Book-It 'o14! Book #49
The Fifty Books Challenge, year five! ( 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013) This was a library request.
Title: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
Details: Copyright 2011, Candlewick Press
Synopsis (By Way of Front Flap):
"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"
Why I Wanted to Read It: I'll be honest, I don't remember requesting this book. I thought it might've been requested by accident until I remembered my stint of "redone" fairytales. Although this book is intended for young adults, a good book is a good book (or isn't). I freely admit to prejudice against anything that isn't comical set in the future. They tend to age terribly and be unintentionally hilarious. I have good reason for this.
However, I have also read books that contradict that prejudice.
How I Liked It: The book has a promising start and compelling cast of characters. Although it's hard to tell how this will age, given the book is only three years old, there aren't a great many annoying signifiers, at least that I spotted right away (and keeping in mind that this is written for a young adult audience).
The story stays compelling, arranging new challenges and new allies around the protagonist while a big reveal (and a huge build up) is suggested for the end of the book.
The book jumbles and rushes its final third to a finish that isn't as satisfying as it should be and feels a bit slapdash, as though the author was so quick for us to get there, she didn't quite work out all the kinks.
But the getting there is a worthy and entertaining trip.
Title: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
Details: Copyright 2011, Candlewick Press
Synopsis (By Way of Front Flap):
"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"
Why I Wanted to Read It: I'll be honest, I don't remember requesting this book. I thought it might've been requested by accident until I remembered my stint of "redone" fairytales. Although this book is intended for young adults, a good book is a good book (or isn't). I freely admit to prejudice against anything that isn't comical set in the future. They tend to age terribly and be unintentionally hilarious. I have good reason for this.
However, I have also read books that contradict that prejudice.
How I Liked It: The book has a promising start and compelling cast of characters. Although it's hard to tell how this will age, given the book is only three years old, there aren't a great many annoying signifiers, at least that I spotted right away (and keeping in mind that this is written for a young adult audience).
The story stays compelling, arranging new challenges and new allies around the protagonist while a big reveal (and a huge build up) is suggested for the end of the book.
The book jumbles and rushes its final third to a finish that isn't as satisfying as it should be and feels a bit slapdash, as though the author was so quick for us to get there, she didn't quite work out all the kinks.
But the getting there is a worthy and entertaining trip.