[review] A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan (2011)

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aliens, book, book review, dystopian, fairytale, fairytales, literature, mystery, review, robots, romance, satire, sci-fi, science fiction, sleep, sleeping beauty, young adult

A Long, Long Sleep (2011) by Anna Sheehan Hardcover Edition
Publisher: Candlewick Press

buy a copy via Amazon.

synopsis via Goodreads.

It should have been a short suspended-animation sleep. But this time Rose wakes up to find her past is long gone– and her future full of peril.

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. 

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 pondering long after the last page is turned.

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[review / blog tour] Socialpunk (Socialpunk #1) by Monica Leonelle (2012) + IPad and Kindle Giveaway

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blog tour, book, book review, dystopia, review, romance, sci-fi, science fiction, young adult

Socialpunk (Socialpunk #1) (2012)
by Monica Leonelle
Publication Date: April 17, 2012
preorder a copy via Amazon.
synopsis via Goodreads.

Monica Leonelle is a well-known digital media strategist and the author of three novels. She blogs at Prose on Fire and shares her writing and social media knowledge with other bloggers and authors through her Free Writer Toolkit.

(This review was written as a part of Monica’s Socialpunk blog tour. I am grateful for Monica for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.)

Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.

My Thoughts:
I loved the prologue, which made me eager to devour the book. However, to my disappointment, a bulk of the story never mentions the prologue again. Instead of an sci-fi with a mad scientist acting “God,” creating and observing his artificial human creations, I get a young adult love, action, “dystopian” story. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fun read, but I still can’t help being a bit cheated. While fast-paced and entertaining, it falls slightly short in almost every aspect. Nonetheless, it was an intriguing read that I easily finished in two sittings.

Short Summary: 17 year old Ima/E/Cinder (obviously, she has an affinity for pseudonyms) lives in 2052 Chicago with a loving mother, an abusive father, and a best-friend/lover. Later she is told her world is a big lie, done for a virtual reality experiment. She escapes to the “real” world with two strangers, Vaughn and Nahum, which even further in the future (2198.) There’s an abundance of technology, but food has become a scarce; most people only eat pills. She joins Socialpunk to save her best friend, knowing that her world would be destroyed soon.