Our Crooked Hearts

This and Eric A. Craig novels are probably the closest I will ever come to reading horror. This book explores the dark, malevolent side of magic that's usually seen in horror stories. Be warned if you're an animal lover, there are multiple, graphic descriptions of rabbits being killed or showing up places dead in this book. But at it's heart it's a story about a mother who made a very dangerous mistake when she was younger trying to protect and also relate to a daughter who knows that her mother is not all she says she is.

Great audio production. I lost the thread for a little while in the back half, but overall I got really into this witchy tale of angsty mothers and daughters. It's a roller coaster with a shot of real dread, and I really appreciated the conclusion.

a good, creepy YA thriller

I only knew a vague summary of this book before reading and I'm kind of glad. It was more fun to just dive in with almost no clue as to what it would be about. I didn't want to put it down.

This isn't a book I would normally go for, as witches are not my go-to interest when I'm reading horror novels. They usually just seem like cool ladies who want to be left to their own devices rather than something spooky imo, but I had to read it after the tons of starred reviews it was getting and I'm glad I did. There are some legit creepy scenes in this, and the writing is absolutely lovely without ever going into purple prose territory. Take the title drop, for example:

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.

at least, until the big reveal

Inside our hesitation was all sorts of things. Curiosity and guilt and desire. Optimism, even. And beside them all the ugliest, most vivid parts of ourselves. The pieces magic had sharpened into blades we could use to skin the world. Think of it: sixteen and brimming with power, after being told all your life you were powerless.

Rating: 2.13 leaves out of 5
Characters: 2/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 0.5/5
Writing: 1/5
Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yeah

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to listen to this book. What a disappoint. The beginning was creepy and sucked you in. If the whole book was just the mother's view I would have rated it higher. I feel bad for even comparing it to The Craft. Actually this book sucked so hard you could say it was like the sequel. Both were utter trash. It started out so strong and fizzled into a shit pile, and that is putting it nicely.

I know I rated it a 2.13 but I am rounding down to a 1. The cover is gorgeous but the story is utter trash and it doesn't deserve even a 2.

**SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT DOWN**


Ivy, which I hate to share a name with, is a self-centered brat. She is a good reason why having a kid sounds horrible. Ivy is a brat who thinks of herself over others. Instead of letting her mother explained she ended up just being a grade A Bitch about EVERYTHING. Even till the end when she shared the same guilt as her mom. I get the whole wanting your mom to feel proud of you and the like but at the end of the day if you can't even admit to her being right to a certain degree you are a child and should be treated as such.

And this is why I don't do YA's because 9/10 the main character is Mary Sue/ Gary Stu.

Thank you to Flatiron Books for providing an e-arc of this fantastic Melissa Albert novel via Netgalley.

Wow.

Our Crooked Hearts is a rollercoaster. Part magic, part thriller, part coming of age.

The book follows Ivy, a teenager who feels there is something... off... in her life. As she unravels the mysteries of her past, she finds more than she bargains for that upends her entire life.

This is a dual timeline book. One part current, Ivy's timeline, one part her mother's timeline when she was a teenager. I loved reading the juxtaposition between Ivy's teenage interpretation of her mother and then reading her mother's teen years and how she became the way she is.

This is a must read for those who love creepy, magical, badass female characters coming into their own.