Book Review: A Long, Long, Sleep ARC

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (18 Aug 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0575104724
• ISBN-13: 978-0575104723

As soon as I heard of it, I knew I had to read A Long, Long Sleep. Described as a dystopian fairytale, the excitement built before I even read the synopsis. I was fortunate enough to receive an early copy before publication, and I couldn’t wait to devour it.

Stass isn’t unusual for Rose. All her life, she has been in and out of her own personal stass machine, taking twice the usual time to age normally. But during her last stint in the machine, something goes wrong. And Rose doesn’t wake up for more than seventy years…waking to a kiss from a handsome boy.

Waking from her stass-induced sleep is hard on Rose. She has lost muscle mass, is skeletal thin and extremely weak. But that isn’t the worst part. She has outlived everyone she ever knew. Including her beloved Xavier.

So now Rose has to learn to live again in a world that is so different from the one she last saw. As her insecurities and raw feelings grow, she craves the serenity her stass machine brings. Only when it is clear to those she has bonded with that she uses the stass sleep as a coping mechanism, does Rose realise how bizarre and unnatural, bordering on cruel, her last life was.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, an assassin has her in his sights – and this assassin doesn’t stop until his objective is complete.

A Long, Long Sleep was wonderful in so many ways, and surprising in others. It wasn’t the light, romantic and dreamy book I half expected it to be. It was a book about self discovery and finding that inner strength to face your fears head on. I felt like I was taking a journey with Rose, one that led me to terrifying places, to new and unusual friendships and the bitter realisation that sometimes the ones closest to us have the power to hurt us the most.

I sincerely hope there is more to come after A Long, Long Sleep, as I am not ready to let Rose and her friends (especially Otto) go just yet.  All in all, a perfect read for anyone who loves YA, sci fi, romance and dystopian.