"Mayhem"

"Mayhem"

Written by Estelle Laure

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

Mayhem soars onto the scene, boasting a young adult supernatural and thriller premise but also tackles feminism and female relationships. Estelle Laure is a newer writer, but she proves in her writing of this novel that she has chops and that she's worth investing in time and attention. Mayhem follows the descendants of the Brayburn women, a magical family, that drinks from a magical water in scenic Santa Maria, California. This cautionary tale warns of madness, power, ambition, and learning when to step down, but it also promotes female empowerment, standing up for oneself, and saying 'no'. Females from all ages can appreciate this story, as many of us have had moments in our lives when saying 'no' was not an easy choice or not option at all.

To continue, the main character of this story is no other than Mayhem Brayburn. She and her mother, Roxy, move back to their hometown, Santa Maria, after Roxy decides to escape her abusive husband, Lyle. With the assistance of Elle, Roxy's sister, they become assimilated back into the beachy yet mysterious town. Mayhem befriends the teens that Elle has taken in, Neve, Jason, and Kidd. She is soon clued into a magical water, that empowers the Brayburn women but will drive others mad with anger and desire to kill. The intense emotions add fuel to the fire, as the teens brace up to hunt down a serial killer who has been targeting teen girls.

Laure references many inspirations for this novel, including The Craft and The Lost Boys. I also see a bit from the dark humor reminding me of Heathers and the evil magic of Carrie. I personally found that the most important plot point within this novel is the relationship of Mayhem and Roxy, and the rest seems to be background noise. I personally was invested in this novel due to the magic and the mystery, but I found both to be lackluster. Most of the novel follows Roxy and Mayhem's relationship and the teens Mayhem befriends. I hoped for a more developed storyline as the characters hunt for the serial killer, but we found out early on who it was, and we had about a chapter dedicated to their murder of him. 

I do like the themes of this story, of trust, friendship, feminism, and power. Additionally, Laure's portrayal of the characters after the serial killer's death was interesting. In many stories like this, the characters feel remorse for their crimes, but there often is one character who continues to act irrationally. I enjoyed the final reveal of the worst villain, but I think that due to the morals projected from each reader, perhaps they will not agree with my point of view.

Lastly, I do believe that the book was a very worthy entry into the teen supernatural subgenre. Also, I believe that I had very mixed feelings on this novel, so I can understand why others might not be blown away. However, I implore you to try to read it, even if it does not sound enrapturing. I'd love to see this turned into a mini-series or a film. It has cinematic potential, and I'd love to see this important story become more public and well-known.

I offer a trigger warning for suicide, abuse, mental health, and sexual content.

I rate this novel at four out of five stars.

Thank you to the wonderful Wednesday Books for sending an advance copy to read and review. Thank you for the opportunity.