Author Interview: Sahana Epari

Last week, I review Sahana Epari's debut novel, Pure at Heart. I was lucky enough to also have the chance to ask her some questions for an interview:

How did you come up with the concept for Pure at Heart?

I don't really remember. I guess I was just in that phase where I was obsessing over urban fantasy and paranormal novels. I still am :) Anyways, I guess the supernatural being that got to me the most was the werewolf. No matter what book I read, if there was a werewolf in it, the character would automatically be my favorite. As for the plot itself, it took a while to come up with something that I would read myself. Pure at Heart is basically everything I, as a person, would want in a book.


What was the toughest part of writing the novel?

The toughest part would be the conclusion. To be truthful, when I started, I wasn't completely sure I wanted a sequel. I was thinking I could write maybe one of those single novels. Then, I realized that it would be a really big book, because there were so many things I wanted to introduce. The conclusion of Pure at Heart was hard to write because I had to conclude things, but leave a lot of room for questions. I wanted the readers to think, "What happens next?" and want to read the next book.


Is there anything you would want to change about Pure at Heart?

I actually like it the way it is. I elaborated the characters enough, the plot, the setting. Everything is the way I need it to be. If I did have the chance, however, I would want to be a little more descriptive in some scenes.


Who is your favorite author?

Cassandra Clare.

What is your favorite book(s)?

City of Bones, or the Mortal Instruments series.

Many authors tell aspiring young writers to wait until they are older to publish because they haven't lived much and their writing is great for their age, but don't compare to older authors. What do you say about that topic?

I completely disagree. Now that there are self-publishing companies, like CreateSpace, it allows anyone to publish anything they want. Everyone knows that young authors are still growing, and haven't experienced a lot, but that makes it all the better. There's a surprise when you read a really good book, and then discover that it wasn't an adult who wrote it but a young person. Yes, novels written by young authors like myself, shouldn't be compared to books written by older, more experienced, and more educated adults. However, that shouldn't be a restriction to publish something.

What can you tell us about the sequel to Pure at Heart?

It will continue a few days after the end of Pure at Heart. I haven't really decided on the name yet, but it will definitely summarize the novel. I'm hoping to add a big surprise, so hold on. Not sure about the release date as of now.



Where can readers contact you?
  You can go to my blog:

evalineandthepack.blogspot.com

Review: Pure At Heart by Sahana Epari

Lies. Betrayal. Secrets. They are worse than you think they are.The feeling of something you thought you had but you never did. Your whole train of thought changes direction. Suddenly everything you have lived for becomes a life you never had.
I thought I knew everything.
My name is Evaline Pangborne, and I am a werewolf.
When Eva and the Shadow Clan find out a ground-breaking secret of their life, they seek the only way out of the pain and suffering--an escape route. An escape route they got, but along with that came even more secrets, questions, and betrayal.
The people Eva trusted most, is now someone to despise and hate, and the people Eva never wanted to trust, get closer and closer to her. Living itself seems like a big joke to her. What's the big secret? And why is everyone keeping it from her?

from goodreads


I feel terrible for not reviewing this book earlier, but better late than never, right? Yeah... So, I received this book for review by the author herself, and my first impression was that this was going to be awesome. Then I started reading the first few chapters, and the many punctuation errors got on my nerves.

Sahana Epari is a debut and young author that is one of the few people I know that are published at such a young age. What I love about her writing is that she is aware of her characters. Her characters were the strong leads of the novel, and even though Eva got on my nerves more than once, I could easily distinguish Eva and her attitude towards life. There were many little jokes here and there, none that made me laugh out loud though. The dialogue was a bit stiff, and did not flow like it could be for some characters. Though, some characters talk in a distinctive way, and I liked the mash up.

Eva is arrogant and very naive. Actually, most of the pack is naive in my opinion. They are kids, but I think that because of their role in the world, they could have been more mature. They were very childish and the thought process of Eva wanted me to punch her sometimes.

One character I did love, was Victoria. Victoria reminds me of one of my friends. She is the bad-ass in the back ground that has this mysterious air around her, and I truly feel sorry for her the way she is treated by Eva, but both of them do get each other at their necks.

The paranormal world was built in a way that you slowly discover more of it as Eva does. The world is built in a full extent, but not at all majestic or grand as Divergent, or Daughter of Smoke and Bone. There were the basic werewolf vampire creature fight and it was a simple set up of a story.

I like Pure At Heart because of its simpleness and quick pace. If you are a werewolf fan, I think that you will love this story. So in the end, I will give Sahana Epari's debut novel a head moves back and forth, thumb moving towards the middle or down. (3 out of 5)

Review: Dragon Fire by Pedro L. Alvarez

I was very interested in a new world to explore the past week and I found this in an ARR program. Pedro L. Alvarez is a debut author that I think we should all keep an eye on. The story he lays out for the reader is amazingly detailed and well thought out. Dragon Fire is a mixture to me of a coming of age/romance/dystopian like world. 

If there is not enough reason that you should get a bow and arrow well here's another book. Lately that's been the trend I've found. For example, Faelorehn by Jenna Elizabeth Jonhson, The Hunger Games Trilogy, and a few weeks ago I saw Brave form Pixar. Not that I don't have anything against bows and arrows but I wanted something different. Maybe something new and unheard of.

Pedro L. Alvarez has the most beautiful way of telling a story that amazed me while I was reading. Though his writing isn't filled with complications making me re-read constantly, it had an old timey feel. I felt very sucked into this world he created and the characters that joined in. I don't know how to say this because this is a very tricky review for me to write. I love his writing, but the story didn't make me want to read more. I really wanted to like this but I couldn't. It's not bad or anything, but I just could not go into another coming of age story. The genre is incredibly gigantic and I did not feel like anything was special.

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor Review

Laini Taylor has to be one of my favorite fantasy authors because she is just amazing like that. Her style of writing is nothing I found queer, but the way she set ups her world is magnificent. I love the way she describes the places where the main character Karou goes and her world is just magical.

I especially loved Brimstone. Brimstone is Karou's "father" you can say and he's nothing what you would imagine going into this novel. He screams like something that would be in Lord of the Rings or Narnia. I found that Taylor writes a blend and equal amount of mundane and fantasy scene through the book. I much enjoyed both, and sometimes even the mundane seemed fantasy because all these experiences that Karou took were all around the world.