A review by questsandcrimes
Mayhem by Estelle Laure

4.0

Mayhem Brayburn and her mom, Roxy, have finally moved home to California to escape Roxy’s abusive husband. In Santa Maria, they move in with Elle, Roxy’s sister and the three orphans she has adopted. Mayhem learns that her mother has been running from her past and the gift and curse of the Brayburn family. There’s a darkness in Santa Maria and it’s the task of the Brayburn’s to keep it at bay. Can Mayhem love you to the Brayburn legacy?

Mayhem is bitched as The Craft meets Lost Boys. I didn’t really get a lot of The Craft, but I definitely got Practical Magic vibes. Two sisters, a line of cursed women with magical powers, a house set away from all the others. I loved these aspects. I also loved that it was set in 1987.

Interspersed with Mayhem’s perspective, you get journal entries from past Brayburn women. These chapters provide background on how the Brayburn magic and legacy cane to be. It made everything more relatable.

I’ve never read Lost Boys, and I don’t remember much of the movie, so here’s my word of caution: people have said this is not inspired by Lost Boys, but it is a replica. I love a feminist rewrite. I LOVE IT. However, if it’s too similar it is cause for concern.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for my review copy. It is an excellent audiobook. A narrator can make or break a book, and Chloe Cannon does such a fantastic job.