I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert Published by Flatiron Books on June 28 2022
Genres: Adult, Horror, Urban fantasy
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A seductive, multi-layered story with family secrets, betrayal and magic, perfect for fans of dark contemporary fantasy.
“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.”
I’ll admit I knew next to nothing about Our Crooked Hearts when I started reading it, and boy was I surprised. This is my first Melissa Albert book—somehow I missed The Hazel Wood, although it’s still on my TBR (and even more so now!)—and I’m so glad I looked past the rather bland cover (which doesn’t do the story justice, in my opinion) because this was 100% my kind of book. If you love contemporary stories about witches and family secrets, and you enjoy urban fantasy with a tinge of horror, you’ll probably love this too. Our Crooked Hearts is part The Craft, part Alice Hoffman but much darker, with a gorgeous, evocative writing style that hooked me from the first sentence.
Driving home from a party one night, seventeen-year-old Ivy is trying to figure out how to break up with her boyfriend Nate, when they nearly hit a naked girl standing in the middle of a dark road. When they stop to help her, Ivy is shocked that the girl seems to know who she is. The next day, Ivy finds a decapitated rabbit in front of her house, and from there things get even weirder. She sees her mother Dana bury a jar in the backyard, and later when she decides to dig it up, it’s full of blood, herbs and other strange items. Ivy is also having flashes of long forgotten memories that seem to revolve around Billy Paxton, a boy who lives down the street. Ivy is certain her mother is keeping secrets from her, and when she and her Aunt Fee seemingly disappear one day, Ivy suspects that figuring out those secrets might help her find them.
In alternating chapters, the story jumps back in time and follows Dana Nowak and the events that unfolded when she was fifteen. Dana and her best friend Fee have always had strange abilities that they can’t explain. Dana is able to find lost things, and Fee can sense whatever someone else needs. One day they meet an older girl named Marion who ushers them into the addictive world of witchcraft, or “spellwork” as Marion calls it. Using an old spell book that belonged to a dead occultist, Marion, Dana and Fee begin experimenting with magic, reveling in feeling of power that comes with performing spells—until a spell goes horribly wrong and ends in tragedy.
Slowly the two timelines begin to merge, as Ivy searches for the truth about her mother. What happened during that last, fateful spell? How is the girl in the road connected? And what is Dana hiding from Ivy? With lives at stake and her mother still missing, it’s up to Ivy to solve the mysteries from the past before time runs out.
Our Crooked Hearts has so many unexpected layers, like opening a puzzle box and discovering surprise after surprise. First of all, I’m a big fan of alternate timelines, especially when there’s a mystery to solve. We know something isn’t quite right with Ivy and her mother, and it’s obvious that Dana is hiding a big secret from her daughter, but we don’t know what it is until nearly the end of the story. There are hints along the way, and the more we delve back into Dana’s past, we begin to see how the two parts of the story are going to come together, but I was blown away by the reveal when it finally happened. In addition to these two stories, a third, unexpected viewpoint emerges, and seeing the events through yet another lens revealed even more shocking surprises. Melissa Albert has a firm grip on her story from the first page to the last, and I am in awe of how skillfully written and plotted this story was.
And oh boy was this creepy and scary at times! The suspense is so well done, and the spells the girls use are odd and disturbing. There’s a sense of unease that permeates the story, and on one hand I could barely put the book down, but I was also afraid to turn the pages at the same time! I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say that there are some terrifying scenes involving mirrors that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.
But as much as I loved all these elements, it was the characters and their unconventional relationships with each other that pushed this to the next level. Ivy and Dana have a pretty normal mother/daughter relationship—that is until Ivy finds out that Dana has a big secret, something that happened when Ivy was twelve, and even worse, her father and brother are in on it as well. This dynamic doesn’t play out the way you might expect, though. The more I learned about Dana and her experiences with Marion and Fee, the more sympathy I had for her. Nothing is really black and white, and the villain of the story isn’t always easy to spot.
I also loved the relationship between Ivy and Billy, which is much more than it seems at first. There are so many emotions swirling around the events involving Ivy, Billy and Dana: heartbreak, anger, confusion and finally forgiveness. The romance between Ivy and Billy was unlike anything I’ve read before, and even though it’s only a small part of the overall story, I thought it was a great addition.
Dana’s flashbacks have a wonderful feeling of nostalgia to them. The author is so good at writing about childhood and coming-of-age, the emotions, the sights and smells, and all the little details that pull the reader back into the past. This is a story about more than one kind of magic—the kind you summon with a spell, and the undefinable magic of childhood. Albert brings these together in, well, quite magical ways.
I had no idea what to expect at the end, and I’m happy to tell you I didn’t guess the outcome at all. The author brings all her story threads together with a satisfying conclusion, but even so leaves the reader with a niggling sense of unease, which I thought was a perfect note to end on. Our Crooked Hearts will definitely end up on my Best of 2022 list at the end of the year, and I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Do yourself a favor and grab this one when it’s released next week, you won’t regret it.
Big thanks to the publisher and author for providing review copies. (eARC from NetGalley and a physical ARC won from the author on Instagram)
I’m so glad I read your review! I had passed up on this book because of the meh cover and because The Hazel Wood was just an okay read for me. Witches and family secrets are much more up my alley though so I’ll definitely be checking this one out. 🙂
Exactly, that cover doesn’t give anything away, which in this case is a detriment, because I think a lot of readers will just pass it by.
Whoa, this sounds cool. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tammy!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…Review of 34 Orchard, Issue 5, Spring 2022
It was so good! I definitely didn’t expect to love it so much.
Calling your review of this book ‘tempting’ would be the understatement of the century! Like you I love dual timelines because they tend to build the story piece by piece and make me me guess about what might come next, and as an added bonus I’m intrigued by the mix of UF and horror. This will go straight to my TBR as soon as it come out… Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…YMIR, by Rich Larson
Seriously, I’m tempted to read it again!
“Our Crooked Hearts will definitely end up on my Best of 2022 list at the end of the year, and I can’t recommend this book highly enough.”
Wow! But isn’t it GREAT when you finish up a top-notch book! Hooray!
Yes, it’s awesome to find a book you love that you weren’t expecting to love so much:-)
Great review, Tammy! You said the magic words “alternating chapters”. I’m always a sucker for that + witches, urban fantasy, the occult and dark shit. Really loving the sound of this book!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Book Blitz: Her Dark Reflection by Hailey Jade + Giveaway (INTL)
I think you’d like this one, it was so much fun to read:-)
“The undefinable magic of childhood.” That’s an element I love in many stories. I love being brought back in time to recall some of my own but also to imagine all the many what-if’s that never were. Very glad to see how much you enjoyed this one.
One of the best things is being surprised by a book you had no expectations for:-)
I thought I would have more time before this one came out, but the release date is coming up quick! I’m going to have to pick this up next, since you loved it so much!
It’s crazy how the end of June is almost here!!
Wow, this sounds like a cracking read – and I agree, that rabbit door knocker is not very enticing!
Carla Corelli recently posted…Can You Get PTSD From Narcissistic Abuse? The Toxic Impact of the Narcissist
I sort of get the cover, separately the elements of the rabbit and the door are part of the story, but it really doesn’t convey the genre at all. Thanks for stopping by!
Well, your enthusiasm really shone through! And this review was a real pleasure to read!!
Also, I am glad you enjoyed it so much!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Susy! It was completely a “me” book:-)
I don’t know if I am into darker witchcraft stories, but Tammy, goodness, this is the review to convert me!
That was my goal! LOL
I’m thrilled to see this was such a hit. Her earlier books have gorgeous covers. Robin is reviewing this one next Monday.
I’m excited to read Robin’s review!
I’m so glad to see how much you loved this one. I’ve been seeing it pop up a ton and have been so curious about it. I read The Hazel Wood years back and didn’t especially love it, but I’ve wanted to read more from Melissa Albert and this seems like a perfect choice. You have definitely sold me on the decision to go pick up Our Crooked Hearts (here’s to hoping my library has it available, haha)!
Jordan @ Forever Lost in Literature recently posted…Review: The Clackity by Lora Senf
I think this is completely different from The Hazel Wood, so this might work for you.
Excellent review! Other authors kept praising this book, but I couldn’t get an ARC! Your review confirms the hype is deserved!
Thank you! It was such a great surprise:-)
I personally didn’t care for The Hazelwood, but this one sounds so good, I still might give it a try. Great review that you made me want to read it!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…Blog Tour Review: A Series of Unfortunate Meet Cutes – A Romance Anthology
Thanks Lisa! From what I’m hearing this is completely different from The Hazel Wood.
Great review! I was going to skip this one because I was one of the rare people who hated The Hazel Wood, lol, but after reading this review and seeing it around so much lately, I think I’m going to have to at least get it from the library to try out. 😀
Destiny @ Howling Libraries recently posted…Weekly Check-in: nothing but 4- and 5-star reads!
The romance between Ivy and Billy was pretty much the only thing I wasn’t completely sold on. But other than that I totally agree!! It was an amazing read!
Ooh, excitement am I. If you loved this then I’m sure to do so too. I’ll have to pick this one up soon.
Lynn 😀
WOW – I’m glad I read your review because otherwise I’d not know about this book (and that cover isn’t doing it any favors lol). Excellent review and this is a book I hope to be able to read soon. Also — I too need to read The Hazel Wood, glad I’m not alone!
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