What do you think?
Rate this book
Our Crooked Hearts
Secrets. Lies. Bad choices. Dangerous magic. . . . This is Our Crooked Hearts, a contemporary fantasy "so precise and enthralling that the only explanation is that Albert herself is a witch" (Booklist, starred review)
On the way home from a party, seventeen-year-old Ivy and her soon-to-be ex nearly run over a nude young woman standing in the middle of a tree-lined road. It’s only the first in a string of increasingly eerie events and offerings: a dead rabbit in the driveway, a bizarre concoction buried by her mother in the backyard, a box of childhood keepsakes hidden in her parents’ closet safe. Most unsettling of all, corroded recollections of Ivy and her enigmatic mother’s past resurface, with the help of the boy next door.
What if there’s more to Ivy’s mother than meets the eye? And what if the supernatural forces she messed with during her own teen years have come back to haunt them both? Ivy must grapple with these questions and more if she’s going to escape the darkness closing in.
Straddling Ivy’s contemporary suburban town and her mother’s magic-drenched 1990s Chicago, this bewitching and propulsive story rockets towards a conclusion guaranteed to keep readers up all night.
On the way home from a party, seventeen-year-old Ivy and her soon-to-be ex nearly run over a nude young woman standing in the middle of a tree-lined road. It’s only the first in a string of increasingly eerie events and offerings: a dead rabbit in the driveway, a bizarre concoction buried by her mother in the backyard, a box of childhood keepsakes hidden in her parents’ closet safe. Most unsettling of all, corroded recollections of Ivy and her enigmatic mother’s past resurface, with the help of the boy next door.
What if there’s more to Ivy’s mother than meets the eye? And what if the supernatural forces she messed with during her own teen years have come back to haunt them both? Ivy must grapple with these questions and more if she’s going to escape the darkness closing in.
Straddling Ivy’s contemporary suburban town and her mother’s magic-drenched 1990s Chicago, this bewitching and propulsive story rockets towards a conclusion guaranteed to keep readers up all night.
341 pages, Hardcover
First published June 28, 2022
About the author
Melissa Albert
9 books4,783 followersMelissa Albert is the New York Times and indie bestselling author of the Hazel Wood series and Our Crooked Hearts, and a former bookseller and founder of the Barnes & Noble Teen Blog. Her work has been translated into more than twenty languages and included in the New York Times’ list of Notable Children’s Books. She enjoys swimming pool tourism, genre mashups, and living in Brooklyn with her hilarious husband and magnificently goofy son.
Okay, now I will stop talking about myself in the third person. I try to reply to all messages and questions, so please reach out, or come find me on Twitter (@mimi_albert) or Instagram (@melissaalbertauthor)! (But please note: I don't accept GR friend requests anymore because of Amazon's related review policy.)
Okay, now I will stop talking about myself in the third person. I try to reply to all messages and questions, so please reach out, or come find me on Twitter (@mimi_albert) or Instagram (@melissaalbertauthor)! (But please note: I don't accept GR friend requests anymore because of Amazon's related review policy.)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,216 reviews
Read
July 2, 2022Inside this book you will find:
a haunted library
Chicago in the 90s
the suburbs right now
very bad decisions
middle of the night vibes
liars
grimoires
liminal spaces
a 7-Eleven hot dog
+ MORE!
Read the first chapter here.
a haunted library
Chicago in the 90s
the suburbs right now
very bad decisions
middle of the night vibes
liars
grimoires
liminal spaces
a 7-Eleven hot dog
+ MORE!
Read the first chapter here.
July 26, 2022
Woooow! This is so much better than Hazelwood series! This is the best thing Melissa Albert has written! Actually this is the most mind blowing story about the witches I’ve lately read! Creepy, disturbing, intriguing, exciting, slow burn mystery, and impeccably built, layered character development, well- thrown twists, lots of spells, darkness, heartbreaking teen love story: this book includes all of those amazing qualities, storylines you may fully enjoy!
Let’s get quick recap of storyline: after their uneventful but mostly resentful party time, seventeen years old Ivy struggles with the thoughts to break up with her extra drunk, snob, narcissistic boyfriend Nate during their car ride but when a pale faced, weird naked girl at the same age with Ivy runs around the road , dashing into the woods, things get more escalated . Because seeing that weird girl is the first omen which will change their already dysfunctional and unusual family life!
Ivy is grounded for her troubled night with her ex ( she’s managed to dump his ass) , bleaching her hair, prying around the house to detect more secrets after finding the massacred rabbit at their garden!
She has her own doubts about her mother’s secret ways to protect her and her brother: anyone who tries to mess with them suffers from consequences. She also caught her mother doing weird things at their garden in the middle of the night, hiding things in their basement.
Now her mother and her favorite aunt are missing! The girl she has seen in the woods lurking around her house and the boy next door she has complex feelings insists she broke his heart five years ago. Could she forget something important like this?
We go back and forth to find out more out Dana: the mother witch and Ivy’s stories : both time lines are fascinating to catch up! We see Dana and Felicita’s meeting with Marion, bounding to create their own coven and at the present time we see how Ivy gathers the pieces of the puzzle to solve the big mystery about the secrets her mother has kept from her!
I loved it! I adored it! I truly had great time while I was reading it!
Giving my high recommendation! If you like witches, great mysteries, horror meets thriller, a great example of creative writing skills, this is the best choice you may get!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing probably one of the best fantasy reads of 2022 in exchange my fully honest opinions.
Let’s get quick recap of storyline: after their uneventful but mostly resentful party time, seventeen years old Ivy struggles with the thoughts to break up with her extra drunk, snob, narcissistic boyfriend Nate during their car ride but when a pale faced, weird naked girl at the same age with Ivy runs around the road , dashing into the woods, things get more escalated . Because seeing that weird girl is the first omen which will change their already dysfunctional and unusual family life!
Ivy is grounded for her troubled night with her ex ( she’s managed to dump his ass) , bleaching her hair, prying around the house to detect more secrets after finding the massacred rabbit at their garden!
She has her own doubts about her mother’s secret ways to protect her and her brother: anyone who tries to mess with them suffers from consequences. She also caught her mother doing weird things at their garden in the middle of the night, hiding things in their basement.
Now her mother and her favorite aunt are missing! The girl she has seen in the woods lurking around her house and the boy next door she has complex feelings insists she broke his heart five years ago. Could she forget something important like this?
We go back and forth to find out more out Dana: the mother witch and Ivy’s stories : both time lines are fascinating to catch up! We see Dana and Felicita’s meeting with Marion, bounding to create their own coven and at the present time we see how Ivy gathers the pieces of the puzzle to solve the big mystery about the secrets her mother has kept from her!
I loved it! I adored it! I truly had great time while I was reading it!
Giving my high recommendation! If you like witches, great mysteries, horror meets thriller, a great example of creative writing skills, this is the best choice you may get!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for sharing probably one of the best fantasy reads of 2022 in exchange my fully honest opinions.
August 30, 2022
there comes a time in every reader's life when you have to make a tough decision...
whether to add a book to your to-read list even though you hate the cover.
this was my act of bravery.
and like all difficult things i ever have to do, ever in my life, should, it is my great privilege and thrill to tell you: it paid off.
for the first time in possibly 4 years, i can't stop reading YA fantasy. and i'm...having a good time?
can someone check if there are pigs in the air? snowflakes coming from the fiery depths of hell? etc.?
melissa albert is an amazing writer - this is lovely, and scary, and stunning, and fun. i love these characters, and even though the romance has like 4 total paragraphs of page time, i loved that too.
this might have been five stars if the perspective wasn't shared - i didn't care as much about the flashbacks to the mom, i just loved the current-day daughter.
but if i five starred a YA fantasy in the year of our lord 2022, the world might explode. so maybe it's for the universal best.
bottom line: more melissa albert please!!!! i want more books in this series.
who'd have thought i'd ever say that.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
whether to add a book to your to-read list even though you hate the cover.
this was my act of bravery.
and like all difficult things i ever have to do, ever in my life, should, it is my great privilege and thrill to tell you: it paid off.
for the first time in possibly 4 years, i can't stop reading YA fantasy. and i'm...having a good time?
can someone check if there are pigs in the air? snowflakes coming from the fiery depths of hell? etc.?
melissa albert is an amazing writer - this is lovely, and scary, and stunning, and fun. i love these characters, and even though the romance has like 4 total paragraphs of page time, i loved that too.
this might have been five stars if the perspective wasn't shared - i didn't care as much about the flashbacks to the mom, i just loved the current-day daughter.
but if i five starred a YA fantasy in the year of our lord 2022, the world might explode. so maybe it's for the universal best.
bottom line: more melissa albert please!!!! i want more books in this series.
who'd have thought i'd ever say that.
(thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
July 22, 2024
On the eve of Ivy's summer break, while her boyfriend is driving her home from a party, a mysterious figure darts into the road in front of them causing her boyfriend to swerve in order to avoid it.
There's a minor accident as a result and Ivy's face gets a little banged up. More concerning to Ivy however is the figure that caused them to go off the road in the first place. What was that?
They stop and pursue the figure into the woods. It's a young woman and she seems out of place. The whole event is very strange, leaving Ivy feeling haunted.
Nevertheless, they return to the car and her boyfriend drives her home, where she proceeds to break up with him. Not the best start to summer break.
Making matters worse, she actually gets in trouble with her parents because of the accident.
As the hits keep on coming, she's now grounded. This is going to be a great summer.
((Insert dramatic teen eye roll here.))
Soon Ivy is going to be wishing her lack of freedom were her largest problem as she starts being plagued by a series of increasingly unsettling events. The figure in the woods isn't done with her. She doesn't know how she knows this, she just does. It's all connected.
That's our present perspective. We also get a past perspective following Ivy's Mom, Dana.
When Dana was a teen, she and a couple of friends had a real The Craft-moment happening. I'm not going to say one of them was Nancy, but one of them had some Nancy-leanings.
If you know, you know.
As the Reader it is very easy to become immersed in both of these timelines. Equally interesting is how they are connected and watching the two of them eventually bleed into one another.
I thought Albert did a great job telling this story. There were a couple of aspects that lost me a bit, some scenes towards the end had a fever dream-type quality to them and that's not necessarily my favorite to see in a narrative.
With this being said, overall I found this story to be intriguing as heck.
The moody, dark atmosphere was definitely a plus for me. I loved how full of magic it was. Witchy vibes for the win!
Also, I really enjoyed the relationship between Ivy and her Mom. It's complicated for a number of different reasons and watching Dana come to accept her daughter's strength and power was beautiful to me.
Even though I didn't agree with quite a few of Dana's choices as a mother, I could definitely sympathize with her. I feel like Albert built her character out enough that it was easy to understand her motivations.
This was a highly anticipated release for me and it did not disappoint. I definitely recommend it to all who enjoy a dark, magical story with a bit of a mystery.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobook is fantastically done!
There's a minor accident as a result and Ivy's face gets a little banged up. More concerning to Ivy however is the figure that caused them to go off the road in the first place. What was that?
They stop and pursue the figure into the woods. It's a young woman and she seems out of place. The whole event is very strange, leaving Ivy feeling haunted.
Nevertheless, they return to the car and her boyfriend drives her home, where she proceeds to break up with him. Not the best start to summer break.
Making matters worse, she actually gets in trouble with her parents because of the accident.
As the hits keep on coming, she's now grounded. This is going to be a great summer.
((Insert dramatic teen eye roll here.))
Soon Ivy is going to be wishing her lack of freedom were her largest problem as she starts being plagued by a series of increasingly unsettling events. The figure in the woods isn't done with her. She doesn't know how she knows this, she just does. It's all connected.
That's our present perspective. We also get a past perspective following Ivy's Mom, Dana.
When Dana was a teen, she and a couple of friends had a real The Craft-moment happening. I'm not going to say one of them was Nancy, but one of them had some Nancy-leanings.
If you know, you know.
As the Reader it is very easy to become immersed in both of these timelines. Equally interesting is how they are connected and watching the two of them eventually bleed into one another.
I thought Albert did a great job telling this story. There were a couple of aspects that lost me a bit, some scenes towards the end had a fever dream-type quality to them and that's not necessarily my favorite to see in a narrative.
With this being said, overall I found this story to be intriguing as heck.
The moody, dark atmosphere was definitely a plus for me. I loved how full of magic it was. Witchy vibes for the win!
Also, I really enjoyed the relationship between Ivy and her Mom. It's complicated for a number of different reasons and watching Dana come to accept her daughter's strength and power was beautiful to me.
Even though I didn't agree with quite a few of Dana's choices as a mother, I could definitely sympathize with her. I feel like Albert built her character out enough that it was easy to understand her motivations.
This was a highly anticipated release for me and it did not disappoint. I definitely recommend it to all who enjoy a dark, magical story with a bit of a mystery.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. The audiobook is fantastically done!
June 28, 2022
NOW AVAILABLE!!!
this book is a corker.
considering that in the past couple of years, adult-market books about women with powers and YA about witchcraftin' girls have been surging through the bookworld like b.d. wong's locusts,
i fully expected this to be one of those typical YA-allegories about girls fed up with being vulnerable in the world and taking empowerment into their own witchy hands; girlbonding and messing with magic as an outlet for the rage and dissatisfaction that permeates adolescent girlhood. and there is some of that:
that is not at all where it ended—while many books would be happy to ride that thematic old pony all the way through, here it's only half of the story, and at the crooked heart at the center of this one is the story of a mother and a daughter and the secrets that separate them.
the novel is split between two alternating POV timelines—one taking place in "the city/back then," where best friends dana and fee meet older-girl marion and DO INDEED start messing with magic, with unintended tragic consequences. the second is set in "the suburbs/right now" where dana's teenage daughter ivy finds herself in a "sins of the mother" scenario, experiencing the spooky fallout from dana's impulsive decision in the wayback.
so, yeah, a mother-daughter story that goes way beyond the ushe dynamic of teenage girls struggling to become their own person away from the shadow of the maternal wing. adult-dana is an odd woman and an aloof mother, with her scars and her secrets, her deep-rooted guilt, and she has caused real damage to ivy. and even though ivy's discoveries about her mother's past allow her to finally understand her, understanding doesn't always lead to forgiveness. dana's made some bad judgment calls, and committed some capital-b betrayals, and i appreciated how her choices complicated her relationships with ivy, fee, her husband—it's hard to bounce back from a lot of it, and it's refreshing that it doesn't all end up hunky-dory in the right-now-suburbs.
along with the emotional complexity, the writing style is also terrific—the flow, the descriptions; the "kaz brekker cheekbones," a character "darting toward the fence on Barbie toes," a building that "looked like the sentient dollhouse of a very bad seed," and there are also some keen observations, like this astute description of sharon—an adult woman who assisted the witch-trio in the beforetimes:
i have met some sharons in my day.
and as for the girls, especially ivy—they’re more than characters, they feel like people. they are stubborn and headstrong and brave but they are also as flawed and fragile as all of us, despite their magical abilities.
i did not expect to love it as much as i did. to repeat myself, this book is a corker. imma close this puppy out with a passage i particularly liked and also a fun fact: one time, this author interviewed me for a job i did not get. i bear her no ill will—the position evaporated, so no one got it, but i am tech avail for bookwork, should she—or anyone else—wish to hire me.
anyway, play me out, boss:
come to my blog!
this book is a corker.
considering that in the past couple of years, adult-market books about women with powers and YA about witchcraftin' girls have been surging through the bookworld like b.d. wong's locusts,
i fully expected this to be one of those typical YA-allegories about girls fed up with being vulnerable in the world and taking empowerment into their own witchy hands; girlbonding and messing with magic as an outlet for the rage and dissatisfaction that permeates adolescent girlhood. and there is some of that:
Marion handed Fee a CD and we lay on the uneven floor of her bedroom to listen, heads close and the music loud enough that we could feel it vibrating through the boards.
That was how it began. Food and music. The rest of it came later: the magic, the things that fueled it. We were angry before Marion came, even if we didn't know it. At our dads, at our dead moms, at ourselves for being fifteen years old with lives the size of a pinprick, and no idea how to change them. But it was Marion who gave our anger form.
It started with the music. That's not where it ended
that is not at all where it ended—while many books would be happy to ride that thematic old pony all the way through, here it's only half of the story, and at the crooked heart at the center of this one is the story of a mother and a daughter and the secrets that separate them.
the novel is split between two alternating POV timelines—one taking place in "the city/back then," where best friends dana and fee meet older-girl marion and DO INDEED start messing with magic, with unintended tragic consequences. the second is set in "the suburbs/right now" where dana's teenage daughter ivy finds herself in a "sins of the mother" scenario, experiencing the spooky fallout from dana's impulsive decision in the wayback.
so, yeah, a mother-daughter story that goes way beyond the ushe dynamic of teenage girls struggling to become their own person away from the shadow of the maternal wing. adult-dana is an odd woman and an aloof mother, with her scars and her secrets, her deep-rooted guilt, and she has caused real damage to ivy. and even though ivy's discoveries about her mother's past allow her to finally understand her, understanding doesn't always lead to forgiveness. dana's made some bad judgment calls, and committed some capital-b betrayals, and i appreciated how her choices complicated her relationships with ivy, fee, her husband—it's hard to bounce back from a lot of it, and it's refreshing that it doesn't all end up hunky-dory in the right-now-suburbs.
along with the emotional complexity, the writing style is also terrific—the flow, the descriptions; the "kaz brekker cheekbones," a character "darting toward the fence on Barbie toes," a building that "looked like the sentient dollhouse of a very bad seed," and there are also some keen observations, like this astute description of sharon—an adult woman who assisted the witch-trio in the beforetimes:
She was one of those people who wielded her own history like a knife. Spend enough time with career alcoholics and you can spot this type from an avenue block away; threading their conversation with terrible, intimate revelations, designed to make you believe they're telling you their secrets. Making you think you had to pay them back in kind. Sharon was magically gifted, but I'd bet her true talent was an eye for damage.
i have met some sharons in my day.
and as for the girls, especially ivy—they’re more than characters, they feel like people. they are stubborn and headstrong and brave but they are also as flawed and fragile as all of us, despite their magical abilities.
i did not expect to love it as much as i did. to repeat myself, this book is a corker. imma close this puppy out with a passage i particularly liked and also a fun fact: one time, this author interviewed me for a job i did not get. i bear her no ill will—the position evaporated, so no one got it, but i am tech avail for bookwork, should she—or anyone else—wish to hire me.
anyway, play me out, boss:
I never knew my mother. She died when I was two, and my dad wasn't the kind to keep a candle burning. When I asked questions, he'd send me to the kitchen drawer where he kept a stack of old photos and a rubber-banded lock of her red hair.
So. A mother can be a photograph.
My best friend lost her mother even earlier. Fee came into the world and the woman who'd carried her stepped out. Death transfigured her into a dark-eyed martyr, their apartment the reliquary where Fee's father tended to her traces.
A mother can be a saint, then. A ghost. A blessed outline that shows where she's gone missing.
Sometimes she's a stranger on a park bench, feeding her child from her fingers, the air between them so tender you could knead it like bread dough. Or a woman on the train, Coke in the sippy cup and yanking the kid's arm until it cries. I've always liked to watch bad mothers.
A mother can be a paring knife, a chisel. She can shape and destroy. I never really thought I would become one.
There are things a daughter should know about the woman who's raising her. If that woman had the courage. If she could say the words.
Let's say you lie in bed at night and rehearse the things you'd tell her, if you could. This daughter of yours, infinitely unreachable and just across the hall. This deep into the disaster, what could you still say?
Where would you begin?
come to my blog!
August 2, 2022
You can suck it bunny killing sons a b…….s
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
October 16, 2023
Not the best… not the worst… just okay 👍 I liked the witchy theme. Told from different POV and different timelines- one much more interesting than the other. 🙃 Feels a bit slow… It does pick up quite a bit during that last quarter though.
June 28, 2022
3.5 stars, rounded down
I experienced this book partially as an audiobook narrated by Emma Galvin and Chloe Cannon, and partially in print. I rate the audiobook as 4 stars because the narrators are superb and truly drew me into this surprising, creepy story.
This is a YA story told in two timelines--one in the present with Ivy, who sees a mysterious girl in the woods while coming home from a party, and one in the past featuring Ivy's mother Dana as a teen and young adult. Dana has a twisted past that comes out as the timeline progresses, and Ivy trying to unravel what happened to her as a child and now.
This is a tale full of witchcraft and an eerie unveiling of events. I know I'm dating myself, but this book reminded me quite a bit of The Watcher in the Woods, both the book and the movie. I was intrigued and entertained from start to finish, but I didn't find anything particularly groundbreaking here.
Something that really grated on me while reading the print version was the overuse of the word "gonna". When listening to the book, it didn't stand out quite as much as it did on the page, because sometimes it was used two or three times within just a couple of pages. It's a small thing, but towards the end it was quite noticeable.
Overall, it's a great story though and if you like creepy witchcraft tales, this will definitely be one for you.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I experienced this book partially as an audiobook narrated by Emma Galvin and Chloe Cannon, and partially in print. I rate the audiobook as 4 stars because the narrators are superb and truly drew me into this surprising, creepy story.
This is a YA story told in two timelines--one in the present with Ivy, who sees a mysterious girl in the woods while coming home from a party, and one in the past featuring Ivy's mother Dana as a teen and young adult. Dana has a twisted past that comes out as the timeline progresses, and Ivy trying to unravel what happened to her as a child and now.
This is a tale full of witchcraft and an eerie unveiling of events. I know I'm dating myself, but this book reminded me quite a bit of The Watcher in the Woods, both the book and the movie. I was intrigued and entertained from start to finish, but I didn't find anything particularly groundbreaking here.
Something that really grated on me while reading the print version was the overuse of the word "gonna". When listening to the book, it didn't stand out quite as much as it did on the page, because sometimes it was used two or three times within just a couple of pages. It's a small thing, but towards the end it was quite noticeable.
Overall, it's a great story though and if you like creepy witchcraft tales, this will definitely be one for you.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
January 27, 2022
This book was unique and creepy! Compared to the movie The Craft, there are definitely elements that can be found in this book. I found I enjoyed Dana’s chapters more than Ivy’s. The rabbits freaked me out but I really enjoyed this book, it was so different from everything I’ve been reading lately.
It begins with Ivy and her boyfriend who almost drive off the road when they spot a nude woman running in the street. Ivy follows her and is surprised this stranger knows her name. It only gets crazier from here.
The book is told in dual timelines between Ivy and Dana Ivy’s mother. When Ivy’s mother was young, her and her two friends experimented with magic and witchcraft. As their aspirations grew things headed in a dangerous direction.
Ivy must figure out what occurred in the past and decide if what she figured out changes the way she sees her mother. Will it also impact her current interests?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
It begins with Ivy and her boyfriend who almost drive off the road when they spot a nude woman running in the street. Ivy follows her and is surprised this stranger knows her name. It only gets crazier from here.
The book is told in dual timelines between Ivy and Dana Ivy’s mother. When Ivy’s mother was young, her and her two friends experimented with magic and witchcraft. As their aspirations grew things headed in a dangerous direction.
Ivy must figure out what occurred in the past and decide if what she figured out changes the way she sees her mother. Will it also impact her current interests?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
December 4, 2021
i think... this book was just not for me. i loved the cover. loved the premise. witchcraft spookiness. hell yeah! and honestly, the story line was good enough. it was almost there.
we go thru 2 (sometimes 3) timelines and POVs. dana's timeline bored me to death, even though it was actually the main storyline. i was more interested in ivys timeline and caught myself trying to just get through danas timeline to get to ivys.
the thing that bothered me the most, was the actual writing. i was sick of the writers metaphors by the end of part 1. and when i got to part 3 i literally gasped and said "oh my goddddd" ... and at that point, i realized i did not enjoy this at all.
here is an example of the metaphors that made me cringe- and they happen on every. single. page. multiple times. constantly.
she said something "in a voice that sounded like someone found it in a cardboard box in the back of a basement"
"framed like a portrait somebody dug up from a thrift store. fish belly skin and blonde hair and a look of forbearance"
"like i was looking at a world through red saran wrap"
"held me like a flower in a cup"
"chattered like teeth in a cup"
"it looked like the sentient dollhouse of a very bad seed"
like a... like a... like a... all these like a's drove me crazy to the point i was gritting my teeth... just praying the next page wasn't lined with them. and, yes, oh yes they were.
so i guess this just wasn't enjoyable for me.
thanks to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
we go thru 2 (sometimes 3) timelines and POVs. dana's timeline bored me to death, even though it was actually the main storyline. i was more interested in ivys timeline and caught myself trying to just get through danas timeline to get to ivys.
the thing that bothered me the most, was the actual writing. i was sick of the writers metaphors by the end of part 1. and when i got to part 3 i literally gasped and said "oh my goddddd" ... and at that point, i realized i did not enjoy this at all.
here is an example of the metaphors that made me cringe- and they happen on every. single. page. multiple times. constantly.
she said something "in a voice that sounded like someone found it in a cardboard box in the back of a basement"
"framed like a portrait somebody dug up from a thrift store. fish belly skin and blonde hair and a look of forbearance"
"like i was looking at a world through red saran wrap"
"held me like a flower in a cup"
"chattered like teeth in a cup"
"it looked like the sentient dollhouse of a very bad seed"
like a... like a... like a... all these like a's drove me crazy to the point i was gritting my teeth... just praying the next page wasn't lined with them. and, yes, oh yes they were.
so i guess this just wasn't enjoyable for me.
thanks to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
April 18, 2022
i’d like to thank netgalley, flatiron books, and melissa albert for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! this book follows ivy and her mother dana as ivy begins to learn more about her mother’s past. albert truly wrote the perfect witchy book full of twists and turns that kept me intrigued the entire time. it's haunting, sinister, and gruesome - i absolutely loved it.
i was a bit surprised at how much i liked this book because i thought it would fit more into the YA category, but instead it was much more NA, featuring teenagers messing around with dark magic without realizing the consequences. i loved going back and forth between ivy and dana’s chapters and learning everything as ivy learned it. i will say that i do agree with some of the reviews saying that they prefer ivy’s chapters, though, because i found those more interesting.
this novel was also very fast-paced and every chapter was filled with action and suspense. i loved the writing style so much and found that it really worked well with the gothic setting and dark undertones. i also like books with family secrets and this one fit the bill perfectly. i feel like the ending of this one will definitely be controversial when it’s released and i’m not even sure how I feel about ivy and dana’s relationship after everything that happened.
after reading this i’m definitely going to pick up the hazel wood asap! i recommend this book to fan of witchy novels looking for something that’s a mix between a mystery and a thriller. it will be the perfect read for next spooky season as well!
i was a bit surprised at how much i liked this book because i thought it would fit more into the YA category, but instead it was much more NA, featuring teenagers messing around with dark magic without realizing the consequences. i loved going back and forth between ivy and dana’s chapters and learning everything as ivy learned it. i will say that i do agree with some of the reviews saying that they prefer ivy’s chapters, though, because i found those more interesting.
this novel was also very fast-paced and every chapter was filled with action and suspense. i loved the writing style so much and found that it really worked well with the gothic setting and dark undertones. i also like books with family secrets and this one fit the bill perfectly. i feel like the ending of this one will definitely be controversial when it’s released and i’m not even sure how I feel about ivy and dana’s relationship after everything that happened.
after reading this i’m definitely going to pick up the hazel wood asap! i recommend this book to fan of witchy novels looking for something that’s a mix between a mystery and a thriller. it will be the perfect read for next spooky season as well!
May 13, 2022
Fantastic read! I loved Marion’s story as well as Dana’s. Ivy’s story was good too. Ivy’s mom was a bit of pros and cons. She left Ivy home alone to eat cookies for dinner but lectured her on being in a car with a drunk driver. I liked the author’s use of similes: Billy’s Adam’s apple was like a peach pit, bikers darting through traffic like fishes, and a hotdog spinning in its little tanning bed. There were more and I enjoyed every one of them. I enjoyed the magic in this book as well as Fee and Dana’s friendship. I always liked it when the title of the book appeared in the story. Despite Sharon being a small character in this story, I wondered what happened to her in the 20 years that passed. She sounded bitter still when she talked to Ivy.
This book started with Ivy, 17, told in the first person point of view, and her soon to be ex-boyfriend Nate, in the present day. They were at an end-of-year party and were getting ready to leave. He drove fast because he was a bit drunk. He stopped quick because there was a naked stranger in the middle of the road. It was 3am. They got out of the car and spied her swimming in the creek but decided to leave her there and drove directly home. Ivy’s parents lectured her on getting in the car with a drunk driver. The next day, Nate posted a picture of himself on social media with a busted lip to match the one he gave Ivy when he drove drunk. Ivy’s mom’s Dana mentioned about having a migraine and a dream the same night Ivy saw the stranger. Weird things started happening with Ivy’s mom. Ivy believed her mom has secrets so she started digging around the house and into her memory. The story switched to the city in the past, following Ivy’s mom, Dana, told in the first person point of view. She could always knew something before it happened. When she was 5 and her dad dropped his keys during the walk home she knew just where to locate it without seeing it dropped. Dana’s best friend was Fee. Later they befriended Marion. Marion introduced Dana and Fee things that they felt missing from their life. In part 2, readers will have the opportunity to enjoy Marion’s view. This book was divided into 3 parts.
Our Crooked Hearts was well written and developed. I loved this fast paced read. I do have to give an applause to the author for making a trip to K-Mart fun. This book has good diversity with LGBT characters and the use of foreign language. I don’t know how Billy can survive with little sleep like that. I was hoping he has some magical powers too. Each chapter ends with a mini cliffhanger so many times I couldn’t put down. I liked the idea of clawing out of the mirror. Some parts of the story were intense and I loved it. Some good and bad parents in this book so it resembles real life well. The romance was light so any young readers could read it. Definitely an interesting read and I recommend everyone to read this book!
xoxo, Jasmine at www.Howusefulitis.com for more details
Many thanks to Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
This book started with Ivy, 17, told in the first person point of view, and her soon to be ex-boyfriend Nate, in the present day. They were at an end-of-year party and were getting ready to leave. He drove fast because he was a bit drunk. He stopped quick because there was a naked stranger in the middle of the road. It was 3am. They got out of the car and spied her swimming in the creek but decided to leave her there and drove directly home. Ivy’s parents lectured her on getting in the car with a drunk driver. The next day, Nate posted a picture of himself on social media with a busted lip to match the one he gave Ivy when he drove drunk. Ivy’s mom’s Dana mentioned about having a migraine and a dream the same night Ivy saw the stranger. Weird things started happening with Ivy’s mom. Ivy believed her mom has secrets so she started digging around the house and into her memory. The story switched to the city in the past, following Ivy’s mom, Dana, told in the first person point of view. She could always knew something before it happened. When she was 5 and her dad dropped his keys during the walk home she knew just where to locate it without seeing it dropped. Dana’s best friend was Fee. Later they befriended Marion. Marion introduced Dana and Fee things that they felt missing from their life. In part 2, readers will have the opportunity to enjoy Marion’s view. This book was divided into 3 parts.
Our Crooked Hearts was well written and developed. I loved this fast paced read. I do have to give an applause to the author for making a trip to K-Mart fun. This book has good diversity with LGBT characters and the use of foreign language. I don’t know how Billy can survive with little sleep like that. I was hoping he has some magical powers too. Each chapter ends with a mini cliffhanger so many times I couldn’t put down. I liked the idea of clawing out of the mirror. Some parts of the story were intense and I loved it. Some good and bad parents in this book so it resembles real life well. The romance was light so any young readers could read it. Definitely an interesting read and I recommend everyone to read this book!
xoxo, Jasmine at www.Howusefulitis.com for more details
Many thanks to Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
February 8, 2022
I LOVE this book!
It has everything you could possibly want from a book about witches and black magic. It's haunting. It's sinister. It's dark. And it's sure to get under your skin. All the wtichy goodness that made The Craft such an amazing movie is captured in this book, and I absolutely recommend reading this now.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
*Just a side note: The cover of this book is absolutely stunning!
It has everything you could possibly want from a book about witches and black magic. It's haunting. It's sinister. It's dark. And it's sure to get under your skin. All the wtichy goodness that made The Craft such an amazing movie is captured in this book, and I absolutely recommend reading this now.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
*Just a side note: The cover of this book is absolutely stunning!
Want to read
June 11, 2022Loved The Hazel Wood, and idk what the bunny door-knocker has to do with anything but I’m very into it. 🐰
October 3, 2023
if you’re looking for a spooky book full of magic and powerful women, then this is your book.
the whole time i was reading this book, i was completely submerged. it drew me in from the very beginning & i was so shocked by every twist and turn.
the book is broken up into three parts and told between past and present. i enjoyed the past honestly more - i’m glad those chapters were longer because they were so interesting. i loved learning about the magic, and how they found it. the writing really draws you into the story and makes you understand. no feeling, thought or action is left unexplained.
this book was so well thought out & the way it came full circle was So satisfying - i was literally jaw dropping when i realized what was going on. i honestly would read a whole series based on the characters in this book.
on top of the main plot, we get a small subplot of a romance and it is SO CUTE. next door neighbors, friends since childhood like YES.
the mother daughter aspect was heart wrenching. i felt so bad for ivy the entire time but she’s such a bad bitch! literally the best girl.
this reminded me so much of like bonnie from tvd meets practical magic - so difficult to explain but it was the perfect fall read.
go read this!!!
the whole time i was reading this book, i was completely submerged. it drew me in from the very beginning & i was so shocked by every twist and turn.
the book is broken up into three parts and told between past and present. i enjoyed the past honestly more - i’m glad those chapters were longer because they were so interesting. i loved learning about the magic, and how they found it. the writing really draws you into the story and makes you understand. no feeling, thought or action is left unexplained.
this book was so well thought out & the way it came full circle was So satisfying - i was literally jaw dropping when i realized what was going on. i honestly would read a whole series based on the characters in this book.
on top of the main plot, we get a small subplot of a romance and it is SO CUTE. next door neighbors, friends since childhood like YES.
the mother daughter aspect was heart wrenching. i felt so bad for ivy the entire time but she’s such a bad bitch! literally the best girl.
this reminded me so much of like bonnie from tvd meets practical magic - so difficult to explain but it was the perfect fall read.
go read this!!!
June 6, 2022
I loved this book! I was already a huge fan of Melissa Albert, but at this point, I think I would read her grocery list. She just has this fantastic way of weaving a story that sucks you in so completely.
I loved the characters and the different timelines, and I'll tell you, I haven't loved a book in weeks... whether I was picking the wrong thing or in some kind of slump, I don't know, but this book brought me out of it.
I loved the characters and the different timelines, and I'll tell you, I haven't loved a book in weeks... whether I was picking the wrong thing or in some kind of slump, I don't know, but this book brought me out of it.
July 18, 2022
Thank you to #partners Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for a #gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review.
Full review coming.
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4 ⭐️ for Goodreads.
💭 Did you read this one? If so, what did you think? If not, is it on your TBR?
Full review coming.
3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4 ⭐️ for Goodreads.
💭 Did you read this one? If so, what did you think? If not, is it on your TBR?
June 27, 2022
An intoxicatingly eerie and deliciously riveting tale about mothers and daughters, secrets, witches and a whole lot of revenge that I literally devoured! From eerie flashbacks from her childhood to the creepy, unnatural offerings left on her doorstep, Ivy’s summer gets off to a spookily rough start. But it leads Ivy on a journey of discovery… into her mother’s mysteriously vague past and into her the fragmented memories of her own.
I absolutely loved every second of this richly imagined and sinisterly delightful masterpiece of a book. As a huge fan of The Hazel Wood and Tales of The Hinterland I was soo unbelievably excited to receive an ARC of it, it was one of my anticipated books of the year and I can say it definitely lived up to my expectations.
I am obsessed with Melissa Albert’s expertly crafted, layered and bewitchingly complex world and her prose is second to none. I absolutely loved the dual POVs which explore both Ivy’s life, both in the present and her memories of her childhood as well as her mothers’ teenage years and her actions and choices which lead to the events that take place in the present.
The characters were well crafted (I really liked both Ivy and her mum, Dana) and I loved the exploration into their mother daughter bond—at first glance Dana appears distant, both physically and emotionally but getting to experience her POV really helps to humanise her and give depth to her character. It also highlights the fact that nothing is ever truly straight forward or black and white, that there’s always more than one side to every story.
The parallels between them both however is startlingly obvious and I loved that it’s their decisions (made decades apart) which ultimately bring them closer together. Ivy spends the first half of the book constantly searching for answers, about why her mum is distant and evasive, why the boy next door seems to hate her and why she feels like a piece of her is missing. Teenage Dana is likewise looking for meaning in her life, something bigger than herself in the life she shares with her temperamental father and best friend Fee.
The plot is intriguingly twisty with soo many nuanced layers, surprises and revelations around every corner and the pacing was amazing. It starts out slow but quickly begins to speed up and escalate as the story and action unfolds, creating a truly apprehensive yet utterly unputdownable experience.
Overall, this was an absolutely incredible read that I highly recommend to dark urban fantasy lovers and fans of witchy books.
If you’ve ever read any of Albert’s books you’ll know how vividly immersive and masterful her storytelling can be, and if you’re new then your in for a wildly riveting and utterly addictive ride in this richly atmospheric, paranormal mystery imbued with magic, mayhem and sinister surprises.
I also wanted to say a huge thank you to Nina and Penguin Randomhouse for the ARC.
I absolutely loved every second of this richly imagined and sinisterly delightful masterpiece of a book. As a huge fan of The Hazel Wood and Tales of The Hinterland I was soo unbelievably excited to receive an ARC of it, it was one of my anticipated books of the year and I can say it definitely lived up to my expectations.
I am obsessed with Melissa Albert’s expertly crafted, layered and bewitchingly complex world and her prose is second to none. I absolutely loved the dual POVs which explore both Ivy’s life, both in the present and her memories of her childhood as well as her mothers’ teenage years and her actions and choices which lead to the events that take place in the present.
The characters were well crafted (I really liked both Ivy and her mum, Dana) and I loved the exploration into their mother daughter bond—at first glance Dana appears distant, both physically and emotionally but getting to experience her POV really helps to humanise her and give depth to her character. It also highlights the fact that nothing is ever truly straight forward or black and white, that there’s always more than one side to every story.
The parallels between them both however is startlingly obvious and I loved that it’s their decisions (made decades apart) which ultimately bring them closer together. Ivy spends the first half of the book constantly searching for answers, about why her mum is distant and evasive, why the boy next door seems to hate her and why she feels like a piece of her is missing. Teenage Dana is likewise looking for meaning in her life, something bigger than herself in the life she shares with her temperamental father and best friend Fee.
The plot is intriguingly twisty with soo many nuanced layers, surprises and revelations around every corner and the pacing was amazing. It starts out slow but quickly begins to speed up and escalate as the story and action unfolds, creating a truly apprehensive yet utterly unputdownable experience.
Overall, this was an absolutely incredible read that I highly recommend to dark urban fantasy lovers and fans of witchy books.
If you’ve ever read any of Albert’s books you’ll know how vividly immersive and masterful her storytelling can be, and if you’re new then your in for a wildly riveting and utterly addictive ride in this richly atmospheric, paranormal mystery imbued with magic, mayhem and sinister surprises.
I also wanted to say a huge thank you to Nina and Penguin Randomhouse for the ARC.
July 22, 2024
A perfect summerween book. Faced paced witchy plot with creepy scenes and a crazy ending. This one surprised me!
August 1, 2022
Witchy story!! I have so high expectation for this book, it sounds right up to my alley and I saw so many glowing reviews for this book… I love to read good Mother Daughter relationship too .. so what not to like from this book? Wrong this book just utterly failed me in so many aspects 😫
First I do not like the writing style, so many metaphoric passages and It honestly bothered me A LOT, it maybe want to sounds lyrical but no it’s just not work at all. The characters annoyed me esp the daughter, I was expecting a good mother – daughter relationship in this but I got a disrespectful daughter to her mother and a mother who ignored her daughter in the name to “protect her’. The plot is weird and I just felt so underwhelmed
That being said, I don’t think I have something I like from this book *deep sigh* just not my cup of tea.
My first and probably my last book from this author 😐
First I do not like the writing style, so many metaphoric passages and It honestly bothered me A LOT, it maybe want to sounds lyrical but no it’s just not work at all. The characters annoyed me esp the daughter, I was expecting a good mother – daughter relationship in this but I got a disrespectful daughter to her mother and a mother who ignored her daughter in the name to “protect her’. The plot is weird and I just felt so underwhelmed
That being said, I don’t think I have something I like from this book *deep sigh* just not my cup of tea.
My first and probably my last book from this author 😐
June 17, 2022
This book was so good! Dark and edgy, with a touch of whimsy, it was delightfully creepy.
Ivy's mom has kept secrets for years. When strange things start to happen, the strained peace between Ivy and her mom snaps. As the truth begins to immerge, she knows nothing will stay the same.
I loved reading the two timelines. One follows Ivy in the present and the other shows us her mother's journey in the past as she discovers her magic.
There is a dark and ominous feel to this book. I couldn't stop reading, every part of the story was so intriguing. My favorite character was Billy. I loved his cheery acceptance of Ivy's magic in his youth and later his hope tinged with sadness.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I went into it a little hesitant because I didn't love the author's Hazel Wood books. But I really enjoyed this one. Get it, you'll love it!
Our Crooked Hearts will be released on June 28, 2022.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
Ivy's mom has kept secrets for years. When strange things start to happen, the strained peace between Ivy and her mom snaps. As the truth begins to immerge, she knows nothing will stay the same.
I loved reading the two timelines. One follows Ivy in the present and the other shows us her mother's journey in the past as she discovers her magic.
There is a dark and ominous feel to this book. I couldn't stop reading, every part of the story was so intriguing. My favorite character was Billy. I loved his cheery acceptance of Ivy's magic in his youth and later his hope tinged with sadness.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I went into it a little hesitant because I didn't love the author's Hazel Wood books. But I really enjoyed this one. Get it, you'll love it!
Our Crooked Hearts will be released on June 28, 2022.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 1, 2022
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Our Crooked Hearts is a bit of a mind f-(you can guess the rest of that word). Ivy is a teenage girl with a strange mother, who at times is a bit scary. She is strange and does and says weird things that normal people just don't. When a girl ends up running out of the woods naked in front of the car Ivy is in, she is set on a journey to learn the secrets of her mother's past and why that very naked girl from the woods knew her name.
This story was creepy at parts. There are dead bunnies just showing up in driveways and a feeling of being watched by someone or something. There is also the next door neighbor boy that Ivy had one awkward moment with years ago but still hangs on the edge of her mind. Ivy is in a family full of secrets, all of which seem to surround her mom and a big event that happened when her mother was a teen.
I had a great time uncovering the background story of Ivy's mom when she was a teen and found her witch powers. I was intrigued by how it all went wrong and why Ivy might know her mom is different never really clued in to how different until some very weird stuff started happening around her house and he mom just went MIA. Now she knows there are some big memories she lost and so many secrets that her family is barely hanging on by a thread.
Such a good book. I really enjoyed all of the story and how well the magic was kept feeling real and not overdone. I remember falling in love with The Craft back in the day and this reminded me a little of that show. I have not read Melissa Albert before but I will have to check out her other books after this standalone novel.
Narration:
I'm a big fan of Emma Galvin since listening to her Divergent narration. I have since heard her do other books and I've enjoyed them all. Chloe Cannon however is a new to me narrator and I think she captured the voice of Dana so well in her teenage years. Really great to have 2 narrators on for each PoV making me, the reader, feel so in tune with each different voice of the story. Dana was definitely the edgier of the two narrations. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed
Listen to the clip: HERE
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Our Crooked Hearts is a bit of a mind f-(you can guess the rest of that word). Ivy is a teenage girl with a strange mother, who at times is a bit scary. She is strange and does and says weird things that normal people just don't. When a girl ends up running out of the woods naked in front of the car Ivy is in, she is set on a journey to learn the secrets of her mother's past and why that very naked girl from the woods knew her name.
This story was creepy at parts. There are dead bunnies just showing up in driveways and a feeling of being watched by someone or something. There is also the next door neighbor boy that Ivy had one awkward moment with years ago but still hangs on the edge of her mind. Ivy is in a family full of secrets, all of which seem to surround her mom and a big event that happened when her mother was a teen.
I had a great time uncovering the background story of Ivy's mom when she was a teen and found her witch powers. I was intrigued by how it all went wrong and why Ivy might know her mom is different never really clued in to how different until some very weird stuff started happening around her house and he mom just went MIA. Now she knows there are some big memories she lost and so many secrets that her family is barely hanging on by a thread.
Such a good book. I really enjoyed all of the story and how well the magic was kept feeling real and not overdone. I remember falling in love with The Craft back in the day and this reminded me a little of that show. I have not read Melissa Albert before but I will have to check out her other books after this standalone novel.
Narration:
I'm a big fan of Emma Galvin since listening to her Divergent narration. I have since heard her do other books and I've enjoyed them all. Chloe Cannon however is a new to me narrator and I think she captured the voice of Dana so well in her teenage years. Really great to have 2 narrators on for each PoV making me, the reader, feel so in tune with each different voice of the story. Dana was definitely the edgier of the two narrations. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed
Listen to the clip: HERE
May 12, 2022
No, your eyes are not deceiving you, this is the first time ever that you’ve seen me promote a young adult book. Not just that but this is the first time ever that I have finished, reviewed, and recommended a young adult novel!
17-year-old Ivy is heading home from a party with her boyfriend Nate in the middle of the night when a strange woman appears nude, on the road. What follows is a summer that will change life as she knows it forever.
16 year old Dana has always had a gifted sixth sense. With the help of her best friends Fee and Marion, her gifts blossom to something otherworldly. But as the trio become more ambitious, they find themselves going down a road that they may never come back from.
Decades later the girls worlds collide and come down to a reckoning among a daughter, mother, and a dark force they shouldn't have messed with.
The story alternates between Ivy and Dana’s point of view with alternating timelines.
Our Crooked Hearts is a coming of age story that not contains all of the following elements:
🌹witchcraft
🌹a haunted library
🌹Best friends since birth
🌹Complex mother daughter relationships
🌹Family secrets coming to light
Sounds good, right?
I immediately became immersed in this story. The writing and vivid storytelling was so phenomenal that it made a non-ya reader like me fall completely in love with it! I stayed on the edge of my seat the entirety of this book compulsively turning pages and hanging on every word. Melissa Albert’s writing is a thing of beauty and Our Crooked Hearts is lyrical. The book read like a song that I didn't want to end.
Without spoiling anything, I do believe this one borders on the line of ya and adult. I think the part that makes this one ya is being told from a teens point of view and including some puppy love romance. Otherwise there are some very dark elements in this one. I do think that adults, especially fans of horror will love this one just like I did! Our Crooked Hearts will be a story that I will not be forgetting anytime soon!
Many thanks to Flatiron books for the gifted copy!
17-year-old Ivy is heading home from a party with her boyfriend Nate in the middle of the night when a strange woman appears nude, on the road. What follows is a summer that will change life as she knows it forever.
16 year old Dana has always had a gifted sixth sense. With the help of her best friends Fee and Marion, her gifts blossom to something otherworldly. But as the trio become more ambitious, they find themselves going down a road that they may never come back from.
Decades later the girls worlds collide and come down to a reckoning among a daughter, mother, and a dark force they shouldn't have messed with.
The story alternates between Ivy and Dana’s point of view with alternating timelines.
Our Crooked Hearts is a coming of age story that not contains all of the following elements:
🌹witchcraft
🌹a haunted library
🌹Best friends since birth
🌹Complex mother daughter relationships
🌹Family secrets coming to light
Sounds good, right?
I immediately became immersed in this story. The writing and vivid storytelling was so phenomenal that it made a non-ya reader like me fall completely in love with it! I stayed on the edge of my seat the entirety of this book compulsively turning pages and hanging on every word. Melissa Albert’s writing is a thing of beauty and Our Crooked Hearts is lyrical. The book read like a song that I didn't want to end.
Without spoiling anything, I do believe this one borders on the line of ya and adult. I think the part that makes this one ya is being told from a teens point of view and including some puppy love romance. Otherwise there are some very dark elements in this one. I do think that adults, especially fans of horror will love this one just like I did! Our Crooked Hearts will be a story that I will not be forgetting anytime soon!
Many thanks to Flatiron books for the gifted copy!
December 14, 2022
Reseña completa http://letraslibrosymas.blogspot.com/...
El tema de la magia siempre me ha atraído mucho y al ver este libro quise leerlo inmediatamente, porque no es solo un libro de brujas sino que se compagina con buenas dosis de mentiras y secretos, algo oscuro que se acerca y nos habla de la amistad y la familia, con un pequeño toque de romance y mucho de encontrarse a uno mismo, vamos una mezcla que a cualquiera le dan ganas de devorar.
Al principio iba con miedo por si me decepcionaba y por si era demasiado intenso en cuanto a oscuridad y “terror” porque había oído de todo; y aunque es cierto que tiene un tono sombrío y turbio que acompaña a todo el libro, solo hubo una parte que me dejo con mal cuerpo, luego ya me acostumbre y no fue para tanto.
La trama se desarrolla muy bien y con esmero, van poco a poco entrecruzándose las historias del pasado de la madre (Dana) y del presente con su hija (Ivy), así que vamos despejando dudas y descubriendo los secretos para llegar un momento en el que todo explota y cobra sentido, creo que la autora lo maneja muy bien y nos da buenas dosis de tensión, misterio y sorpresas para llegar a un final muy bueno que cumple a la perfección.
Es cierto que tiene cosas obvias y predecibles, que los personajes tienen cosas para poner los ojos en blanco y que esperaba un poco más de la historia, pero me ha dejado buen sabor de boca, me ha dado una inquietante historia de brujas perfecta para esta época y me ha tenido pegada a sus páginas porque estaba deseando conocer la verdad.
Magia, secretos, un aura oscura y una complicada relación madre/hija.
El tema de la magia siempre me ha atraído mucho y al ver este libro quise leerlo inmediatamente, porque no es solo un libro de brujas sino que se compagina con buenas dosis de mentiras y secretos, algo oscuro que se acerca y nos habla de la amistad y la familia, con un pequeño toque de romance y mucho de encontrarse a uno mismo, vamos una mezcla que a cualquiera le dan ganas de devorar.
Al principio iba con miedo por si me decepcionaba y por si era demasiado intenso en cuanto a oscuridad y “terror” porque había oído de todo; y aunque es cierto que tiene un tono sombrío y turbio que acompaña a todo el libro, solo hubo una parte que me dejo con mal cuerpo, luego ya me acostumbre y no fue para tanto.
La trama se desarrolla muy bien y con esmero, van poco a poco entrecruzándose las historias del pasado de la madre (Dana) y del presente con su hija (Ivy), así que vamos despejando dudas y descubriendo los secretos para llegar un momento en el que todo explota y cobra sentido, creo que la autora lo maneja muy bien y nos da buenas dosis de tensión, misterio y sorpresas para llegar a un final muy bueno que cumple a la perfección.
Es cierto que tiene cosas obvias y predecibles, que los personajes tienen cosas para poner los ojos en blanco y que esperaba un poco más de la historia, pero me ha dejado buen sabor de boca, me ha dado una inquietante historia de brujas perfecta para esta época y me ha tenido pegada a sus páginas porque estaba deseando conocer la verdad.
Magia, secretos, un aura oscura y una complicada relación madre/hija.
September 13, 2021
a kaleidoscopic masterpiece that put me in a chokehold from dark beginning to sinister end. the prose in this crawls under your skin and attaches itself to you. Consistently terrifying, and occasionally delightful, this novel is pure dark magic, and I want to know what spell Albert placed on the readers - wow oh wow
July 18, 2022
Beautifully written, subtly eerie--reading this sometimes felt like wading through a crackling dream, and I need more stories weaved with this sort of magic.
With each book that Melissa Albert writes, I grow to further enjoy her storytelling.
With each book that Melissa Albert writes, I grow to further enjoy her storytelling.
May 24, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up
Witches, dark magic, parental secrets, a fraught mother/daughter relationship....all are central to Our Crooked Hearts. This could probably be compared to The Craft, as a witchy teen story that leans dark.
Told in two timelines, this follows 17 year old Ivy who is experiencing weird things and suspect that her mom holds some dark secrets. It also follows her mom and her group of friends in the 90's as they get into dark and dangerous magic with serious ramifications. (Note that this does include blood magic and animal sacrifice and mutilation involving bunnies)
I can't say I was equally invested in both timelines and toward the end we get a rush of secrets that could have been parsed out a bit more through the book. Occasionally the writing tries to get more poetic to SAY SOMETHING and those bits didn't always work for me and didn't necessarily flow with the rest of the book. That said, I did enjoy the story and I'm liking this trend of darker stories for teens that deal with things like how far you will go to get what you want and the far-reaching consequences that might incur. I think a lot of people will be into this one, but if you don't like horror elements or need your characters to be likable, this may not be for you. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
Witches, dark magic, parental secrets, a fraught mother/daughter relationship....all are central to Our Crooked Hearts. This could probably be compared to The Craft, as a witchy teen story that leans dark.
Told in two timelines, this follows 17 year old Ivy who is experiencing weird things and suspect that her mom holds some dark secrets. It also follows her mom and her group of friends in the 90's as they get into dark and dangerous magic with serious ramifications. (Note that this does include blood magic and animal sacrifice and mutilation involving bunnies)
I can't say I was equally invested in both timelines and toward the end we get a rush of secrets that could have been parsed out a bit more through the book. Occasionally the writing tries to get more poetic to SAY SOMETHING and those bits didn't always work for me and didn't necessarily flow with the rest of the book. That said, I did enjoy the story and I'm liking this trend of darker stories for teens that deal with things like how far you will go to get what you want and the far-reaching consequences that might incur. I think a lot of people will be into this one, but if you don't like horror elements or need your characters to be likable, this may not be for you. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
April 15, 2022
This book gave me The Craft vibes but it was somehow creepier. I loved the magic both beautiful and dark. The story is told in two timelines the present focuses on 17 year old Ivy whose summer starts with a bizarre encounter when her boyfriend almost hits a naked woman who dashed in front of their car. The second timeline is the past when Ivy’s mother Dana was a teenager and discovered magic. The story unfolded in a fun way and was filled with dark twists. This is a story of magic and betrayal and revenge and I wish it wasn’t over since I loved it. I personally preferred the Ivy chapters as the story got going - the first couple of Ivy chapters were a little slow.. I struggled to connect with Dana the same way but her story was still super interesting.
November 14, 2022
Cuando te bese, no será nuestro primer beso.
Madre mía, lo que necesitaba yo volver a leer algo de Melissa, y es que menuda capacidad que tiene para crear historias llenas de fantasía tenebrosa, de la brujería que te hace pensar en bosques y en noches de luna llena. Me ha fascinado de principio a fin, aunque reconozco que el desenlace, a pesar de ser satisfactorio, se me ha hecho bastante abrupto.
Madre mía, lo que necesitaba yo volver a leer algo de Melissa, y es que menuda capacidad que tiene para crear historias llenas de fantasía tenebrosa, de la brujería que te hace pensar en bosques y en noches de luna llena. Me ha fascinado de principio a fin, aunque reconozco que el desenlace, a pesar de ser satisfactorio, se me ha hecho bastante abrupto.
July 19, 2022
We didn't wonder where the magic came from, or why it worked. We never asked ourselves, Is this ours to take? We were three damp ducklings, green as leaves, believing with all our crooked hearts that we were the ones writing this story. Even as a dead woman's book paved the road beneath our feet.
This was phenomenal - the kind of book that's written beautifully but still feels raw and exciting, like it's tapping into truth by telling its story.
Talking in two timelines, now and then, Melissa Albert weaves a story about girls, magic, and friendship that covers so much ground. Mothers and daughters and the complications that rise between them - magic and limits and power when you're young and have an even more limited idea of consequences than most people do. More usual teenage worries like bad boyfriends sit alongside the need to set right a potentially catastrophic magical situation and are given space to feel just as important to that character, because that's what being teenaged is like.
There's a real authenticity to Melissa Albert's writing, even as it manages to still be horrifying, entertaining, and absolutely gorgeous to read. I loved this book - I was a huge fan of The Craft (surprise) as a kid, and it feels like this novel would speak to those of us now much older than the target audience, as well as finding the new generation and giving them something to love too. Absolutely magical, and my first from this author - but definitely not my last.
This was phenomenal - the kind of book that's written beautifully but still feels raw and exciting, like it's tapping into truth by telling its story.
Talking in two timelines, now and then, Melissa Albert weaves a story about girls, magic, and friendship that covers so much ground. Mothers and daughters and the complications that rise between them - magic and limits and power when you're young and have an even more limited idea of consequences than most people do. More usual teenage worries like bad boyfriends sit alongside the need to set right a potentially catastrophic magical situation and are given space to feel just as important to that character, because that's what being teenaged is like.
There's a real authenticity to Melissa Albert's writing, even as it manages to still be horrifying, entertaining, and absolutely gorgeous to read. I loved this book - I was a huge fan of The Craft (surprise) as a kid, and it feels like this novel would speak to those of us now much older than the target audience, as well as finding the new generation and giving them something to love too. Absolutely magical, and my first from this author - but definitely not my last.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,216 reviews