stasis. Rosalinda Fitzroy, heiress to a vast financial empire, is awakened by a young man exploring the basement of the financial empire’s main building. She is shocked to learn that sixty-two years have passed since she last entered stasis. Not only are her parents dead, but she has no idea what has happened to Xavier, the love of her life. The world has gone through and survived an apocalypse but she is still living in the past.It takes the reader a while to learn why Rose has such crushingly poor self-esteem. When we learn the truth about why we Rose was repeatedly put into stasis, we root for her recovery. Although she seems weak and timid, her true courage and strength rise to the surface when she faces a series of heartbreaking and life-threatening challenges.This is a surprisingly gripping book that will also pull at your heartstrings. A fascinating page-turner.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Absolutely lovely! I loved the blend of shiny scifi and emotional heart. Though this isn't a time-travel book, the way it plays with interweaving lives reminded me a bit of another favorite, The Time-Traveller's Wife. This is one I want to buy for my personal library...!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I bought the Kindle version of this book when it was cheap, and it took me a long time to get into it. It was slow going at the beginning, but eventually picked up, and I very much enjoyed it as a whole. The story is a Sleeping Beauty retelling, with the main character Rose waking up after decades in 'stasis.' The whole world has obviously changed, going through a dark period when many people died, and Rose is the heir to what is now a massive interplanetary corporation. All of a sudden, Rose is thrown back into living, and then somebody is trying to kill her!

    Fairy tale retellings are some of my favorite types of stories. And who can resist a book set in the future, with science fiction and dystopian elements? (In case it is not obvious, not me.) So when I sat down to read this book, I was very excited.

    I got less so as I started. The story starts out slow, and I could not get into it at all. Rose, the main character, was dull, I didn't like any of the characters surrounding her, the world building seemed mediocre, and the danger to Rose was slow in coming. Luckily, it got better. I forced myself to keep reading, and I was definitely rewarded. The book picks up after a certain point, and I went from being way unengaged to not able to put it down levels of interest.

    As you read, you discover why Rose seems dull, and the characters around her are fleshed out to people you want to learn more about. The level of intrigue grows, until you find out who would want to kill Rose, and why, and it turns out to be something you never would have guessed. Rose grows a lot as a character, and as you learn more about her, she makes sense and it is gratifying to watch her change. Her growth is clearly the focus of the book.

    I also liked that this book is a single book, and not a first in a series. While it leaves open the possibility for more, it has a satisfying ending, with the story line tied up, not in a too perfect way, but in a realistic, doesn't leave any huge burning questions way.

    A Long, Long Sleep is definitely worth the time, and a fun read. I would recommend it if you like young adult fiction and books with awesome characters.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    More than 60 years long Rosalinda Samantha Fitzroy has been stuck in a stasis in her parents’ home’s basement, when young Brendan Sabah finds and wakes her by accident. Seriously weakened by her long sleep Rose suddenly finds herself surrounded by the media. Because after her parents death she became the sole heir of an interplanetary enterprise.
    But Rose not only needs to fight her flagging body, the media’s onslaught and the loss of her parents and her boyfriend Xavier, there are much greater dangers lurking for her in the future…
    Another dystopian novel for young adults! Only that this one isn’t so much of a post-apocalyptic fight against society or nature but more like fairy tale goes future. But that’s not bad, in contrary although the book is somewhat superficial but there waits a whole bunch of unexpected surprises for the reader. Sheehan crafted a solid reading experience which, although it’s not one of the best books I’ve ever read, it’s really worth a try.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A great companion for Cinder.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When Rose is awakened after more than 60 years in stasis, she finds her world a very different place, with everyone she ever know gone. Trying to acclimate, she finds that not only is her existence and the method to preserve it controversial, she is not sure why she was forgotten for so long, and a computerized assassin is tracking her.