𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦; 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.

It's 1978, Mayhem and her mother are fleeing across the country, away from her abusive stepfather. They end up in Santa Maria, a costal beach town where her mother grew up. A place that has the answers to all of the questions about her estranged family, and why her mother left.

I went into this one with medium expectations, thinking it'd be another YA book with a pretty cover and not much else. Well I was wrong 💁🏻‍♀️ This book was everything I want from a young adult book, it had darkness and magic. It was full of heart and self discovery. It is a murder mystery, a fantasy, a generational story. 

I can't believe I'm yet to see this book grace my feed. It definitely deserves more hype than it is getting. I loved Mayhem, the main protagonist, and the whole emotional journey she went on. The magical realism elements were done so so well, think in the vein of Rory Power or Anna-Marie McLemore. 

If you're looking for a weird YA book, that is on the darker side and includes hunting down a serial killer then you need this book💃🏻

Content warnings for this book: suicide (not depicted), drug use, domestic abuse, sexual assault, kidnapping, murder, child abuse

When Mayhem's stepfather goes too far one night, Mayhem Brayburn and her mother, Roxy, flee to the ancestral Brayburn home in Santa Maria where Roxy's twin sister, Elle, and foster children are living. Through Elle's children, Mayhem is introduced to a source of power which is her inheritance as a Brayburn woman. Suddenly not only is Mayhem angry but she is more powerful than she could ever imagine.

This was a very middle of the road book to me. The story was okay (there were some choices I didn't agree with) and the writing was beautiful but there was just way too much going on in the story. There were flashbacks, a kidnapper, the impending threat of Mayhem's stepfather, a romance, and a story involving Elle's children.

There are so infinitely quotable moments to this book, particularly this one:
"You're a plague and a pestilence, and the way you carry your manliness like it's a permission slip from God to act like"you rule everything and everyone in your path, like you can do whatever you want-- well, I think the guillotine is a good option. I'd love to watch your head roll across the grass."