Our Crooked Hearts - by Melissa Albert

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER * #1 INDIE NEXT PICK * 6 STARRED REVIEWS

Secrets. Lies. Bad choices. Dangerous magic. . . . From NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Melissa Albert comes OUR CROOKED HEARTS, a contemporary fantasy "so precise and enthralling that the only explanation is that Albert herself is a witch" (Booklist, starred review)

On the way home from a party, seventeen-year-old Ivy and her soon-to-be ex nearly run over a nude young woman standing in the middle of a tree-lined road. It's only the first in a string of increasingly eerie events and offerings: a dead rabbit in the driveway, a bizarre concoction buried by her mother in the backyard, a box of childhood keepsakes hidden in her parents' closet safe. Most unsettling of all, corroded recollections of Ivy and her enigmatic mother's past resurface, with the help of the boy next door.

What if there's more to Ivy's mother than meets the eye? And what if the supernatural forces she messed with during her own teen years have come back to haunt them both? Ivy must grapple with these questions and more if she's going to escape the darkness closing in.

Straddling Ivy's contemporary suburban town and her mother's magic-drenched 1990s Chicago, this bewitching and propulsive story rockets towards a conclusion guaranteed to keep readers up all night.

Review Quotes

Named a best book of the year by Booklist, School Library Journal, New York Public Library, Shelf Awareness, The Bulletin, Amazon, and more!

"Like a puzzle box that somehow contains a more interesting version of The Craft. . . . It all boils down to the roiling cauldron of mother/daughter issues at the core of this story, and the twisting mystery of it all is very satisfying to unravel. All that plus teen witches--what more could you ask for?" --NPR.org (Best New Book of Summer)

"This atmospheric, powerful YA fantasy is crammed with secrets, lies, and ferociously good writing." --The Guardian (Best New Children's Book)

"A tale both spellbinding and binge-worthy." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Albert's fast-paced storytelling is both thrilling and accessible. . . . Teens who enjoy drama, secrets, romance, and mysteries with a twist of magic will love this one." --SLJ (starred review)

"Vivid prose pairs effortlessly with an engaging slow-burn mystery in this eerie, dual-timeline thriller." --Shelf Awareness (starred review)

"Haunting and beautiful, full of messy girls drunk on messier magic and told with electric prose brimming with sharp metaphors." --The Bulletin (starred review, Blue Ribbon title)

"This is a novel that will be devoured as well as savored. It takes risks and, magically, succeeds." --Booklist (starred review)

"Riveting, creepy, and utterly bewitching; do not miss this one." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Sublimely creepy." --PopSugar

"This exquisitely written, skillfully plotted page-turner offers gripping suspense, unsettling scenes of magic unleashed, and a surprising love story." --The Buffalo News

"In this paranormal young adult mystery, Albert creates a lyrical and creepy atmosphere that sucks you deep within the pages of the story." --BuzzFeed (Best New Book of June)

"Every line reads like an incantation, and the result is a book pulsing with magic, one that holds the reader firmly under its spell." --V. E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

"A riveting story that grips you like a spell until you're too deep to emerge unscathed." --Angeline Boulley, author of Firekeeper's Daughter

"A truly masterful tale, Our Crooked Hearts comes with all the trappings of a classic: immaculate prose, a parallel generational story for the ages, and chills when you least expect them." --David Arnold, author of The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik

"Pulses with a bold, beguiling magic that feels brand new and classic at the same time. I couldn't put it down." --Karen McManus, author of One of Us Is Lying

"I loved it. No one combines magic, darkness, and the realities of being a woman the way Melissa Albert does." --Kristin Cashore, author of the Graceling Realm series

"Our Crooked Hearts feels like a freshly spun secret; electric, dangerous--and impossible to keep to yourself." --Courtney Summers, author of Sadie

"Our Crooked Hearts is Melissa Albert at her very best; a sharp explosion of a book that's taut, haunting, and potent as a witch's brew." --Krystal Sutherland, author of House of Hollow

"Melissa Albert's signature storytelling is once again pure sorcery. This book has everything I love: girls with tremendous power at their fingertips, mothers with unforgivable secrets, horrors left on the doorstep, and writing that sings and stuns." --Nova Ren Suma, author of A Room Away from the Wolves

Named to YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adults and Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers Lists

About the Author