A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
Release Date: August 9, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352
Format: Advance reader copy
Source: BEA
Interest: Debut
Challenge: 2011 Debut Author Challenge
Buy the Book: Amazon
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.
I'm utterly heartbroken. I loved this book.
A Long, Long Sleep wasn't at all what I expected... it was much more. It was a powerful story, one that I didn't anticipate to affect me so.
When I began reading I was automatically reminded of Across the Universe by Beth Revis... however, now that I've read the entire story, these two books are nothing alike, with the only similarity being a character that wakes up in a stasis tube in the midst of a whole new world.
I'm not sure how to label A Long, Long Sleep, and I've heard it described in many ways. Sci-fi, dystopian... but neither of those genres depict this story accurately. It's a story about love... but not necessarily a 'love story.' Perhaps I should call it unputdownable, because I stayed up late into the early hours of the morning to finish this one, and the overcast day today matches my mood perfectly. I'm still in morning for everything that was stolen from Rose.
But the story wasn't the only thing that was riveting. I was enraptured by these characters... especially Rose & Otto. Two outsiders who find comfort in each other. And Xavier... oh Xavier.
One of my favorites of 2011. I can't wait to see what Sheehan has for us next!