Guys, I’m totally stoked to share with you today’s blog! 🙂
A guest post from Sarah Harian, author of The Wicked We Have Done ON RELEASE DAY! This book blew me away, literally, like off my chair! She’s a phenomenal talent, and I just cannot wait to see what her career holds for us readers! 🙂
As I was reading this lovely book, I kept wondering hmmm.. .this should have a kick ass playlist.. and LO & BEHOLD! IT does, and I’m getting to share it with you today! How lucky are we!? But before I do, a little about this book, that you’ll need to pick up, like today. 🙂
Synopsis:
Darkly suspenseful and completely unexpected, The Wicked We Have Done is a debut author’s thrilling new take on New Adult romance.
Twenty-two-year-old 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.
BUY IT!
My Review:
Grade: A+ (Five STRONG stars)
HOLY COW! This book… yes, it drew me in, and yes, it had a bit of a Hunger Games feel, but seriously! *claps hands* GO SARAH! This book is so interesting and fresh, I am so glad to have gotten the chance to read it! I ❤ NEW IDEAS, and this book is one of them! As I’ve said in other reviews, romance books for me aren’t a grab, but add in a killer plot line and you’ve got me hooked! I love romance as long as I have a story to go along with it, and Sarah has done this. I feel as though the Compass Room was such an interesting idea, testing the morality of an accused killer, somewhat like Divergent’s testing, it really pulled out some wonderful character building as the story went on, and really gave us a new idea for a justice system.
Evalyn has to have her thoughts examined, all while playing a sort of game that will determine if she gets freedom or death. Her, along with other young people, who I must say, the author did a good job pulling quiet a few of them out of the background, and fleshing them out, even if they weren’t the main character, and I love to see that! The author really took a genre and concept that has been flying off the shelves for YA, and crafting into something deeper & stronger for the NA genre, and I’ve got to say, I was impressed.
Some people don’t like seeing books in the same vein as others, but honestly, it’s a theme, and there’s no rule that says author’s can’t play with it. Hunger Games pulled from Battle Royale, and so on and so forth, and I feel like yelling, “DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS THEME,” when I see people complaining. Sarah does an outstanding job putting her personal creative spin on this genre, and I adored it. The character’s had a really intangible strength to them, in the face of what they were undergoing, and I did think that you really pull the most from characters when you put them in situations like The Compass Room. She focuses on the story, over the romance, and doesn’t throw in any clichéd love triangle moments. Once you pick this book up, you’ll keep reading… it’s well written, with a lot of thought behind it, and it shines as a debut novel for Sarah Harian! I’m excited to see more from her!
Guest Post by Sarah – #GetWicked Playlist! 🙂
(As I run off to add these to my phone, and grab the book again!)
The Wicked We Have Done playlist is compilation of angsty and mostly dark songs. Since I have a very difficult time listening to music with lyrics while writing (my attention span is embarrassingly short), these songs resonated me while I was brainstorming—either in the car on my way to work or walking my dog. Here is my list of creepy, sad, and intense tracks for The Wicked We Have Done:
Spotify Playlist: https://play.spotify.com/user/sarahharian/playlist/4ybQgUDUGHEqJAynf7BIjU
“Seven Devils” by Florence + The Machine: This song is the ultimate creepy. I bought Florence’s album right when it came out, around the same time I was drafting TWWHD, and this song become instant fodder for me. I love how ghostly and chilling it is. It really parallels the book in a sense that the dark pasts of all of the characters are rebirthing.
“End of Me” by A Day to Remember: This song reflects a lot of the darkness of Evalyn’s past and losing those she cares deeply about. Instead of reflecting the grief of her loss, it reflects the anger she feels behind being abandoned.
“New Tricks” by Great Northern: Eerie and whimsical, this track is reminiscent of the strange horrors the characters face while in the forest of the Compass Room. It also parallels the moment when Evalyn decides to take matters into her own hands.
“Sink” by Brand New: This song is a delicious bundle of angst. It’s ragey and twisted. I feel like it represents the states of mind of all of my characters in the Compass Room, and the lengths they go to help each other when it comes to survival.
“Peace of Mind” by The Jezabels: When I first heard this song, I was in the process of revising a death scene. I cried, obviously. I think this song gives meaning to the little hope that the inmates have when they start making relationships with each other, and the refusal to believe that friends and lovers could die at any point within the prison.
“Come Clarity” by In Flames: I’ve loved this song for a long, long time. To me, it is about reflection, the presence of someone new, and their ability to erase the nightmare of the past.
“Millstone” by Eisley: This song IS Evalyn, particularly the line, “There’s not a moment to relive my time and space/ There’s not a moment to undo anything”. It encompasses her confusion and heartache in both The Wicked We Have Done and the sequel A Vault of Sins.
Don’t you love this?! Shout out! Tell me if you’ve read the book, or if you love any of these songs! I promise you, fans of NA Romance, The Hunger Games or even Thrillers, will love this book! I’ve still got it’s hook in me, and I can’t seem to shake it! So I’ll be reading it again! 🙂
About The Author:
Sarah Harian grew up in the foothills of Yosemite and received her B.A. and M.F.A. from Fresno State University. When not writing, she is usually hiking some mountain or another in the Sierras, playing video games with her husband, or rough-housing with her dog.
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