Reviews

Mayhem by Estelle Laure

geliopoulos's review

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2.0

i liked this more than the rating would indicate but the best thing this had going for it was its setting/atmosphere, which (among other things) was blantantly lifted from the lost boys and i really cannot reward this book for that

dorisxu's review

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3.0

pacing was so bizarre

kleonard's review against another edition

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3.0

Mayhem and her mom finally leave her abusive stepfather and go to California, where her mom is from. They find sanctuary with her aunt, and Mayhem soon learns that she's part of a long line of magical women in the family who protect the city they live in from violent men. That her aunt has adopted three kids and hoped that they too would become magical complicates things, and Mayhem has to find ways of helping her family by blood, her family by adoption, and her chosen family through both magical and non-magical means. There's a lot of violence and killing, but also some excellent girl power material, and smart readers will be attracted to Mayhem's conflicts of conscience and do some thinking about vengeance, violence, and protection on their own. Could be a good book for a book club or reading group of teens and tweens.

lillanaa's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Coming from someone with no point of reference to the apparent source material, I have to say I genuinely enjoyed this. Many of the other reviews pointed out that there seems to be a fine line between retelling and inspiration, but unfortunately I don't have the authority to make that judgement. Standing on its own, though, I absolutely loved this book. There's something about it that grabbed me from the start and it just kept going in a way that I had so much fun with. Lauren's voice for the characters is one that stuck with me, feeling so full and different from anything I've read recently.

The characters are probably the catching point for me, though. While Mayhem was awesome, and I loved Kidd, the rest of the characters seemed to try too hard to push a specific viewpoint. Jason was probably the most likeable to me out of the side characters, but the constant hammer from Elle, mixed with Roxy and Neve, the butting of heads was enough to make me find it annoying. I won't say they're terrible, it's just something I don't enjoy out of these kinds of books. There always has to be the moral quandary character and in some cases it gets a little too much.

That being said, though, I guess I'll have to go watch the movies this book is apparently similar to. I don't see why we can't have a few retellings here and there, and the author does reference them in her blurb, but we'll see. Maybe there'll be a sequel, maybe there won't be, I'd be intrigued to see one, honestly, because this has such a weird energy about it. It was fun!

knittyreader's review

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5.0

Mayhem is a wonderful coming of age book with fantasy elements. It is both very light and very dark, both very warm and very cold, both wonderful and awful. It's just how life is, and written in such a way that all those emotions and atmosphere come across like you are really there, in Mayhem's skin.

This is the kind of book I will probably remember a couple of times when I'm looking for a book to read, hoping that other book will touch me like this one did.

I received a free copy through Netgalley in return for an honest revieuw.

esmewasreading's review

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3.5

 it wasn't awful but it wasn't great.

I liked all the Lost boy similarities, but some parts felt unfinished and rushed. 

gabizago's review against another edition

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3.0

Based on the description, I thought I would like this book more. But it kind of felt that something was missing. Yes, there's some magical element to it, but it doesn't seem to be used in a good way. And while I wanted to know all the mysteries surrounding the family, at some points it felt a little bit too forced. But basically Mayhem and her mother move to her mother's hometown to escape her mother's abusive father / Mayhem's stepdad. When she is back she learns her family has a long history of superpowers, and she needs to drink some type of water to get to feel other people's thoughts. And then she tries to use her new powers to try to find a serial killer that is attacking in the city she just moved to. Nice premise, but kind of just okay execution.

lauren_soderberg's review against another edition

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5.0

Estelle Laure’s Mayhem is a brilliantly crafted coming-of-age story that interweaves mysticism with realism in a wholly unique way. It’s also a story steeped in a powerful sense of matriarchy, with deep familial bonds that stretch across generations.

Mayhem Brayburn has always felt like she doesn’t fit in. Stuck in a small town in Texas with her mother, Roxy, and abusive stepfather, Mayhem knows she was meant for more. When they finally flee the abuse and return to Roxy’s home town, Mayhem unearths what all Brayburn women intrinsically know: that she is powerful beyond what she ever thought was possible.

I loved everything about this book. There are strong female characters who are nuanced, complicated, and deep. There are interesting supernatural elements to the story that evoke both elements of witchcraft and vampirism. There’s an examination of familial lines, particularly matriarchal, and what it means to be a part of said bloodlines. There’s a beautiful budding romance that enhances the plot, and there’s an exploration of the idea of what it means to protect and what the costs of protecting are. There are so many achingly human parts to the story that it successfully manages to capture the nostalgia of youth and also the pain of growing up. In my mind, it’s difficult to quantify or categorize this novel, which is probably what I love most about it.

As part of the narrative, there are depictions of sexual and physical abuse, suicide, and murder, though all of these are treated the dignity, and are not overtly descriptive or explicit. All aforementioned depictions serve as drivers to the narrative itself, so nothing feels overtly prurient or exploitative.

In all, this is a book about growing up, finding yourself, and having the courage to become what you’re meant to be. Whether you’re typically a YA reader or not, add this to your TBR stack immediately.

**Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

bryanhoardsbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

Disclaimer: This review is not sponsored. I am part of the International Blog Tour for this book and I was given an e-ARC of the book by the publisher and author in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Suicide, Domestic and Emotional Abuse, Sexual Assault, Drug Use, Kidnapping

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I knew that I had to hit that request button right away. Mayhem was definitely a tough read, but an important one. So when I read the Author’s note at the first few pages of the book, I know that the story will keep me awake. I included the Author’s note at the end of this blog post, so feel free to check it out.

Powerful, dark and magical. That’s how I would describe this book. Let me give you three reasons why Mayhem should be in your TBR list. How the story of the Brayburn women lit the way and how magic allowed them to find strength in their weakness.

1.) It talks about real-life issues

I always find it brave if an author decides to write a book about sensitive, real-life issues that aims to raise awareness and find comfort in the hands of the readers. Laure doesn’t only give us a glimpse of how violence and assault looks like, she also gives us a slice of reality by showing the trauma it leaves to the victims. Sometimes it feels like there’s no way out, but this book tells us otherwise. I know it writing this book was hard, but I truly applaud Laure for bringing the Brayburn women to life.

2.) Magic and destiny

Magic runs in the blood of Brayburn women, and Mayhem’s arc revolves around discovering what she’s made of, what she could do and who she could be. I love me a good discovering-my-purpose trope and I’m thrilled this book was infused with it. I understand that the main theme of the book was not magic, and maybe that’s why I wished there was more of it, but I really think seeing more of it would anchor the plot more. In the end, I still enjoyed how badass Mayhem is!

3.) It did not shy away from including flawed family dynamics

It’s not always rainbows and butterflies. I like it when a book shows an imperfect family because that makes it more realistic. The mother-daughter relationship as well the sibling bond it this book is flawed, but they still loved each other and willing to protect the people that they love. Flawed, but still flawless.

Overall, Mayhem was a good read! Though I didn’t connect with some parts, I truly understand the purpose why this book came into life and believe me when I say that I received the message. I truly hope that this book will give comfort to people who relate the most to the Brayburn women. This book is power, and this is for you. You are invincible. You are magic.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me an early copy of the book. Huge shout out to Sarah Bonamino and the rest of the St. Martin’s Publishing Group team for including me in this blog tour!

Mayhem by Estelle Laure will hit the shelves on July 14th, worldwide!

Review is also published on Bryan Hoards Books

glitterkitter's review against another edition

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3.0

Almost a 4 star book. It started out so strong and with some great ideas, but a lot of stuff just fizzles out, like there's about three different parts of the story that get seemed like they're heading to something big, but before they get to the interesting bits, the story just has half a page tying it up and suddenly everything is okay? idk, nothing felt satisfying in how it ended.

(and i kinda wish this book had been from Neve's pov instead and that the book hadn't shoved her (and Jason and Kidd) aside as not being important bc they weren't from the right bloodline)