Witchy, contemporary magical realism for teens always owes a debt to Francesca Lia Block. Stirling's debut, with its often poetic language and at times disturbing theme, certainly does. At the heart of the book is a mother-daughter struggle for power and dominance. After Lacy's father dies, her mother, Cheyenne ne for more than two years appears to demand Lacy live with her. Cheyenne, not a likable person, is known for her dark spells and potions. Still, the bond between the two is strong, and soon Lacy finds herself again becoming a black-clad, troubled teen. Whether she will yield to her mother's desire to make her into a cold, bloodless version of herself or whether she will bind herself to memories of her father is the central dilemma. Stirling does a wonderful job of making the reader care for Lacy, who is not beyond casting spells herself. Her Northern California world of idiosyncratic personalities and oddball beauty is memorable and will be sure to appeal to teens who like their realism tempered with the otherworldly.

Sixteen-year-old Lacy's determination to overcome her capacity for wickedness is threatened when her father dies and her estranged mother reappears. Aspiring-botanist Lacy's sharp, earnest voice relates her journey through frustration to forgiveness; small-scale magic contributes to the narrative's transformative environment. Though spells help characters cope, the plot is compelled by personal interactions more strongly than by fantasy.

Gr 9 Up-Debut novelist Stirling has written a delightfully dark and twisty story for those who never quite outgrew fairy tales. Removed from the custody of her abusive, dysfunctional mother when she was 13 years old, Lacy has spent the past three years with her loving father and free-spirited stepmother. But following the death of her father to prostate cancer, her mother, Cheyenne, insists that Lacy leaves her stepmother's home in Chico and moves to Sacramento with her. Adding to the stress of going to a new school and making new friends, Lacy grows increasingly aware that something is very wrong with her mother and that she, herself, is being pulled into darkness. This enigmatic novel will keep readers guessing from the first page to the last. Are there supernatural forces at work or is Cheyenne delusional and psychotic? Does Lacy have the ability to cause the accident that put her would-be seducer in the hospital or was he just drinking too much that night? Was Lacy's heartlessness actual or metaphysical? No clear answers will frustrate and delight readers. Stirling is an author to watch. Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Lacy is grieving for her beloved father with her kindhearted stepmother when her troubled mother shows up demanding custody. Although clearly the better parent, Lacy's stepmom has no legal claim to her and must give her up to the wild and evil-spirited Cheyenne. Lacy fears that all of the work she has done to overcome her own troubled past will be undone as soon as she is under her mother's influence. She tries to fight it, but little by little she loses herself until she must confront her mother and battle for her own soul. On the surface, this is a normal story about a girl trying to find her own identity separate from her mother's. Underneath the surface, however, there is an element of magic. Cheyenne has always turned to dark magic and included her very young daughter in her spells. Now that Lacy is older and trying to resist her mother, Cheyenne goes so far as using magic against her. Lacy's battle for her soul is a very real one, not just a metaphor.When My Heart Was Wicked is not a traditional fantasy story, nor is it traditional realistic fiction. Fans of Francesca Lia Block's magical realism will enjoy this quick and powerful debut from Stirling.Jen MacIntosh.