Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert Narrator: Chloe Cannon, Emma Galvin
Published by MacMillan Audio on June 28, 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Length: 9 hours, 51 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: NetGalley
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Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
THE SUBURBS, RIGHT NOW . . .
Seventeen-year-old Ivy’s summer break kicks off with an accident, a punishment, and a mystery: a stranger whose appearance in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night, heralds a string of increasingly unsettling events. As the days pass, Ivy grapples with eerie offerings, corroded memories, and a secret she’s always known—that there’s more to her mother than meets the eye.
THE CITY, BACK THEN . . .
Dana has always been perceptive. And the summer she turns sixteen, with the help of her best friend and an ambitious older girl, her gifts bloom into a heady fling with the supernatural, set in a city of magical possibilities and secret mystics. As the trio’s aspirations darken, they find themselves speeding toward a violent breaking point.
Our Crooked Hearts is a bit of a mind f-(you can guess the rest of that word). Ivy is a teenage girl with a strange mother, who at times is a bit scary. She is strange and does and says weird things that normal people just don’t. When a girl ends up running out of the woods naked in front of the car Ivy is in, she is set on a journey to learn the secrets of her mother’s past and why that very naked girl from the woods knew her name.
This story was creepy at parts. There are dead bunnies just showing up in driveways and a feeling of being watched by someone or something. There is also the next door neighbor boy that Ivy had one awkward moment with years ago but still hangs on the edge of her mind. Ivy is in a family full of secrets, all of which seem to surround her mom and a big event that happened when her mother was a teen.
I had a great time uncovering the background story of Ivy’s mom when she was a teen and found her witch powers. I was intrigued by how it all went wrong and why Ivy might know her mom is different never really clued in to how different until some very weird stuff started happening around her house and he mom just went MIA. Now she knows there are some big memories she lost and so many secrets that her family is barely hanging on by a thread.
Such a good book. I really enjoyed all of the story and how well the magic was kept feeling real and not overdone. I remember falling in love with The Craft back in the day and this reminded me a little of that show. I have not read Melissa Albert before but I will have to check out her other books after this standalone novel.
Narration:
I’m a big fan of Emma Galvin since listening to her Divergent narration. I have since heard her do other books and I’ve enjoyed them all. Chloe Cannon however is a new to me narrator and I think she captured the voice of Dana so well in her teenage years. Really great to have 2 narrators on for each PoV making me, the reader, feel so in tune with each different voice of the story. Dana was definitely the edgier of the two narrations. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed
Listen to the clip: HERE
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This intrigues me – especially the comparison to The Craft (which I also loved back in the day). And I do love Emma Galvin, so I may have to give this one a go. Great review!
Oh I hope you get a chance and like the premise. I do love a past present reveal as it adds to the mystery of the story
I loved this too! It’s already one of my favorite books of the year😁 Awesome review!
I’m in good company then. I didn’t read her other series, but I’m glad I started with this one.
Sounds like a fun ride with all that creepiness and those family secrets. 🙂
Right I love a trippy ride.
This sounds excellent. The Hazel Wood was a trip too so I can see liking this…
I’m excited to give that series a try too.
I wasn’t a fan of The Hazel Wood, but once again this author’s book sounds good! Your review only makes me want to give her another chance. Thanks for sharing!
I once read a trilogy by someone and didn’t really love the last book in it. But I was intrigued by a different series and liked it better, so much better. It is a crap shoot but sometimes it pays off.
I’ve seen this around a lot and so many great reviews for it. I’m so glad you enjoyed it too
It was probably one of the best stand alone novels I’ve read this year.