Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Flatiron Books (2022), 352 pages
Description
Told in alternating voices, years after it began, seventeen-year-old Ivy and her mom Dana's shared story comes down to a reckoning among a daughter, a mother, and the dark forces they never should have messed with.
User reviews
LibraryThing member BethYacoub
This is a well balanced, nicely executed, stab you in the Feels kind of story. It's about Family, Retribution, Accountability, and all around Witchiness!
*** this is how far I got into the review before I somehow tore my right retina. Now I find myself unable to read for at least 7-14 days... even
No reading??? Oh well, off to Audible I went. SO, I found this literary, auditory gem just sitting there, begging for me to dive into its depths. I bought it, popped in the earbuds and gave this my all without really reaserching the synopsis beforehand. As I listened to this book, the first thing I noticed was how the dueling narrator's, of mom and daughter, were reedy, angsty (for both) and conflicted. I was instantly transported into the middle of this mercurial, gritty, (for lack of a better word) witchy world. As day turned to night and all in the house was silent... well mostly, my hubby's snores sound like he's sawing wood and getting paid by the decibel most nights BUT for the most part the house was draped in silence. I began listening and without knowing the book's genre or timbre, I was steeped in a very tactile, heady mood wholeheartedly. There were the creepy, "why didn't I research this better before picking it to listen to at night-time" thoughts. And the "this is awesome... no wait... what was that noise?? I hope MY past mistakes aren't figuring out ways to get their revenge on this VERY repentant girl!" kind of mental musings. Needless to say, it was UBER creepy in parts for this non horror genre loving, scary in any way, lily livered, yellow belly bibliophile. My advise, if you're skittish or reticent about picking up a scary(ish) (audio)book then maybe skip this one because it really made me jump at the slightest creak or errant snort snore that awakens my hubby every now and then at the most inopportune moments. If you like heart ramping, skin tingling stories then this here should go straight to your TBR.
I loved this book afterwards... way after when day had come and I was done. while I was in the midst of the creep I wasn't loving it as much but in the end I enjoyed it, I really did.
*** I hope I portrayed just how much this book played with my emotions. I apologize for the rather flat, very rough 1st draft here but my eye is beginning to hurt so for the sake of my eyesight I'll leave things here. Go on... get the audiobook, you'll thank me later.
*** this is how far I got into the review before I somehow tore my right retina. Now I find myself unable to read for at least 7-14 days... even
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writing and rereading this review is a big No No but I'll keep it brief and I won't revise like I'm trying out to be in the grammar police SO please bare with me. No reading??? Oh well, off to Audible I went. SO, I found this literary, auditory gem just sitting there, begging for me to dive into its depths. I bought it, popped in the earbuds and gave this my all without really reaserching the synopsis beforehand. As I listened to this book, the first thing I noticed was how the dueling narrator's, of mom and daughter, were reedy, angsty (for both) and conflicted. I was instantly transported into the middle of this mercurial, gritty, (for lack of a better word) witchy world. As day turned to night and all in the house was silent... well mostly, my hubby's snores sound like he's sawing wood and getting paid by the decibel most nights BUT for the most part the house was draped in silence. I began listening and without knowing the book's genre or timbre, I was steeped in a very tactile, heady mood wholeheartedly. There were the creepy, "why didn't I research this better before picking it to listen to at night-time" thoughts. And the "this is awesome... no wait... what was that noise?? I hope MY past mistakes aren't figuring out ways to get their revenge on this VERY repentant girl!" kind of mental musings. Needless to say, it was UBER creepy in parts for this non horror genre loving, scary in any way, lily livered, yellow belly bibliophile. My advise, if you're skittish or reticent about picking up a scary(ish) (audio)book then maybe skip this one because it really made me jump at the slightest creak or errant snort snore that awakens my hubby every now and then at the most inopportune moments. If you like heart ramping, skin tingling stories then this here should go straight to your TBR.
I loved this book afterwards... way after when day had come and I was done. while I was in the midst of the creep I wasn't loving it as much but in the end I enjoyed it, I really did.
*** I hope I portrayed just how much this book played with my emotions. I apologize for the rather flat, very rough 1st draft here but my eye is beginning to hurt so for the sake of my eyesight I'll leave things here. Go on... get the audiobook, you'll thank me later.
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LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan
Traveling down a dark road one night, Ivy and her boyfriend are confronted by a naked woman, standing where she should not. Avoiding the woman meant hitting the tree and getting a bit bruised and battered. It also starts a mystery that has been playing out longer than Ivy knows.
Ivy and her mom are
This story is a thrilling mystery with a magical streak. Magic dark and light are the thread that sews together this story of family connections, family togetherness and family safety. If one is a fan of Practical Magic or other Alice Hoffman magic books, they are sure to enjoy this tale. It is dark, atmospheric, and completely engrossing. Once started this book will be hard to put down as the reader not only needs to know what happens next but also have their “who done it” theories slashed into pieces.
While not a tale of horror, this book is a witchy treasure perfect for long cozy nights. It has intrigue, it has heart, it has small bouts of scariness. So beware, dead animals are present, and so is underage drinking and crashes associated with that action.
Ivy and her mom are
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not the closest. Ivy often fells like a third wheel between her mom and her mom’s best friend, and this recent accident and other things just expands that gap more. However, this is a dual story, told in the now time from Ivy’s perspective in suburban America. The other side of the story is from mom’s perspective at the same age as her daughter in 1990’s Chicago. This story is a thrilling mystery with a magical streak. Magic dark and light are the thread that sews together this story of family connections, family togetherness and family safety. If one is a fan of Practical Magic or other Alice Hoffman magic books, they are sure to enjoy this tale. It is dark, atmospheric, and completely engrossing. Once started this book will be hard to put down as the reader not only needs to know what happens next but also have their “who done it” theories slashed into pieces.
While not a tale of horror, this book is a witchy treasure perfect for long cozy nights. It has intrigue, it has heart, it has small bouts of scariness. So beware, dead animals are present, and so is underage drinking and crashes associated with that action.
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LibraryThing member SpaceandSorcery
I’ve kept postponing the actual writing of this review for several days before finally sitting down to do it, because even now I’m not sure whether I really enjoyed Our Crooked Hearts or not: on one side, I was curious to see where the story would lead me, on the other I had the feeling that
The premise is an intriguing one: the dual-timeline tale of a mother and daughter discovering, each in her own way, the power of magic and being affected by it and the unavoidable consequences. The opening scene, with teenage Ivy and her boyfriend almost running their car over a young naked woman coming out of the woods, is the mere introduction to a string of weird events that make Ivy question everything she knew - or thought she knew - about her mother and her own past, just as we learn through a series of flashbacks how Dana, Ivy’s mother, became enmeshed in the wielding of magic.
Dana, her best friend Fee and their new acquaintance Marion ended up playing with forces way beyond their control when delving into the secrets of an old grimoire found by Marion: their reckless pursuit of the powers gifted by the book’s spells led them to try something beyond their ability to control it, something that ended in catastrophe and that cast a pall of danger on both of them and - years later - on Ivy herself as the teenager had to face the mysterious actions of her mother and deal with the threat posed by the spooky girl encountered in the woods.
What I really liked: the dual timeline, which juxtaposes Dana’s discovery of magic and its potential - as well as its pitfalls - with Ivy’s findings about her mother and her search for the reasons she always felt distant as a parent. The mother/daughter relationship here suffers from the usual troubles inherent in the differences between parents and their teenaged kids, but it’s burdened by the added weight of the secrets Dana kept close to her chest and which Ivy is slowly uncovering in her quest to understand what is happening. There are also some truly creepy moments, particularly where the remains of dead bunnies crop us as a form of dire warning, or when Ivy feels certain that someone is shadowing her steps, even turning up into her own house.
The approach of the two women to magic is also interesting, because where Ivy sees it as something wondrous, something to be explored as it leads to ever-new discoveries, Dana knows everything about its dark side and the price it exacts - particularly because she has first-hand experience of the terrible aftermath of spells getting out of hand. The way the story is told shows how the choices of the past can influence the events of the present, turning Ivy’s journey into something almost pre-ordained by her mother’s past actions.
The pacing of the plot is well done, and the story kept my attention focused from start to finish, although the downside of it is that the characters suffered a little from what I perceived as an unbalanced focus, Ivy most of all. Which leads me to what I did not like much: as I said, characterization suffers a little in this mainly plot-driven story, and the writing often seems a little… flowery, for lack of a better word, where a more streamlined narrative might have worked better - in my opinion - to carry the tension forward. Speaking of which, the ending felt a bit like a letdown, when compared with the previous buildup, thanks to a too-quick resolution. Moreover, there was the added element of young romance - heavily hindered by the intervention of magic - that did not sit well with me, because of my aversion to YA relationships that made me look at this element as something that was pasted on, rather than naturally developed, and therefore unnecessary.
In the end, I guess that while it was easy to get through this book - if nothing else because I wanted to see how the author solved the plot - it was not the kind of story that would stick with me in a particular way. Or as they say: “it’s not you, it’s me”….
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something was missing from it - and even now I’m not completely sure about what it was.The premise is an intriguing one: the dual-timeline tale of a mother and daughter discovering, each in her own way, the power of magic and being affected by it and the unavoidable consequences. The opening scene, with teenage Ivy and her boyfriend almost running their car over a young naked woman coming out of the woods, is the mere introduction to a string of weird events that make Ivy question everything she knew - or thought she knew - about her mother and her own past, just as we learn through a series of flashbacks how Dana, Ivy’s mother, became enmeshed in the wielding of magic.
Dana, her best friend Fee and their new acquaintance Marion ended up playing with forces way beyond their control when delving into the secrets of an old grimoire found by Marion: their reckless pursuit of the powers gifted by the book’s spells led them to try something beyond their ability to control it, something that ended in catastrophe and that cast a pall of danger on both of them and - years later - on Ivy herself as the teenager had to face the mysterious actions of her mother and deal with the threat posed by the spooky girl encountered in the woods.
What I really liked: the dual timeline, which juxtaposes Dana’s discovery of magic and its potential - as well as its pitfalls - with Ivy’s findings about her mother and her search for the reasons she always felt distant as a parent. The mother/daughter relationship here suffers from the usual troubles inherent in the differences between parents and their teenaged kids, but it’s burdened by the added weight of the secrets Dana kept close to her chest and which Ivy is slowly uncovering in her quest to understand what is happening. There are also some truly creepy moments, particularly where the remains of dead bunnies crop us as a form of dire warning, or when Ivy feels certain that someone is shadowing her steps, even turning up into her own house.
The approach of the two women to magic is also interesting, because where Ivy sees it as something wondrous, something to be explored as it leads to ever-new discoveries, Dana knows everything about its dark side and the price it exacts - particularly because she has first-hand experience of the terrible aftermath of spells getting out of hand. The way the story is told shows how the choices of the past can influence the events of the present, turning Ivy’s journey into something almost pre-ordained by her mother’s past actions.
The pacing of the plot is well done, and the story kept my attention focused from start to finish, although the downside of it is that the characters suffered a little from what I perceived as an unbalanced focus, Ivy most of all. Which leads me to what I did not like much: as I said, characterization suffers a little in this mainly plot-driven story, and the writing often seems a little… flowery, for lack of a better word, where a more streamlined narrative might have worked better - in my opinion - to carry the tension forward. Speaking of which, the ending felt a bit like a letdown, when compared with the previous buildup, thanks to a too-quick resolution. Moreover, there was the added element of young romance - heavily hindered by the intervention of magic - that did not sit well with me, because of my aversion to YA relationships that made me look at this element as something that was pasted on, rather than naturally developed, and therefore unnecessary.
In the end, I guess that while it was easy to get through this book - if nothing else because I wanted to see how the author solved the plot - it was not the kind of story that would stick with me in a particular way. Or as they say: “it’s not you, it’s me”….
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LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Melissa Albert does it again. In the third five-star book of the month, Our Crooked Hearts uses a dual point of view to tell the story of a daughter and mother driven apart by secrets. While this is the story of a daughter/mother relationship, it is also about magic, the type of magic one should
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never attempt. Our Crooked Hearts takes some dark turns, as one would expect of anyone familiar with Ms. Albert’s previous novels, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. She kept me guessing until the last, and I love how it ends. To me, her third novel solidifies Ms. Albert’s talent and proves she is an author who excels at writing dark, modern Gothic stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member spiritedstardust
3.75 stars
Definitely reminiscent of The Craft.
I'm personally not a fan of multiple POVs - and I tended to like Ivy's more than her mothers.
I really didn't like Dana at all - she caused so much suffering to her family and her frequent "abscences" weren't really explained. And wiping your daughters
I also didn't like the main romantic relationship with Billy, it was weird. Like at 11 you aren't in love and then pining for that person for another 6 years even though they seem to have zero interest in you jst gives off creeper vibes.
I liked the overall premise but it hinges on the "I can't explain it yet/I can't tell you whats' going on/I'm just trying to protect you by keeping you in the dark" BS - if someone wasn't being honest with me I'd be like, tell me what's going on or I will never speak to you again. The fact that her own daughter was put in danger because of Dana's unwillingness to be honest with her own family annoys me.
I also found it a massive letdown that Astrid sort of became a nothing character after all that.
Overall I did keep on reading to find out what happened in the end, but I feel like it could have been better.
Definitely reminiscent of The Craft.
I'm personally not a fan of multiple POVs - and I tended to like Ivy's more than her mothers.
I really didn't like Dana at all - she caused so much suffering to her family and her frequent "abscences" weren't really explained. And wiping your daughters
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memories cos she shared her eecret with her best friend - like wtf? I think it was more about suppressing Ivy's power and potential because she felt it threaten her own.I also didn't like the main romantic relationship with Billy, it was weird. Like at 11 you aren't in love and then pining for that person for another 6 years even though they seem to have zero interest in you jst gives off creeper vibes.
I liked the overall premise but it hinges on the "I can't explain it yet/I can't tell you whats' going on/I'm just trying to protect you by keeping you in the dark" BS - if someone wasn't being honest with me I'd be like, tell me what's going on or I will never speak to you again. The fact that her own daughter was put in danger because of Dana's unwillingness to be honest with her own family annoys me.
I also found it a massive letdown that Astrid sort of became a nothing character after all that.
Overall I did keep on reading to find out what happened in the end, but I feel like it could have been better.
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Awards
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (Fiction — 2022)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2024)
North Star YA Award (Nominee — 2024)
International Thriller Writers Award (Nominee — Young Adult Novel — 2023)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2023)
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Selection — 2023)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Teens (Fiction — 2022)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2022-06-28
Physical description
352 p.; 8.25 inches
ISBN
1250826365 / 9781250826367