Official Review: A Curse of Mayhem by Sunayna Prasad

[Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Curse of Mayhem" by Sunayna Prasad.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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A Curse of Mayhem, Alyssa McCarthy‘s Magical Missions: Book 2, by Sunayna Prasad, is a standalone fantasy adventure story that teenagers and young adults will enjoy reading. It tells the story of how a young schoolgirl, Alyssa, was cursed by a ghost named Errol. Errol is trapped in a skeleton’s body and desires to have a human body again. After being cursed, Alyssa suddenly discovers that she has magical powers she cannot control. Errol does not want Alyssa to control her magical skills. He needs her to practice her magic so that he can replace the skeleton body he has with a human body. Alyssa fights against time to try and lose her powers. Unable to control her magical powers, she gets into trouble repeatedly and risks expulsion from school.

A Curse of Mayhem is a suspenseful fantasy adventure story. It follows the pattern of good versus evil that one sees in most adventure books. The story starts with a fabulously written first chapter. Readers are thrown right in the middle of an action scene. The advantage of this is that readers can get hooked on the storyline early in the course of the story.

Sunayna Prasad’s writing style is simple, and the dialogue flows naturally. There are detailed descriptions of magical scenes and settings that evoke imagery. The story is character-driven, and it is easy to have empathy for the characters as they evolve in the story. The persistent regrouping and attacks by Errol and his group on Alyssa made me worried about her. Alyssa’s determination not to give up, despite the odds against her, endeared her to me. She is a bold and resilient female protagonist with flaws that make her realistic.

A lot of events in the story are a reflection of what happens in real life. The description of Errol’s skeleton body in the second chapter of the book reminded me of the body shaming that teenagers sometimes face in real life. Like most teenagers, Alyssa pushes the boundaries of rules placed by her school and her guardian to see how much she can bend these rules. Parents and their teenage children are often at loggerheads because of a difference in opinion about rules and boundaries. I could relate to this on a personal level.

I found only a few grammatical and punctuation errors, so I think that this book was professionally edited. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because it was an enjoyable read. There was no erotic scene in the book, so it is suitable for children. Teenagers and young adults will thoroughly enjoy reading this book. It will be a useful addition to school and book club libraries.

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A Curse of Mayhem
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[JoyALB]

The book has a very interesting plot. I would love to read how it all plays out and whether Alyssa embraces her powers or gets rid of them in the end. Thank you for the great review!

[Miraphery]

This sounds like an interesting book plus it is well written. Nice review

[Damis Seres Rodriguez]

On average, stories based on someone with super powers, settle on trying to control them; I don't think I've stumbled with many books where the chapters try to lose them instead. That's very interesting. Probably not the right book for me though. Thanks for your review.

[mary-annef]

I like the idea of "a bold and resilient female protagonist with flaws that make her realistic." And also the fact that it alludes to body shaming. It sounds like a good choice for a young teenage girl. Thanks for the review.

[JKO]

A very interesting plot. One that has a lesson to teach children. A good book all round as reflected from the 4 out of 4 rating. Great review as well!

[Nath_chuks]

I would love to see if Alyssa finally breaks free from the curse. Would recommend for my younger siblings. Great review.