No Life But This - DNF Rant

No Life But This (UniCorp #2)
by Anna Sheehan

What is it about:
Rose spent most of her life asleep. Otto spent his as an object.

Rose Fitzroy woke from her long sleep to a changed world and new life. Her friend Otto watched her from afar, longing for what he felt he couldn't have. But just when things seem to be going right, his own biology backfires, sending him into a deathly spiral that neither of them can stop. His only hope lies on the distant ice moon of Europa, where an experimental treatment might bring him back from the brink.

But Europa is in a state of revolution, and Otto's brother Quin is tangled up in it. With Otto going slowly insane, and Rose haunted by ghosts of her old life, more than one world may soon be destroyed around them.

What did I think of it:
*Warning: I will spoil the crap out of at least two events in this book, one that made me throw this book aside*

So I really enjoyed A Long, Long Sleep and this book was about my favorite character from that book: Otto.

At the start of this book it turns out Otto is desperately in love with Rose. He knows she doesn't feel that way about him, because when he touches people he can read their surface thoughts. He has a code of ethics that makes him stop to delve further in people's minds. On top of his feelings for Rose, he is feeling unwell, and might be dying from a condition that others like him have died from in the past.

So far, so good. It started to go wrong for me when Otto invites Rose into the pool to show her why he usually doesn't swim with other people. Here it is revealed that because of the water he feels Rose and her thoughts and emotions all over his body. I will confess this squicked me out a bit. Not what he feels, but that he only tells Rose this once she's in the water with him. It felt like a huge intrusion of her privacy. I know I wouldn't like someone to feel my emotions all over his/her being/body without me knowing about it and having chosen to share something so intimate.

A bit leery of Otto by this I read on.

Then the thing happened that made me toss the book:

Otto is getting worse and needs to travel to Europa in hope for a cure. He needs to be put in stasis, a procedure that might kill him. Rose volunteers to stay with him until the moment he's put in stasis. Otto is feeling very sorry for himself, because he might die, and because his feelings for Rose aren't mutual.

So what does Otto do?

He uses his telepathic powers to convince Rose's subconsciousness that he is her boyfriend from before she was put into stasis for 62 years, so he can kiss her (and maybe more)...

WTF!?

I don't care that Otto tries to tell himself it's ok, because conscious Rose supposedly knows it's Otto and not her old boyfriend! I don't care he thinks it's unfair he's going to die! I even don't care if he might feel sorry for this mind rape later! Because: Yes, this is Mind Rape!

I put the book down right there and then. Maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe Otto will grovel for the rest of the book to make it up to Rose. Still: I just wasn't interested in finding out what happened to Douche Canoe Otto after this second huge breach of privacy and trust. You just don't do this kind of shit to people! Ever!

You bet this book is not a keeper and will be donated to the charity shop asap.

Why should you read it:
Maybe you want to find out if Otto can redeem himself.


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A Long, Long Sleep - Book Review

A Long, Long Sleep (UniCorp #1)
by Anna Sheehan

What is it about:
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.

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.

What did I think of it:
A SF re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty? You can bet this book landed on my wishlist. And then I got it as a present for my birthday!

And this is a really cool read.

I liked Rose and could understand how she felt, waking up in an unfamiliar future with her family and loved ones gone. I did wonder how she ended up in stasis and in that basement. Luckily the story slowly works its way to uncover Rose's past and what happened to her.

I loved reading about the future Sheehan created and there were some really cool characters. If there's one grumble I have, it's that there was not enough of one character I liked. There was also a suspense storyline, that at a certain point became a bit predictable, but I didn't mind too much.

All in all this is a very interesting and enjoyable read, that explores relationships - both family and romantic - and how someone might cope with waking up in an unfamiliar future. After finishing this book I immediately ordered the second book, because it is about my favorite character from this book.

Why should you read it:
I's a very enjoyable SF re-imagining of Sleeping Beauty


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