Save the Pearls 2: Adapting Eden

Yes, you heard me. Save the Pearls does indeed have a sequel.

I have to hand it to Foyt in that she decided to go ahead and publish the second book. Given the extreme backlash she received over the first book, you'd imagine that she would abstain from writing a sequel entirely. Even if you were to approach this from a snark standpoint, how exactly do you top the previous volume?

Well, we only have to wait until January 23, 2013 to find out. Until then, we have this plot synopsis from Amazon:

In the sequel to the award-winning, dystopian novel, Revealing Eden, Eden Newman must adapt into a hybrid human beast if she hopes to become Ronson Bramford's mate. She has no choice but to undergo her fathers adaptation experiment at his makeshift laboratory in the last patch of rainforest. But when the past rears its ugly head, Eden and Bramford must abandon camp along with their family and friends. Luckily, an Aztec tribe that has survived with the aid of a healing plant provides them with sanctuary or is it? Too late, Eden realizes she is at the center of an epic spiritual battle between love and war. To survive, she must face her deepest fears or lose everything, including the beastly man she loves.

Before you ask, apparently the award it won was the Eric Hoffer award. I've never really heard of that either, but given how clueless Foyt was over how some could see the book's contents as offensive, it's equally possible that there are enough equally clueless people out there that would give it an award.

I have to admit, I'll probably check it out if I can get my hands on a copy. While I did find the book unintentionally offensive, I'm willing to give this a shot to see if she's improved anything since the last book. Although considering that one of the things people previously cried foul on was the constant referral to Bramford as a "beast" and she refers to him as a "beastly man" in this plot synopsis, well...   I'm fully aware that he's half-animal and that's what she's referring to, but part of what pissed off so many readers was that she used these phrases and terms without realizing that something that might seem inoccuous to her would come across as offensive to others because she herself has never actually had to deal with the negative stereotypes and images that they would. I admit that I've read things in some of the reviews that I didn't initially pick up on as offensive that came across as offensive to other readers.

In any case we only have about 5 days until the book becomes available. There's no word on whether or not there will be a Kindle version. I'm slightly curious enough to plunk down money if ARC aren't made available, so if I do fork over some of my own cold hard cash for review purposes then I'll either make it available for the review circuit afterwards or I'll hold a drawing on my page. Assuming I purchase it, that is.


Update:

I went searching to see if I could find any confirmation and Foyt's website gives the release date as Spring 2013, so I'm guessing that this is indeed going to release next week. The site also gives us the book's prologue. I'm giving you the link for you to follow at your leisure.

Prologue of Adapting Eden

OK. This certifies that I'll probably have to get the book and give Foyt my money just so I can read the WTF in all its glory. The series had previously had a distinctly dystopian flavor, but now elements of fantasy are getting mixed in? And Eden is the world's last hope for survival? 

Oh wow... I can't even begin to go over how badly the idea of "white girl saves the world" will go over, considering some of the criticism over the last book. I know that tradition is that the main character of the book is the Chosen One, but why isn't it Bramford that is the Chosen One Who Will Save The World?

Update 2: 

If you're curious about the first book, Revealing Eden, then I want to let you know that you can enter into a drawing for a copy via Goodreads. All you need is a membership on the site, which is free.

Enter to win Revealing Eden

On a side note, I'd really like to take this opportunity to ask people not to review the second book unless you've read it. Will the book stink? Dunno. Probably. Maybe. But until you've read more than a few paragraphs, it's really not fair to leave a starred review of Adapting Eden. If it's going to get negatively reviewed, let it gain those reviews fairly.