Adapting Eden, Save The Pearls Part Two

When levels of radiation become too deadly on Earth, human beings were forced to burrow beneath the surface to survive, but not before millions of people died due to The Heat. Now anyone with white skin, including Eden Newman, lives in fear of coming into contact with the killer sun. Pearls, the racist term for Caucasians, are treated like garbage. As violence escalates within the underground cities, Eden, her father, and her true love Bramford are forced to flee into the jungles of the Amazon to survive. If Eden can undergo the same scientific procedure that transformed Bramford into a strong half human/half animal hybrid with resistance to the sun, not like Bramford has, together they can create a new species of human fit enough to survive life on a damaged Earth. But multiple threats force Eden, Bramford, and their new tribe to abandon the safety of their camp. When an ancient Aztec tribe offers them sanctuary, things quickly begin to seem too good to be true. Eden finds herself at the center of a spiritual battle between love and war. Her choices will determine the fate of the world.

It is a rare treat to discover a writer with a unique plot and characters. Victoria Foyt, author of Revealing Eden, part one in the Save the Pearls trilogy for young adults, has mastered the fantasy/adventure/romance genre. Now Foyt returns to thrill and delight readers with Adapting Eden, part two in the trilogy. Reading the first book will immensely increase the reader’s enjoyment of this second installment. Young adults are interested in reading about how other kids deal with the same issues that they are currently facing. It doesn’t matter if the book takes place in space or in a jungle or in the current time period – they want to see how characters react to change. Readers will thoroughly enjoy watching Eden grow as a character, seeing her evolve from a meek girl into a strong, young woman. From her mother Eden learned to appreciate the poetry of Emily Dickinson. When something new, stressful or exciting happens to Eden, she’ll think of a relevant Dickinson poem. Foyt then effortlessly slides in a stanza upon which Eden (and thus, the reader) can reflect. It is an ingenious way for Foyt to include a different perspective on how Eden interprets the world around her.

Foyt exposes young adults to classic poetry in the context of a modern story. Eden also has extensive scientific knowledge due to growing up with a scientist for a father. As she notices animals for the first time in the jungle, she knows their scientific names. Foyt works this into the story, and this is just another genius example of the way Foyt uses her characters to expose readers to new information.

Although written with the young adult audience in mind, readers of any age interested in a fast-paced futuristic story filled with action, romance, intrigue, danger, science, and incredible writing will love this series. At its core, Foyt’s book asks readers to question what it means to be human. In what is essentially a love story, it is amazing how many issues Foyt challenges her characters to deal with: class, race and gender inequality, environmental disaster, radicalism, and terrorism, sacrifice, feelings of physical inadequacy, love (romantic and familial), religion, faith, and fate. Along with hardship comes the chance for hope and redemption.

Because it is the second book in a trilogy, readers can expect that Adapting Eden is a cliffhanger, but in an effective way. Watch for the upcoming publication of the final book in the Save the Pearls trilogy, Freeing Eden.