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40x40

Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Mayhem in Books

Oct 2, 2020  
Mayhem
Mayhem
Estelle Laure | 2020 | Young Adult (YA)
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am so happy to have the opportunity to be part of the blog tour for Mayhem by Estelle Laure. Thank you to the team at Wednesday Books, for sending me an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

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.

It's 1987 and Mayhem Brayburn has always known something's off about her and her mum, Roxy. Roxy is in constant physical pain, and Mayhem has an irresistible pull to water. She knows they aren't like the other people.

When one day, Mayhem's stepfather goes one step too far, her and Roxy escape to Santa Maria, California, the beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is. There, she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and she opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage of the Brayburn family. The very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good.

But when she is on a mission to search for a man that has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she needs to pay the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost.

My Thoughts:
Mayhem by Estelle Laure is one of a kind. Entwined with mystery, magic with family heritage and revenge, this book is full of emotions.

The beginning of the book, although powerful, is very slow. It took me a little while to get into it, but as soon as I was hooked, it stayed amazing.

Mayhem is an interesting character. She holds a lot of emotions inside of her, all from past experiences that have shaped her character. Sad to say that most of her experiences were not good, and she holds the burden for it all. I can imagine how hard it must be to write a character as complicated as Mayhem, and I think Estelle Laure did and amazing job doing it.

I loved the kids as well - each of them different in their own way, battling their own demons and living through their bad experiences in the past. Some of these characters drastically change over the course of the book, which was unbelievable to me.

The magic aspect of this book was interesting, and for me, original. I have seen many reviews mentioning that this might not be true, and it is a very similar story to The Lost Boys. Since I haven't watched The Lost Boys, I am unable to comment on this part. Personally, I really enjoyed the magic concept with the water, the dependency on it and the family heritage part too.

If you are searching for a YA fantasy thriller, with rich characters and mysterious adventures, I think you will definitely enjoy this book.
  
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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Secret of Magic: Rebels & Spies ( Academy of Fallen Kingdom book 2) in Books

Mar 6, 2022  
SO
Secret of Magic: Rebels & Spies ( Academy of Fallen Kingdom book 2)
Drake Mason, Marisa mills | 2022
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
41 of 230
Kindle
Secret of Magic: Rebels & Spies ( Academy of Falling Kingdom book 2)
By Marisa Mills and Drake Mason
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The good news: I miraculously survived a would-be fatal fall.
The bad news: A demon helped me do it.
The worst news: Prince Alexander saw everything.

Reverie is supposed to be paradise -- but the power holding the floating city aloft isn't holy; it's demonic. Now demons are attacking my classmates -- and I think they're targeting me. If we can't find the source behind the attacks, the entire kingdom could be in danger of falling from the sky.

And Alexander knows I'm a fraud.

I came to Reverie to steal something. Now I need Alexander to steal something, too. Because he has one thing I never will; the trust of the king.

But can I convince him to exploit his father's trust to save his people? Or will Alexander tell the world who I really am?


The Secret of Magic is a young adult fantasy adventure full of monsters, murder and romantic intrigue. Fans who enjoyed Rachel Carter’s Black Mage series and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy will love this sprawling magic academy!

I loved it! From surviving the fall to the very last chapter I found it interesting and just wanted to keep reading. I knew her true identity it was kind of obvious I was just willing it along until Wynter found out too! Looking forward to seeing where they all go from here.