Story: The novel starts off with 17-year-old Ivy and her boyfriend who almost drive off the road when they spot what appears as a naked young woman running in the
street. This is only beginning of the strange activities that will be taking place . The book also follows Dana, Ivy's mother, in a different time line when her mom was just 16. Dana and her two best friends start experimenting
with magic and witchcraft and as their passion for it grows more so does the danger.
Narration: I really enjoyed the narration of lvy, I felt as the voice captures the essence of a 17 year old discovery family secrets. The narration of Dana was almost unbearable to me . The narration of Dana almost sounded
as if she was trying to be seductive, which had no relevancy to the storyline.

Overall: The book was an ok read for me , but lovers of witches, creepiness, and horror may truly live this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners for an advanced copy of this audiobook
in exchange for an honest review.

While this isn't my normal genre, I did enjoy it. My attention was grabbed from the very beginning. It was a good read that I would definitely recommend.

I'm conflicted as to how I feel about this one... on one hand I really enjoyed the magic system and Dana's half of the narrative, and on the other hand I felt really bored for the first 20% of the book (nearly DNFd it) and hated Iris' part (it was pretty much unnecessary and only added filler to the first 50% of the book).
I guess that means my rating it a 2.5? Hopefully you have better luck than me!

I had high hopes for this witchy story, but quite unfortunately, I was bored.

The *similes* (not metaphors as others call them) are definitely distracting and I couldn't find myself connecting with the characters at all.

I love witches. I love YA. I love mystery. I did not love this.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

Our Crooked Hearts was my firs Melissa Albert's novel, but it won't be the last. I truly enjoyed listening to this audiobook and the narrators made this tale just the right amount of creepy. And the ending was nothing short of spectacular!

If you like YA fantasy novels, you need to read this one.

Our Crooked Hearts rides on the suspense of the mother/daughter relationship at hand.

With the focus of paranormal activity, I was pleasantly surprised at the very relatable issues the mother and daughter have over time, very normal considering their very abnormal lives.

I was instantly brought back to movies like Practical Magic and The Craft, the strength of women characters and their bond.

You won’t be disappointed as you’re lured into discovering the basis for the discord between mother and daughter.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

The book goes back and forth between Ivy, a 17 yo, and her mother Dana when Dana was a teen. Dana was involved in magic which got out of control and after all these years it is coming back to haunt them.

I really enjoyed listening to Our Crooked Hearts. A well woven story.

Chloe Cannon and Emma Galvin did an excellent job narrating the book.

After having high hopes for this. I had to mark this as DNF at 48%. I can't quite pinpoint what I hated about this, but it really just did not interest me in the slightest as I was halfway through and I decided life is too short to finish books I hate.

On the surface, Our Crooked Hearts is the story of a daughter right now and a mother back then. But look a little deeper and you'll find there's so much more to this story. As Ivy struggles to uncover the truth about her mother in the present, in the past Dana and her friends play with powerful forces that leads to consequences they could never have imagined.

I whipped through this book in about a day because, honestly, I couldn't put it down. Ivy and Dana came to life, and I couldn't stop following Ivy on her quest for the truth and Dana as her power grew until there was no turning back. While Ivy appears naive and troubled, Dana strides through life carefree and reckless at times. Though they were so different I was invested in each of their stories. All I can say is run don't walk to pick up this book and expect the unexpected when you do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Chloe Cannon and Emma Galvin were amazing narrators and they fit Dana and Ivy perfectly. I highly recommend this book.

Summary:
This dark YA mystery/fantasy is told on two different timelines. The first is present day from the POV of 17 year old Ivy, who gets in an accident and during that sees a mysterious woman in the street. This event sets off a string of creepy happenings. It also forces Ivy to question if her mom, Dana, is keeping secrets from her.
The second time line is in the past and is told from the POV of 16 year old, Dana. We find that her and her group of friends are into dark magic and witchcraft and the choices they make have a impact of on the future.

Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and really reminded me of a modern day dark fairy tale. I not only loved the dark magic elements of the book, but also the fractured relationship between mother and daughter.

Another rough outing for the tropey YA Fantasy parents who bring some ungodly mess down on their unsuspecting kid while bleating “I only lied to protect you!”

Maybe it’s me, but I think if you have some sort of angry supernatural force from your past hanging around and potentially wishing you harm, you miiiihht want to prepare your kids for this possibility rather than locking them in a tower/living on the run/mind wiping them/whatever the strategy for a particular plot is for setting one’s own children up to be uninformed and in terrible danger.

So—surprise!—I didn’t much care for Dana. I didn’t like her much in the first timeline either, but her story itself isn’t bad.

And essentially, that’s what this book is: Not bad. This isn’t nearly as good as the Hazel Wood books (this one is really low on atmosphere and isn’t especially original). But it moves well, the plot itself is fine in a basic sense, and Ivy (if not Dana) makes for a good heroine.

Audiobook readers: Definitely worth a read in this format. The narrator is excellent, making it easy to differentiate between Ivy’s and Dana’s chapters while still keeping both voices subtle and natural.

Audiobook review - Melissa Albert delivers another thrilling teen title with Our Crooked Hearts. Albert has a great knack for scene and suspense building. This is a fantastic read for all teen readers with an interest in the occult, or those who are simply looking for a creepy thriller. A great choice for a summer read!

this was the story that my dark little heart really loves lol. It is a Mother daughter story, coming into your own person with magic and the craft vibes all tied into one with a touch of romance! Ivy is the daughter of Dana, and the story is told from 17 year old Ivy POV and back when Dana was growing up in the city. The first part of the story we only get Ivy Pov and we get to know how her mom is now, and why parts of her life don't add up. Things keep happening around and Ivy can't place them, from a naked women in the woods knowing her name, to dead rabbits left in the drive away (and fair warning this story has a lot of dead rabbits! and killing rabbits i was not a fan of that but i see how it goes with the story and a part of dark magic) Her mother acting weird and disappearing off with her aunt fee, and the story the neighbour boy Billy tells that is not how she remembered it. Than we get Danas story back in the city and how she lived life poor with her father, she didn't have much going for her other than the love and support of her best friend Fee. In till they meet Marjiam a rich little girl who has never really felt love and she takes them into a world they could of never known existed full of dark magic and it takes them all to dark places and to things they would rather not remember. Than we get the end of the story and parts of that is where i got lost a little bit and was confused with what was going on, with dream Ivy and real Ivy. but other than that part and the dead rabbits i really enjoyed this dark magic mother/daughter story! thank you netgally and Macmillan audio for a copy of this audio book for review!

I was a teenager in the 90s when the movie, The Craft came out. My friends and I were obsessed with the movie. We had convinced ourselves we were witches and could cast spells. Now that I’m older, and still a collector of crystals and mystical objects, I can appreciate a good witchy book. Our Crooked Hearts is everything my inner teen witch needed right now!

“ Magic was a thing with teeth, and the history as old as the world”

Im not one for quoting a book, but this one in, Our Crooked Hearts, sums up the book. There is magic in every part of the book, some is simple and harmless and some is greedy and malicious. Together, every aspect of the magic, it’s origin ,and the women it influenced, had me under its spell.
I listened to this book on audio, and was not disappointed with the choice or narrators. There were two narrators, for the mother and daughter perspectives of the story. Dana sounded like a tired soul, one who has been through more then any other human can imagine. The narrator’s voice gave me visions of Stevie Nicks. Ivy’s narrator was a much younger voice full of distraught emotions that fit her situation. Combined, they made book real.
I absolutely loved this book. It is incredibly creepy in parts, thrilling all the way through, and captivating. I haven’t read a Young Adult book like this in a while, and I will be recommending it to every YA lover I meet.

Melissa Albert is a wonder with words that draw a sense of eeriness. She is so good at descriptions: I can very vividly remember three scenes and could draw it out for you.

I love this author and wanted to give Our Crooked Hearts a try. I'm glad I did, even if it cemented the fact this really isn't my genre... at all.

I received an ARC through NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge. All thoughts are my own personal opinion.

It all starts when Ivy and her boyfriend literally run into a naked woman in the woods. This sets in motion a series of strange events that strain the relationship between Ivy and her mother Dana. The book alternates between the point of view of Ivy and a teenage Dana to help the reader discover the truth behind the recent events.

This book is a huge step above Hazelwood. The writing style has matured and the writing skills is a lot stronger. The novel is dark and witchy but this one is darker than Hazelwood. The book doesn't shy away from the darker and more horrific aspects of witchcraft.

Having the story switch perspectives did lead to my favoring Dana's chapters since I found her story more compelling. But I'm sure other people will find the opposite too, which sone of the downside of multiple point of views. I think the mother-daughter relationship in this novel was very similar to Hazelwood and felt repetitive. Both mothers are distant and hide secrets on who the protagonist really is. It would have been nice to see Melissa Albert portraying a different type of mother-daughter relationship.

I think, at the end of the day, the novel is a satisfyingly dark take on witches and urban fantasy. It leans more on the possibility of evil in magic compared to other YA fantasy books, making it a welcomed addition and fresh perspective to the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars , instead of the 3 that I'm able to check off.

This book was really well written and developed with smooth transitions between characters. Unfortunately for me the topic of witches was where it fell short. But that is a personal preference, that's it just not into the evil of it all. I just feel somethings aren't meant to be dabbling in. That aside, I did enjoy the premise of the book and found Ivy's character one to route for!
More than the tags of Fantasy , Mystery and Thriller.. I felt this book was foremost a story of Witches and Horror. One where young girls come across the occult and find evil rather than fun.

If you like dark witch stories then this is up your alley.

4.5 stars
TW: Abuse abuse/killing, self-harm, drug/alcohol coping, death and pain

Eerie, wicked, complicated and sticky with magic, both good and evil.
Switching between a mother and daughter in the present and past, we see how certain events are interlaced and how they grow from creepy and disturbed to unhinged and dangerous. I think the progression was well executed, and the pull was so good because I was confused but had intuition as a read that things were going to get crazy, and something big was connected.

The betrayal Ivy felt in the present and Dana, her mother, felt in the past was so well done. You could understand the reasoning Dana did things but how she did them wrong and how it was the reason something happened... the way they happened (other readers will get it!)
I loved The Hazel Wood, and I just love how Melissa Albert writes. Even if the beginning doesn't capture you right away, you will soon fall into the world.

🐰Our Crooked Hearts🐰
Author: Melissa Albert
Pub Date: June 28, 2022
Genre: YA

✨ Our Crooked Hearts is a dual timeline story transitioning back and fourth between the mother, Dana’s story based in the city, back then and the daughter, Ivy’s story in the suburbs, right now.

✨The dual timelines come together in the end, resulting in the sharing of secrets and unknown powers between the mother and daughter.

✨ This is a story full of dark magic, offerings, and plenty of fantasy.

💭 Thoughts: I went into this book blind after receiving it at a book exchange. I don’t read a lot of fantasy and that might be partially way this story wasn’t my favorite. The language and storylines were hard to follow at times. The story also significantly slowed in the middle third. The book is full, I mean full of metaphors. Some of the metaphors were a bit strange, but maybe that adds to the fantasy. I will quote a few below.

“There was confetti under my skin, my blood was seltzer water. I wanted to unzip myself and float away.”

“My body is a battery. I will never burn through everything that’s been done to me.”

💭Thoughts continued: I enjoyed the chapters told by Ivy the daughter. I found those to be fast paced and interesting compared to the chapters told by Dana the mom. I loved the puppy love storyline that was included as well. I love teen angsty romance!

✨Overall, I can see why many people would love this book, but it just wasn’t for me. It does have a 4.28 rating on GoodReads!

Thank you to the author, @netgalley, and @macmillan.audio for the eARC.

I'm a big fan of contemporary witch stories. The way magic is incorporated into our current world where we already have technology to do a lot of things for us interests me and makes the books seem like something that could actually happen. This was an exciting story, with a fast pace and a bit of a creepy vibe.

The story is divided into two timelines, one happening about eighteen years ago and one happening now. The protagonists are mother and daughter and I liked seeing how Dana changed over time and the effects on Ivy. I did think Ivy's part was a little more fun because we were figuring out what was going on and there's a sense of urgency for Ivy to help her mom. Dana's parts were still good and we needed the explanation of what happened and how magic works in this world.

There are two narrators for the audiobook, which was a big help in differentiating the timelines. The author also made sure to give a location at the beginning of each chapter so it shouldn't be too confusing when you read it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the copy