#mayhem at prescott high

[joysofescapism]

Book Review: Mayhem at Prescott High by C.M. Stunich

There’s one girl you don’t mess with at Prescott High, not unless you want them to come for you. Those dirty, rotten Havoc Boys might be a gang to everyone else, but they’re family to me. My f*ckbuddy. My first love. My husband. My challenger. My confidante.

There’s trouble brewing in the halls of our high school, and it’s spilling into the streets. Once upon a time, Havoc held Prescott in an iron grip. But for senior year, we want the whole goddamn city.

This year, we’ll have to drop bodies if we want to own the underground. Good thing that’s something we excel at. The Havoc Boys are artists, their brushes made of bone, their paint a brilliant ruby red.

One Havoc Girl for five Havoc Boys. I wear the crown; I warm their beds; I hold their leashes. We’re going to take back our school, our city, our lives—I’m just praying to whatever vengeful god will listen that the price for all of that doesn’t cost me a letter in our dark acronym. H.A.V.O.C.

Read my quick review below the cut.

Okay! We’re 3 down, 2 more to go!

Mayhem at Prescott High focused more on the gang war with Havoc's rival. It also has more sex in here. Yes, more than the previous ones. The first part of the book is literally Bernie and Victor's honeymoon, so.

Victor also finally got his shit together and talked himself into needing to “share Bernadette” with the rest of his boys.

Also, Oscar, despite being a genius, he lacks communication skills. He needs to get his head out of his ass, seriously.

At this point, everyone could agree that Bernadette’s list isn’t just a list anymore. It has a direct relation to Havoc’s problems. It was all just a huge web of deceit, greed, and violence. I actually do commend Stunich for weaving it perfectly.

If you’re here, that only meant that you got past the initial cringe. That’s fine because now, we can fully immerse ourselves into the plot as it thickens.

I’m also giving Mayhem at Prescott High another 3 stars.

I need something more. We’re on the third book already, I need to see more progress. Despite the series having already so much going on plot-wise, I still feel like something is lacking.

Enough chit-chat, and onto the next one!

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[blackkroses]

“Victor,

I was eight when I first saw you. Fifteen when I hated you. I’ve loved you for almost a decade. Do the math.

Add me and you together and you get one. One heart beating in a broken chest.

There is beauty in havoc, peace in chaos, and wisdom in anarchy.

Two broken people can’t fix each other, but there are six of us.

Six hearts, twelve hands, ten years of history.

Make me your wife, Victor, and I’ll be as loyal as the tattoo on your forearm.

Do you want me? Please say yes, even if you don’t. Feed me beautiful lies and say I do.”

—Brendetta blackbird, from Mayhem at Prescott high.

[morbidgrl-archive3]

𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖘 𝖎 𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖔𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖆𝖉𝖉 -

scream - an ex of billy loomis and sister of stu matcher. stu,billy and scout - the three musketeers for as long as scout can remember,scout has a close brother / sister relationship with stu and still has lingering feelings for billy and was there for him the day his mother left due to his father's unfaithfulness with sidney prescott's mother,maureen. there for the murder of sidney's mother,scout would do anything for billy and knows him inside and out,she's been there for him on his worst nights,the two were attatched to the hip as lover's and long after the end of their relationship due to the plan that falls into the scream verse and she's alongside him every step of the way,unbeknownst to the rest of woodsborro. (i've decided to make this exclusive to @fxntasmagoria's billy loomis bc i love the ship i have with them and can't see myself rping with any other billy's)

it ch's 1 & 2 - scout bowers,only daughter of butch bowers and sister to henry bowers. only girl in the bowers gang turned member of the loser's club after kids in derry,maine go missing. she teams up with the losers club after IT affects her and everyone she loves,defeating IT alongside them. ch 2 scout deals with the loss of patrick being a victim to IT,and her brother completely loosing his mind murdering their father and being sent to an institution where she visits him often,she stays in derry for him alongside mike hamlon and remembers everything that happened that summer. IT claims lives again and they're reminded of their promise that if IT comes back,they'd all come together,no matter what and defeat IT once more.

what we do in the shadow's tv series & film - in the series,scout's vampire obsessed,horror obsessed,and long time on again off again familiar to laslo and nadja whenever they can't find a new one since theirs keep dying,she comes to save the day and does anything and everything for them. she's very close to the two and sees them as parental figures. she isn't just doing this to one day become a vampire like them but because they basically took her in when she had no where else to go after her parents passed away. in the film,she's one of the few humans that's not a hunter that knows of the existence of vampires and hangs out with them without worrying about being murdered thanks to viago,vladislav,and deacon.

stranger things - born and raised in hawkins,indiana and close with the byer's family,scout carver is known for being the mortician's daughter,having the reputation of being the school freak due to her being a metalhead and general outcast,scout is thrown into the world of the upside down when eleven comes to hawkins and she finds herself there with will,trapped until el saves them and seemingly closes the gate. seasons remain the same plot just with scout thrown into it.

saw - taken in and raised by john kramer himself,trained to help him with his saw traps and finding victims for his games,scout carver(later changed to kramer after being legally adopted by him) she is like a mini apprentice for him and is blinded by her love and admiration for him to see him for who he is and doesn't see that he is using her for his own games. she stalks his victims for him,gets close to them - then before they know it,they're trapped and in the game and they hate her for it. the bond she has with kramer is incredibly toxic and a rollercoaster,even after the old man dies she still continues his work.

heathers - she's an outcast by both her peers and the staff,it seemed. heather chandler is her number one enemy,someone she can hardly look at yet heather and her goons are hellbent on making her life a living hell at good ol westerburg high school in her hometown of sherwood,ohio - or hell,if you ask her. she doesn't mind veronica sawyer,someone she'd like to be friends with but can't due to her status with the heathers. when the heathers start turning up dead,one by one it seemed,scout wants in. scout wants in on making her bullies pay. and she'll do whatever it takes to make that happen even if veronica doesn't.

hp - pure blood slytherin,american as they come transferred tot he wizadring world once she got the letter from hogwarts. she gets the witch side from both of her folks,them waiting until her 12th birthday to tell her. snape is a good long time family friend and someone she considers an uncle,and she mingles with gryffindoor,having befriended the weasley family due to her father working with arthur weasley. the rest of the slytherin's don't understand her friendship with the weasly family and shun her for it,except draco malfloy,another family friend. she's much like the weasly twins,always causing chaos and mayhem where ever she goes and you can often find her in detention or catch her sneaking out of it.

[thongtinsoluoc]

Mayhem At Prescott High by C.M. Stunich ePub PDF free download https://ift.tt/33vYGMN

[vorthosjay]

Ixalan Hype Week: Day 1

You can check out Ixalan: A First Look and What We Learned from the WPN now, even if you were afraid of leaks before! I’m going to refer to stuff I talked about there, and I don’t believe there is anything I refer to that hasn’t been officially released now. In this article, I’m going to hit everything we learned from today’s piece.

Treasure Cove by Cliff Childs

Locations

The vampires and pirates appear to have left their homeland and crossed the Stormwreck Sea to arrive at Ixalan. Home base for the non-pirates appears to be Queens Bay, with pirates living it up on the floating city of High and Dry.

The Sun Empire’s capital is Pachatupa, and the emperor’s palace is Tocatli. We don’t know much else new, other than that everyone does indeed seem to be after Orazca, which the Merfolk seem to have secret knowledge of.

The Sun Empire (Dinosaurs)

Gishath, Sun's Avatar by Zack Stella

We get a slightly better look into the Empire of the Sun, but Gishath is by far the most interesting. Notice the Empire’s symbol on their chest? Is that the Symbol of the Empire, or did the Empire take their symbol from them?

Phases of the Immortal Sun

The sun seems to come in three phases, one for each of the colors the Empire shows up in. The first is Tilonalli, the Burning Sun:

“Tilonalli’s searing rays carry the spark of life’s eventual destruction as all light fades.” - Chitlati, Lightning Rider

The second is Ixalli, the Verdant Sun 

“Ixalli’s fertile rays enliven us all. Each of us is a testament to the sun’s strength and love.” - Chitlati, Lightning Rider

We didn’t see the third today, but it’ll likely be soon. Gishath is the avatar representing all three.

Edit: The Third Sun is Kinjalli, the Wakening Sun. 

The Brazen Coalition (Pirates)

Rowdy Crew by Steve Prescott

We didn’t learn much new about the Pirates, other than their name, and that there are for sure goblins, sirens, and orcs among their ranks. I’m really liking the blue monkey-goblins.

The River Heralds (Merfolk)

Tishana, Voice of Thunder by Anna Steinbauer

So the Merfolk hint at having more ancient knowledge than the other tribes about the truth of Orazca:

"The elders say that if the intruders discovered the secret of the golden city, it would mean an end to our people."

“No good will come from what you seek. Turn back now or suffer an ignoble death far from your home.”

I’m inclined to believe them, given the prophecy from Star of Extinction:

“The visions haunt me. I see the end of the world, brought on by the search for the Immortal Sun.” - Shaper Pashoma

Star of Extinction by Chris Rahn

The Legion of Dusk (Vampires)

Bishop of Rebirth by Tommy Arnold

And that foreseen end seems to be The Legion of Dusk’s goal:

“As the sun sets to make way for dawn, so we turn to darkness to bring about the coming salvation.”

We don’t learn much new about the vamps, either, except that many of them (specifically the white vampires) seem to undertake a ritual called the Blood Fast. Why do they think darkness will bring about salvation? Who knows.

The Blood Fast

Given the Legion of Dusk’s clear influence from the 15th and 16th Spanish Monarchy and Church (whose religious zeal helped birth both the Spanish Inquisition and the Conquistadors of America), the Blood Fast seems to be a religious rite in the vein of Lent or other fasting practices. Mavren Fein describes it as a rapturous experience, but given Bloodcrazed Paladin’s flavor text, it’s clearly not easy.

The Story

Story spotlights 2 and 3 have been revealed, and it shows Vraska appearing to take down a vampire, but falling victim to the River Herald’s. She’s guided along by a thaumatic compass given to her by Nicol Bolas, but we don’t really know what that means yet. What’s interesting is the introduction of Angrath, a previously unheard of planeswalker.

Who is Angrath?

Angrath is metioned in a couple places, and notably the name is a play on ‘Angry’ and ‘Wrath’... which seems on the nose.

Captain Angrath cares less about treasure than mayhem. If he can’t leave Ixalan, he’ll burn the plane down.

So Angrath isn’t the nicest person, and they took to the pillaging part of loot and pillage. While there’s nothing else to prove it yet, I wonder if the name Angrath is a pseudonym for someone else...

Browbeat by Chris Rahn

In any case, Angrath being unable to leave Ixalan seems to jive with Ral being unable to track Vraska there, and even Vraska being unable to planeswalk away in her first planeswalk for a while. From The Shadows of Prahv Part II:

"It felt like lifetimes before I learned how to escape, to slip the confines of a world. But during the eternity I was trapped, I resolved that all should receive the death they deserve."

And then hinted at again during In This Very Arena:

The pattern of the departure was authentic, but the endpoint recorded as anomalous. Vraska hasn't been seen since. It's like she planeswalked into a void.

So whatever Ixalan is, it’s clearly a place where planeswalkers can get stuck. Perhaps Vraska has already escaped once, or perhaps Orazca is the only way out.

Dinogrons

When the Planeswalker Angrath called dinosaurs “dragons,” the name stuck in certain pirate circles.

I can’t stop beating the dragon drum enough. I have extremely high confidence Ugin is involved with this block, and perhaps some other ancient dragons as well. How... it’s still too early to say.

[barbosaasouza]

Jerome, Arizona Is Reportedly One Of The Most Haunted Towns In America

The town of Jerome, AZ, sits between Flagstaff and Prescott in the Black Hills of Yavapai County, and its strange history draws visitors year after year. Founded in 1876, Jerome was a mining town that quickly flourished when copper, gold, and silver were all found in the area. The town boasted a number of successful restaurants, gambling halls, and saloons, as well as an active red light district. In its heyday, Jerome had 15,000 residents, but by the 1950s less than 200 people called Jerome home. Living residents, anyway. Jerome is said to be the most haunted town in the state of Arizona, and perhaps even the United States. Things to do in Jerome include visiting a hospital turned hotel, where patients and staff still roam the halls. You can also visit the many saloons and bordellos that saw high levels of mischief and mayhem. There's even a phantom cat who's always happy to spend the night with visitors in its former home. The history of Jerome, AZ, is complicated and a little murky, but these are some of the best known stories of hauntings and paranormal phenomena that the city has to offer. Jerome, Arizona Is Reportedly One Of The Most Haunted Towns In America published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[joysofescapism]

The Havoc Boys Series by C.M. Stunich: This is Ridiculous! I love it.

This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I sure enjoyed myself reading the whole series. Read my full review under the cut.

And if you want to know my thoughts on each book just click: (1) Havoc at Prescott High (2) Chaos at Prescott High (3) Mayhem at Prescott High (4) Anarchy at Prescott High (5) Victory at Prescott High

I will start this review by saying: I hate bully “romance”. And since these tropes were huge in young adult-high school settings, I don't read those anymore.

But The Havoc Boys was an exception. C.M. Stunich’s storytelling was able to chain my ass on a chair allowing me to finish the whole thing. Not only that, the story didn’t focus much on the bullying and only gave you flashbacks of it.

I didn’t think it will make much of a difference if the bullying element wasn’t included in the plot development since she already had an awful life throughout her teenage years. It felt like it was just thrown out there. The H’s bullying her into "leaving town" didn't hold any merit since we didn't see the consequences of that (i.e. h was still obsessed with these boys who did an overkill on her while she was going through all the abuse). But, it wasn't my story, so.

I think you should proceed with an open mind and low expectations. There were a lot of things in the series that weren’t something to give a comprehensive explanation of. This was for a specific kind of audience and I also consider this a self-indulgent read if you’re looking for something specific, as well as my guilty pleasure.

The Book Cover

The book covers played a huge part in convincing me to read this series. I wasn’t entirely sure about the premise at first seeing that the characters were barely legal and all. And yet, the cover art did an amazing job of pulling me in.

It was your typical shirtless guys, but the focus wasn’t entirely on them. It was elegantly made despite the story environment. It also gave an accurate depiction of the H’s characteristics and their relationship with the heroine.

Havoc at Prescott High was my favorite. While Anarchy at Prescott High was a close second.

Characters

Let me talk about the main characters first, starting with the heroine.

Bernadette Blackbird. I have a love-hate relationship with her. I understand that she was an aspiring writer, however, her monologues... weren’t impressive. She was edgy to the point of being cringe. I don't love her. But I don't hate her either, at least most of the time. How was she able to lust after the guys who made her life a living hell for years? I have no idea. But then again, this is why I hate bully romance.

One of the reasons why I was able to get through the story was because the bullying didn’t happen on the current timeline. I didn’t know if what she went through would be considered “bullying" or just downright assault and abuse. At least you were able to see some form of maturity in her character later on. But, she still embodies that teenager who thinks she already knows everything there is to know.

Next up, the harem. The HAVOC Boys. I won’t be commenting about their physical aspects like how the author did them. I don’t care much about those things. I’m more on how they were written: if they were fleshed out well or if they were only words on the paper with no personality at all. Considering that, we have 5 Hs in this series that fulfilled the usual tropes.

I will say this, these guys don’t act their age at all. Thinking about it now, I could give this series a higher rating if the characters were older. Anyway, more of those later below. Let’s get back to the characters at hand:

You have the over-the-top intense leader/boss, Victor Channing. He was an asshole. But hey, he has to be. He was a gang leader after all. If you are into bad boys (read: assholes) that are obsessed with you and only care about you—and maybe his bros—you'll probably like this dude. Is he a great character? No. But do I at least like him? Maybe. Again, if you like the domineering types, you’ll probably bark at Victor Channing.

Then you have the trying-to-be-the-hero-ex-boyfriend, Aaron Fadler. I hated him at first because his past actions didn't show his supposed loyalty to Bernie at all (don't worry it's not an OW drama). But goddamn me because I like guys who are amazing with kids (and with the elderly). Yes, he was Bernie's ex. And yes, he was there during the bullying (abuse) which happened after they broke up. Among the guys, I believe he was the closest you can get to being "normal." He tried to be a good person but considering everything he had already done, I didn’t think that would be possible. The only way for him to grow was to accept his darkness. Good thing it did happen.

Of course, there’s always going to be the manwhore. Hael Harbin. But he was that type of manwhore who at least respects women. Yes, I know it's the bare minimum but you get the point. He also plays the role of balancing the dynamic of the group. Oh also, he loves vintage cars. He's a mechanic with soft hands, according to Bernie. Among the boys (Yes, boys. They’re minors despite what the author tries to say), Hael was the most chill. He can give pull off a bad romance kind of relationship. The one that's so bad but oh so great. He also falls into that category of being the manwhore who will drop his whore-ish ways when they find the right one.

Next on the list. The gang needs to have a brain and that was Oscar Montauk. While Victor makes all the decisions, Oscar was the one who weighs those decisions. He was also the hater but was actually obsessed with the heroine. He was not great with feelings and he also has a lot of trauma. I think the most awful one as well. Among the characters though, Oscar got the most character development though we could only witness the process, I think it was a good thing. He was also that character who you’ll probably get scared of but also be interested in. He could either go full serial killer or just be a weird dude with dark thoughts. Though to be fair, this was a gang story so all of the Hs are murderers by default.

Last but not least, the most mysterious one and possibly also the most dangerous, Callum Park. He gives off quiet-killer vibe and lurks about most of the time. He was the silent one. The one who prefers to be by the sidelines, just observing. But everybody knows he was dangerous and he could go off like a bomb if anything happened to the object of his fascination. He was the resident pretty boy as well, since he was supposed to be a primo ballerino but because of things that happened in the past he couldn't anymore.

The characters are heavily influenced by the overused western media tropes and archetypes. You know the usual stuff about high school TV shows. They’re cringe, and dramatic, everyone has trauma, the adults were practically useless, and everyone wasn’t acting like their age. Perhaps a little ridiculousness from time to time could be good for your mind.

But, since I do like my stories with vivid storytelling, it surprisingly worked well for me. I also don’t find that much character development with the characters, except with Oscar. Also maybe with Aaron and Victor as well. Hael and Callum’s character growth aren’t that significant but I don’t think they have to since they weren’t presented with something to work on.

Plot

The plot was able to immerse me into the H.A.V.O.C. world and Stunich deserves her roses for a skill like that. One reason why I pushed through was: the action didn’t occur that much around the school setting. This might be your typical high school bully who runs a gang, but the storytelling was what sets it apart from the rest. This trope was highly overused in the reverse harem contemporary romance genre, so the only way for a series to be different is all up to the author’s prowess.

It was a simple revenge plot but the action made it all interesting. There's nothing much special to it but again, this is for self-indulgent purposes. If you can get past the Riverdale cringe, you will enjoy this one.

The pacing was a little fast, and a lot of things are happening all at once. But it was executed well and everything worked perfectly. Despite all that is happening, I loved the feeling of suspense that went through with it. Putting aside all of the things that didn’t work well for me, the plot was well-developed to keep you interested.

If you don’t want to be spoiled, I suggest you do not read the ending section of this review.

Ending

The ending of a well-developed series is always going to be a deal breaker, just look at Game of Thrones and Supernatural. I will say this though, the ending of Havoc Boys may not be the best ending there could be, but considering all that led up to that particular moment, it was perfect.

Stunich used the False Death plot device and was executed well enough that I actually thought the character died. This was the part I cried about and the reason why I still considered this one good for my taste. I think an author who can make you cry just by reading the journey of their characters is a phenomenal author.

In the actual end, we got our HEA. Yay!

Rating

The average rating of this 5-book series was 3.5. I rounded it down to 3 out of 5 stars.

This whole thing was a damn roller coaster ride.

Despite the initial apprehension and almost not finishing the first book, I finished all five with no breaks in between. There might have been elements that didn’t work for me, but the storytelling alone made up for all of it.

A huge suspension of disbelief is needed to enjoy this series. Sure, you won’t be able to gain much but, to be honest, this is not for that. The Havoc Boys series is highly self-indulgent and smut is top-tier. Not too graphic to the point of boring me to death, but just enough. Frequent, yet still enough.

Final Thoughts

Do I want a sequel for this series? I don't think so. Let's leave the ending at that. The characters are lovable enough throughout the five books, but not enough for me to get curious and look at what they could be doing in the future.

Do I recommend this to others? If you want to indulge in a guilty pleasure without needing to think too much and give reasons for everything, this could be a good read. I don't think you should be picking up this book just to find all that is wrong with it. Or if you are not ready to try and experience something out of your comfort zone.

Was this a heavy read? There are mentions of past extreme bullying, sexual assault (on minor characters), attempted sexual assaults, pedophilia, sexual relations between teenage characters, and the usuals when it comes to crime fiction (drugs, violence, murder, etc.). So if you are new to this kind of genre, this might be uncomfortable for you. But if you're not, this is mild. Again, all you have to do is enjoy the ride. Some things might not work for you, and some might, it all depends on personal preferences.

Will I read this again? I re-read the whole series: twice on my own accord just to feel some emotions it brought me the first time I stumbled upon it; another one to relive and remember the plot to pull out this review. It being a part of my “I could read it again” shelf says something.

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[barbosaasouza]

Jerome, Arizona Is Reportedly One Of The Most Haunted Towns In America

The town of Jerome, AZ, sits between Flagstaff and Prescott in the Black Hills of Yavapai County, and its strange history draws visitors year after year. Founded in 1876, Jerome was a mining town that quickly flourished when copper, gold, and silver were all found in the area. The town boasted a number of successful restaurants, gambling halls, and saloons, as well as an active red light district. In its heyday, Jerome had 15,000 residents, but by the 1950s less than 200 people called Jerome home. Living residents, anyway. Jerome is said to be the most haunted town in the state of Arizona, and perhaps even the United States. Things to do in Jerome include visiting a hospital turned hotel, where patients and staff still roam the halls. You can also visit the many saloons and bordellos that saw high levels of mischief and mayhem. There's even a phantom cat who's always happy to spend the night with visitors in its former home. The history of Jerome, AZ, is complicated and a little murky, but these are some of the best known stories of hauntings and paranormal phenomena that the city has to offer. Jerome, Arizona Is Reportedly One Of The Most Haunted Towns In America published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/