Disclaimer: I was provided with an e-ARC of Mayhem by Estelle Laure by NetGalley and the publisher (Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Publishing Group) in exchange for my honest review. Thank you so much!
If asked to describe Mayhem by Estelle Laure, I would say gripping, mysterious, and compulsively readable. This novel has all of the components of a good book: realistic characters, a great plot, an original magic system (if one is present), and beautiful writing!
We follow the Brayburn family: Mayhem and Roxy (Mayhem's mother), fleeing an abusive household. They end up seeking refuge in the one place Roxy swore they would never go back to, Santa Maria. When they get there, Mayhem must face the past, fulfill her legacy, and try to find the person responsible for the many kidnappings in the small town.
The first half of the book is quite slow and gives you a sense of dread, that drags you through the pages, while also maintaining a giant knot in your stomach. Once the action starts, you get swept up in a whirlwind of magic and mystery. It's so easy to read this book in one sitting and forget about the rest of the world. The only thing I didn't enjoy is that the pacing in the second half of the book was a bit off, and the ending left an issue still unsolved. I honestly didn't want this book to finish!
Mayhem's character arc is done very well (in my personal opinion)! She has to overcome so much, and I think Laure was able to accurately portray a person that has undergone a lot of emotional trauma. She is frustrated, scared, she is hurt, but she is also so strong. Once she comes into her legacy and magic, she can wield her anger and transform her weakness into her strength and ultimately serve justice on a silver platter.
I think the most interesting aspect of this novel is its magic system. It was interesting to explore it with Mayhem, to test its boundaries and push them. I loved this part of the novel so much! It was truly unique!
The other characters present in the book have also suffered. Because of Estelle's writing, you can feel empathy for them! Mayhem's relationship with her mother is crucial for her character development. If Mayhem is wounded, then her mother is in shambles, and the 16-year-old girl has to hold her up while Roxy pieces herself back together. Their relationship is raw, and they depend on each other in a beautiful way. There is a romance element and, though it is not the focus of the book, I enjoyed it!
Overall, Mayhem is a dark tale of loss and hope, grief and healing, that transports you to the ocean and another time. This book was a wild ride in the best way possible!

The story begins with the sixteen year old Mayhem Brayburn who, with his mother Roxy, returns to the family home in the seaside town of Santa Maria. Both since Mayhem as a child have lived in Texas with the girl’s stepfather, Lyle, an alcoholic and violent man. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when Mayhem was also hit by the man. The young girl does not remember her old house, nor her aunt even though her father died right there, in Santa Maria. It is in that almost magical place that Mayhem will find himself faced with many choices, with awareness and with the fact of girls who seem to disappear in the country.
What does it mean to be a Brayburn in your home country? What will you discover along your way and after your transfer? What will change in Mayhem’s life?

The plot is interesting and offers us the cues to fully understand this story. There are no spoilers and it is evident that it brings with it a hidden magic that is hidden behind the pages of this mysterious female volume.
The cover attracted me from the first moment the. Volume was proposed to me. It represents Mayhem on the rock that sees the distant horizon that awaits it, reporting a real volume scene. The title is the name of the protagonist even if at first glance I thought it meant something in a different language or that it was something special. I would never have thought of a name being unusual enough. I find the union title cover very intriguing and interesting.
It runs the year 1987, in a small American country called Santa Maria, a coastal country in California

The characters of this story are different, all absolutely particular and mysterious starting from the protagonist Mayhem.
The main protagonist, Mayhem, is a strong girl, who has suffered a lot in life. She knows that her mother is fragile and although she is, she tries to mask everything by giving the strength she needs more than herself. She is a girl who sees beyond things and who has a fondness for water since she was a child. He is a mysterious, closed character in which I personally saw myself so much having a very similar character when facing difficult things.
Finally something in which I can mirror myself. Jason, Snow and Kidd are the children of Elle, Roxy’s sister and Mayhem’s aunt, they bring a different light to this story, each leaving a strong characteristic that distinguishes them.
The central pivot of this story is Mayhem which despite being the emblem of this volume, takes us into his world seeing it with his own eyes. Eyes that have suffered and have seen painful things that nobody should ever live. A story certainly touching from this point of view, which bring us very close to the protagonist.
The style used by the author is simple, fluent and rather fluid so even if in the original language it can be read very quickly.

In the foreground, I feel I have to make statements about this book. As much as you can approach a book that reports, as stated, that you are a feminist, I think it is only a book with all female protagonists. That is, not because the characters that dominate in this story are women then it means that the novel is feminist.
Furthermore, the supernatural, even this as per slogan, is really overrated. There is a reference to vampires but they are mostly legends dictated by the town that linger in mystery for almost the entire volume – even if I didn’t believe it truthfully from the beginning. There is a strange aura in the country but it looks more like Mayhem than it really is.

As for the time, there are no real things that suggest that we are in that specific year or in those years. Perhaps only at the beginning the clothing of the two boys but nothing more then the year seems to be only of mere outline, nothing more, thus adapting also to the present day. I would certainly have preferred it to be more incisive.
Despite this, the reading is certainly interesting and original, very different from the usual and, if I have to be honest, it took.

The book was certainly well written, which intrigued me starting from the plot with a passion but, if you are looking for a book with action, forget it. Mayhem is very thoughtful and moves calmly, on tiptoe. I recommend reading.
Estelle Laure writes a feminine story full of mystery and character. A hard, exciting and impactful story. A book to read.

The rating for this book: 4 stars.

3/5 Stars

I have very mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed parts of it, there are other parts that I constantly felt confused. It took me about halfway through the book before I started to get into it. The entire first half of the book I was confused. I had a general idea of the plot but it took a while. I also wasn't' a massive fan of the way the book was written but that is more of a personal note. I would still recommend reading this, I think this would be a great book for specific people!

From the beginning of the book, I had the feeling that if there were no toxic masculinity and the characters had done an anti-drug class, the book would not have more than 20 pages. I also felt a lack of charm in the atmosphere of the story and in the characters, because, for example: Netflix is making a lot of series and films with an 80's vibe for charm and nostalgia, which is all that is lacking here.

About the relationships of the characters, I liked her relationship with her mother and aunt much more than with the teens, because the legacy of the family and helping each other in adversity seemed to me more interesting than exploring the beach of Santa Maria (however there was magic and fun).

Full review (with some Brazilian jokes) at: https://deiumjeito.blogspot.com/2020/07/review-mayhem-estelle-laure.html

Thank you to St Martins for sending me this book!

This book was wonderful! I deeply enjoyed the kick ass take charge character of Mayhem. TW for domestic violence.

This book is a marvellous blend of vampires, witchcraft and speaking your power.

💦

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

Trigger warnings: domestic abuse, violence, drugs, mention of rape, murder, and addictions.

I had no idea what this book was about but I had a feeling that I would like it, I'm glad that the feeling was correct.
I really liked this story, it is not at all conventional and surprises you on every page.
It has an air of mystery and magic that I loved, almost hallowed.
It is a super quick book to read because you get stuck in the story.
The author's writing brings an incredible atmosphere to the story and makes everything more magical.
The characters are good, but I think they could have been developed better and with more depth, but I liked them all but Nave (I hated every second she appeared in the story, too annoying).
I recommend this book if you like books with magical realism, lyrical writing, and a magical and mysterious atmosphere.

I was excited about this book. I love the 80s and its movies. I LOVE the lost boys and the craft so this one was a no brainer. That being said THIS BOOK WAS SO SLOW; I caught myself wanting to skim to get past things. That is never a good sign. I really wanted to love this but I just did not.

As some of the other reviewers pointed out there is a ton of pieces picked straight from the lost boys. Honestly, I think it wouldn’t have bothered me so much if it at least was as good as the lost boys. I wanted a love letter to 80s but I feel like if we had not been told the date we would not have been able to guess it was the 80s. I think for me what this is lacking that The lost boys is not is the humor and campiness you get in the best of the 80s movies. There was just zero humor here.

As for the craft being referenced, I agree with my fellow reviewers, I don’t see it. As others said more practical magic vibes.

All in all this is two stars for me. I’m sure this would be a good read for someone who is not familiar with film it was inspired by.

So.. this book felt chaotic..
There were so many things going on, and the book is very short, so it felt as if all the stories were done a bit half.
We had Mayhem and her mom escaping her abusive stepdad, her mom’s drug addiction, some kind of magic, some mystery, some stories surrounding her aunts adopted children, the relation between these adoptive children and Mayhem.. And the book is just over 200 pages long..
I think the author should have chosen between the magical town and the thing surrounding that or the abusive stepdad story. Having both things going on was too much. Both stories were interesting, but they did not feel complete.
I think this already explains most of my ratings.. Since all parts; plot, characters, magic system, felt underdeveloped, I didn’t really like most aspects..
The writing was okay, it read quite easily!
Tbh, I think I would have DNF’ed this book if it would have been longer..

Happy Book Birthday to Mayhem!

I have heard many people comparing this book to the movie Lost Boys. As a child of the 80’s I can say that there were a few similarities but not enough for you to guess the plot of this book.

I found this book to be quite engaging, a quick read and the world a bit eerie at times. The character growth that both Mayhem and her mother experience in this book was beautiful to me. If you are a fan of magical realism, I would suggest picking this one up. And that is all I will say so I don’t spoil any more of the story!

Trigger Warnings for rape, abuse, and drug use.

Big thank you to St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read and E-ARC of this book!

I have already posted my review to GoodReads.

I really wanted to like Mayhem, but the book just didn't quite work for me. The pacing was a bit too slow for my liking, and the story felt too contrived and played off of The Lost Boys film a bit exhaustively. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to finish the book, stopping around the 50% mark. I will not be reviewing this book on my blog, however, will share feedback on Goodreads.

oop I really didn't like this 🤭
I absolutely LOVED the first few chapters but then my enjoyment hit a plateau.. then started to plummet. I liked a lot of the writing style and the IDEA of this, but that was about it. this felt so messy and all over the place. there was little to no explanation of the fantastical elements - they drink water anddd? can teleport? can read people's thoughts? that's about all I got from it. I also found the characterization to be super weak and I wasn't really rooting for anyone.
I've also seen a lot of reviews that say this takes a little bit too much inspiration from The Lost Boys - I can't speak too much on that bc I haven't watched this movie in probably 10 years but even so, parts of the book were DEFINITELY reminding me a lot of the movie. so do with that what you will.
this had a lot of promise but just really did not end up working for me /:

The concept of this book was a 5/5 - and occasionally, the words on the page really made me think that this book was going to be a full 5 stars from me. But I kept waiting and waiting for more purpose, more umf to feel and I never did. To me this book ended up feeling quite flat to me. The plot felt quite messy to me as well. Things were not explained - which didn’t bother me much in the beginning because I actually quite liked the mysterious atmosphere of the setting. But when things suddenly started happening quickly and without explanation, I started to feel the books lack of substance. The romance in here was insta lovey, which again, would be fine except for the fact that there was zero chemistry between these characters. This felt so off compared to the beautiful descriptions of the town of Santa Maria. Additionally, Mayhem’s relationship with her mother Roxy was so interesting, it was the aspect of the novel I enjoyed the most. I was enamoured entering this story, but the second half of the novel was a real let down for the above mentioned reasons. The novel also wrapped up so fast and easy at the end… Man, I was really vibing with this book in the beginning, I just wish it was longer and more fleshed out, I think it could have been really great.

3.5 stars

This is kind of an odd review... apologies in advance. (Another case of it's not you, it's me.)

Writing: ★★★★
Plot: ★★★★
Pacing: ★★★
Enjoyment: ★★

Mayhem had all the ingredients to be a book that I'd enjoy: speculative magic, ocean vibes, female protagonist, witchy vibes, 1980s aesthetic. But it didn't mesh with me, and I'm still not exactly sure why.

Described as a YA feminist mash-up of The Lost Boys and The Craft, this book follows its main character, literally named Mayhem, and her mother, Roxy, as they deal with secrets, hidden magic, and the ties that bind in families.

It's witchy, it's 1987, and it's Santa Monica.

Mayhem and her mother are on the run from her abusive stepfather, Lyle, and its gotten so bad that Roxy decides to bite the bullet and take them home to the Braeburn house. Roxy used to be a Braeburn, but she's spent all of Mayhem's life trying to forget her roots.

Mayhem doesn't understand her mom's reluctance to go home, because her aunt and cousins are awesome. Being a Braeburn means belonging, accepting, and a home of her own. It's a dream come true.

Being a Braeburn also means that Mayhem has a legacy, and one that her mother literally tried to squash out of her—the Braeburn women are magical.

When Mayhem, her cousins, and the Braeburn legacy all intertwine for the first time....things are about to get intense in a major way. And there's also the disappearing girls. That too.

My thoughts:
As I said at the beginning, I think this novel wasn't for me. It was written well, the characters leapt off the page, and the plot seemed to mesh well with a lot of other readers, so I'm clearly not the core audience for this one—take my thoughts with that grain of salt.

It was just a case of the novel not fitting with my tastes of YA. I think I'll leave it with that to keep things spoiler-free.

If the description appeals to you, check this out!

Thank you the Wednesday Books for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc copy of this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Mayhem

Author: Estelle Laure

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Recommended For...: Classic 80s fans, magic lovers

Publication Date: July 14, 2020

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 304

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, kidnapping, drug abuse TW, domestic violence TW)

Synopsis: It's 1987 and unfortunately it's not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, Roxy. Maybe it has to do with Roxy's constant physical pain, or maybe with Mayhem's own irresistible pull to water. Either way, she knows they aren't like everyone else. But when May's stepfather finally goes too far, Roxy and Mayhem flee to Santa Maria, California, the coastal beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is, her estranged family, and the mysteries of her own self. There she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and it opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage in her family, the very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good. But when she gets wrapped up in the search for the man who has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she is forced to face the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.

Review: Overall this was a good book. The book had a great story line and the plot kept me intrigued until the end. The book also had very strong developed characters and world building.

However I did feel like maybe the author relied too much on her research material for this book. The book heavily relied on The Lost Boys and The Craft (never seen, so I'm just using what my husband pointed out and what I could read on Wikipedia). The book is also incredibly slow in the beginning with it picking up in the last 40% of it.

Verdict: It was good, just too slow in the beginning.

4.5 stars

I'm shocked by how many low ratings I'm seeing for this book, because I absolutely loved it. The Lost Boys is one of my favorite movies so I knew I just had to read it. A lot of reviewers think that the story took too much from the movie, but I have to disagree. The author used a similar California setting and some minor characters to tell the reader that it takes place in The Lost Boys universe, but the actual plot has nothing to do with vampires or the main cast of the movie.

I think what is important to know if you pick this book up is that it's not as supernatural as the synopsis leads you to believe. I'd call this magical realism, not paranormal, as it deals with family lineage and access to powers that are, sadly, not well explained (a problem I often have with the magical realism genre.) I'd compare this to Practical Magic or even The Raven Cycle before The Craft. I wasn't expecting to be hit with so many contemporary themes, which is what most of the book is. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think the synopsis will attract the wrong type of reader and that's why it isn't getting the ratings it deserves.

I have read one of this author's books in the past and it wasn't memorable for me whatsoever. I thought this was a debut novel until Goodreads informed me that I am, well, an idiot. The writing in this novel was so poetic and beautiful, and I'm surprised it didn't stand out to me in her previous work. I don't know if it's because she has grown as an author, or because it didn't come off well in an audiobook, but I do know this is an author I'll be looking out for in the future. The reason I didn't give this book a full five stars like I was expecting is because I wanted more of an explanation for the magic, and because it wasn't very eventful for a book this size. I could absolutely see this being a great limited tv series though.

*Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I am so happy to have the opportunity to be part of the blog tour for Mayhem by Estelle Laure. Thank you to the team at Wednesday Books, for sending me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

About The Author:

Estelle Laure, the author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back believes in love, magic, and the power of facing hard truths. She has a BA in Theatre Arts and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and she lives in Taos, New Mexico, with her family. Her work is translated widely around the world.

Synopsis:

It's 1987 and Mayhem Brayburn has always known something's off about her and her mum, Roxy. Roxy is in constant physical pain, and Mayhem has an irresistible pull to water. She knows they aren't like the other people.

When one day, Mayhem's stepfather goes one step too far, her and Roxy escape to Santa Maria, California, the beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is. There, she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and she opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage of the Brayburn family. The very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good.

But when she is on a mission to search for a man that has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she needs to pay the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.

My Thoughts:

Mayhem by Estelle Laure is one of a kind. Entwined with mystery, magic with family heritage and revenge, this book is full of emotions.

The beginning of the book, although powerful, is very slow. It took me a little while to get into it, but as soon as I was hooked, it stayed amazing.

Mayhem is an interesting character. She holds a lot of emotions inside of her, all from past experiences that have shaped her character. Sad to say that most of her experiences were not good, and she holds the burden for it all. I can imagine how hard it must be to write a character as complicated as Mayhem, and I think Estelle Laure did and amazing job doing it.

I loved the kids as well - each of them different in their own way, battling their own demons and living through their bad experiences in the past. Some of these characters drastically change over the course of the book, which was unbelievable to me.

The magic aspect of this book was interesting, and for me, original. I have seen many reviews mentioning that this might not be true, and it is a very similar story to The Lost Boys. Since I haven't watched The Lost Boys, I am unable to comment on this part. Personally, I really enjoyed the magic concept with the water, the dependency on it and the family heritage part too.

If you are searching for a YA fantasy thriller, with rich characters and mysterious adventures, I think you will definitely enjoy this book.

Trigger warnings: rape, assault, murder, drug addiction, magic addiction.

DNF

I started Mayhem with gusto, very excited. The writing was very good and instantly captivating. But I had to take into consideration the words of caution given in the beginning for sensitive topics.

MAYHEM really caught me by surprise. I didn’t know much about the book, but I saw the comp to WILDER GIRLS and The Lost Boys and felt like this would be up my alley.

It was very, very up my alley.

I personally feel like this book was more like the spiritual love child of FOUL IS FAIR, SAWKILL GIRLS, and PRACTICAL MAGIC, with a heavy seasoning of The Lost Boys. My one sentence description would be: competent angry girls get revenge and inherit mystical powers to help them do so.

For the first 50 pages or so, The Lost Boys influence is very strong. It made me a little worried that this was just going to be a pretty blatant retelling (although it was fun to see the Frog brothers pop in). Laure quickly adds her own spin to the tale that really made me so much more attached to the characters. In particular, I couldn’t help but be totally entranced by Neve. I got serious Fairuza-Balk-in-The-Craft vibes in the best possible way. I always love when powerful people become a little unhinged.

I also love when there are complicated inherited magic systems, which I think this book does really well. Especially as it explains more of the consequences of using the magic. My only critique is that I love a good training montage, and I wish we spent a little more time with Mayhem as she figured out her new abilities.

Overall, I thought this was a really nostalgic, satisfying, campy beach read, and I would definitely recommend picking up a copy.

*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I liked the idea behind this. Mystical town, mysterious women and magical water? Sounded awesome but in reality this book just flopped. It was slow going and too angsty for it to actually feel exciting. I did enjoy the setting, the cave and the weird house. Also Mayhem is a cool name so there's that. I just really expected more of this and was unfortunately disappointed.

When I saw that Mayhem by Estelle Laure was billed as a “supernatural feminist YA novel” I was immediately intrigued. It sounded like the type of book that I would love, and while the story was good, I ended up feeling like it would have made a better movie than a book (Gasp! I know!). In my defense, the author said they were inspired by the movie The Lost Boys (which I haven’t seen, so I can’t confirm or deny any similarities here).

Mayhem follows the story of Mayhem Brayburn, who moves with her mom, Roxy, back to their hometown of Santa Maria. They’re staying with family while fleeing from Mayhem’s abusive stepfather, and are trying to restart their lives. However, we quickly learn about the Brayburn family secrets, and see why Roxy left home in the first place.

There are numerous content warnings readers should be aware of for this book, including suicide, domestic violence, rape, and drug use.

While spending time with her adoptive cousins, Mayhem slowly learns about her family’s supernatural traditions and finds herself caught up in situations that her mom wanted to run far away from. Honestly, I don’t blame her, because some of the situations are incredibly scary and dangerous. I can’t say too much without giving the plot away, but I found myself wanting more from the story. It seemed like some details were left out, and I was frustrated with the lack of explanation.

Sometimes this works for me, especially with speculative fiction, but in this book it just felt off. At times the plot seemed to be a bit rushed, and I felt more confused than anything. However, it was still entertaining, and put a weird, eerie spin on the story. It’s not the type of thematic setting you’d expect from a book set in a beach town during the summer.

I really appreciated the themes included in this book. Discussing domestic abuse isn’t easy, but the author presented it in a very real, raw way. It’s not a fun or easy topic to include, but it was realistic, and showed the issues that that both Mayhem and her mom were struggling with.

If you’re looking for a quick, suspenseful read with a hint of magic, filled with family secrets and feminist themes, be sure to check out Mayhem.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press for an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley, and for including me in the blog tour. Mayhem comes out on July 14, 2020 and can be purchased wherever books are sold.