Young Adult, Fantasy, Magical Realism

Rating:

4 Star read

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.

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Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 
 

Review

Mayhem was a quick read that sucked me in right away. I liked the story and the mystery that went along with it. But what I liked the most were the relationships in this book.
Seeing Roxy and Mayhem’s relationship. Especially what they overcame together. I liked that through the story Mayhem and the reader begin to understand Roxy’s path. What it truly means to by a Brayburn, why Roxy left and why she lived her life the way she did. I also liked seeing Mayhem grow and become more independent and having a purpose.
The mystery that surrounded the town and the magical elements of the book were great and kept me turning the pages. I liked that the story started off by giving little hints before the big reveal. The ending was a little abrupt and I would have liked a little more closure, but overall this was a very engaging read.

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Purchase Links

Bookshop.org | Amazon

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