*I received a free e-arc from the publisher in exchange of an honest review. This does not affect my review in any way.*

On this second installment of the Lexie Carrigan Chronicles by S. Usher Evans, we meet again with Lexie and her family, the only difference is that she’s now a senior working hard to get into the college of her dreams, and she now lives with her sister Nicole after the last events from the previous book. After that dreadful night where Cyrus appeared, Lexie has been studying hard and practicing her magic just in case he decides to come back and finish what he started. On her first day as a senior, Lexie sees this cute new guy on her classroom and can’t help wondering who he is, but as soon as she hears his name and realizes that it is James Riley, also known as, Gavon’s apprentice (and the same kid that tried to kill her two years ago in New Salem), her interest in him goes to hell. And as days go by and she realizes that he is staying at her school and nothing bad has happened yet, she accepts that what Gavon told her is true; he’s only there to learn, to become a better person and with no magic at all. And after that realization, things start getting all kinds of interesting.

What I mostly loved about this new chapter in Lexie’s life was that it was full of magic (as always), different, better, and yet familiar. The way these unexpected things Lexie discovers and goes through on this book and the way most of them are connected with either the events of the previous book or her parent’s past was perfect! But the best of it all was that once again, in the end, everything helps Lexie grow and accept the things she didn’t want to–or couldn’t–see before. And I’ve got to admit that the main reason why I enjoyed all of this was because of the author’s writing, but that’s not new, right? I’m pretty sure I’ve already mentioned how good S. Usher Evan’s writing is on other reviews, right? If not well, now you know that her writing is the magic behind me devouring her books because it’s just so good and easy to follow that I just stay glued to my phone wanting to know more and more–and I can’t stop myself!

Now, moving on to the characters. On this second installment, we get to see mostly familiar faces, and occasionally some new (and unimportant) ones like Lexie’s “friends” from school and James’ “girlfriends”. The best thing about meeting again with old characters like Marie, Nicole, Gavon, James, Grams and Cyrus is that we get to see how everything that unfolded around the first book affected and changed their lives. For the better? For the worst? That’s for you to find out! But let me tell you a little something before jumping out of here before I spoil everything: be careful with who ends up becoming your new favorite character (*sobbing* it was too good to be true). You’ve been warned!

In the end, Magic and Mayhem was the perfect sequel to Spells and Sorcery, and so far, it is my favorite book from the series. As I mentioned before, I found this one to be stronger and better than the first one, and after all the things we get to experience with Lexie on this book (especially THAT ending), I can’t wait to see what’s coming next for my wonderful magical child! I’m silently hoping for the best but expecting the worst!

P.S. This review might change after the release day because right now, I’m trying hard not to spoil anythings so it’s not as detailed as I want it to be.