Rite of Redemption (Acceptance #3) & Author Giveaway

                Hello happy readers!  So some of you may remember I’ve talked before about the Acceptance series by Sarah Negovetich with the first book Rite of Rejection and the sequel Rite of Revelation which I reviewed and really enjoyed.  I also had the pleasure of interviewing her about the book (here if you'd like to see her picks for casting) and then last year I got to hang out with her during UtopYA which was pretty awesome.  The final book in the Acceptance trilogy Riteof Redemption came out just Tuesday (6/6) and I had the pleasure of receiving an early copy for review to share my thoughts with you all and join the blog tour!  I also had my copy on pre-order.

Goodreads / Amazon

Rating:  5 Stars

                At the end of the last books things were bitter sweet.  He had some major losses but we also had some victories and a sense of home among the Freeman.  The Cardinal is bound and determined to hunt her down at all costs.  When his men start to attack other Freeman villages to that end she knows without a doubt it will never stop and no one is safe from him.  She is the face of resistance, the only one people have seen stand up against him with her broadcast and escape and now it’s time to convince others it’s time to fight.

                This series has come so far that to think in the first book Rebecca was sent to the PIT by the Machine predicted she would be a horrid criminal.  Now having found out the Machine really pushes out those less than perfect or more common those who question the Cardinal and his system in any way.  Weeding out the undesirables basically.  Now as one ready to fight to remove him and his machine maybe the Machine was right, she is breaking some laws now.  It all plays back to the initial book where you wonder if they were always meant to be criminals or if they only turned to criminal type behavior because they were put in there?  I love how it all plays back around. 

All the pretties!

                It’s been two books in the making but the characters we grew attached to in book one, and the ones we found and brought into our family in books two are ready to take on the Cardinal.  It’s scary and will be hard but they know it’s no longer about escaping and hoping to find peace.  He will never let them have peace, so they must free themselves and the world from his evil.  It’s almost hard to remember where one book ended and the other picked up as the whole series flowed so smoothly between them into one seamless story.  We spent most of the last book in the Freeman villages whereas the first we spent mostly in the PIT and in book three we are constantly moving giving us new and exciting places to learn about and discover, growing the world. 

                The characters arcs from start to wherever they end up, they have all been through the wringer.  We’ve lost those we loved and we have gained some along the way as well.  While the books do seem bleak and dark at times they are also full of hope and love in a way that helps level them out and give the characters something to fight for.  Some have been changing constantly and others have had more subtle changes along the way.  Loss and grief are something many of the characters face and how each one reacts differently is so true to life it hits home. 

                The first two books were good but this conclusion really amps up what has been building in the back of the series and leads you to what I’d say is a very satisfying conclusion.  It manages to have it all and keep you guessing along the way.   

Sarah's Bio:

Website / Amazon / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Sarah Negovetich knows you don't know how to pronounce her name and she's okay with that. 

Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it’s accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.

Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.

You can learn more about Sarah and her books at www.SarahNegovetich.com or follow her antics on Twitter @SarahNego. 

GIVEAWAY:

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Rite of Revelation

               Happy Friday everyone!  I hope you all made it through the week without incident and can enjoy the weekend ahead.  I know I will be adjusting to my new shift and doing house chores, but also hopefully some reading as well.  Reminder I do have an open giveaway running for a signed copy of The Rose Society by Marie Lu until the 29^th, all details are here.  Last night I finished a book I’d been waiting on for a while.  I was super excited to get this sequel but it came out during the holiday chaos where let’s face it everything on my end went a bit wonky but now as things settle down I was finally able to enjoy it and wanted to get my review up right away and spread the word.  This book would be Rite of Revelation by Sarah Negovetich.  The first book Rite of Rejection I reviewed here and I also had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah here if you’d like to check that out.  This review also contains spoilers from book one.

Rating: 5 Stars

                At the end of Rite of Rejection we leave our gang of rejects banding together to break through the acceptance ceremony to explain to everyone what the machine really is and what lies the Cardinal has been pushing.  That is it.  We don't know what happens after that.  Now we know.  The Cardinal is none to pleased with the message and plans to kill everyone involved to solidify his plans to expand.  However, things have changed and with unexpected help Rebecca and her friends escape the PIT.  Now they have a chance at a life, but it isn't without difficulties.

                So this book dives right in you don't miss a beat.  Things look pretty bleak for the group.  When I read the first book when it came out I thought it was a stand alone with an open, interpret for yourself ending, which left me wanting more but I did have my own theories on how things worked.  I was wrong.  Very wrong.  We get right down to the bad.  Things are looking bleak but then an accomplice breaks them out and they make their break from the PIT for good.  Not everything goes smoothly and there are complications, as with any prison break you would assume.  Then we have the whole after the escape part and what that means for them now.  This was a pretty dynamic story and as I read I was beyond excited to know that it continued as it was so much better than what I came up with on my own. 

Last year at UtopYA!

                Going along we also learn more about the world.  The United Territories and the outside, the freeman.  This also brought into play more characters to get to know.  Not only did our core group of characters grow and develop as they adjusted and adapted to their new life but we also go to know new characters.  Some family and some that grew to be.  I really enjoyed meeting Liam and Ana and the others.  I particularly enjoyed Patrice's sharp tongue, even when I wanted to strangle her for being a snob I could kind of see her point and it was rather funny. 

                In the previous book Rebecca and her friends had no real hope of living past the day.  They stood up against the Cardinal to let others know the truth and stand up for what is right.  Now, they have something worth living for, something worth dying for.  Just like the first book this one makes you question things along side them and really think.  I really enjoyed this part and I cannot wait to find out what happens next because that ending…I just had some feels at the end of that and I can't say more. 

                That's all for today, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.  What was your favorite part?  Who was your favorite new character?  I'd love to discuss it all!  Have a fantastic weekend ahead I will see you back Monday with another review.

                Until next time…

Sarah Negovetich Visited for an Interview and a Giveaway!

A few posts back I mentioned I would be interviewing Sarah Negovetich, debut author of Rite of Rejection, soon and asked for questions and such here as well on social media.  All the questions were compiled and sent over.  Now I'm here to share with you my lovely readers the interview and the giveaway down at the bottom.  Enjoy!

 Hello Sarah and thanks for joining me for an interview.  Let's jump on into the good stuff.

Your book Rite of Rejection came out in December of 2014.  How would you describe the book in your own words to someone who hasn't picked it up yet?

                In order to escape from the world's most dangerous prison, a wrongly accused teen girl will have to embrace the criminal within.  I'm calling it a cross between The Hunger Games and Minority Report.

I totally had a semi Minority Report vibe reading it.  Haven't thought of that movie in forever.  I believe Rite of Rejection is your debut novel, congrats again.  How has this changed your everyday life?

                Thank you!  Honestly, my day to day routine hasn't changed much.  Though I will say getting reader email is a great perk.  The one thing that has changed is the pressure to write faster.  Before I published, I only had a handful of critique partners asking for more.  Now, I have amazing readers wanting to know how much longer until the next book.  It's equal parts awesome and terrifying.

Women took a huge step back to the Stone Age here to make the world "perfect".  How did you come up with this concept of "perfect" for you book?

                We always hear the older generations talk about "back in my day" as if the past was absolutely perfect.  So I took some of the more prominent aspects of the culture from turn of the century America and combined them to create my society.  People look back at that period as a simpler time with fewer problems (even though we know that's not true) and I really wanted to explore that idea.

Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

How did your story start?  Was it a character, an idea, or something else?  What inspired you to write Rite of Rejection in particular?

               

                I read a story in my local paper about a really senseless crime and wished there was a way to know who was going to go from normal guy next door to murderer so we could stop them first.  The Machine was born from that idea and then the rest of the story just fell into place.

One of my absolute favorite parts is the continuous idea in the book of right and wrong.  You are innocent but you are rejected as a future criminal.  To survive you have to do criminal things.  Is that proving the machine right?  Or are you simply adapting to your surroundings?  Without giving away too away what are your thoughts on this?

                I'm absolutely fascinated with the duality of human nature.  Good people are often forced to make bad choices or choose between the lesser of two evils.  One of my favorite quotes comes from Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series.  Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters.  We've all got both light and dark inside us.  What matters is the part we choose to act on.  That's who we really are.  There are no clear cut right and wrong answers to life and that's what keeps things interesting. 

Along that same line if you went through right now, would you pass through or be rejected like Rebecca?  If so why?

               

                Oh, I would definitely be in the PIT.  I like to think I'm generally a good person, but I have a hard time keeping my opinions to myself when it comes to unjust situations.  With my big mouth, I'm thinking the Cardinal would ship me off to the PIT well before I was old enough to go to the Acceptance ceremony.

Don't worry I'd be right there with you for the same thing.  I'm both strong willed and hard headed as my mom would say.  She'd also say I was contrary. 

In the book Rebecca finds a group she is able to relate to and join.  It's amazing how even in the grimmest circumstances we are drawn to others both for friendship and even romance.  Was it difficult to build friendships and romances out of such surroundings?

                The relationships that Rebecca develops are one of my favorite parts of this book.  As humans, we crave that closeness.  As dangerous as the PIT is, I think being alone is what Rebecca was most afraid of.  Even during humanity's darkest periods, friendships and love are always present.

Casting Call: If your book was made into a movie and you got to pick the cast who would be cast for our core group?

Emma Roberts as Rebecca

Micah Williams as Daniel

Alexander Ludwig as Eric

Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting as Elizabeth

Josie Loren as Molly

As a writer do you have a favorite or hardest types of scenes to write? 

                My favorite scenes to write are ones in which the character realizes something about themselves they had to work for.  Like when Rebecca realizes just how strong she is.  The hardest by far are the kissing scenes.  I never know where everyone's hands are supposed to be.  Just so much awkward.

Bo asks, why did you decide to write YA?  What draws you to this particular genre and would you ever consider writing in other genres?  If so which ones?

                I love how many possibilities there are in YA, both as a reader and an author.  Chaacter are still figuring out who they are and where they fit in the world.  There are so many unknowns, and that can be scary, but also exhilarating.  I can't say I'll never write for a different audience, but right now I'm having too much fun in YA.

What is your writing process?  Is there something you must do or have?  Rituals?  Do you work from an outline or just write it as it comes? 

                My schedule is way to erratic to have any must have writing rituals.  I do outline using the corkboard method from Save the Cat before I start writing.  It's not a rule, but I tend to write in silence and then use music as I edit to get into the emotional frame of my characters.  I've been known to play the same song on a loop while working on a different scene.

With that do you do a lot of research before writing?

                It depends on what I'm working on.  I tend to leave myself comments as I write to look up little details that I want to make sure I get right.  For Rite of Rejection, I did some research on concentration camps to help with the world building inside the PIT.  I also did a ton of research on how to build a microphone from spare parts that ended up getting cut completely out of the manuscript.

Facebook question, if you could collaborate on a book with any YA author who would you pick?

                Great questions!  And a tough one.  There are so many talented authors out there.  I'd love a chance to write with Maggie Stiefvater.  She creates such rich worlds and isn't afraid to explore the darker side of human nature.  I'd love to peek around in her head.  Plus our last name combo would go down in history for difficulty level.

I just adore her books.  Maggie Stiefvater has a way with words and making you just fall in love with a story.  She's also pretty awesome and totally sweet and hilarious.  The name difficulty would be epic.  Speaking of, help us out here.  How do you pronounce your last name?

                The accent is on the third syllable and it sounds a lot like “lego fetish” with just a few letters swapped. 

I wouldn’t swear to it but I think I might have it now. 

Twitter question, do you have a favorite quote?

                I already mentioned the Sirius Black quote and there are tons of others from the Harry Potter series that are just wonderful life lessons.  I'm also a huge fan of 1984 and it has one of my favorite quotes:  "The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better."  It's not exactly cheerful, but it is powerful and it reminds me why we follow the heroes of our stories.  Because they are the ones who would choose freedom.

Morgan on Facebook asks if you have any tips for writers who are struggling with writers block?

                I generally find that writer's block is the result of one of two things:  Knowing what comes next, but not being excited about writing it or having no idea what is supposed to come next.  For the first, ask yourself if that is the right scene.  Chances are, if you don't want to write it, your readers won't want to read it.  If you don't know what comes next go back to your last scene and figure out what your character is thinking or feeling as a result of that scene.  Your next scene should be a reaction to that thought or emotion.

In your bio it mentions you are an agent for Corvisiero Literary Agency.  Is the publishing process different for you being an agent yourself?

                Nope.  I went through the same query process as everyone else.  Some agents represent themselves, but I know exactly how much work that is and decided I would be better off with my own agent.  I went out on submission to publishers, just like every other writer.  I did receive a lovely offer for my book, but in the end decided self-publishing would be the better route for this book.

The always dreaded question to be asked to pick but what fun is it without it.  What are a few of your favorite books or authors who have helped shape you as a reader or even as a writer.  Also notice I made it plural so you don’t have to choose just one ;)

                Well, I already mentioned Harry Potter and 1984 which are big influences on me as a reader and a writer.  Thanks to Lurlene McDaniel I spent the better portion of my childhood with plans to be a pediatric oncologist.  As it turned out, I hated biology and then married a biologist.  I think I'm a much better writer than doctor. 

Funny how life works out.  I wanted to be a medical examiner, a lawyer, or a spy.  Sarah Leigh on Facebook asked how you as an author choose the tense in which you write?

                I usually end up writing the first few scenes in a couple different tenses and POVs until I can get a feel for how the story would be told the best.  Sometimes I'll ask my critique partners what reads better.  It's just a guy decision.  I've yet to develop a magic formula for figuring our what tense to use for what project.

Are you working on anything new?  Can you share news on it?

                I'm currently finishing up the sequel to Rite of Rejection and that should wrap up in the next few weeks.  I always have to let a project sit before I jump into revisions, so I have a SciFi plotted that I plan to start writing while book two soaks a bit.

Bo asks, is Rite of Rejection a series or a stand-alone?  If it is a series when can we expect book 2 and does it have a prospective title/cover? 

                Originally, Rite of Rejection was intended to be a stand-alone with an open ending.  However once the book started going out to Beta readers and then again when it finally went on sale, I got a lot of reader feedback wanting to know what happens next and asking for a sequel.  I had so many amazing responses to the book that I felt my readers deserved more.  Rite of Revelation is currently in the drafting phase and I hope to have it out this summer.  No cover yet.

In the sequel will we learn more about the Machine?  Will we follow our same band of characters? 

                Lots of readers have asked for more information about the Machine and how the Cardinal came into power.  I actually had this all in the first book, but thought it would be  too boring and took it all out.  Goes to show how much I know.  We'll get more details on the world with Rebecca, Daniel and the others.  Plus, a whole host of new characters to spice things up.

And most important how can readers get in touch with you?

                You should definitely head over to my website SarahNegovetich.com where you can sign up for my email list.  This will let you know as soon as there's news on the next book and also gets your sneak peeks and exclusive giveaways.  One social media I'm @SarahNego on Twitter and you can find me as Sarah Negovetich on Facebook as well.

Thank you so much for coming by and answering all our questions.  I know I'm looking forward to your next book.

And thank you readers for stopping by and sending in your questions.  I appreciate it and love to hear more back from you all.

Now onto the giveaway.  You all know how to use one of these they are pretty simple and self explanatory.  Given shipping we were going to keep this only to US destinations but we found a compromise for that.  US is entering to win a signed paperback copy of Rite of Rejection sent from our friendly author Sarah here.  So we don't leave anyone out, anyone wishing to enter from outside the US, you can enter for a paperback (unsigned) that will be sent through the book depository due to shipping costs.  You know what to do from here.  Good luck! 

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Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich

                It has been a while since I went onto one of my favorite sites, NetGalley, to look at available titles to request because I had too many to try and read before YALLfest.  I still have a ton of books to read but I couldn’t help myself from looking any longer and I found a couple that looked really interesting.  One of those titles is a new release and I believe the first book from author Sarah Negovetich called Rite of Rejection.

                Quick synopsis, sixteen year old Rebecca is ready and excited for her Acceptance.  A fancy ball full of eligible bachelors and her debut as an official member of society.  Instead, the Machine rejects her.  She is labeled as a future criminal and shipped off to a life sentence in a lawless penal colony.  A life behind barbed-wired fences with the worlds more dangerous, the rejects, terrifies her.  Rebecca joins with a band of misfit teens like herself in a hope of finding someone to make the place a bit less dangerous and lonely.  Her new friends form a risky escape plan and she ends up with an accidental fiancé she’s almost sure she can learn to love.  But like most things, freedom comes with a price.  To escape a doomed future and prove her innocence, she must embrace the criminal within.

                I admit I was pulled into the concept and wanted to see what method is taken to make the world “perfect” because there are so many views on this and reading a different one is always makes me wonder if it could work.  In Rite of Rejection there is a machine that was created that filtered all those with criminal tendencies.  A punishment before you commit the crime kind of thing, it gave me a feeling of Minority Report in that respect.  Already you wonder if you could ever agree with this.  What happened to innocent until proven guilty?  So you’re of age, all of 16 and you get all dolled up to go to your Acceptance, where are either accepted and continue on into a ball and try to find possible suitors or you are rejected and sent to live in a hell hole full of criminals.

                There are a few things you see that you expect, the corrupt person in power.  Let’s face it, it never gets old because I don’t think one person should have so much power, ever, it corrupts them.  Like Frodo and the ring.  There is also a romance.  Even in hell you can still have feelings even if it seems foolish.  I liked that our main character Rebecca admits how silly her little romantic problems seem in the grand scheme of things.  Yes, I mentioned romantic drama.  At first I was a bit leery of it.  But I gave it a chance and I really liked how it played out.  I don’t want to say much more and risk giving it away. 

                Some things I think could have been a bit more flushed out.  The machine itself was briefly discussed enough to get a sense for the overall story but I found myself wondering how it took effect, how they made the decisions to change the world into this brand of perfect.  Not needed again but I would have liked a bit more to satisfy my curiosity. That’s it.

                Now the next part is going to go into depth on a few things that might be slightly spoiler-ish so be warned.  Really be warned. 

                So this “perfect” world is not one I could ever see myself in.  Women are pretty much reverted back to the days of being good for little more than taking care of home, husband, and kids.  My hackles rose when I read that.  I am clearly a modern woman and not into that concept.  Women are taught to read because they need to read recipes and notes from their husbands…clearly not my idea of perfection.  Moving on though I love that not only are the characters struggling to come to terms with their rejection and the life they now have to look forward to but how do they react when faced with criminals.  Sometimes you have to let your inner criminal out in order to survive, but does that make the machine right?  Or are you just adapting to your environment. 

                Back to the two love interests, with a bit more slightly spoiler-ish content.  The first guy seems perfect but our MC decides she kinda likes the “taken” one as well.  As she grows to realize she doesn’t love the one she has but the one she can’t have, things seem a bit complicated.  I was a bit skeptical about this plot line as I started to see it coming to light.  Something added for no reason but to add drama.  My first thought but then as it played out I realized how happy I was that I gave it a chance.  Rebecca could have loved the one she has, back before her life changed, but in this new world she is a new person.  She clung to him, the familiar in a scary and new world, what she had been dreaming of.  Then as she starts to adapt to her new world she starts to change as a character, thus changing what she is looking for.  The drama played to be a larger aspect of showing just how much our MC changed from the start and what she is willing to do to survive.

                That's all the spoilers I have.  I give Rite of Rejection a solid 4 stars.  It kept me interested and made me want to know what would happen next.  I was concerned for the outcome of the characters.  This book came out on December 4th so check it out.   Also tell me what you thought below.  What do you think would have to change for the world to function "perfectly" ?