Guest Post & Review: The Wicked We Have Done (Chaos Theory #1) by Sarah Harian

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My Favorite Part of the Writing Process.

I don’t think there is a standard way that authors come up with ideas. Creative people are kind of terrifying in the sense that none of us are alike. I know for a fact that most of us, when we’re suffering from writers block or lack of a plot bunny, don’t pack up and head to our cabin in the woods and break out the bottle of scotch. Why? Well, we would. Except for the fact that we’re all broke.

So we have to come up with cheaper and easier ways be inspired. And I’m not just talking about that shiny new idea. I’m talking characters, scenes, instances of dialogue, kisses, and even simple glances. How do writers do this?

The way I acquire these ideas and epiphanies is my favorite part of writing.

I pop in my earbuds and listen to music. No, I don’t just listen. I lose myself in it. I think of scenes and specific moments as if I’m creating a movie. The scenes or pieces of scenes always come before the bigger picture. A track of music will inspire a conversation or a bit of action. I will have no idea why the characters are talking about this or why they are running or fighting or kissing, but I figure it out slowly. Why did this scene come to me? What does it have to do with the larger picture? Once I understand, I begin to paint outward.

Now, listening to music is a pretty passive task in itself. It doesn’t require a lot of concentration. I can listen to music and get ready for the day, walk my dog, grocery shop… whatever. If I’m in the process of brainstorming, I can perform another task, but my head is in the clouds. Getting my attention is next to impossible unless you grab me and shake me. Other than that, the only thing that can snap me back into reality is if I have a groundbreaking epiphany.

Normally this happens when I’m listening to music and getting ready for the day. I’ll be putting on makeup or curling my hair and something within the song will force a connection. I’ll stare at myself in the mirror, wide-eyed and with my mouth hanging open. If *I*, were in a movie, the scene would be very cliché. The camera would zoom in on my dumbfounded face. Then I would burst from the bathroom, cosmetics flying everywhere, and race to my desk where I would hastily scribble down the idea in my notebook. Yes, this happens to me often, and it’s just as dramatic. Depending on how important the epiphany is to the book, sometimes I’ll go around skipping for the rest of the day.

Writers have all sorts of different rituals for brainstorming. For some reason, music sparks a fire inside me. I’m suddenly able to create and develop connections that I would have never been able to do without it. One day I’ll research and understand the science behind why this is, but for now, I’ll just crank up the iPod and daydream my tail off. 

Erin’s Thoughts

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The Wicked We Have Done by Sarah Harian is the first book of the Chaos Theory series and I found that I was quickly pulled into this story. It was a fairly quick read that had me continuously wondering what was going to happen next and contained enough action and mystery to keep me on the edge of my seat.

Having been accused of murder, Evalyn is given the option to either complete her trial (where she would most likely be found guilty) or be sent to one of the Compass Rooms that the government had created. A Compass Room is something that was developed to determine whether the criminals sent there were truly a threat to society. The idea is that through technology and studying the participants (?) brainwaves, the technology would determine whether the person would survive their tests or be executed. Evalyn decides that this is her best chance at survival – even though she knows she doesn’t deserve to continue living.

As the group of participants are transported from prison to the CR, we get an introduction to each and every one. The main characters that become the focus of the story in addition to Evalyn are Casey, Jace, and Valerie. All the others play roles in the full story but these are the four that build relationships in the CR and end up working together to survive not only their tests but also the craziness of the CR.

Overall the characters were good but no one really won me over and had me invested in what happened to them. I liked Evalyn but I didn’t love her and I thought the relationship that was developed with Casey was interesting. One minute he was threatening to kill her and then the next he is saving her from the fire at the house.

As the CR kicks off the testing of each person, Evalyn starts to see an issue with the way they system is operating. A few times she notices a glitch just before a test begins and eventually she comes up with a way to push the system and take advantage of a loophole. If the CR malfunctions/glitches, all remaining candidates are removed and then retried with the information that was gathered. As they work together to try to try to make this happen, things don’t turn out exactly as Evalyn thought it would. I’m not going to give anything away on what happens but I was definitely not putting the book down until I finished as I needed to know who eventually made it out.

I thought this book had an interesting summary and that is what ultimately drew me in. Harian does a great job developing a story that includes action, mystery, and a bit of romance. By weaving in the chapters of the past I was able to learn more about Evalyn outside of her crime and understand who she is as a person…not just a criminal. As a debut novel, it was done well and I look forward to reading the next book of this series. I’m not sure where it is going to go but I’m definitely interested.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group for the review copy.

View all Erin’s reviews

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