A Long, Long Sleep

by Anna Sheehan

Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Candlewick Press (2011), Hardcover, 352 pages

Description

Fantasy. Romance. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone� and her future full of peril. 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 gone, 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..… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member theepicrat

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!

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LibraryThing member bell7

Rosalinda Samantha Fitzroy wakes up from stasis to find a boy with his lips on hers. Okay, it's not exactly like Sleeping Beauty because stasis froze her body, and he thought she wasn't breathing. But she's been asleep for over sixty years: her parents are dead, her world has changed, and she is

the heiress to an interplanetary company, UniCorp. She has to learn to cope with this world as well as learn what has happened in her absence.

I picked this book up entirely because of the cover. It's mostly white, with a roses and thorns in shades of pink, on the front, back, and even the spine. Very eye-catching and attractive, even when it's on a shelf amongst other books, and it led me to believe this would be a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It's not. Instead, this is Rose's story of coping after waking, and we find out bits and pieces of what happened to her before, and what's changed in the world. In the beginning, it confused me to keep threads of the story straight, as Rose's past and present are my world's future. Other times, like Rose's history class in school, information about what happened after she was put in stasis seemed to be a bit of an information dump. But Rose is a compelling character, and the mystery surrounding her circumstances is a compelling one. Though the story ends satisfactorily, it leaves some possibility open for a sequel, and I do hope that's the case.

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LibraryThing member LauraMoore

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.

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LibraryThing member nlsobon

Will “A Long, Long Sleep” appeal to everyone? Probably not.

Should you give it a chance? Absolutely.

This story was not what I was expecting what-so-ever. For the first half of the book, I couldn’t stand Rose. But as the story goes on and her relationships with Otto and Bren evolve, a new side

of Rose begins to come through.

For those unaware, “A Long, Long Sleep” is a retelling of “Sleeping Beauty”. After being in stasis for sixty two years, Rosalinda Fitzroy, a sixteen year old girl, is awoken by a kiss. The world as she knew it is gone, as are her family and boyfriend, Xavier. She’s been assigned legal guardians by the current owner of UniCorp, the company her parents once owned, and she’s now being thrown into a world she’s unfamiliar with.

Where this story truly shines is in its second half.

If you struggle to get through the first half of the book, as I did, I urge you to keep pushing…it’s worth it.

Rosalinda, or Rose, transforms from a passive character to a strong character, something I was incredibly happy to see. What makes Rose so interesting is not only the life she’s lived, or the people in her life, but more so her actions when she finds out the truth.

When Rose realizes that those she thought loved her never really cared, she doesn’t fall down and crumble. When she realizes that she never really lost a certain someone, she confronts them head on looking for answers.

There were some things I didn’t like, mainly the word choice every so often. Given the technology fueled world in which the story takes place, I can understand the desire to use words such as: comm, coit, or sky, especially given coit was used in place of foul language, but it did take some getting used to.

All in all, I’d have to say “A Long, Long Sleep” is definitely a book worth picking up. There’s romance, there’s excellent world building, there’s an interesting plot full of interesting characters, and there’s also fantastic character building here.

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LibraryThing member Jibar

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 :)

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LibraryThing member danijohns

I was really surprised by A Long, Long Sleep. I don’t know what I was expecting from this book when I started reading it, but I was very happy with what this book turned out to be. A Long, Long Sleep was a lot more than just a new retelling of Sleeping Beauty, it felt like it’s own new

story.

Initially, this book started out a bit slow. I had to set it down and come back to it, but once I picked up again, the story really began to come into it’s own. Around a hundred pages in, I became engrossed by the book. I really wanted to know more about Rose’s past. Rose wakes up 62 years after she was put into stasis by her parents. Everyone she knows has passed away, the world she new has changed. One thing that kept me constantly engaged in reading was the mystery of why she was constantly stass as a child. That was a mystery that I really wanted to learn more about. And I was shocked and sadden when I found the answer.

I felt really bad for Rose, the life she knew has disappeared while she was in stasis. The world has changed, with half the world’s population getting wiped out by disease in the Dark Times and then being rebuilt. Rose awoke to a world were she was an outsider, and a famous outsider at that has inherited basically everything. Initially, I was really annoyed by Rose because she was weak, and self-deprecating. But then I began to see why she was that way and sympathized with her. Over the course of the book, Rose really comes into her own too. Her world has changed, and she too has to change. With the help of Brendan, the boy who awoke her with a kiss, and Otto, a very sweet alien friend, Rose starts to gain self-confidence and self-respect and strength.

When I started this book, I was worried it was going to be a heavy sci-fiction book. However, the sci-fi element was just a platform for the rest of the story. Sure, the book does take place in the future and there are stasis tubes and such, but the sci-fi element of the story isn’t overbearing and provides the basis for a story that is very driven by characters.

The story and the characters really grew on me as I continued reading. I wanted to learn about Rose’s past, about her parents and what happened between her and her boyfriend Xavier. When Rose’s past is finally revealed I was deeply sadden and shocked. I really wanted to give a Rose a hug because her life SUCKED. And if you thought your parents are bad, wait until you learn about Rose’s parents.

I loved how the different plot lines were woven together to reveal the bigger story arc. I loved how the thing that was chasing Rose tied into Rose’s mysterious past and helped reveal answers to bigger questions. And I must say, this book did have a twist that left me shocked and deeply saddened for poor Rose. It was a bittersweet twist I would say.

A Long, Long Sleep is an emotional, unique, new read. The book and the characters grow on you as you continue reading. I really liked the ending, not everything was wrapped up in a neat bow, but enough was wrapped up to leave you satisfied. I really enjoyed this fresh take on a classic fairy tale.

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LibraryThing member poetrytoprose

In this Sleeping Beauty future retelling, Rosalinda Fitzroy has been “asleep” for over 60 years and everyone she knew and loved is dead. The world as she knew it is also drastically different having gone through the Dark Times and she is left feeling completely lost and alone with no one to

turn to.

My favorite parts of this book involved the flashbacks of Rose’s life. Prior to getting a look into her past, there was a certain disconnect that I felt with her character that now made sense. The details of her family life were very heartbreaking, and I absolutely felt for her, but they made her a multi-layered character whose characterization I was able to better understand. In addition to the more depressing moments, there was also some lightness involving Rose and her childhood sweetheart, Xavier, that made a good balance. Their relationship was very The Time Traveler’s Wife-esque — which I love — and, I have to say, I was taken by surprise by how it turned out.

As I said before, there was a disconnect with Rose’s character and, to a certain point, I found her unlikable in the beginning. She’s understandably emotional, but everything was so vague that I just couldn’t empathize. That was rectified, of course, and I think she definitely grew up throughout the novel. I could NOT understand her obsession with Bren, though I did enjoy the progression of their relationship later.

I’m very, very curious to see where Rose’s story goes next. With this book, the twists and turns were unpredictable and I have the feeling that I should expect the unexpected, especially with the love/romance stuff. If it does go in the direction that I’m thinking, I’ll have to give major kudos for building a solid friendship first and for doing something so different. I’m definitely excited!

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LibraryThing member abackwardsstory

What genre does a book like A LONG, LONG SLEEP by Anna Sheehan fall into? Is it a fairy tale? Is it sci-fi/futuristic? Is it post-dystopian? Is it medical? Is it something else all together? A LONG, LONG SLEEP is all of this and more. First and foremost, it is a book about a teenager named

Rose—and teenager is used in the loosest of terms due to the fact that her parents put her in stasis for over sixty years (and several other times before she hit the age of sixteen, no less). The novel starts off with a SLEEPING BEAUTY spin, with Rose being pulled out of stasis and faced with the dashing teen who awakened her. The way Sheehan describes stasis reminds me of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis, only the ramifications for being put under for so long are much more severe in Rose’s world. Take a look at the first page (from the e-ARC edition; changes may have been made):

…When the electric-blue seascape I was trying to hold on to was interrupted, not by a hand but by the feeling of lips on mine, I was startled. I sucked in a breath through my nose and sat bolt upright, knocking my head against my supposed rescuer. I couldn’t see. Everything was dark and painful, as if I had just opened my eyes into a bright light after days in the dark.

See what I mean? There are so many things going on in that one paragraph. How can this book possibly encompass one genre?

Rose emerges into a world that has recovered from “the dark times,” a dystopic-sounding era brought about by illness. Everyone she knew and loved is dead. She herself very well might have been as well, if her parents hadn’t left her in stasis for so long. At first, it’s hard to connect with Rose as a character because she doesn’t have depth and can be annoying, but as A LONG, LONG SLEEP delves deeper into her psyche, horrible truths come out that make readers realize why she’s such a damaged character. She’s been through so much more than most literary characters in YA. For one thing (and this is no secret, so it’s not a spoiler), Rose’s parents often stuck her in stasis growing up. She never questioned it before, but is only now beginning to realize the neglect she went to and the way her parents abused her throughout her life. She is emotionally and physically scarred, and has a lot of trouble adjusting to life, especially since she was cloistered as a child and must now navigate the world on her own.

Rose is constantly haunted by all that she has lost, including that of her true love Xavier, who grew up without her. At one point in her life, she was older than him and watched him grow. She was put under stasis so often, that eventually, they were the same age, and then he was older. And then he grew up and suffered through the dark times alongside her parents while she remained in stasis, alone and forever youthful. She has trouble forging new relationships now despite the way Bren, the teenager who discovered and awakened her, takes her under his wing. She goes to school for the first time and in introduced to crazy slang and new technology that’s foreign to her. One of her classmates, Otto, is a well-written secondary character that readers will be clamoring to learn more about. He’s truly amazing, and it’s easy to embrace him as we delve more into what makes him tick. He adds another sci-fi touch to the novel with his back story (which IS spoilery, so I won’t describe it here) and his unique way of communicating with other characters.

The novel’s ending will blow readers away. I’m good at putting the puzzle pieces together well before I get to the climax, and even I was flabbergasted by many realizations. The ending left me a little shattered. I would love to see Sheehan write another book in this world and go into more depth with areas that were only briefly touched upon. Even if A LONG, LONG SLEEP remains a stand-alone, it is still a one-of-a-kind fairy tale entry, darker and grittier than most in the genre and impossible not to love.

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LibraryThing member jmchshannon

Anna Sheehan's A Long, Long Sleep is a futuristic retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale, answering the question of what would happen if the kingdom does not also fall asleep while the princess sleeps. In this case, the princess, Rose, is the sole daughter and heir to an empire that spans

planets. While she slept in her chemically-induced stasis, the world she knew fell apart during the Dark Times and was slowly recovering when she woke. How does one recover from losing over sixty years? How does the world react to the reappearance of a long-lost heir? A Long, Long Sleep is a fascinating psychological study on the impact change has on a person, whether it occurs slowly or all at once.

The strength of A Long, Long Sleep is Rose. Without her, the reader would not be quite as interested in this familiar and yet very different world into which she wakes. Through her eyes, the reader experiences the same shock and confusion at waking up into a world that has been through hell and back while she was dreaming. The fact that the language, fashion, politics and technology are all similar to her previous life makes the differences more pronounced and uncomfortable. These, in turn, only accentuate how much she has not adapted to this new world. Rose's struggles to acclimate become the reader's struggles to understand. Empathy with Rose truly drives the novel.

Another more chilling aspect of A Long, Long Sleep is the lengths to which parents are willing to go to protect their children, the use of technology to do so, and the psychological impact of such "protection". The ease with which Rose's parents justify her continual stasis is both disturbing and eye-opening. What current technology do parents use today in an effort to protect their children? What long-term damage is occurring because of it?

A Long, Long Sleep is a fairy tale grown up for the modern world. The cautions it presents about the growth of extremely large corporations and the use of technology adds a level of gravitas to what could be construed as a simple story. Yet, A Long, Long Sleep is anything but simple. It is intricate ad complex, suspenseful and extremely enjoyable. Rose's innocence and growing awareness to the horrors of her life build a strong emotional link to the reader and create the necessary suspense that makes this an amazing page-turner. Billed as a young adult novel, there are enough lessons and more adult issues that make A Long, Long Sleep enjoyable for readers of all ages.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reading copy!

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LibraryThing member angelgirl122193

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!

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LibraryThing member brandileigh2003

I really enjoyed this book, it has an original premise, compelling characters, and it made me cry, want to scream, and feel right along with the main character.
I was frustrated with Rose as much as I loved her. I can see a lot of myself in her and I totally understand how she could come into the

personality that she has, I identify with the self-hate and passivity, because I've been there all too often. There is a turning point, at one of my favorite scenes though, and I feel like it's an independence and victory point for us all who've felt like that.
Bren was an interesting character and I love the ones who step into that role of protector. His honesty is also really refreshing for me. There really is some depth behind the sexy, and that's a big plus for me. In some of his scenes, I got really emotional right along with Rose!
Otto is an amazing character, so well written and I wish there could've been a solid resolution with his story lines. He is so different, caring and deep that I couldn't help falling in love with him and wanting the best for him.
The sci-fi in this is really neat, and I like what Ms. Sheehan did with the plastines, how she incorporated the history, the mystery and intrigue that kept me flying through the pages. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book and all the emotions it brought out in me.

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LibraryThing member Bookworm_Lisa

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.

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LibraryThing member JenneB

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!

LibraryThing member Krista23

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.

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LibraryThing member JessicaSpotswood

A twisted fairy tale in which Rose wakes up from a frozen sleep of 60+ years to discover half the world’s population has been decimated by disease, her parents and her boyfriend are dead, and she’s being hunted by someone or something who wants her dead. I gobbled up this book. Rose is a

fascinating character, and we see her grow from a scared girl who only wants the relief of her stass tube to a young woman willing to fight for her new life. I don’t usually like flashbacks, but I thought they were handled beautifully here. I loved that Rose says she’s not smart, that she’s too high-strung, that she’s worthless–and we see that none of that’s true, but we gradually come to understand why she feels that way. I loved all three boys: Xavier, her best friend/ex; Bren, her savior and current crush; and Otto, her fascinating, alien new friend. Also, without spoilers: I loved that the ending isn’t a HEA sort of thing, that Rose is still figuring things out. Highly, highly recommend.

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LibraryThing member hashford

Rosalinda is woken by a kiss after sleeping for some 62 years. No-one is meant to “stass” for so long, and she had terrible trouble adjusting. It’s not the aching and debilitated muscles, or the inability to eat, or even the terrible nightmares – but everybody she knew and loved is dead and

gone and she doesn’t know how to find her way in the new world she wakes up in.

As if all this isn’t bad enough, she then discovers that she is being targeted by a lethal “plastine” whose mission is to kidnap or terminate her!

This book has a lot of good points. The basic idea is an interesting one, and the plot, though simplistic, is nicely developed. The revelations, when they come, are hardly surprising, but that doesn’t detract from the reader’s enjoyment of the way in which they are delivered, and there is enough dramatic tension at the end to keep you turning the pages.

I particularly liked Otto (the genetically engineered human-alien hybrid), and the text conversations between him and Rosalinda allowed her back-story to come out in a natural way and also provided the opportunity for some discussion about civil rights.

I agree with an earlier reviewer, who says that this book will be very popular with girls in the 13 to 18 (or even 20) age range .

However, for an adult reading it there are serious flaws. For a start, it suffers the fate of much mediocre teenage fiction – all the adults are completely insensitive and/or uncaring, and definitely not to be trusted. (Are we REALLY expected to believe that the history teacher wouldn’t think that going over the events immediately after Rosalinda was stassed, when all her loved ones were killed, wouldn’t be incredibly painful to her! Or that the PE teacher couldn’t grasp that her body was debilitated from the long stass, and so she can’t run?).

Secondly, Rosalinda’s character is weak and inward looking. For instance, after the first day at school, when Bren (the boy who found her) seeks her out and befriends her, does she feel relieved, or grateful, or even make an attempt to be polite to his friends for his sake. No! She thinks “his friends don’t like me” and “I’m attracted to him, but I’m not sure how I feel about him”. Note to author – this sort of thing is BORING and tedious!

Overall, this book starts well (with the kiss), but quickly becomes pretty weak. If it hadn’t been a Vine book, I would have given up on it about a quarter of the way in. I’m glad I didn’t, because the pace did pick up, and the story is well presented overall. I found it easy and enjoyable to read; and, as I said earlier, I’m sure that teenage girls will be wowed by it. But it doesn’t have that extra spark that would make it great YA fiction.

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LibraryThing member thenightbookmobile

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.

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LibraryThing member letseatgrandpa

Even with all the reviews, I went into this warily — I’ve been underwhelmed by a lot of YA of late (which is to say nothing of the genre, which I love — it’s just that I’m tired of tween ever-after romance). But I was pleasantly surprised with this re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy

tale – both with most of the characters and with the plot. At first, I thought it was going to be a little fluffier than I had hoped, but toward the end it got very deep and moving, making me really think about the ways that parents can be overprotective of their children, even to a fault (to many faults, really). What seems to be in someone’s interest in the beginning can be manipulated until it reaches the level of abuse, or worse. This was, by far, my favorite aspect of this book. I also thought that Rose’s character was well-defined, first as a shy, self-loathing teen who really grows during her journey throughout the book. As with my characters like this, I did find myself constantly saying, “Grow a backbone, darn it!” That self-hating is hard for me to listen to. But, thank goodness, Rose blooms toward the end of the book, becoming the woman that everyone around her knows she can be. The secondary characters were hit and miss for me — I loved Otto, her alien friend, but could have done without the bland “Prince Charming” Bren. I can’t even remember that much about him, he was so vanilla.

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LibraryThing member AnnaKay21

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.*

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LibraryThing member pandaris

A Long, Long Sleep is a heartbreaking story about abuse and loss, but also of finding yourself and finally fighting for yourself. I couldn't put this book down, it took my breath away.

I'd read some reviews for this, and the general consensus seemed to be that people didn't like Rose at the

beginning. I liked her from the first page. She only acted the way she had in the beginning because of the way her parents raised her, there wasn't anything she could do about it at the time. But throughout the book she wakes up to what had been happening and finally breaks free. I admired how strong she turned out to be.

What was hard to read about this book was the idea that you wake up and everyone you knew and loved is gone. Add the flashbacks to that, those glimpses of the people who are no longer alive, and that made it even harder. I was missing these people I couldn't even have possibly ever known, since they weren't real. And then the curve ball thrown in near the end, which was semi-predictable, changed things. That part of the storyline actually made me cry.

I know there were many who went into this expecting a good sci-fi story, but that was definitely not the primary genre for the book. It had only enough to help move the story along, and didn't need more. I was blown away by A Long, Long Sleep and would definitely recommend it to anyone in need of a good story.

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LibraryThing member BrandisBookMusings

Imagine waking up in the same place you went to sleep, but 62 years in the future. Everyone you ever knew and everyone you ever loved are dead. The world you knew is gone replaced by people who never knew you even existed. You have missed technological advances, outbreaks of the plague, and famine.

This sounds like the stuff nightmares are made of, but it’s not. This is the world that Rosalinda Fitzroy awakens to. She finds herself the heir to an intergalactic planetary empire. She will have to learn what it’s like to live all over again. She has to learn to connect to people, something she has never had the chance to do. She finds these connections in Bren the boy who discovered her and Otto the boy her company made. As she tries to adjust to this new world she will discover devastating secrets a century old while trying to stay ahead of the monster set on killing her.

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan is a book that I very much enjoyed. This isn’t a book that grips you right away. A Long Long Sleep is much more subtle than that. It lulls you in with a beautiful gentility that creeps through you. I was slowly, but completely drawn into this new world. Rose’s life and feelings introduce a whole new heartbreak I had never thought imaginable. Rose’s character progression in the story is one that I admire. The parallels to the tale of Sleeping Beauty were done just right. There are so many retellings of fairy tales these days, but A Long Long Sleep is different. There is a subtle amount of similarities while maintaining its own unique story. The characters were beautiful and this book was beautiful.

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LibraryThing member astults

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.

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LibraryThing member catiesmoviesinmyhead

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.

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LibraryThing member amongstories

Rosalinda Fitzroy has just been woken up from a 62 year stint in stasis. During that time, she hasn’t aged and her memories haven’t deteriorated, but the world definitely isn’t what she remembers when she went to sleep.

Everyone Rose knew is gone now, but she’s got a new chance at life –

she’s just got to decide to take it. Yet, with being that weird girl who will eventually inherit a multi-planet wide empire and adjusting to and finding her place in a completely changed society it’s certainly not an easy task. That’s not to mention someone has Rose in their sights, and not in a good way. In the end, Rose gets some answers she never expected and learns more about herself than ever before.

Okay… A book about someone waking up after basically being suspended in time for over 60 years… What’s not to love about that idea? Really.

To be honest, this book actually started off pretty slow for me, which was intensely frustrating because the author would drop a hint here or there, and I would want answers, but I wasn’t getting them fast enough for my taste. Not to mention I went into this book really wanting to like it because the idea behind it is awesomesauce, and I wasn’t thrilled for a while. It wasn’t until Rose started developing her relationship with Otto (about 70 or so pages in – total estimate!) that I really started to get invested in the story, to the point where things picked up enough that I refused to put down the book until I had finished it.

I also really struggled with Rose’s character at first… it was a constant back and forth between ‘don’t bother anyone with my issues’ and a various assortment of “I lack self-esteem” comments. It was almost like there was no real self-awareness and it drove me kind of nuts. However, Rose does a ton of growing as a person throughout this story, and by the time I got to the end I was totally digging her character. Several of the other characters are really awesome as well. They have so many quirks and layers and it made for great reading.

As for the story itself, while certain things were totally expected, there were still lots of little twists and turns that came up. When I finally got past those beginning 70-ish pages the book really picked up for me and it was revelation after revelation, but in a way that it wasn’t too much. The book also raises tons of questions about ethics (particularly when it comes to the treatment of humans and other species) which I wasn’t expecting from a Young Adult novel. It really gets you thinking though and I liked that.

Bottom line, A Long, Long Sleep ended up being a total win for me – even with that shaky start! Sheehan certainly left this one open for a sequel so if it shows up one of these days I can honestly say I’ll pick it up.

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LibraryThing member leftik

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.

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