Sarah Harian – The Wicked We Have Done – Interview and Review

 

The Wicked We Have Done
Chaos Theory – Book #1
by Sarah Harian
Release Date: March 18th, 2014

Links to order The Wicked We Have Done:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Description:
Evalyn Ibarra never expected to be an accused killer and experimental prison test subject. A year ago, she was a normal college student. Now she’s been sentenced to a month in the compass room—an advanced prison obstacle course designed by the government to execute justice.

If she survives, the world will know she’s innocent.

Locked up with nine notorious and potentially psychotic criminals, Evalyn must fight the prison and dismantle her past to stay alive. But the system prized for accuracy appears to be killing at random.

She doesn’t plan on making friends.

She doesn’t plan on falling in love, either

 

Review:

The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian is the first book in her new adult dystopian  thriller, Chaos Theory series. When asked to review this book, I thought the premise sounded interesting, and decided to give it a try. I was totally surprised to find myself immediately hooked and unable to put this book down until the very end. If this is Sarah Harian’s debut novel, please please count me in for the next one and thereafter, as this is a magical beginning to a wonderful career.

The Wicked We Have Done is a story of survival and redemption in a futuristic world.  Not quite like the Hunger Games, though with a survival theme very similar.  This is a story with young people who have been convicted of a major crime, who are given a choice; immediate death penalty or accept a one month stay in The Compass Room. If they survive, they will go free, but the percentage of survival is slimmer then none.  The Compass Room is even scarier than the arena in the Hunger Games.  This was a thriller a minute, and though these characters, many of whom were bad to the bone; some of the others you found yourself caring very much for, as you prayed and rooted for the their survival.

Evalyn Ibarra is our heroine, who is the major focus of this story.  Evalyn committed a terrible crime, and is considered a terrorist, and very much hated.  But is Evalyn truly guilty?  Throughout the book, there are some flash backs, as we find out what really happened, and why.   From the start, when we meet Evalyn, we find ourselves becoming attached to her, as we watch her say goodbye to her little 5 year old brother, who was adorable and precious.  Evalyn’s strong love for her brother stood out.  Allowing us to ask ourselves, “can you truly be capable of such love, and yet be a cold blooded murderer”? We knew there was something more behind it, as we anxiously waited to find out more.

When taken away, Evalyn travels with the other criminals who are going to The Compass Room, and before they reach their destination, a video is shown describing each of their crimes.  To tell too much more would be giving too many spoilers. But I will say that Harian gives us some fantastic characters; Evalyn is awesome; Casey, was mean at the start, but turned into an equally awesome hero; Valerie, was totally unlikeable when we first meet her, but she too turned out to be great; Jace, Tanner, were also very good, and the unredeemable characters were written very well.  Harian had us glued to our seat, as each of them in The Compass Room must face their past, and find a way to survive against the odds, at the same time prove that they can be redeemed.  Will Evalyn survive?  Is there life after The Compass Room? 

The Wicked We Have Done is a totally different story of survival, in a terrifying race to the finish.  Harian pulls quite a bit of our emotions in this exciting story, filled with nonstop action & great characters; while reading we range from emotional, scary, sad,  and very very intense. Within this tense story, there is a budding romance that at first you could not imagine, but turned out to be a beautiful slow to build relationship.  I cannot wait for the next book in this series.  Sarah Harian is an excellent writer, and I can look forward to more of the same in the future.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

The Reading Cafe is happy to welcome Sarah Harian to discuss her debut novel.

Welcome to The Reading Café, Sarah.   Having read The Wicked We Have Done, I was completely in awe of your writing in your first book!  We are happy to do this interview and learn more about all things Sarah Harian.

 

 

Sarah: So glad I could share it with you. Thank you!

TRC:  Please tell us something about yourself?  Have you always been interested in writing?

Sarah:  I’ve been writing since I was eight. I was super into Nancy Drew as a kid, so naturally I started a novel about twins who discovered a secret tunnel in their basement. When I was older I got really into fan fiction. I kept trying to write a novel of my own but was always too impatient to get past the first 50 pages or so. Finally, when I was twenty, I finished my first book. So yes, I’ve always been interested in writing. The writing part sucks (haha) but I absolutely love creating stories.

TRC: Tell us how you came up with the idea of your Chaos Theory series?

Sarah:  Most of my ideas are wilderness-based because I love nature and the mountains. I also have a weird obsession with either combining technology and nature or pitting them against each other. I knew I wanted to do this in Chaos Theory, but I also wanted to write something that was both thrilling and emotional. I’m a huge fan of LOST and was re-watching the series when I came up with the idea, and the show inspired me a lot.

TRC: The Wicked We Have Done, the first book in this series, is your debut novel.  Can you share with us your reaction when you found out your book was being published?

Sarah:  I was actually hiking when my agent called me and had no service. It wasn’t until I was driving back into town that I got her voicemail and emails that all said “Call me!!!” I was having heart palpitations until I found a place on the side of the road where I had enough signal to hold a call. I’m pretty sure I just said, “Okay,” when she told me the news because I was in a state of shock, but my hiking partner/BFF was sitting next to me and could hear everything, and she started having a silent freak out, which was amusing to say the least.

TRC:  Can you please tell us the general premise for your Chaos Theory series? Also, how many books do you anticipate for this series?

Sarah : The Chaos Theory series is about a near-future world where scientists can predict the moral compass of an individual through readings of emotions and hormones. When criminals are convicted of a crime, they’re tested in order to see if their evil doing was a one-time act, or if they’re truly wicked. The wicked are killed in a Compass Room–a technologically-advanced prison that measures morality when inmates are faced with simulations of their crime.

Currently, the series consists of two novels and a novella.

 

TRC:  Please give us a brief description of The Wicked We Have Done?

Sarah:  Twenty-two-year-old Evalyn Ibarra is sent to a Compass Room after being convicted of shooting up her school. While faced with terrifying illusions of what she’s done, she also makes friends with fellow inmates, and ends up fighting to save their lives.

 

 

TRC:  What was the most fun/most difficult scene to write in The Wicked We Have Done?

Sarah:  The most fun scene, and one of my favorites, is the scene where Evalyn paints a sky on Casey’s chest. I love writing foreplay and it is both an odd and sexy scenario.

The hardest scene was a death scene (I won’t be specific because I don’t want to give anything away). For being the author of a book with a lot of death in it, I actually hate thinking about death and writing it. I end up crying a lot and need to take constant breaks. It’s pretty pathetic. 

TRC:  A Vault of Sins is your 2^nd book in the Chaos Theory, which is set for a September, 2014 release.   Can you tell us anything about this sequel? 

Sarah:  I can’t say a whole lot, but I can say that the book is going to be about choosing the harder path when faced with tough decisions, even when you aren’t obligated to. It’s also going to be about Evalyn coping with being a nationally-hated figure and how she chooses to handle the darkness that her public image brings her.

TRC:  The Chaos Theory is a dystopian New Adult book. Do you have any desire to write other genres?

Sarah:  I write Young Adult as well as New Adult. I really love speculative fiction and plan on sticking with writing science fiction/fantasy/horror, etc.

TRC:  Can you tell us what are you currently working on?

Sarah: I’m currently working on a Chaos Theory novella that’s slated for August. It’s going to be in Valerie’s point of view. I’m very excited about it.

TRC:  What is your writing process?  Do you like to outline your story before you start? Do you have a specific place you like to write? 

Sarah:  I usually write on my couch, at a café, or on my patio. I tend to do a very bare-bones outline before starting, but nothing more. Then I just write—well, word vomit would be a more appropriate term. I don’t even know the characters yet or what scene is going to come after the one I’m writing. My first drafts are atrocious, and I end up rewriting the entire book. But it’s a necessary part of my process. I hate following strict outlines because they leave me no room to consider what could be. TWWHD went through probably ten drafts and one complete rewrite.

TRC:  Many authors have friends or family, that they bounce ideas and information back and forth.  Do you have anyone you like to discuss your story with? 

Sarah:  I have an army. I’m a very needy writer. Lucky I’m blessed with several AMAZING critique partners that will listen to me and help me figure things out. I believe strongly that every writer needs this sort of support base, as well as people who are willing to give brutally honest feedback.

TRC:  Would you like to add anything else?

Sarah:  These were awesome questions! Thanks so much for having me!

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food: Sushi

Favorite Dessert: Cookie Dough

Favorite TV Show: Tie between LOST and Firefly

Favorite Actor & Actress (TV or Movies) Currently Jennifer Lawrence and Tom Hardy

Last Book You Read: The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman

Favorite Fictional Character (not your own): Currently a tie between Todd Hewitt from Chaos Walking Trilogy and Quintana from Lumatere Chronicles.

Milk or Dark Chocolate: Dark

Dog or Cat: Dog

If you want to learn more about Sarah, you can find her at the following links.
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Sarah, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.  The Reading Café wishes you good luck with The Wicked We Have Done.