A Long, Long Sleep

Mar 07, 2011 Kat Kennedy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, sci-fi-alicious

This ARC was provided to me by Candlewick Press for the express purpose of reviewing. I wasn't paid for this review.

Although, you know... if you WANT To pay me, guys, I wouldn't complain or anything...

money

Cause if someone doesn't start, I'm going to have to look at moving to California...

Anyway, my GR Super Friend Against Evil, Tatiana, reviewed this book and gave it two stars. Usually, Tatiana and I tend to agree on books so I wasn't expecting much.

And to be honest, if you're anticipating an action...more

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Jun 22, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mythic-and-fairy-tale-ish, young-adult, sci-fi-or-futuristic, read-2011, ebook-egalley, candlewick, 2011-publication, retellings

3.5 out of 5 stars It's rare that I spend so much time frustrated with a heroine and then have such a complete change of heart as the story progresses. I went through literally the first half of this book annoyed with Rosalinda Fitzroy, a sixteen-year-old girl who has just been awakened out of stasis sleep with a kiss. She doesn't really ask enough questions to find out what's been happening since she was last conscious. She falls in love far too easily. She narrates with too many exclamation po...more 3.5 out of 5 stars It's rare that I spend so much time frustrated with a heroine and then have such a complete change of heart as the story progresses. I went through literally the first half of this book annoyed with Rosalinda Fitzroy, a sixteen-year-old girl who has just been awakened out of stasis sleep with a kiss. She doesn't really ask enough questions to find out what's been happening since she was last conscious. She falls in love far too easily. She narrates with too many exclamation points. She says that "she's not really that smart." She says that again to someone else at a later date. Frankly, all in all she's kind of wimpy, and as such, she almost got categorized that way on my virtual GoodReads bookshelf.

But then I found out why she does all this. And the reason behind it is really, really sad.

The story also seems to take off at that point, as Rose discovers the terrible truth behind her chemically-induced slumber and realizes that she not only has to stay awake, but she also has to live. This futuristic retelling of Sleeping Beauty would, on the surface, seem like it would be just another boy-awakens-pretty-girl-slays-dragons-and-lives-happily-ever-after tale, but that's not the case. Instead, it's actually a very interesting science fiction story about a girl who finally finds out who she is and starts to figure out who she wants to be.

Along the way, Rose deals with a complications including Bren, the attractive boy who awakened her from her sleep; her grief over the loss of her dead parents and her long-lost boyfriend Xavier; her stalled attempts to study art; her memories of her childhood ally, Asa; and her friendship with an unusually appealing, lonely alien named Otto. There's also a really cool killing thing that is chasing her for unknown reasons, the details of which I won't spoil, but whose every appearance made me sit up and do a happy little wriggle in my seat. I also really enjoyed the cool stasis technology and the action sequences that show up towards the end, all of which were very well written and well thought out.

I do wish, however, that some of the dialogue wasn't so clunky in parts, that there was more showing and less telling, that some of the world-building was a little more complex, and that some of the names weren't quite so cutesy. (Unicorn Estates, really?) It would also help if it didn't take us quite so long to get to the point where we understood why Rose's character took the shape it did. However understandable the big picture, it's hard to feel sympathy in the moment for a character who decides to go away for two weeks and opens up a bag of dog food on its side for her pet, saying that she knows he'll be able to drink out of the toilet. All because she's depressed over a boy. Not cool, Rose! Not cool at all.

In the end, however, the story won me over with a very original concept, some really cool futuristic technology, some fairly bittersweet emotions later in the story, and best of all, the promise of a heroine who is just developing into a pretty interesting individual. The author pulled off a neat trick with her risky gamble in presenting the story the way she did, and I enjoyed the last half of the book enough to be curious about whatever she chooses to write next.

This review also appears in The Midnight Garden. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.(less)

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Feb 12, 2011 Tatiana rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those who thought "The Host" was actually a sci-fi novel and loved it

Recommended to Tatiana by: Vinaya

Shelves: 2011, ya, sci-fi

2.5 stars

Got excited for nothing:(

Do you remember The Host by Stephenie Meyer which was released with a tag line Science Fiction for those who don’t like Science Fiction (and I might add, written by a person who has no clue what science fiction is)? This tag line would suit A Long, Long Sleep just fine. (I guess the cover should have been a giveaway?)

Unfortunately, I happen to like sci-fi and have read a few sci-fi standouts recently. What Anna Sheehan offers as sci-fi elements in her novel just...more 2.5 stars

Got excited for nothing:(

Do you remember The Host by Stephenie Meyer which was released with a tag line Science Fiction for those who don’t like Science Fiction (and I might add, written by a person who has no clue what science fiction is)? This tag line would suit A Long, Long Sleep just fine. (I guess the cover should have been a giveaway?)

Unfortunately, I happen to like sci-fi and have read a few sci-fi standouts recently. What Anna Sheehan offers as sci-fi elements in her novel just doesn't cut it. You can't come up with 3 types of new gadgets (a bendy iPad, a cell phone that you carry around your neck and a flying car), point out there is a new futuristic slang that makes the speech of people of future un-understandable but again, consists of 3 phrases ("I comm," "that's sky," "noid"), add in one blue mutant who speaks telepathically and consider your futuristic setting complete. I have seen more world-building in Paolo Bacigalupi's or Ursula K. Le Guin's 15-page short stories than in this 350-page novel.

I won't totally dismiss this book however. I enjoyed the first 150 pages or so very much. The premise is neat. Rosalinda is awoken from her stasis sleep with a kiss (sort of). It turns out she's been under for the last 62 years. Everyone she loved is now dead. She is alone and surrounded by people she neither knows nor trusts. And she is a sole heir to a huge interplanetary company that, she later finds out, is involved in shady dealings with genetic experiments on people and alien organisms. Things get even more complicated when something is sent to assassinate Rose.

I was quite intrigued by this story in the beginning. I wanted to know more about Rose and why she had been asleep for so long, about what she would do about her company and who wanted her killed. But then instead of becoming a heart-stopping futuristic adventure tackling the problems of this new unfair futuristic world, the story started to sag under the weight of endless boring conversations, Rose's moping about, sappy reminiscing of the past weird(ish) love affair and slight obsessing over the new hunky crush. I lost interest very quickly and started skim-reading. There were still some interesting plot twists and turns in the end, but I was pretty much over it.

So, is it worth reading? Maybe, if what you are interested in is an YA chick lit novel with some soft sci-fi elements and have no strong attachment to the genre of science fiction.

I am sure sequels will follow.

P.S. I am guessing publishers are gearing up to flood YA market with crappy sci-fi in the next few months? Paranormal, zombies, dystopian, now sci-fi. What's next?(less)

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Sep 16, 2011 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, books-i-can-t-wait-to-read-in-2011, incredibly-stupid-choices, sci-fi, creepy-love-triangle, favorites, made-me-cry

Usually when I intend to review a book, I choose to wait a while, gather my thoughts, decide how I really feel and then start writing. Rose’s story was overwhelming and I need to review it right away or I'll never sleep again.
Somewhere around 70%, I fell in love with this book. Not that I didn’t like it before, I was pretty much drawn to the story from the very beginning, but that was when I decided that Anna Sheehan is a very, very good writer.

I think you all know the story by now. Rosalinda F...more Usually when I intend to review a book, I choose to wait a while, gather my thoughts, decide how I really feel and then start writing. Rose’s story was overwhelming and I need to review it right away or I'll never sleep again.
Somewhere around 70%, I fell in love with this book. Not that I didn’t like it before, I was pretty much drawn to the story from the very beginning, but that was when I decided that Anna Sheehan is a very, very good writer.

I think you all know the story by now. Rosalinda Fitzroy wakes up in a stasis tube in which her parents placed her 62 years ago. She is the sole surviving heiress to an interplanetary empire, a princess really, but that doesn't provide much comfort when everyone she ever knew, including her wonderful boyfriend Xavier, is dead. A few decades ago, during the Dark Times, the population was decimated by a plague indirectly caused by her father. The technology has advanced while she's been stassed, and everything else has moved forward as well, but Rose is still a just a frightened 16-year-old girl.

I’m sure hardcore sci-fi fans would find a million things wrong with Sheehan’s world, but I thought it was compelling and new. She gave us just enough information to provide a solid background and make everything function in a satisfactory way without including unnecessary details. She was able to focus on what I consider to be more important: her characters.

Rose is a very flawed character, especially at first. If you somehow manage to get past all the substantial but excusable character flaws, some of her actions will probably still drive you insane. Who leaves a dog alone for two weeks with an open bag of food “knowing that he can drink water from the toilet”? Most of her choices were maddening and she was infuriatingly selfish, but then she got close to Otto, a genetically engeneered, blue-skinned half alien, and my feelings for her changed. She obviously wasn’t too self-absorbed to recognize in him the need for understanding and acceptance and to give him that and more. In fact, all the problems I had with the first half of the book were successfully resolved in the second half. Instalove – properly explained. Rose’s self-deprecating attitude – justified.

At the risk of sounding prejudiced, I have to admit that the ending creeped me out a tiny bit. Up until the last few pages, I was pretty sure that my rating would be 4.5-stars, rounded up. But I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the way Sheehan decided to end some things, even though I should probably rise above my small-mindedness and accept it. It's probably me, not her. :D

I have a question for those of you who’ve read the story: am I the only one who kept picturing Arnold Schwarzenegger as Plastine?! He was very Terminator-like!

And finally, favorite quote, uttered by Otto in the middle of a very serious situation:
Thank every god ever invented.
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Feb 10, 2011 Vinaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley, books-i-loved, ya-sci-fi, comparative-5-stars, surprised-me, i-ll-stalk-you-til-you-read-it

Brava, Ms. Sheehan!

Remember how I keep moaning about the complete lack of quality in young adult literature these days? Remember how I'm scared the Twihards are going to wipe out every sign of feminism from our society? Remember how I'm scared I might one day wake up in hell, with Torment as the soundtrack?

Yeah, you can forget all about that now.

Anna Sheehan has restored my faith in debut YA authors. She has proven that you can write a brilliant, innovative, moving first book without a hint o...more

41 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2013 Keertana rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: why-the-hype

Rating: 2 Stars/DNF

Well...this was a disappointment. A Long, Long Sleep is a well-known novel, acclaimed by nearly every single one of my most trusted reviewers. Clearly, there is something wrong with me. Although Sheehan's debut has an original premises with a futuristic twist on the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, I unfortunately can't claim to be impressed. At all.

At first, it's difficult not to be enamored with this novel. It all starts with Rose waking up after six decades only to find that...more Rating: 2 Stars/DNF

Well...this was a disappointment. A Long, Long Sleep is a well-known novel, acclaimed by nearly every single one of my most trusted reviewers. Clearly, there is something wrong with me. Although Sheehan's debut has an original premises with a futuristic twist on the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, I unfortunately can't claim to be impressed. At all.

At first, it's difficult not to be enamored with this novel. It all starts with Rose waking up after six decades only to find that her parents and boyfriend have died, along with virtually everyone she knows, because of a great plague. Rose, who was "stassed" or kept alive in a chamber, must now face the futuristic realm she finds herself in, all while getting accustomed to the world of politics and intrigue she has simultaneously been thrown in.

While I loved the idea behind A Long, Long Sleep, I found its execution to be poor. Rose, for one, is a heroine I didn't feel much for. On one hand, I appreciate that she's physically weak from her ordeal and mentally confused, but she fails to make any attempts to improve her lifestyle. Furthermore, she seems fixated both on her first love, Xavier, and her new crush, Bren, who really isn't all that great as a hunk. In fact, the only secondary characters I liked were Otto, an alien, and, ironically enough, the villain who wants to prevent Rose from owning the large corporation her parents built when she comes of age.

A Long, Long Sleep also falls flat in the world-building department. Thankfully, it is present, but since it's told in large chunks, it disrupts the flow of the story and can drag. Moreover, the corporate political path that this book seems to take in the beginning is utterly abandoned in favor of a typical high-school love story. Even more unfortunate is the fact that there is virtually no difference between the futuristic society Rose wakes up in and the one she went to sleep in. I appreciate that Sheehan took pains to distinguish modern phrases, but either than a few technology shifts, not much has happened in six decades.

Granted, I abandoned this book in an interested spot, directly half-way through the narration. Yet, I think it says a lot about a novel that I had no qualms setting it down right as it explained a major plot twist. Even more than a lackluster plot line and execution, this novel failed to make me establish any connections with its cast. All in all, A Long, Long Sleep is just another one of those hyped up novels. Perhaps if I had gone into it without expecting something much greater, I would have been more satisfied. As it stands, I don't plan to re-visit this novel - or its author - again.

You can read this review" and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.(less)

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Mar 01, 2012 Dichotomy Girl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, sci-fi, recommend-to-mom, favorites-2012, library-ebook, rereads, 2013

Loved it!

It surprised the heck outta me.

The first 50 or so pages seemed just entertaining, but not necessarily anything special. And then suddenly there was sympathy and depth and layers and I accidentally-on-purpose took an extra long lunch, because I couldn't stand to NOT finish it.

I am so eager to see what happens next. Not only the further development of Rose, but of the other characters. (I so want to be friends with Otto, he would so get me.) There is no sign of a sequel listed on Goodrea...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Stephanie (The Night Bookmobile) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, best-of-ya, reviewed

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. (view spoiler)...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, netgalley-or-first-reads, family-drama, i-cried, science-fiction, romance

I will warn anyone interested right now that I love and dislike this book in fairly equal measure. I began fearful that the book would not surpass a 2 star rating but the story did improve. I will also point out that this book is an anomaly as it is the only one on my i-cried shelf which I have not rated 5 stars. I tend to love books that can wring intense emotion from me and though this book did so, my issues with other parts of the book are too many and severe to ignore or warrant 5 stars.

I pr...more I will warn anyone interested right now that I love and dislike this book in fairly equal measure. I began fearful that the book would not surpass a 2 star rating but the story did improve. I will also point out that this book is an anomaly as it is the only one on my i-cried shelf which I have not rated 5 stars. I tend to love books that can wring intense emotion from me and though this book did so, my issues with other parts of the book are too many and severe to ignore or warrant 5 stars.

I prefer to get the negatives out of the way. First and foremost, I barely consider this science fiction. I do not feel comfortable including it on my sci-fi shelf but I have, barely. The author made some poor choices in world building, at least as far as the world building exists. The slang used by the characters is incredibly forced, did nothing but annoy me, and was too sparse. There were three words. That's it. Second, for a book to have a futuristic feel, an author should not constantly refer to pieces of history, literature, styles, or anything that reminds the reader of their current time or recent past. This story felt as though it were set in our very near future, say 20 years from now, but I think the author wanted the reader to feel as though a great deal of Earth's time had past. Third, I did not like the protagonist throughout the majority of the book. She fell flat with me and I found many of her actions and thoughts difficult to believe or understand. This would normaly completely kill any hope of me enjoying a book but I felt better about Rose towards the end and I did like her interactions with some of the other characters, particularly Otto. Yet even those conversations were nearly too young-adult for me, as in filled with overly simple dialogue and idealistic comments.

I think some positives are due now. First, I love that the author used the story of Briar Rose, or Sleeping Beauty, as groundwork for her own story. I know this has been done before but it worked well with the whole idea of stasis and what Rose went through. Second, though I did not particularly like Rose, I felt immense sympathy for her. This is the part which made me cry. What happens to her and what she discovers toward the end of the book were heartbreaking. I obviously knew something would happen but I did not quite expect it. Third, there was little action yet the action scenes present were well written and adrenaline inducing.

So, the ending was wrapped a little too nicely but there is no cliffhanger. This book can be read as a stand alone but I am guessing that the author plans on continuing the series. I recommend this for people who do not like sci-fi (since this is not sci-fi in the true sense of the word), people who like easy to read and sad young adult fiction, and, I guess, mainly young adults. The book will probably do well in that demographic and I am happy for that.

I am thankful to the publishers of this book for lending me a copy through NetGalley. I do hope Sheehan continues with another book, making this one the start of a series I would like to read more of. (less)

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Mar 23, 2011 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: age-ya, arcs, 2011, dystopia, sci-fi, fairytales

I read this ARC via NetGalley.

In this sci-fi take on Sleeping Beauty, Rose is the daughter of rich corporate CEOs, and has just been awoken from her stasis tube by a kiss. The "prince" is Bren, who is fairly shocked and freaked out when Rose awakens... especially after she tells him her name. Turns out Rose has been in stasis for 62 years. Her parents and boyfriend are long gone, and since her parents never left a will, their company, UniCorp, has suddenly returned to her ownership.

As Rose tries...more I read this ARC via NetGalley.

In this sci-fi take on Sleeping Beauty, Rose is the daughter of rich corporate CEOs, and has just been awoken from her stasis tube by a kiss. The "prince" is Bren, who is fairly shocked and freaked out when Rose awakens... especially after she tells him her name. Turns out Rose has been in stasis for 62 years. Her parents and boyfriend are long gone, and since her parents never left a will, their company, UniCorp, has suddenly returned to her ownership.

As Rose tries to understand the world as it is now, after a plague wiped out most of the earth's population only a few years after she was put into stasis, some disturbing facts come to her attention. One - the frequency with which her parents put her into stasis was not normal. Two - she may be 16, but she's actually over 100 years old. And three - someone is trying to kill her.

I blew through this book so fast. Rose was a fascinating character, with her memory gaps from stasis and her relationship with Xavier. She was 6 years old when he was born, but because of her frequent "stassing", by the time they reached adolescence they were the same age. Otto, an alien science experiment, was another interesting character (although the blue skin made me instantly think of "Avatar"). It was a thrilling ride to get to the bottom of this mystery, and the connections to Sleeping Beauty were well done.

Rose's 62-year disappearance made learning about this futuristic world easy. The futuristic slang sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. I hated when the character used "comm" instead of "know" or "comprehend" (I'm guessing that's the origin word), but I loved the use of the word "coit" instead of... a certain four-letter word (origin word is probably "coitus"). Unless you actually count "coit" as a swear, this was a clean read. Rose's attitude for most of the novel is very child-like and innocent. The end was a bit disturbing with the age differences going on, but at least the characters also felt uncomfortable about it, so it wasn't TOO creepy.

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Apr 06, 2011 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 19-arc-ebook

This was surprisingly good!

I’m not big on Science-Fiction. I have read and watched my share of Science-Fiction books and movies but I don’t really know all that much about this particular genre and as long as I can somewhat relate to the fictive world I am presented with and don’t think it’s utterly stupid, I am happy. This is Science-Fiction, right? Not dystopian? Sorry, I am a little fuzzy on the difference between the two.
In the present case I thought that the post-apocalyptic world wasn’t ve...more This was surprisingly good!

I’m not big on Science-Fiction. I have read and watched my share of Science-Fiction books and movies but I don’t really know all that much about this particular genre and as long as I can somewhat relate to the fictive world I am presented with and don’t think it’s utterly stupid, I am happy. This is Science-Fiction, right? Not dystopian? Sorry, I am a little fuzzy on the difference between the two.
In the present case I thought that the post-apocalyptic world wasn’t very well elaborated. I mean, there was mention of a few other planets in our solar system which are inhabited by humans, some fancy new gadgets like the limoskiffs, some life forms that are a cross between human and alien DNA but that was about it. Sheehan only gave us a rough outline, just some key points so that the reader would be aware of the fact that the story’s set in the future but other than that there weren’t many futuristic elements and the existing ones weren’t really elaborated on any further. I don’t know if I’m expressing myself properly here...I’m just trying to say that I felt like the world the story’s set in wasn’t really that well explained and didn't really feel any different from the world we are living in right now. For some people that might be no problem at all and others might be bothered by it. Luckily, I belong to the former.

What I really liked about this one was the romance. After I had read the blurb I kind of expected the story to go like this: Boy (who is an absolute hottie of course) awakens girl with a kiss, they feel an instant connection and after some back and forth they declare their undying love for each other and yada yada yada but to my surprise it didn’t go like that at all. (view spoiler)

The flashbacks nearly broke my heart and made the story really special to me. It doesn’t happen too often but in this case I actually had to put the book away every now and then because the dramatic of Xavier’s and Rose’s love story caused me physical pain.

I also thought the plot was pretty complex, it kept me entertained and curious and there were some pretty good twist and turns which left me with my mouth hanging open. I just love that. I love it when a story shocks me like that.

I especially loved the last third of the book because it held the biggest shockers and I thought the ending was perfect. Not a happy-pappy-oh-everything’s-so-great-now-ending and not a cliffhanger either. Just a suitable ending for this story.

Very well done!

Thanks to Candlewick Press and netGalley for providing me with this ARC.(less)

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Dec 28, 2011 Alona rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, sci-fi, e-book, 2011

Original review posted at Off The Wall

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

By reading the line above anyone would think that A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan is a modern-day adaptation of Sleeping Beauty—but it’s not. Not one bit. Who would have thought that this is YA Sci-Fi? Look at the book cover and title. Now tell me if you get the Sci-Fi feel.

No? I agree. It’s like a remake of a classic fairytale. And it’s not just the cover; the synopsis is...more

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Mar 19, 2013 TheBookSmugglers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-favorites, apocalypse-dystopia-keepers

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/08/b...

Rosalinda Fitzroy is the daughter of the most powerful parents in the world. Her mother, a beauty and high society darling, and her father, the CEO of international conglomerate UniCorp, both adore and dote on their obedient, darling little princess. So, when Rose finds herself being awakened by a boy (via mouth to mouth resuscitation, hardly a real Prince Charming kiss), not her usual motherly wakeup with a champ...more Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers: http://thebooksmugglers.com/2011/08/b...

Rosalinda Fitzroy is the daughter of the most powerful parents in the world. Her mother, a beauty and high society darling, and her father, the CEO of international conglomerate UniCorp, both adore and dote on their obedient, darling little princess. So, when Rose finds herself being awakened by a boy (via mouth to mouth resuscitation, hardly a real Prince Charming kiss), not her usual motherly wakeup with a champagne luncheon, she is terrified and disoriented. Rose learns that she has been in stasis for sixty-four years, and during her long sleep the world has ended and been reborn again. Everyone that Rose has ever known is dead, including her parents and her boyfriend, Xavier. Thrust into a world in which she is an utter outcast, though she is an heiress to an immense fortune (much to the frustration of UniCorp executives and stakeholders), Rose is a stranger in a strange land. Her peers at school avoid her and treat her like a ghost – all except Bren, the boy who found Rose to begin with, and Otto, an alien-human Unicorp genetic experiment who is even more of an outsider than Rose. As Rose struggles to assimilate to her new surroundings, memories and long-dormant, half-forgotten truths begin to surface. Someone is out to hurt her, and she must be able to come to terms with her dark, troubled past in order to survive.

At first glance, A Long Long Sleep seems, and sounds, vaguely familiar. Certainly there are similarities to a slew of soft, so-called SF titles on the young adult market – Beth Revis’s underwhelming Across the Universe immediately comes to mind. BUT A Long Long Sleep has what these other novels do not; namely, characters, patience, and heart. To put it simply: A Long Long Sleep broke my heart. I am not an emotional person, dear readers, so it is a huge thing when I feel truly moved by a book on an emotional level. I loved this book with its myriad complications, messy human emotions, and fragile relationships cast asunder by the ravages of time. Ms. Sheehan’s debut is haunting, fraught with sadness and loss. This book is so very powerful. I will say it again, because sometimes the simplest statement sums up everything:

I loved this book.

For all that it is billed as a Dystopian, post-Apocalyptic novel with a scifi bend, A Long Long Sleep is a character-centric novel. It’s a study of a girl that has been abandoned and left to sleep while the world has been ravaged by war and death, and then reshaped without her. It’s the story of this same girl, who is 100 but has the body and mind of a sixteen year old, who seems passive and bland and immature, but in reality has layers upon layers of hidden depth. It’s the story of this deceptively simple, naive-seeming character, whose complexity is revealed over the course of her narrative, resonating with the power of raw grief, anger, and passion, bottled up over the course of decades in prolonged, chemical slumber.

You see, there’s something wrong with Rose; there’s something about her past that we don’t know right off the bat but suspect from the outset of the novel. This something develops slowly, menacingly over the course of the book, and when we finally learn the truth it’s all the more devastating. It’s devastating because for all that this is a novel set in the future, it’s also a book about relationships and love, about power and abuse and the dark far-ranging damage it can wreak on a child’s psyche. Rose may start the book as a passive, frightened girl, but she grows so much over the course of the novel as she awakens from her protective cocoon of disengagement and becomes the strong young woman she truly is. Rose’s character arc is so very cathartic, and I loved every bit of this thorny, artistic heroine with a troubled past.

What’s even more impressive about this novel, however, is that this depth and nuance of character applies not just to Rose, but to others. The boy that awakens Rose, Bren, has his own depth and realism as a teenage boy and is likeable enough, but the characters that stole my heart were Otto and Xavier. Xavier, Rose’s lost love from her life before being stassed for over sixty-years, and the memories/flashbacks of the strange but loving relationship are haunting and beautiful in equal measure, as their history is immensely revelatory and so very heartbreaking. Not a day goes by that Rose does not think of Xavier and not a day goes by that she does not draw his face in her art. And then, in the present, there’s Otto – the alien-human boy, created by the same corporation that Rose has become heiress to, who cannot speak but can read minds through touch. I loved the relationship that unfolds between Otto and Rose, as outcasts that find comfort in each other. There were so many unexpected turns to this and other relationships, from Rose’s past to her future, with her family and with who she loves.

At its core, this is what A Long Long Sleep is really about: love. Not just romantic love, but all different kinds of love. The love between a parent and child; the kind of selfish love that can be twisted into something ugly and abusive; the rosy glow of first love; the kind of love borne of complete understanding and friendship; and, most importantly of all, the love of oneself.

I know my plain words aren’t enough to do this beautiful book justice, but what I can say is this: I implore each and every person to read this emotionally wrenching, bittersweet journey of a novel. A Long Long Sleep is easily one of the best books I have read in 2011, and I look forward to much more from this promising new author.(less)

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Jun 21, 2011 Gabrielle Carolina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-debut-authors, bir11

Possibly the best book I have read in 2011.

Combing the best parts of The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson and Across the Universe by Beth Revis, A Long, Long Sleep touched my heart with it's raw imagery, the character's pain and struggle, and the beautiful symbolism used to connect all of Sheehan's dots.

I love this book, I hope you will, as well.

Long Review TK.

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Apr 18, 2013 Princess Debz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairy-tales, dystopia, retelling, young-adult, read-in-2013

A Long, Long Sleep puts a futuristic spin on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty and the result was a beautifully deep story that will stay in my mind for a long time.

I went into this almost completely blind. I knew it was a sci-fi Sleeping Beauty and that’s about it. Turns out that was horribly inaccurate. It takes place in the future, where technology has advanced, but it’s not really sci-fi. It’s about a girl who wakes up from a prolonged sleep, but it’s not really Sleeping Beauty. More than...more A Long, Long Sleep puts a futuristic spin on the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty and the result was a beautifully deep story that will stay in my mind for a long time.

I went into this almost completely blind. I knew it was a sci-fi Sleeping Beauty and that’s about it. Turns out that was horribly inaccurate. It takes place in the future, where technology has advanced, but it’s not really sci-fi. It’s about a girl who wakes up from a prolonged sleep, but it’s not really Sleeping Beauty. More than anything it’s a story about human relationships. A girl who has spent a lifetime sleeping needs to figure out who she is, and still needs to sort out her relationships with people who had long since passed. It makes you think about different types of relationships and what a healthy relationship is.

Rose was a character that I wasn’t sure about initially. She’s been out of the loop for 60 years, and didn’t really leave her past on a good note. She’s confused, but adapts well. She’s forced into new circumstances with new people, and isn’t sure exactly what’s going on and who to trust, only that everything might not be what it seems. Luckily she’s smart, and has a strong head on her shoulders. There were times when she came across as a bit whiny, but in the end I liked her a lot.

It was interesting to see her life from the past, especially her relationships with her parents and Xavier. They both turned out to be a lot more complicated than they initially appear. Rose’s parents had her trapped in an abusive, manipulative relationship, and had brainwashed her in ways that had me almost agreeing with them, which just goes to show how excellently this was written. I did have some issues with Rose’s relationship with Xavier that I can’t discuss in lieu of spoilers, but those who’ve read it will probably understand (and if I think about it, the big issue I had was a direct result of her abusive relationship with her parents). But all that aside, I liked him a lot as a person and a friend.

I really enjoyed the ending to the story, where things were left open enough for readers to imagine what could happen next, but with enough closure that it would do well as a standalone. I’ve heard rumors of a sequel, but I hope that doesn’t happen.

As I read this during Fairy Tale Fortnight while reading three other Sleeping Beauty retellings simultaneously, I found myself searching for elements of Sleeping Beauty, but I struggled to find any beyond her initial waking up to CPR with an attractive boy, and the occasional reference to her being a “Sleeping Beauty”, so that part was disappointing.

All in all I was deeply satisfied with this beautiful, thought-provoking story.(less)

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Jan 15, 2013 Kat (Le Pauvre Cœur) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: f-cking-brilliant, fangirling

If Anna Sheehan doesn't make a sequel to this, I swear, I will hunt her down and MAKE HER.

description

P.S.

<3 <3 <3 <3 I LOVE OTTO! <3 <3 <3 <3

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Jul 25, 2012 Lilian Cheng rated it 5 of 5 stars

Okay, NOW I see why this was on a blog’s Top Books of 2011 list. In many ways, THIS was the YA novel I have been waiting to read. I don’t mean I was awaiting its release or anything, but I have been waiting for that book that had a deeper message aside from “I love you, and you love me, we are only 15, but we love each other for all eternity.” A Long, Long Sleep is the book that encompasses all the wonderful things in YA literature and fuses them into so much more. It is a book that leaves you p...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Catie Taylor rated it 4 of 5 stars

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...more 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.

For more reviews check out my blog! http://catiesmoviesinmyhead.blogspot....(less)

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Mar 15, 2012 Tammie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, ya, sci-fi

When I'm not sure about a book and there is a cheap Kindle version I will sometimes buy it and read it on my ipod instead of spending the money on the real book. That's what I did with this book, and now that I've read it I want to have a real copy of it on my bookshelf.

So as I said, when I first saw this book I honestly wasn't sure I would even like it. As I started reading it I thought, "Cool, it's Sleeping Beauty meets Terminator (There is a cyborg trying to kill her)." But as I got even fur...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-love, reviewed, 2012-picks

4.5 Stars, actually.

Do you want to know why I really liked this book? Our heroine. Rose is annoyingly passive for a good portion of the book, but guess what? She grows as a character! There is still character development in YA! This entire book is all about taking charge of your own life. It's about not running away from your problems and learning to trust yourself and others. I loved A Long, Long Sleep because of that.

But the book itself is also really good. This is a good way of retelling Slee...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Nimue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, romance, science-fiction, 2011

I won an ARC of this book on Goodreads. This is one of few times I really wanted to have the book and luckily I got it. I'm sure it also helped that the giveaway was only open for 5 days and only in the UK. So it was me against 250 people :)
In a long, long sleep we read the story of 15 year old Rosalinda, Rose, which slept for 62 years in a stasis tube and is accidentally awaken bei Bren. As it turns out Rose is the heir to an huge intergalactic company. Everyone she knew is dead and Rose, still...more I won an ARC of this book on Goodreads. This is one of few times I really wanted to have the book and luckily I got it. I'm sure it also helped that the giveaway was only open for 5 days and only in the UK. So it was me against 250 people :)
In a long, long sleep we read the story of 15 year old Rosalinda, Rose, which slept for 62 years in a stasis tube and is accidentally awaken bei Bren. As it turns out Rose is the heir to an huge intergalactic company. Everyone she knew is dead and Rose, still sick with stasis fatigue, has to start a new life in a strange world. Except for Bren she doesn't know anyone and none of the other students wants to get to know her. When her life threatened by a unknown killer Rose has to decide if she wants to fight or give up.

I read some very mixed reviews before I started the book. I definitely wanted to give the story a fair chance. And I wasn't disappointed. An amazing story.
The story starts with Rose, which is sleeping since 62 years and is wakend up by Bren. After hearing her name Bren freaks out and Rose faints. In the hospital we get to lern that Rose is the lone heiress to an huge company and know one knew that she is still alive. It is quite a shock for Rose to learn that instead of sleeping for a short time she was gone for sic decades. She realises that everyone she knew is dead. Understandably she is sad and withdrawn. The CEO of her company takes responsibility for her and sets her up with foster parents. At this part of the story it became obvious that Rose is very passive and shows little interest in her future. Whatever someone else decides is fine with her, even if she internally disagrees. She never expresses any desires or preferences. I really wanted to kick her butt. How can you not ask about anything? She starts going to school and her schedule is arranged by the CEO without any concern about her abilities. She only knows Bren, who introduces her to his circle of friends. And though her position is above all of them she feels inadequate and hardly says a word. She doesn't have any self-esteem and after a while this really bothered me. But then bit by bit we get to know more about her old life and her only friend and later boyfriend Xavier. She does miss her parents but what really makes her miserable is the loss of Xavier, who always supported her.
Rose is a talented painter. She also uses her paintings and drawings to sort her thoughts and feelings. But as always she doesn't think she is talented and doesn't mention her hobby to anyone. Then she makes an unexpected friend and starts to open up. She realises that she is worth something and starts to questioning her past. As it turns out Rose has plenty of character but is afraid of opposing anybody.
The more you read the more obvious it becomes that Rose is the victim of abuse. I think half of the time I read this book tears were running down my cheeks. This book is massively sad but at the same time hopeful as Rose overcomes her fears.
This books starts with the classical fairy tale beginning of a kiss. But it's neither fairy tale nor dystopia. There is a bit of science-fiction as the world is set int he future and there is plenty of fancy technology but nothing is well explained. We don't know a lot about regimes or other planets...
There is some romance going on but it isn't the main focus of the storyline. There are a few surprising events which kept me on the hook. Especially the end is captivating and very fast paced in contrast to the slow pace before.
The only thing which annoyed me occasionally was the language. I know that the book is set in the future. But nevertheless I should be able to understand what the characters are saying.
Overall a very, very good book. I read it through during one evening. But don't start it when you feel depressed or sad because there is a 100% crying guaranty(less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Kirsty (overflowing library) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review-books

A Long, Long Sleep is one of those books that I hadn't heard all that much about before I was offered it for review so I went into it not quite knowing what to expect apart from loving the cover and deciding the premise was interesting enough for me to agree to review it. Little did I know how wonderful it was going to be.

To start with for me A Long, Long Sleep was very much like Across the Universe. A girl who had been woken up in the future without any familiar surroundings or family to speak...more A Long, Long Sleep is one of those books that I hadn't heard all that much about before I was offered it for review so I went into it not quite knowing what to expect apart from loving the cover and deciding the premise was interesting enough for me to agree to review it. Little did I know how wonderful it was going to be.

To start with for me A Long, Long Sleep was very much like Across the Universe. A girl who had been woken up in the future without any familiar surroundings or family to speak of. She is lost and confused and doesn't quite know where she fits in. I was a little worried at this point that the book was going to be a complete imitation but it wasn't as once you get past those first few chpaters it does it own thing completely.

The first section of the book introduced Rose to the new world that she is in and like her you are a little disorientated with the slang and getting to know everyone and you get this good sense of how difficult it would have been for a girl to be worken up 60+ years into her future. I thought the scenes in the History classes were particularly poignant as Rose learns about The Dark Ages and the conditions all the people she knew must have lived through

The one thing I really loved about this book is the relationships Rose builds up with her new friends Bren and Otto and I love the contrast between the two relationships and what it says about how society judges people by their appearences.

The story itself is very interesting and pacy. I loved following Rose as she tried to adapt to living in the new world she has found herself in and loved how she tried to just take herself away from it in the hope that everything woul magically get better. The parts where she is being hunted done by the very menacing Plastine is quite harrowing at times and leaves you not quite trusting anyone in quite the same way as Rose doesn't feel she can trust anyone.

The final section of the book where all the different revelations are made concerning all the different things the book has built up as it has gone along is awesome. I couldn't put the book down as the ideas and revelations were often quite jaw-dropping.

All in all a satisfying book within itself which is fast paced and thoughtful with awesome characters and briliant plot twists. While it does come to a satisfying ending I really hope that this book is a start of an epic series because there is so much that could be done next in Rose's world. (less)

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Aug 10, 2011 Michelle added it

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? Ho...more 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!(less)

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May 06, 2013 Young Mensans rated it 3 of 5 stars

A Long Long Sleep is about a 16-year-old girl who is woken by a kiss after 62 years of an induced sleep. Rose awakes to find her world completely different. Everyone she knew is now dead including her parents and the love of her life. She is a survivor of the Dark Times, an era of great death and destruction in the universe. Soon after she is discovered, it is realized that she is the sole heir of her parents galactic empire, Unicorp. Rose faces the challenge of acclimating to a new school, new...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Alice in Readerland rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally posted on Alice in Readerland: Imagine the story of Sleeping Beauty set in the future with some Doctor Who-like elements. Now imagine that nobody woke the Sleeping Beauty up for sixty-two years, and you’ve got the core idea for A Long, Long Sleep. This SciFi book deals with what happened after Sleeping Beauty woke up; and it wasn’t exactly happily ever after for her. Rose is sixteen (technically) and her whole world has changed. She doesn’t understand the new slang or the futuristic i...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another dystopian novel...is it just me, or is everyone trying to create the next Hunger Games??

In A Long, Long Sleep, the main character Rosalinda is awaken out of "stasis" (remember the movie Forever Young with Mel Gibson? That time-capsule tube? Kinda like that) to discover she's been asleep for 60 years, everyone she loved or knew is pretty much dead, and the world is no longer what she's used to.

Rose is placed with guardians - who don't care about her at all, they seem more interested in co...more

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Feb 12, 2013 heidi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, ebook, romance, wiscon, ya

How did I miss this book when it came out? I am now sad about the 18 months that I could have been loving this book and wasn't.

Briefly, it's a post-dystopic YA spin on the Sleeping Beauty story. It takes all the problematic passivity of the original, mixes it with some horrifying gaslighting, high school, a lost love, and a really amazing amount of growth in a main character, and produces a book I will enthusiastically recommend to almost everyone.

I... really have no complaints about this book....more

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Jan 28, 2013 Felita rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-romance, ada-kejutan-di-cerita, young-adult

WOW

5 Bintang utk cerita ini!

biasanya cerita 1 buku ga pernah kurating tinggi. alasannya simpel. alur cerita yang kurang. aq selalu b'asumsi bhw cerita 1 buku tanpa lanjutannya pasti kurang memuaskan.

tapi tidak utk cerita ini.

Rose terbangun dari tidur stasenya setelah 62 tahun. Rose tadinya mengira dia akan melihat orang tuanya dan Xavier, alih-alih dia dibangunkan cowok asing dan kenyataan bahwa zaman/eranya telah berganti.

Siapa ga syok dg zaman baru, dg orang2 baru dan menyadari dirinya terdamp...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Kimberly C rated it 5 of 5 stars

A Long, Long Sleep, by Anna Sheehan, is a suspenseful novel about a girl named Rose who was woken from hers Stass medical tube after 60 years of sleeping by a handsome fellow named Bren. As she tries to get used to the new way of living, she realizes that there is a problem much bigger than trying to fit in. Rose spends her moments after waking learning the new ways of life, mourning over her lost family and boyfriend, and running away from a dangerous threat whose only goal is to terminate Rosa...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Während ich schlief" von Anna Sheehan ist ein Roman mit Science-Fiction-Elementen, für Jugendliche wie für Erwachsene gleichermaßen geeignet, der mich sehr beeindruckt hat.

Inhalt: Als Rose aus ihrem künstlichen Schlaf erwacht, ist niemand mehr da, den sie einst kannte. 62 Jahre sind vergangen, ihre reichen Eltern sind tot, ihren langjährigen Freund Xander, der kurz vor ihrem Schlaf zu ihrer ersten großen Liebe wurde, ist unauffindbar und anstatt in ihrem Zimmer steht die Kammer, in der sie sch...more "Während ich schlief" von Anna Sheehan ist ein Roman mit Science-Fiction-Elementen, für Jugendliche wie für Erwachsene gleichermaßen geeignet, der mich sehr beeindruckt hat.

Inhalt: Als Rose aus ihrem künstlichen Schlaf erwacht, ist niemand mehr da, den sie einst kannte. 62 Jahre sind vergangen, ihre reichen Eltern sind tot, ihren langjährigen Freund Xander, der kurz vor ihrem Schlaf zu ihrer ersten großen Liebe wurde, ist unauffindbar und anstatt in ihrem Zimmer steht die Kammer, in der sie schlief, im Keller ihres alten Wohnhauses. Vor ihr steht ein fremder Junge namens Bren. Die plötzliche Rückkehr der Fitzroy-Tochter für einigen Wirbel, denn sie ist die Erbin eines Megakonzerns und, während Rose versucht sich in der veränderten Welt zurecht zu finden, trachtet ihr bereits jemand nach dem Leben...

In einem Interview habe ich gelesen, dass die Autorin von dem Märchen "Dornröschen" zu "Während ich schlief" inspiriert wurde. Das Buch beginnt dort, wo das Märchen eigentlich schon endet. Rose erwacht durch einen Kuss aus ihrem Schlaf und plötzlich hat sich die ganze Welt verändert. Für Rose fühlt es sich, abgesehen von einer schwerwiegenden körperlichen Erschöpfung, an, als wäre kein Tag vergangen, seit sie von ihren Eltern in die Stasis, den künstlichen Schlaf versetzt wurde, doch in Wirklichkeit hat sie 62 Jahre lang keiner aufgeweckt. Das allein ist schon eine beängstigende Vorstellung und die Art, wie die Autorin dies anhand des Schicksals ihrer jungen Ich-Erzählerin umsetzt, ist in meinen Augen einzigartig und sehr berührend.

Rose ist kein Charakter, den man sofort verstehen kann. Durch den langen Schlaf ist sie geschwächt und insgesamt ein sehr trauriger, aber auch sehr stiller Charakter. In ihrer Einsamkeit versucht sie Halt bei Bren zu finden, der aber wenig Interesse an ihr zeigt. Stattdessen klammert sie sich an ihre Vergangenheit und ihre große Liebe Xander, den sie nicht aus dem Kopf bekommt. Nach und nach wird in "Während ich schlief" aus Rose' Kindheit und Jugend erzählt und neben einer sehr bezaubernden Liebesgeschichte zwischen Rose und Xander kommt dabei auch häppchenweise das gesamte unvorstellbare Ausmaß von Rose' Schicksal ans Licht, das mich sehr berührt und während des Lesen oft frustriert, wütend und traurig gemacht hat. Rose' Charakter ist im Gesamtbild sehr schlüssig und macht das Buch zusammen mit dem Tiefgang und der sehr gelungenen Handlungsführung, die den Leser immer wieder vor neue Überraschungen stellt, zu einem echten Juwel.

Action steht zwar nicht im Vordergrund dieser emotionalen Geschichte, kommt aber nicht zu kurz, denn ein Roboter, aus dessen Sicht einige Kapitel geschrieben wurden, verfolgt Rose mit dem Auftrag, sie zu töten. Diese kurzen Zwischenkapitel aus einer anderen Perspektive sind eine weitere große Stärke des Romans. Die Spannung ist hier fast greifbar und verursacht Gänsehaut.
Insgesamt darf natürlich auch der sehr harmonisch wirkende und perfekt an die Ich-Erzählerin angepasste Schreibstil der Autorin, der Rose' Schicksal für den Leser zu einer erlebenswerten Reise mit greifbarer, emotionaler Stimmung und fesselnder Spannung macht, nicht unerwähnt bleiben. Auch facettenreiche Nebencharaktere, unter denen besonders Rose' Mitschüler Otto, das Ergebnis einer experimentellen Kreuzung von menschlicher und außerirdischer DNA, heraussticht, werten das Buch zusätzlich auf.

Fazit: Für mich ein nahezu perfektes Buch, das durch seine Ich-Erzählerin, die auf eine sehr greifbare, ehrlich wirkende Weise durch eine tiefe Traurigkeit besticht, auch mit wenig Action einen an fesselnder Spannung kaum zu überbietenden Handlungsverlauf aufbaut und eine sehr durchdachte Welt präsentiert. Ich konnte es nicht aus der Hand legen. Eine Fortsetzung zu diesem wunderbaren Roman soll in Arbeit sein, er funktioniert allerdings auch sehr gut als Einzelband, obwohl ich wirklich nur zu gerne mehr von diesen ausgereiften, interessanten Charakteren gelesen hätte.
Ohne jede Diskussion bekommt "Während ich schlief" von mir 5 Sterne.(less)

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Otto	8	58	May 12, 2012 04:43pm
Who is Xavier? (SPOILER)	17	48	Apr 23, 2012 05:23am

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