Blogtour - Mayhem by Estelle Laure - Review

It's been a while since I joined any particular blog tour. Not that I hate them or anything, but they just take a lot of time. Sometimes, just sometimes a rare opportunity presents itself and I can't just say no. Mayhem was exactly that. Thanks to previous involvment with the publisher, I got asked to be part of this awesome blog tour for title I didn't exactly know but it sounded hella awesome. So I am here to present you my review and a little bit of info about Mayhem and its author, Estelle Laure.

Blog tour runs from July 7th to July 21st 2020 and is hosted by Wednesday Books.

Synopsis 

The Lost Boys meets Wilder Girls in this supernatural feminist YA novel.

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.

From the acclaimed author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back, Estelle Laure offers a riveting and complex story with magical elements about a family of women contending with what appears to be an irreversible destiny, taking control and saying when enough is enough.

Photo by Zoe Zimmerman

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.

You can find her here:

Twitter: @starlaure

Instagram: @estellelaurebooks

Review

Source

Mayhem is NOT your typical average YA coming out of age story. Nope. There's something special about Mayhem. Have you heard about a lot of YAs set in back in 80s? Because I didn't. Mayhem by Estelle Laure is a standalone young adult contemporary mixed with some of magical realism, feminism and some serious issues such as domestic violence, drug abuse and so much more (such as crime story!). I bet you won't expect half of things, just like I didn't. We get several PoVs, not only from Mayhem herself, but also from older generations of her family. That makes whole story even more complex. Estelle's writing style is very unique, gripping in right moments and serious where it needs to be. It's also very easy to get into.

There are several layers that we slowly uncover as we get deeper into the story. First, I'd like to address serious issues that author decided to handle here. Eventhough I can't personally relate to MC's situation, I can tell it was very well written and portrayed realisticly. Nothing is sugar-coated and we get to see both of perspectives, not only May's, but also her mother's herself. Same goes for drug problem. One thing that stands out and might be a book's theme are family bonds. Not only May and her family, but also relationships between her and her new adopted siblings.

Brayburns. In my town, we were the legends.

Source

Second of all, it's really hard to comprehend everything that happened because this book is very specific. I don't mind magical realism at all and I actually loved how it was handled in Mayhem. I am not gonna spoil anything, but let's just say it was very beliavable in a way and I think Estelle did a wonderful job. Third of all, crime investigation. I didn't expect something like that to go well with other parts of story, but it did make a sense for overall development of the story. Bravo. I liked how it turned out.

Characters are fundemantal part of the story and Estelle did wonderful job in their slow but steady development. Mayhem Brayburn is not your typical average YA heroine. She suffered a lot in her life and all she wants is for her and her mother to leave their abusive stepfather. I loved Mayhem and her development. Not one I was expecting, but it was great. All of the other characters get a spotlight as well and keep developing since beginning to the finale. Mayhem's mother Roxy was quite hard to understand at times, but unlike other characters from this genre, she didn't get redeeemed right away. May's auntie was by far my favorite character and same goes for Jason. Neve was difficult to handle and I never liked her. Didn't mean she was a bad character though, just not my cup of tea. You might ask if there's some romance... and YES, there is. Not gonna tell more though! Let me just say it was very nice.

To sum this up, Mayhem is a book that definitely hit a right spot. I was surprised by how much I loved it because honestly? It's not something I'd pick up myself, probably. The whole concept of one family and its magical heritage, being praised as some local gods, serious topics that are handled here... Just wow. Reading Mayhem was a very unique experience and I'd love you to try it as well. I can't sum my feelings very well into the words but let me say this. This is one of the best books I've read this year so far. READ IT!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

If you are interested and want to get copy of Mayhem yourself, click HERE!

I would love to thank Sarah from wonderful St. Martin's Publishing Group for this wonderful opportunity and for providing me with a copy of Mayhem. It was a pleasure. 

All of the materials were provided by publisher for the purpose of this blog tour.