A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Title: A Long, Long Sleep	Loved it	Graded
Author: Anna Sheehan
Genre: Fantasy/Sci fi
Publisher: Candlewick
Elements: Retelling, Futuristic
Series: Stand alone

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.

This review contains spoilers, big ones. Warning you now! Proceed at your own risk! Dun dun dun! And all that.

Reading the description and looking at the cover, I thought A LONG, LONG SLEEP was going to be a serious and depressing book. The first half was almost as I thought, as Rose dealt with depression at having everyone she had ever known, now dead, and herself sixty years older in spirit, but still a teenager in body and mind. The Sleeping Beauty elements were so subtly intervowen in the story that I read through completely oblivious until someone mentioned it.

ALLS reminds me of JESSICA'S GUIDE TO DATING ON THE DARK SIDE, in that it surprises me halfway throughout the story from just an okay book to one that was truly great. Every event from then left me breathless as the action was amped up, the emotions were heightened and I grew to fear for the character's wellbeing.

Rose as a narrator is not particularly... She's one of the girls I wouldn't notice in real life: nondescript, shy, quiet, always alone in her own world. Her growth of self-acceptance was a very sad journey to go through, and I was proud of her by the end.

Despite her extenuating circumstances, she takes it all in stride, and becomes hearty and resilient with the help of an unlikely friend. If it had been me in her situation, let's not even talk about getting out of the stassis chamber. I'd just be sitting there half submerged, bawling my eyes out. This friend's perhaps the main reason why she grew over the course of the book, and without him I think we'd still be stuck with the Rose at the start of the book. I loved this friendship, because Rose opened up to him and showed us a glimpse of who she could potentially be, which she herself has not shown to us readers in her internal musings. This was frustrating at the start, because she was just so agreeable with whatever happened to her, even when it came to her disadvantage. Only in light of the revelations of the events leading to the start of the book did it all make sense, why she couldn't even trust herself even when she was alone with her own thoughts.

The revelations... it's the first time I've felt all around disgust and revulsion for a YA character's parents. It makes me rage like no other, that a parent can do this to their own child, just willingly not bother with them, literally putting them aside like a discarded toy. That people are capable of such simple cruelty is heartbreaking.

Whether the bravery portrayed during the last few chapters during the climax is a lasting effect, I don't think so. I do believe she has grown out more, trusting in herself more, and actually believing that she has a right to basic decency--a recurring theme here--but it feels like the sort of growth that would be shown more growing internally and then externally. A growth that wouldn't culminate in one showy display, which while satisfying, doesn't feel lasting. I'd love to see how she fares if there's a sequel.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Title: Cinder	Loved it	Graded
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Sci Fi/Fantasy
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Elements: Cyborgs, futuristic
Series: Book 1 of the Lunar Chronicles series

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl... Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness.

But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

Cinderella as a cyborg. Let's take a minute to absorb that fact and continue. For all that I love the Cinderella aspects, and the futuristic re-imagining such as the pumpkin carriage and the prosthetic foot as the glass slipper, it was the Lunar dynamics and sci-fi elements unrelated to Cinderella that completely captured me.

The Lunar Queen, particularly. I love me some crazy tyrant who is at risk of losing her absolute power. *rubs hands together gleefully*

The struggle between Kai and the Queen was electric. Kai's internal struggle was that of a new King: keeping the peace that had been established by his father, and wanting to make a stand for himself/ wanting better for his people. I'd love to see more development of Cinder and Kai's relationship, as well as that between Cinder and her family.

That the moon, our moon, is now a kingdom by itself, and its people now not considered Earthlings not just by place of birth, but by the genetic mutation/evolution that occurred after eons of living there--that was my favourite, favourite, favouritest part.

CINDER would have gotten full marks, but it left me hanging right at the moment I was expecting some pretty heavy payoff. It was horrible, and I was left wondering if I'd gotten a book with half the story cut off. I was literally flipping through several copies at the bookstore, until I verified that nope, unless that store was particularly unlucky, that was where the book ended. The other customers had slowly been edging around me, and I wondered if it was due to the increasingly hysterical glint in my eye. ;-;

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Scorpio Races	Loved it	Graded
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic
Elements: Kelpies
Series: Stand alone

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

Kelpies. It's a freaking book about kelpies.

Somehow I imagined them to be more bloodthirsty, magical and awe-inspiring rather than bloodthirsty water horses. It's been explained that Stiefvater chose to focus on this version of the kelpie, and it's perfect as the antagonist and main draw of the novel. I just expected more.

Puck's story is meant to be the main storyline, with Sean's as a slightly smaller storyline. While Puck's story has all the flash (First girl in the Scorpio Races! Has to save the family from ruins!), I found myself feeling for Sean's quieter struggle.

Told from Sean and Puck's views, I found myself worrying more about Sean than Puck. Puck had a family, people to support her when things went south, but Sean had been alone his whole life. Even without my maternal instinct kicking in, being in debt to and an employee to a cruel and calculating employer is quite horrible. Sean might say that he's used to taking care of himself, but urgh, someone save that boy! Chemistry... they have some. Their romance, the slight hint that we see, was so low key that I felt bored by it.

And that's the thing. I was bored throughout the whole book.

THE SCORPIO RACES has a great concept. It has a gloomy atmosphere, some pretty  bloody action sequences and the characters go through dilemmas that make my heart squeeze. The main problem is that I'm just not a fan of her style of writing, nor any of the characters, and so this translated into a situation whereby I skimmed through the book to find out what happens in the main conflict.

Maggie Stiefvater books are not doing anything for me, with the exception of her fairy series. I've read five of them, and this is the third that hasn't captivated me. Following these odds, this will be the last Stiefvater book that'll be reviewed here. I just don't think it's fair to readers or the author to review when I know I won't enjoy the book.

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Title: Deadly Cool	Loved it	Graded
Author: Gemma Halliday
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: HarperTeen
Elements: Mystery, murder
Series: Book 1 of the Deadly Cool series

Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool.

But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

I didn't think much of DEADLY COOL when I first heard about it. I thought it was going to be the type of light-hearted fun that crossed over into trashy territory, and I wasn't in the mood for that at the moment. Then Gail from Ticket to Anywhere raved about it on Twitter, and I picked it up.

In a word, DEADLY COOL is adorable. While the murder mystery wasn't exactly thrilling nor suspenseful, the narrator, Hartley is exactly what makes this book gold. Hartley is the epitome of the good girl that my parents would have loved for me to be when I was a teenager: sweet, smart and hardworking. She's funny and witty without having any mean undertones. If Hartley wasn't such a captivating narrator, I'd hate her on principle. *cough*

Halliday captured Hartley's voice well. It's nice to read about a character who's just so optimistic and cheerful, and doesn't have so much drama in her life. Someone who actually enjoys school, which is rare in YA books. It's just nice to read about a character who sounds like an actual teenager I might know. Hartley's school, HHHS has a major presence even without the murder, and it's as much a character as the living, breathing humans in DC. Sam and Chase complement Hartley, and their interactions made me laugh a lot. Let's not forget Hartley's ex-boyfriend Josh, who for all his faults, manage to be endearing.

How much do I love that the romance with Chase didn't really go anywhere, and was left to be further developed over the sequels in the series? I'd have been disappointed if the burgeoning sparks between Hartley and Chase led to an immediate conclusion in DEADLY COOL, because it did feel like they barely knew each other. It's the first time in a while since I've felt pleased that the author did so, and at the same time, displeased at having to wait for the sequel.

Perfect for one of those times when you just want to escape from the world with a light, funny read that captures the voice of the 21st century teenager. It's exactly what I've been looking for, and I'll be waiting for the sequel. Readers. When we get what we want, we just want more. Now.

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under The Never Sky	Loved it	Graded
Author: Veronica Rossi
Genre: Post-Apocalypse
Publisher: Atom
Elements: Romance
Series: Book 1 of the Under The Never Sky series

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

UNDER THE NEVER SKY was one of the books being heartily recommended on Twitter a while ago, and I picked it up on a whim. In full disclosure, romance in post-apocalyptic times has never been one of my favourite themes, and the whole love across two different worlds is terribly overdone.

UTNS is told from the point of views of our two protagonists, Aria and Perry, who live in two vastly different worlds. Aria lives with the best of technology, coddled in Reverie, whereas Perry lives in the harsh outback, where living is barely more than existing. Most of the setting is on the outside, where readers get to experience the harsh heat along with the dangers of the Aether, which looms over our characters during the journey.

Despite their very different upbringings, Perry and Aria sound alike half the time. This is partly because their speech pattern and underlying thoughts seem to be in line most of the time. There's some slang and mentions of accents, but other than that, it's hard to tell that Perry and Aria do not come from the same place. This happens for the other characters too, who serve their purposes and then disappear after doing so. I wouldn't mind mostly, except that I kept forgetting who they are, and flipped through the previous pages to remember.

The outside world where Perry lived crackled under Rossi's descriptions. The Aether is a constant reminder, which works well to heighten the danger of the terrain, but unfortunately it has more presence than our two main protagonists. There are some sub-plots and mysteries which were sadly underused, and I wished had more focus given to them rather than being skimmed over and replaced by the romance, which bogs down the story.

This is a romance in post-apocalyptic times, but there's not much chemistry between the characters. I don't care about Perry and Aria enough despite their personal struggles, and find the romantic actions they go through (e.g. flying into one another's arms, not an actual quote from the novel) wooden, and at times slightly cringeworthy. It feels like they're going through the motions rather than actual feeling and falling in love. Separately, they have some struggles and personal development that I loved reading about. I wished more time could have been spent on that rather than the romance, but I suppose it'll be elaborated more in the sequels.

While the world that Rossi created was intriguing, and the setting was one I appreciated, given its unforgiving nature, the forced chemistry between the characters was not enough to sell me on the romance that is the main focus of UTNS.