The premise of this book just really appealed to me as soon as I heard about it – a dystopian and sci-fi retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It just sounded like it could be amazing if it was well done and luckily this was. I was concerned because there was a lot that comes with a retelling of a classic like this.
Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep in stasis for 62 years when she’s abruptly awoken to a whole new world, confused as to her surroundings and where her family and friends are exactly. She finds herself thrust into school, trying to explain why she had been put into stasis repeatedly in her short 16 year life and attempting to make friends. For more complications she find she is heir to a huge empire that she can barely comprehend.
She tries to make friends and fails except for with Bren, the boy that rescues her from her stasis tube. He tries to bring her into his group of friend but Rose doesn’t adapt to that either. Rose finds a link of some sorts to Otto, a robot – kind of – in her grade that she begins a semi friendship with. All of this is new to her and she can’t figure out any feelings with anyone.
I really enjoyed this book for both the sci-fi aspects and the YA aspects to it. The sci-fi wasn’t too heavy handed or complicated. It seemed very straight forward and done well. So if the sci-fi part of this book description freaks you out you can ignore that part. The YA aspects with the friendship between Rose and Otto was kind of beautiful to me. I loved their hesitating friendship and how it flourished. It seemed very true to life – however much it could be with a semi robot in the mix.
I thought this was a very well written and well done retelling of a classic fairy tale. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.
4 Stars
~Melinda
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Happiness is a Book 