disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

content warnings: rape, domestic abuse, murder, violence, drug use, addiction

rep: biracial side characters (black, white), lesbian side character

Mayhem was... a weird one, not necessarily in a bad way as I do love a weird book but it didn't always work. There were a lot of things to like about Mayhem - it's fierce and loving protagonist, the reclamation of power, and a family history full of... magic? Mayhem is a Brayburn and in the coastal town of Santa Maria, California her family are something, feared and revered due to a secret mystery - some sort of magic, a power that runs through the female lineage in her family. It's a story about grief, love, and family, and about recovering from addiction and abuse and about overcoming and learning ways to cope with fear and vulnerability. Like I said, it has it's good bits but considering the story, it was not as atmospheric as it could have been so the weirdness didn't always... work?

Continue reading on my blog.