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. … 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.
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“I can’t look at Elle after what she did, and if I have to fight this battle, cleanse my Brayburn blood, I have to do it away from here, where I can’t hear the water whisper, where I can’t feel it’s pull on my heart, nevermind my body.”
‘Mayhem’ by Estelle Laure is credited as being The Lost Boys meets Wilder girls in a supernatural feminist YA novel.
Now.. I haven’t read Wilder Girls, it’s on my neverending TBR list, but I have loved The Lost Boys since it was released back in 1987, which is also the year ‘Mayhem’ takes place. It was the summer between junior high and high school for me and I was wildly into music.. pretty boys and girls.. and parties already. Most of my friends were in bands.. or chasing the enchanting characters in the bands.. and I was on the cusp of realizing I would work in and around the entertainment industry for my whole life. In fact, that moment was just a couple short months and one journalism teacher away.
Already, I was enamored with horror and vampires.. but pretty vampires in horror were the quintessential for me. Then along came this film that shook my world. There was a tale to be told, faces I’d never seen before and immediately fell for, and the temptation of mortality. The great moral dilemma.
As fondly as I remember the film, when I read the synopsis for ‘Mayhem,’ I knew I had to read it.
“He and Roxy met at a bonfire. He was dancing like he was part of the fire.”
“He was her true love. That, she knew from the first night they met, from the way he ran at the ocean like he was picking a fight..”
The story centers around Mayhem Brayburn, a girl who along with her mother Roxy, are on the run from a tyrannical stepfather/husband. After years of his abuse, he finally goes too far and her mother takes her and escapes toward her childhood home.
Santa Maria, California may hold all the family secrets that Mayhem has never been able to reach through Roxy, but that’s all about to change. There, she meets her aunt Elle’s new family, begins to discover what it really means to be a Brayburn, and why her mother remained resolute in avoiding the ancestral place for so many years.
What I love about this story is that despite Roxy’s struggling hold on her will and Mayhem’s festering anger and frustration, there is a uniquely beautiful mother-daughter connection between them. These women have been through hell already. The result is a sense of fragility about Roxy that Mayhem is desperate to protect. Even in the early moments of the book, her main focus is not herself. It’s her mother’s safety and state of mind.
Though there are tensions between Roxy and Elle, deep down the theme is the same. Love, family, and loyalty. Women who either are strong.. or trying to remember how to be.. standing together. Not tearing each other down.
“Everything comes with a price. Every victory has a trail of blood behind it. Maybe the sorrow I am dragging behind me means a victory is coming my way.”
Elle’s kids.. are something akin to Max’s boys.. but the dynamic is very different.. and the grip Santa Maria holds on them is not what we knew of Santa Clara either. Honestly, few people in Santa Maria are exactly as they seem and there were times Laure had me guessing at things that I would only change my mind about a few pages later. I will say I didn’t get nearly enough of Jason. There’s a deep well of character there, you can see it in all the quiet glances and soft words. We get glimpses of it and I loved them, but I feel like it could have been a much richer experience for me.
Another interesting approach Laure took was a narrative shift between Mayhem and entries in a journal passed through the hands of Brayburn women that came before her. Heartfelt writings detailing their loves and losses along the way. Tragic decisions that led to unforeseen outcomes for many of them.. and make no mistake, there are some reckonings coming. The question is how it will all play out in the end.
“You know,” she says finally, “you don’t get over things like losing your one and only. You just learn to live around the loss.”
I had seen another reviewer state that this book was no good. That it was just The Lost Boys flipped and basically copied directly. The idea crushed me because that’s not what I got from the summary and obviously it’s never what you want from a retelling. You want to see a story from a new perspective, not just a shift in the individual telling it. But they were wrong. Since I knew that was their opinion going in, I even went back and rewatched the film to make sure everything was still fresh in my mind when I got about halfway through the book.
Sure, there are a few moments here and there. The Frog brothers do indeed appear and they maintain the personalities we know, but they really just offer a sense of familiarity. There is a quote near the end of the book that is directly taken from the film, but the references are used sparingly. Locations like the cliffs, some atmospheric similarities.. those appear as well, but more like landmarks orienting you to where you are in the story.. tethering you between the two tellings.. and holding you suspended in a state that is like a memory that never was.
I can’t say enough good things about this story. Give it a chance, you’ll be so glad you picked it up.
(More reviews like this at Betwixt The Sheets.)
(I received this title as an ARC. All opinions are mine and freely given.)
Mayhem
By Estelle Laure
There is nothing more I love to read about than stories set in the 80’s and in my home state of California. The story has elements of magical realism, witches, a thrilling murder mystery and supernatural – which I enjoyed reading about. The story flowed well and written in a very distinct voice that I really enjoyed. The story is about Mayhem Brayburn and her mother Roxy who leaves to Santa Maria, California, a beautiful coastal town to escape an abusive father. Moving back to their hometown, May befriends the kids adopted by her aunt where she discovers some magic and what life will look like for her in her future.
I thought that the writing was immersive, and I did somehow get the Lost Boys feminist take of this story. I thought the weaving of the story line with the backstory was creatively written and well done. This was a real enjoyable read that I will continue to recommend to readers of YA and anyone looking for a great supernatural feminist read.
Received in exchange for a honest review.
So I am on the fence with this book. there are some aspects i love but others I just shook my head at.
I love the concept of the book. How this family is tied to this area and the water. How it is the water that gives them strength anfd power and if anyone else goes to the source of the water where the power is and accepts it, it can drive them to insanity or worse. I like how we have these three kids who have seemed to have accepted the powers and are overcoming the affects from it. Or it seems they are at least. THe powers of the water are seductive and addictive but also dangerous. How these powers and this family protect this town and in return the town pays homage I like but not really. I don’t like the town’s reaction to the family. That is a wee bit over the top for me.
The characters I am split about. Mayhem is alright. She has pretty much raised herself for her mom is just selfish and useless. Her stepdad was not great as a person. Roxy was Mayhem’s mom who ran from the water after what happened to Mayhem’s dad. I think it was the water’s pull and missing it that drove her to take drugs and alcohol. Mayhem’s aunt was interesting. She seemed to be hippie but wasn’t really. She took her role as protector of the town seriously. It was her that had the three foster kids and was training them that Mayhem and Roxy went to when they needed to run from Mayhem’s stepdad. Jason and Kidd are great. I love how protective of his sister Jason is. How he tells it like it is to Mayhem about the water and it’s seductive and addictive powers. Neve I thought was off her rocker. I think the water has changed her and not in a good way. When they get to her aunt’s house is when things get odd for Mayhem.
The town has had a series of kidnappings going on and Mayhem gets embroiled in this. The story is slow in how it is told. We have multiple views and this kind of clogs the the story down. I think that not all of the storyline meshes with the plot as well. For example: Roxy. Her attitudes and how she is living doesn’t fit in with the kidnapped girls. It is there as filler. The story seems disjointed at times. And you can’t always feel the characters emotions. We see the characters change drastically in this book and not always for the good. Especially Neve. That change was really wacky. As for being like Craft I don’t really see this. I see the growing of powers and how it takes over bit with the crazy one but not much else. Craft was more dark and twisted when it came to the powers whereas here the powers were dark but more focused around this family. In craft it isn’t where they got the powers and how it didn’t belong with them that drove them nuts or just one of them nuts but it was what the powers gave them that was seductive. I never saw the Lost boys so not sure if that one rings true or not.
My meh as may have already been seen are as follows:
too many storylines that were disjointed and not really leading back to the main plot. Examples: Roxy and her attitude and how she was living. Roxy and the stepdad.
Neve’s side story was a little iffy to me. I like that it showed the dangers but it wasn’t written like a precautionary part of the tale. It was more showcased than the main plot of the missing girls to me.
the feeling of sometimes not really feeling things from the characters. For example: Mayhem stating Neve is her best friend. Throughout this book you don’t get that sense. To me they are more on each other than besties. TO me it was Jason and Mayhem that were close and not Neve and Mayhem.
the comparison to craft. In the aspect that is shows what power can do when in the wrong hands yes but no other way.
Overall I enjoyed the story. I enjoyed how Mayhem had to learn about her family and their legacy. I enjoyed watching Mayhem learn what she can do and how to use those powers responsibly. How she had to make choices and how those choices affected her. I enjoyed Jason and Kidd and I enjoyed the story of who was the one kidnapping the girls. Would I try this author again? Yes but not if it was a continuation of this story. Not unless she changed how she went about writing the story for these characters.
Thank you Wednesday Books for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Mayhem
By: Estelle Laure
REVIEW
It’s my stop on the Mayhem blog tour!
Please note this book contains potential triggers, such as child/domestic abuse, rape, murder, general violence, etc.
Mayhem is physically a16 year old girl, but her accumulated life experiences have aged her well beyond what any young woman should endure. Mayhem has an abusive step father, but her mother, Roxy, has finally decided to leave him. Their destination is Santa Maria, California-the place Roxy fled years ago and swore to not return. Mayhem knows nothing about her mother’s family, the Brayburn’s, but her connection to these people is about to change Mayhem’s life. In this town, the Rayburn’s are respected but also feared. Why? This story is very much about women and their power. Mayhem and her new family of women are strong but tinged with sorrow and despair. There is something odd going on here. As Mayhem unravels the connection and heritage of her mother, her world is forever altered. A power, a magic, is Mayhem’s to possess, but is it a gift or a curse? She has many problems in her life. This is California in the late 1980’s with a serial killer on the loose, and Mayhem wants justice. There are numerous elements in play, and Mayhem must come to terms with her destiny. The atmospheric vibe mix of the 80’s, gothic creepy and a low budget horror movie is fantastic. I found it compelling, bizarre and unsettling. The whole thing feels completely untethered and spinning wildly. As stories go, this one is dark with heavy themes and ideas. It’s not for everyone but with the right audience, perfection. I hope you will give this book a try if it suits you!
Mayhem by Estelle Laure is the first book I read by this author. Mayhem is a stand alone ya horror-ish story. Roxy and Mayhem Brayburn are part of a special family. THey reside in a smll town since forever. Roxy left whith Mayhem when she was a little girl and both lived a miserable life across the country. But now both are back and the following events are shaping Mayhem in a way nobody had dreamed of.
Mayhem is a book that throws you right into story. There is no slowly easying in.
Mayhem’s life wasn’t only uprooted, it was put upside down and inside out when she moves to her family’s farm. Roxy is a weak character with her own issues and her other relative is quite removed from the action. She stands back and simply let things happen. Mayhem is a 16 year old, all alone, except the other kids in the story.
I started reading and it took me some time to get into the story. I had the feeling I was missing some important parts, I think a prequel would do me some good.
And then at the end I wanted to know more. I need to now more, what about Kidd and Jason? What happens to Roxy and Mayhem?? Questions, questions I’d like to get answers to. All in all, Mayhem is a good read, I enjoyed the story, the writing is great and I liked the characters just fine. 4,5 Stars.
j’ai beaucoup aimé l’histoire de Mayhem, le pan fantastique ainsi que les différents personnages qui gravitent autour d’elle. Impossible de le lâcher avant d’en comprendre les tenants et les aboutissants et je dois dire que j’en suis restée à plusieurs reprises comme deux ronds de flan. Le message qui passe au travers de son histoire et de ceux qui l’entourent est vraiment bien fait bien que parfois un peu alambiqué et on ne peut qu’être curieux de voir comment les choses vont se terminer. J’ai beaucoup aimé cette conclusion malgré son côté un peu “abrupt” et on les quitte avec le sentiment qu’en fait, ça n’est qu’un début !
Excellent novel. Mayhem was a great blend of cult classics, using elements from The Lost Boys and The Craft, to create a great atmosphere in the novel. Not only that, but Laure even includes the Frog Brothers, tying this novel to The Lost Boys universe in a marvelous way. Furthermore, Neve, well, she is so much like Nancy from The Craft, from her attitude to the way she dresses.
Now, while this novel has all those elements, Mayhem has its own story to tell.
Mayhem Rocks
Laure has two stories going on in this novel, but they coexist beautifully. The sub-story is about Mayhem coming to terms with the darkness in her life and accepting the strength, while the overarching story is about the magic of the Brayburns.
Mayhem has been living in fear of her stepfather who continuously abuses her mother until he finally crosses the line, forcing the girls to move back to Santa Maria. Santa Maria is where Mayhem begins to develop as a character.
Mayhem’s character development seems a little stagnant at times, but throughout the story, with the combination of the magic, Mayhem grows. She faces her past, confronts her mother, and becomes more than just this silent introvert. By delving into the past of her ancestors and the mystery surrounding Santa Maria, Mayhem discovers herself.
What also helps her grow are the character dynamics. Mayhem is a lot like Sarah from The Craft, the perfect foil for Neve’s darker edge. Neve has so much anger and darkness in her, and the magic, it does begin to corrupt her. However, unlike in The Craft, these girls find their way back to one another and form a sisterly bond that allows them to reconcile their differences.
Jason is admittedly a rough character. His animosity towards Mayhem comes off as harsh and is off-putting. It has no basis other than to create tension between the characters. However, as the dynamics develop, he ends up becoming more likable.
Final Thoughts
The story is impressive. Laure utilizes using the past to create an incredible backstory for the Brayburn women, giving the world here a strong foundation. Cult classic references allow the novel to have a vibrant atmosphere and give the story excellent pacing. It was a breeze to read, and fun too.
The blurb and other reviewers are comparing this to The Lost Boys, something I’ve never seen. Perhaps I should watch the movie? But I think maybe because I hadn’t seen it that I enjoyed this more than others. Mayhem lived in a crappy situation at home, which has expanded into every other aspect of her life, as children in abusive homes experience. It shouldn’t have taken Roxy’s husband hitting her daughter for her to find the strength to leave him. But when a woman is abused, they will put up with way more than they should.
If she hadn’t left him, we wouldn’t have this really fun story where Mayhem suddenly has these amazing powers that put her more in tune with other people. I like her moral compass, which is almost always at play here. Although she was always the social outcast, she related well to the other kids in the home. She has a level of compassion and caring that also probably stems from having to take care of her mother for so many years.
I liked the fantasy elements at play here, with water that can give a person powers. I would love to know why you have to be a Brayburn for it to not drive you insane. Mayhem has the power to change things, and while she seems to lose her way for a while, her moral compass helps to make things better for the town. This was a fun, YA read. The storytelling had me hooked from the start. I liked how Laure weaved the past and present for a complete history of the Brayburn women. If half stars were a thing, I would give this one 4.5. Thank you, St. Martin’s for sending this along.
This book perfectly balances magic, with real life, with mystery, with quirky weirdness, with kickass characters. The author handles all the aspects of the books gracefully, making sure you don’t get too overwhelmed with any aspect. This book’s pace was heavenly, it went by so fast you I was surprised when I got to the acknowledgements. I loved it; I love the characters, Neve and Mayhem were both hurricanes, they were beautiful and complex and wild. The relationships between all the characters was well arced, layered perfectly with all the characters’ experiences.
My favorite aspect of the story was hands down the magic. It was mysterious, historical, and just something I’ve never seen before.
Highly recommend to pick this read up!
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.**