A Long, Long Sleep

This review was originally posted at The Book Parade http://www.thebookparade.blogspot.com

I was blown away by this book, I honestly was. When I first read the blurb of A Long, Long Sleep, I thought, ‘This looks good – I think I’ll like this...’ but I wouldn’t have predicted that I would turn out to LOVE the book. However, that is what happened.

At first glance, A Long, Long Sleep looks like just another fairytale retelling with a modern twist, but it’s so much more than that. Maybe it is loosely based on Sleeping Beauty, but only very loosely – A Long, Long Sleep is a whole different, brilliant story in its own right.

It’s a beautiful, intriguing story, but with a slightly deeper, darker feel to it at times as well. There are elements of mystery in the story, with many questions to be answered, and, as truths are gradually unveiled – about Rose’s past, and about the mysterious robot-like creature that is pursuing her – we begin to discover some haunting things. (I won’t expand on this for fear of ruining the story for you!)

Rose was a character I really clicked with; I felt like I was right by her side throughout the book, experiencing everything she was experiencing. I can just imagine how terrifying it must be to wake up in a world sixty two years into the future, completely bereft of everyone and everything dear to you. As I progressed through the novel, and as I discovered more and more about Rose, I began to empathise with her and feel sorry for her. It gradually became clear that Rose’s life had been anything but perfect and the image of her as a princess, heir to an incredibly successful interplanetary empire was anything but accurate.

The world that Rose wakes up into is a very interesting one, and one I enjoyed very much actually. Having read about lots of dystopian worlds recently, it was quite refreshing to visit a world that was more utopian. True, Rose has arrived in a world that has risen from the catastrophic “Dark Times”, which I guess does classify it as a post-apocalyptic world, but nevertheless it is more similar to the kind of ideal, technological future world we tend to imagine (well, at least I tend to image, anyway) – where there are “limoskiffs” and “solarskimmers”, where we have connections with other planets, and where texting is “antiquated technology.”

Somehow, A Long, Long Sleep managed to really grip me emotionally and I was so caught up in the story that there was one particular point, which took me completely by surprise (and was a stroke of genius on the author’s part, if you ask me), where I couldn’t help myself but start crying. (I had to momentarily tear myself away from the book and go and compose myself.)

Through this book, as well as me, as a reader, learning more about Rose, I think Rose really grew as a character and learned more about herself too. From what we saw of Rose in the past, she was reserved and obedient to an almost disturbing extent; she seemed almost brainwashed in her behaviour, but by the end of the book she seems a much stronger, more independent character.

I’m not sure that I have been able to justify how highly I think of this book in my review; I can hardly find the right words to describe what a brilliant book it was. I think it’s one of those books you have to read to feel what I have tried to describe and appreciate it. I’m really impressed with the way Anna Sheehan managed to take a simple storyline and use it to weave together an original, complex, brilliant story infused with so much emotion and meaning.

Throughout Rose's life she has been stassed multiple times.
Meaning that she had to occasionally sleep in a way where time would pass but she would not age.
Now usually she would be stassed for maybe a few weeks or at most a few years. But one time she feel asleep and her parents never woke her up...
and was instead woken up by a stranger.
More than 60 years in the future.
Rose slept through what was the Dark Days, years full of misery and death. And her parents and boyfriend are now dead.


It took me awhile to get into this book.
Not because it's not interesting but in the beginning I had a hard time understanding what some of the words meant. Words like "stassed" and "Unicorp". It wasn't told out front what these words meant but after hearing the words awhile I figured out what the words meant and the book got insanely interesting.

I absolutely loved the idea behind this story!
It's like Sleeping Beauty meets Science Fiction!
And it was put together well!
I must admit that before I even knew this book existed I thought about things like...
What would happen if traveled into the future?
What would happen if I woke up and was in the future?
What would happen if I lived longer than those close to me?
Yes, I know that these aren't happy thoughts but I have thought about hese kind of things before and it amazed me that there was a book about this.
But there's another thing I must say...
This book made me really really sad.
I felt so sorry for Rose and it hurt me to think that she lost so much of her life due to time. I found her story really tragic and I don't think that I would have been able to continue living in her place!
Another thing that really got me was her boyfriend!
I found it so sad what happened to them!
I actually almost cried so many times in this book :'(

But this was an incredible story and not a waste of time!

This book blew me away.

Okay, I know I need to say more than that, but I can't think of any words that could possibly do it justice. The writing and wording is absolutely beautiful. I mean, Sheehan describes those shivery tingles you get from a boy as spiders and I still thought it was spectacular.

Everything about this story was beautiful and heart-wrenching. I loved watching Rose grow-up and mature. She started out weak in both body and mind and became this amazing, strong-willed character. Xavier was just soo...yeah. Xavier didn't really tug on my heartstrings much, but what Rose felt for him sure did. The Xavier pieces of the story just absolutely broke my heart. And her parents. Ugh. Let's just say I hate them. Read the book and I'm sure you'll have similar feelings. Otto, my Otto. He may have yellow eyes and blue skin, but I think I love him :P It's amazing how much I could love a character who has no real voice. I was a little more iffy about Bren. I didn't like him much at the beginning, but he really grew on me. Sorry about all the character talk, but this was one of the rare times that I loved (or passionately hated) all the characters.

I love all the scifi elements in the story. The idea of having so much technology that stasis and interplanetary travel are possible boggles my mind, but I love to read about it. It was quite a lot to take in at the beginning, what with all the crazy technology and new slang, but I eventually caught on and after a while it wasn't so hard to follow.

Final Thoughts: Though it had a bit of a slow start, I absolutely adored A Long Long Sleep. If you're a little iffy about scifi, this book is a great introduction. There's a bit of romance (didn't seem too overpowering to me) and a bit of action, but it certainly isn't short on heart. This book broke my heart in a million pieces then put it back together again multiple times.

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.

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.

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.

After 62 years of “sleeping” in a stass tube, Rose Fitzroy is awakened. To her horror she has found that everyone she once knew has died. She is a foreigner in a new time. She doesn’t fit in with her new surroundings, and she is terribly out-of-date in both fashion and speech. For a 16-year-old girl, she seems more like someone’s grandmother than the long-lost daughter of the prestigious founders of UniCorp. But then again, Rose is nearly 100 years old.


The new life that Rose is faced with is difficult for her to come to terms with. She suddenly realizes that she is still a teenager, faced with all of the troubles a typical teenager has to face. She has to attend high school and try to assimilate in to a new culture. Her childhood was spent moving from one school to another, so it’s hard for Rose to adjust. Bren and Otto—an “experiment” conducted by UniCorp that produced an alien like human being—are her only friends. Talking with Otto helps her sort out her thoughts, but it doesn’t provide peace. Additionally, her feelings for Bren complicate things.


It seems that adjusting to her new life is taking a relatively normal path until she is attacked by a walking human corpse-like robot assassin. Suddenly, Rose realizes that someone wants her dead. But who? She’s too young to take control of her dead parents’ company (and she doesn’t really have an interest in it anyway). Everyone that she’s ever known is dead… or are they? Will Rose be able to survive her new life, or will the assassin complete his mission?


My original impression of this book was that it would be some type of a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. There were plenty of hints to make me think that. A reviving kiss (ok, CPR), the lovely girl named Rose, etc. However, that is not the case. Instead, I got a great science-fiction read. Maybe the underlying hints of Sleeping Beauty were present, but that was the only resemblance. This book was certainly unique on its own. I’m afraid I’ll have to give some spoilers because it’s too hard to tell what I liked about this book without telling some of the (complicated) plot.


The first thing that made me like this book was the characters. There were so many unique characters in this book that added a lot to the story line. For instance, the protagonist, Rose, is very complicated. She starts off seeming like she’s completely helpless. She’s passive when she should be assertive, and she is always apologizing. She seems to be plagued by self-loathing. Rose was such a great character because she changed throughout the book. By the end of the story, she had accepted her fate. By coming to terms with her awful childhood and the present state of things, she seemed to grow stronger. It was a very strange coming of age moment that seemed to take nearly 100 years to reach. I also loved Xavier and Otto. As a young boy and teenager Xavier seemed to be Rose’s strength. He was always understanding and supportive when her family constantly stashed her off in stasis (a suspended sleep state). Their passionate first kiss was extra steamy. You could sense the passion between the two. I personally liked the fact that Xavier could see Rose’s parents for what they really were—“vampires.” Metaphorical vampires, that is—not the paranormal type. I enjoyed both characters so much that I felt both his and Rose’s pain when Rose had to break up with him. I felt like a little bit of myself was crushed with them. Some of the other characters are charming as well. Even though they are only mentioned briefly, the description of Bren’s family gave the impression of a family filled with love. I wish they would have had a stronger presence in the book. Finally, there is Otto—the alien-like boy with bluish skin and glowing yellow eyes. I couldn’t help but picture Nightcrawler from the X-Men when I read the description, minus the tail and weird hands. Otto seemed to be the only person in Rose’s group that truly accepted her from the beginning. He openly admitted that she was strange and frightening, but he also admitted that he was the same way. Even though they are complete opposites, they had a connection that wasn’t felt with the other characters. It seemed that Otto brought out the best in Rose and helped her to become the (new) person that she needed to be.


Another thing that was great about this book was the plot. It had its moments when it hopped around a bit—especially when it would go from present to past actions—but overall it was very well paced. The majority of the book was very fast paced. Aside from pacing, however, the content of the plot was what really stood out for me. I was haunted and deeply disturbed by the parents in this book. Although they were dead when the story began, they kept creeping up in Rose’s memories. I found myself getting infuriated with them at times. It seems they just put their child in stasis whenever she became an inconvenience to them. I couldn’t help but think about the parents in the world today that ignore their children unless they have some self-centered reason for giving them attention. You hear stories about this all the time. The parents in the book seemed the exact same way, except they were super rich. They paid off anyone that might bring attention to their actions in order to keep their perfect public image. How many times do we actually suspect that happening with the celebrities that flood the media? I felt so sorry for Rose. Her entire childhood was stolen from her because of someone else’s selfishness. Actually, her entire life was stolen from her. She lost sixty two years in stasis because of her parents!


I would certainly recommend this book. If you like science fiction you would probably enjoy this book. I don’t call myself a science fiction reader, but I really enjoyed this book. It has restored my hope in the genre. On a basic level it’s a good story with a fast paced plot and likeable characters. On a deeper level, however, it’s much more than that. I would love to read this with a group of students (or a class) and see what kind of discussions would come from it. The underlying layers are so deep.


Just for fun, this is how the book ends: “I dream that one day I’ll truly believe in my place in this world. I dream that I am strong. And I have three best friends who dream with me. My name is Rosalinda Samantha Fitzroy. I am one hundred years old. I am free. I am haunted. But if nothing else, I am wide awake.” LOVE IT!