MAYHEM by Estelle Laure
On-sale: July 14th, 2020
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.
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.
Author’s social handles
Twitter: @starlaure
Instagram: @estellelaurebooks
Review of Mayhem
Review (4 Stars): Mayhem is an amazing story that will definitely stick with you. Mayhem and her mother, Roxy, flee an abusive relationship to head to her Aunt Elle’s. There, Mayhem finds out that her family comes from a long line of magic that Mayhem will soon inherit. Mayhem also gets involved in the hunt for a man that is kidnapping girls and from there, Mayhem’s life will never be the same.
This book reminded me quite a bit of Lost Boys which is one of my favorite movies. This story had quirky characters, magic and a missing body count. I’m definitely letting people know that there is domestic violence and Mayhem goes through some things that might affect some readers. Great story and looking forward to reading her next book.
