The Maw of Mayhem, A.K. Nevermore: a review

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

TW: violence, explicit scenes, swearing

Not suitable for younger readers.

Thank you to Voracious Readers and A.K. Nevermore for the free copy!

I’ve never read a shifter book before and A.K. Nevermore’s The Maw of Mayhem didn’t disappoint. There are a few TWs in this book, and they are there for a reason so please be aware – although I will say ‘salty language’ does not even begin to cover how much the characters swear.

From the get go, Nevermore’s excellent writing creates tense and atmospheric scenes between the different gangs and shifters. We follow Grim, the club Vice President, who has to deal with all hell breaking loose around him, with faces from the past coming back to cause trouble. And on top of figuring out club politics, Grim has to deal with his inner cat, Darke, who drives him up the wall and wants to cause as much chaos as possible. The Maw of Mayhem is a set-up for a longer series, so it doesn’t go into too much depth, but it was still enjoyable. The last few chapters are where the story really comes into force, but Nevermore’s writing doesn’t make this feel like a plot dump at all. We also meet Kit here, and even though we’re only with her for a few pages she is immediately likeable. 

As far as the other characters go, The Maw of Mayhem was very strong. For such a large cast in such a short novella, everyone was different and equally entertaining to read. I especially liked the seemingly endless exasperation of the older guys. Grim, the MMC, was a solid lead for this novella – he’s broody and a little out of his depth figuring out the club secrets, and it’s satisfying to see him get more of a handle on it. I wasn’t sure how Grim and his shifter cat, Darke, were going to work at the start; their shared thought stream seemed disjointed but it is definitely worth sticking around for as it makes for some funny scenes. Darke’s blanket nest in his room is also adorable but the fact that Grim didn’t know how to use a washing machine was very alarming. The biggest negative for all of the characters is how they talk about women, especially Nikki, who is convinced Grim will make her his queen. It’s pretty unpleasant and adds little to the story: you can still have those alpha male characters without them being so derogatory. The explicit scenes, too, don’t add to the plot and I would have preferred more time on the mystery surrounding Grim as everything starts going wrong.

My problems aside, I would definitely love to read more of this series, just to see more of the plot after that insane final chapter and, more importantly, how Grim and Darke get on. 

– Em