Member Reviews
Right now seventeen-year-old Ivy’s life is shifted completely after an accident and a mysterious stranger, and back then Dana, with her friends, becomes enveloped into the world of the supernatural. Told in these two timelines, Our Crooked Hearts is harrowing and full magic and intrigue. I adored the Practical Magic type vibes of the Back Then timeline and Danas’s growth with magic and her friends. I was riveted by their story and the secrets they held. And Ivy was such an interesting narrator too, and I was so engaged in her search for answers and seeing how the timelines intersected. The magic felt unique and the writing was so captivating. The story was creepy and dark with characters I just really enjoyed. There was perfect teenage angst and I loved the romance and Billy! He was just such a sweetheart. This felt like a unique witchy read that built up just perfectly. The relationship are so well developed, as are the characters, and I just really enjoyed this one!
Our Crooked Hearts is a captivating story about secrets, revenge, and a mother and daughter relationship strained by magic. This novel had me hooked from the beginning and as more secrets were revealed throughout the story I could not put it down!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for this ARC. We were given this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is told in two timelines: present day with Ivy and the past with Ivy’s mom Dana. Doing it this way made the story so full. We loved how you were able to see both sides of the story and you can understand why Dana wanted to protect her daughter but also why Ivy could be so upset with her mom, and watching their story lines eventually collide was so good and we believe very well done.
We enjoyed that this book was about magic and the mother-daughter dynamic. About how sometimes mothers will do what they believe is best for the child even if the child cannot see the whole story. It also shows how our little choices every day can lead to major life choices at the end and we cannot run away from our past.
Overall 4.5 stars.
You’ll be able to find our podcast review of this book going up Sunday July 3.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-one-more-page/id1617140377
https://open.spotify.com/show/2oBOvaVW6owJvi9zY38hhB
Thanks to Net Galley and Flatiron books for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the kind of book that you read in October, with a warm cup of tea, curled up while a storm rages outside. The leaves are red and orange, falling from the trees, and pumpkins are everywhere, while the nights come quick and cold.
This book follows Ivy and her mom, Diana in two different timelines. Ivy's life is (almost) perfectly normal, up until her (now) ex almost runs over a naked girl in the middle of the road, that, somehow, knows her name. She grows suspicious of her mom's strange habits and decides to investigate. But at what cost?
This book's writing style was beautiful. In one sentence she would give magic the dreamiest innocent quality, only to twist it into bloody glass shards in the next. In a way, she gave the magic a personality of its own. The setting was beautifully done as well, and I truly felt like I was with the characters, whether it was a run-down bar or a not-so-ordinary library.
Unfortunately, the characters did fall a little flat for me, especially Ivy. Diana had the most fleshed-out personality of all the characters, and I still found her lacking. Ivy did not really seem to have much of a personality, and at the end of the book, we are told a lot of her traits as opposed to being shown them. There was a missed opportunity to really explore whether magic corrupted the user, or the use corrupted the magic.
I enjoyed the plot, up until the very end. For the first 80%, the tension was growing, with each chapter providing new revelations and reasons to keep going. Up until that point, magic had seemed to follow an odd set of rules, with certain guidelines. In the end, the final climax, it was like those rules did not exist in the first place. The villain was defeated in a way that felt too easy, especially considering how skilled the antagonist was. The romance felt like it was just thrown into the plot, for the sake of having a romance. It did not make sense to me in the overall storyline.
Overall, I would definitely recommend the book to someone who is looking for a spooky, magical read.
Just watch out for rabbit heads while you read it.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4812796338
Overall 5
Spice 0
Starts with a Bang
Fast-Paced Action Based
Exploration of Mother/Daughter Relationship
Family Secrets
The Craft meets Practical Magic Vibes
Dual POV
Gritty & Creepy
Grimoires and a Haunted Library
Dark Occult Magic System
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an Advance Reader Audiobook Copy of Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert. It was both enchanting and oh so eerie! Melissa Albert has woven the perfect creepy gritty story that ensnares you better than any spell filled with occult magic and family secrets. The dual narrators, Chloe Cannon and Emma Galvin created perfect magic together bringing Ivy and Dana to life. This story feels like a black coffee or bitter red wine best enjoyed at midnight under a full moon. It’s dark and gripping and full of magic but be warned this isn’t your happy Hogwarts witchcraft.
I truly loved this book, and I think it was very close to being a 5-star for me. It had everything I love about Albert's "The Hazel Wood" along with, I believe, some better character work and a deeper well of meaning. There's magic, generational trauma, female empowerment. I think if it had not been for the at times unwieldy use of swapping POV's and time periods, it would definitely be among some of my favorites. We often went so long without hearing from Ivy that I felt her story became b-plot around the middle of the book. That's not to say I didn't love the story from Dana's perspective, I did, but I would've loved to see more development of Ivy, and I think that brought this book down a star for me.
Still, overall a great read. I got the audiobook ARC of this from NetGalley, and the swapping narrators definitely helped me distinguish between POV's. I'm gradually falling more and more in love with this brand of darkly magical storytelling. If Melissa Albert continues to improve between novels, I'm very much looking forward to her next story!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Flatiron books for this opportunity to read this amazing YA novel.
This novel did not present itself as strictly YA. It did have some strong language, but that does sort of match the vernacular used today…and 25 years ago ;). This story called upon everything I’ve learned from The Witch’s Daughter, Alice Hoffman, and Deborah Harkness to piece together the story of this coven and their offspring. It charted into new territory but held tight to the more well-known nuances that come with power and what happens as one tries to harness it. A story of relationships, coming of age, and setting right to the past, this novel could take place at any time….or RIGHT NOW, as Albert titles her modern day sections. I certainly hope there are more installments of these characters.
I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator did a great job of pulling me into the story and keeping each of the POVs distinct.
We get the story from Ivy in the present, and her mother Dana in the past. When we were in the past I was mildly interested in what was going on, but I found myself itching to get back to Ivy. I just loved how she was trying to figure out what is going on with her mother and her aunt, and in the process is discovering that there is so much more to her mother than she ever thought, and a lot of secrets that need to be uncovered about both of their pasts. At the same time, there is this sinister presence following Ivy around, leaving her dead rabbits, breaking into her house, and taking sneaky bites of her cookies to freak her out even more.
I thought this story was spooky and atmospheric. I loved the magic and mystery, and the relationship between Ivy and Billy. It totally had me sucked in and flipping pages until Ivy got the complete truth and saved her mom and aunt. I also loved how there wasn't immediate forgiveness for Ivy's mother after what we found out she did. Ivy is working towards it, but just because her mother apologized didn't automatically make everything better,
I really enjoyed my whole reading experience with this book, and will definitely be reading whatever else Melissa Albert comes out with.
I’d say this is a lighter creepy read. I liked the present timeline more than the past, but still found it interesting. I enjoyed the narrators, relationships, and witchy vibes.
This book is so much about Dana, I almost feel that it should be an adult novel, but the writing is fairly immaute, making it more for a YA audience.
I think my students would love the relationship between Ivy and Billy, and be just as angry at the mother for her choices and I was.
Dana's past storyline is great, I just think that the focus should be more on Ivy if you want it to be YA.
The writing was hard to track and felt forced at times--- she was trying too hard to make descriptive writing that is just doesn't flow right.
Wonderful witchy YA. Multiple POV. Could NOT put it down once the ball got rolling. Really liked Fi most of all. When the POV started melding, so intriguing
I did not enjoy this. Honestly the entire book I was just waiting for it end and I was just bored. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters or the plot. I wish the romance just wasn’t a part of the story. I feel like it was just kind of thrown in haphazardly and wasn’t very thorough.
YA, coming of age but with some dark almost adult-type elements
This was such a great story, loved the witchy theme. it was unique and creepy and the story reminded me a bit of the movie The Craft, which I loved. I feel it got some inspiration from that movie.
Two timelines in this book (Dana and Ivy)
Great characters, loved their stories and interactions throughout the book
To me, this book felt like it had a bit of a mystery element to it as well and the family secrets (lies) added a few great twists.
Great audiobook, even for adults and teens.
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book as a audiobook. I read it and my opinions/thoughts above are voluntary and my own.
I never got to read this novel, so I was thrilled to find the audiobook available! I loved this one. Good narration, incredible story. Big fan of Melissa Albert already, so it wasn’t surprising that I just loved Our Crooked Hearts.
4.5 stars
This book immediately grabbed my attention and never let it go. It was so creepy and atmospheric and had such a great air of mystery.
We get 2 timelines (the suburbs, right now and the city, back then). We get Ivy's timeline right now and her mom Dana's timeline back then. We start out with Ivy seeing this girl who seems to know her. She is ghostly white. Then Ivy's mom and aunt don't come home. Things start getting weird and Ivy starts to do some digging around in her mom's past. Then we start to put the pieces together when we get Dana's timeline back then. She and her best friend meet this girl Marion and they start to dabble in the supernatural. The timelines weave together wonderfully. We get just enough information to keep us wanting more in each of them. I loved that there were 2 narrators for the audiobook and I think each of them did a fantastic job bringing this book to life.
This book definitely took a turn I wasn't expecting and didn't see coming. I was glued to my headphones the whole ending. It all came together in a way that was very satisfying, but wasn't just an automatic happy ending. It went along with the vibe of the rest of the book.
If you were a fan of Melissa's other series The Hazel Wood, or are looking for something witchy and kind of creepy, definitely give this one a try!
This was a really charming book for YA fans of magical tales. I’ve read other books by this author and this was just as good.
For fans of the movie The Craft! I loved this story’s creepy, witchy vibes. It’s an intriguing story and I found myself constantly wanting to know what was going to happen next and to just figure out what the heck was going on in general. I liked the time jumps and the slow reveals. All around a great read!
I didn’t love listening to this on audio. The voice used for the daughter was very annoying - causing me to lower the volume. The voice used for the mother was very low and hard to understand at times - causing me to increase the volume. So I was constantly messing with the sound and speed of the audiobook.
Thank you Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, & Netgalley for allowing me to review this book!
This was an excellent book. It had all the creepiness. Witches and magic were a great element to this book. I need it now
4.25 stars
Okay, this might’ve been my first book by the writer (I’m pretty sure), but it won’t be my last. It was a good mix of dark, witchy and magical vibes. romance, friendship, and family drama, among other things. It was an intriguing read with a story pulled me in pretty much from the beginning. I had fun with it!
I absolutely devoured this creepy, moody book! This was my first book by Melissa Albert and I can’t wait to read more.
The audiobook was a great way to enjoy this book. The narration was really good and the two narrators added so much to the story.
If you like an eerie book filled with witchcraft and mystery, this one’s for you!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.