Title: A Long, Long Sleep
Author: Anna Sheehan
Published: August 9th, 2011 by Candlewick
Pages: 352
Buy: Amazon / Book Depository
Rating: 4/5
Source: NetGalley
Synopsis: 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 sub-basement, 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 existance, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes -- or be left without any future at all.(Goodreads)
Review: There were a few problems with A Long, Long Sleep, but when I turned the last (digital) page, I was left with a feeling of contentment. I really enjoyed this book, in spite of a slow start and a sometimes infuriating main character. Rose is discovered in a stass tube (cryogenically frozen) in the basement of the building her parents used to own. She has been lost for over 60 years and this is the story of how she adapts to a new world that has been rebuilt after much of the population was destroyed. More than that, it's the story of why she was lost for over 60 years. The character seems a bit dull, stupid, and weak at first. However, after we learn more about her and her life, she becomes much more interesting. Things start slow, but about halfway through the book kicks it into high gear with a determined assassin and a (not so) surprising Reveal. I loved this book! It's nice to see a little sci-fi in YA that isn't aimed specifically at boys or watered down to the point of being a Love Story with robots/space/time travel. I would recommend this to anyone with a bit of patience and/or a love of retellings of Sleeping Beauty that include homicidal robots.
