Mayhem - Estelle Laure
Oh gosh this is a tough one to review! I enjoyed reading this novel, and I liked the plot, and the characters. The whole idea of the oppressed/betrayed/hurt/abused rising up and finding some kind of revenge is always a pretty awesome theme to me. And for someone who bears the brunt of childhood trauma, I have always courted the idea of suddenly obtaining some kind of supernatural powers to get revenge on those who hurt me as a child. It’s just that we have seen this story before, kind of. Mayhem follows the plot of The Lost Boys movie so closely, that it’s hard to differentiate between them at times. An old family heritage, secrets, a California beach town with a dark side, a bunch of teens who belong in one or another group… But I love The Lost Boys (I was born in 1978, anyone my age loved that movie), and the many resemblances to the movie didn’t bother me as much as I thought they would in the end.
The plot in short: Mayhem Brayburn and her mother Roxy leave Roxy’s violent husband and return to Santa Maria, California, home of the Brayburn family and their legacy. Mayhem finally discovers the truth about herself and her family, all the while a serial killer is on the loose in the beach town, preying on young girls. Several evil characters, witchcraft/magical elements, the beach, a family legacy, and some strong female characters make this into a fun summer read.
This is a 3 star story for me. I enjoyed it despite the many similarities between The Lost Boys and the plot, and because some of the magical elements were pretty interesting and original. I did think there was a lot of room for expansion though, some of the areas of the plot could have been fleshed out a lot more (the serial killer storyline, Mayhem and Neve’s relationship and difficulties, the blurring of lines between vengeance and justice etc).
I could actually see this work as a series though, I would love to see where Mayhem goes from where we left her at the end. (And I absolutely love that Estelle Laure named her main character Mayhem!).
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in return for an honest review.