Although I really wanted to love this book, I struggled with it. 2.5 stars

- While I liked the plot and found it compelling, the characters fell SO flat to me. Why did a cat have more personality than any other character??
Sylvester was literally just so boring. I found the romance plot hard to believe because his personality just didn't exist.
- I also struggled with Foss. Every other word out of her mouth was about how ugly or plain she was and after the 50th time I was just pretty tired of it.
- More worldbuilding would have really improved this book! Things would be touched upon and then never explored which left me with a lot of questions.

I really struggled to get through this book. The characters lack depth and I just don't feel connected to the story at all. The writing is beautiful but the plot barely moved for the entire first half of the book. The Howl's Moving Castle inspiration is obvious and it definitely has the feel of a darker Studio Ghibli fairy tale, but without the charm. I didn't buy the romance and I felt the villain was a generic Big Bad without interesting motivations.

A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames is a fun light-hearted fantasy sure to make fairy tale lovers swoon. A sentient house, a talking cat and a dramatic, dangerous sorcerer who’s captured Foss’s heart in a magical enchantment. The kingdom is protected by the king’s magic harvested by his magical children, but that magic has a dark and evil secret that threatens all of them. Perfect for a broad collection of readers with virtually all the romance happening “off screen”; good reinterpretation of the fairy tale with Foss repeatedly saving others, and a satisfying ending.

Whoever called this a cozy fantasy was definitely misleading—this book is a wild, gripping adventure with a chilling premise at its core. The story follows Foss, an unassuming girl who finds herself magically bound to Sylvester, a mysterious magic-user infamous for stealing hearts—literally. As Foss sets out to unravel the dark mystery behind the missing hearts, she uncovers unsettling truths and a sinister plot that’s far from comforting.

There’s a definite Howl’s Moving Castle vibe here, with whimsical elements like a sarcastic talking cat and a sentient house that give the story a distinct Studio Ghibli flair. The descriptive writing is lush and immersive, pulling you effortlessly into a world that’s equal parts enchanting and eerie.

My main critique is the mismatch in tone—this is marketed as a cozy fantasy, but the idea of hearts being ripped from bodies is anything but cozy. It ventures into darker territory than expected, which might catch some readers off guard. Additionally, the story felt a bit stretched in places; a tighter edit could have made the pacing sharper.

I read this book smiling laughing and in the end crying. This is a wonderful heartbreaking book mixing practicalness with a mix of magic. I loved it, beautifully written She stirs deep emotions.
Foss is a wonderful character that represents all the plain girls who can still fall in love with handsome men. She was upfront and sarcastic and I was rooting for her from the get go.
Cornelius was hilarious and food based which I appreciated as well as the house being a beautiful standout character.
Then of course there is the beautiful Sylvester.
I fell in love with this story and the characters and have purchased the book!
Five stars.

A Harvest of Hearts is a cozy fantasy that follows a girl that gets tangled up with a sorcerer that must work together to beat a dark secret in their kingdom. This story was very surprising and I am very happy to pick it up. I wanted to thank There is a good mix of cozy fantasy and dark fantasy in this book. Foss is the protagonist in this story and she is the plainest girl in her village. There is a lot of messaging about forgiving oneself about things they can’t control. She is a smart, caring person that was easy to follow. She also has a cute little cat that follows her through this whole story. There is a love story in this and while I do not think it is front and center in this, it’s still sweet and her love interest reminds me a lot of Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle. I would recommend this book and think it is a wonderful addition to your library. The story is magic is unique and you find out how dark it can get. There is some gore in this that surprised me, but other than that there is not many things that I would warn against. If you want a mix of cozy and action fantasy, check out this title.

A beautiful cozy story that is perfect for any reader aged 12+ the romance is a sweet closed door and the storyline is perfect. Thinks Howl’s Moving Castle meets Snow White with a solid magic system and a talking cat.

# A Harvest of Hearts
# 4/23/2025 ~ 4/25/2025
# 5.0 / 5.0

Billed as a cozy fantasy, this novel begins with a drastically different tone, setting it up as much more of a dark fantasy romance and then never really deciding on what it wants to be. A talking cat and an FMC who was less funny than she was self deprecating did not make a quirky cozy book. Instead there’s pretty dark magic throughout and a fairly hopeless romance. Plus the pace is excruciatingly slow, even for a character piece loving literature reader like myself. It just went nowhere for so long that it lost most of my interest and I found myself skimming until about 70% in. I think there’s some really good pieces in here, I just don’t think they’re working well together.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This is my opinion, and other people differ which is awesome because reading is subjective. To start, I am an ideal person to love this book, I adore cozy fantasy, It is right up my alley. To me, the magic premise was cool but not executed correctly, it fell flat. The MMC was so dry, no character, when you read you’ll see why and this may be intentional, but as a love interest, it was not enough. The whole book just could have been so much more, but it just fell short, underdeveloped magic and underdeveloped romance. If they would have played up one or the other, it would have been great IMO.

I definitely enjoyed this book!
A talking cat? I immediately signed up!
Slow burn romance?! Yes please

Andrea Eames wrote a great story of twists with an original magic system. I was kept guessing at every turn!

I don't know whether the entire book should be classed as "cosy" but definitely felt the warmth from moments with the characters!

Definitely gave me Caraval and OUABH romance vibes!
But again the true star of the show Cornelius the cat - I'd read this again just for him!

3.75 ⭐

This book swept me into a richly enchanted world with incredibly descriptive language and (my personal favorite) Cornelius, the snarky talking cat.

Foss Butcher never imagined anyone would want her heart until a run-in with the kingdom’s sorcerer, Sylvester, lands her under a curse and keeps her stuck as the housekeeper over his moody, magical House. With only a sarcastic talking cat for company, Foss must navigate a world of spells, secrets, and stolen hearts. As she uncovers the truth about the kingdom’s enchantments and the people trapped by them, she realizes she might be the only one who can break the cycle, and maybe even save the sorcerer who never meant to curse her in the first place.

While I enjoyed this book, the pacing was hit‑and‑miss for me. There’s plenty of action, but the central romance takes its time developing, and I found myself itching for that spark long before it finally flared. I struggled to connect with the MCs, so some of the high‑stakes scenes felt more impressive than emotional.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and Erewhon Books for the ARC!

Reading *A Harvest of Hearts* felt like curling up with a warm blanket and getting swept into a fairytale—only one with bite, depth, and a bit of darkness beneath the charm.

The story follows Foss Butcher, who starts off as an unassuming butcher’s daughter in a quiet village. Everything changes when a bumbling sorcerer accidentally steals part of her heart. That strange twist sets off an unexpectedly magical and emotional journey that had me hooked from the first chapter.

What I really loved is how Andrea Eames blends coziness with deeper themes. There's magic, sure—but it's not all sparkles and wands. Magic here is tied to emotion, memory, and sacrifice, which gives the story real weight. Foss is such a relatable character: practical, no-nonsense, but also curious and full of heart (literally and figuratively). Her growth through the book is subtle but powerful.

The world-building is imaginative without being overwhelming. And yes, there’s a talking cat—which, in my opinion, should be a requirement for all fantasy books. It adds just the right touch of whimsy. The tone shifts between lighthearted and serious really smoothly, and the writing itself has this lyrical quality that made certain lines stick with me.

This is the kind of story that makes you feel—nostalgic, hopeful, a little weepy at times, and totally charmed. If you like fantasy that balances fun and feeling, *A Harvest of Hearts* is a gem. I’m already looking forward to rereading it when I need something comforting and magical.

It was a bit slow at first and I was worried that I wouldn’t like it, but the story got more interesting throughout the book. It’s a cozy fantasy tale that is reminiscent of a Studio Ghibli film - magic and a talking cat included.

3.75 stars

I was sold on the Howl’s Moving Castle comparison and it definitely delivered in vibes. A cosy whimsical fantasy that’s perfect for your next fall read. This starts off right away and fast paced but then it died out towards the middle right before we get to the lore and then picked back up towards the end. Although super cozy, with all the fall feels, this also had some darker moments that surprised me, specifically when it got to the harvesting of hearts and the lore. The world building could have used some more information and I just couldn’t connect with Foss too much - I’m a mood reader to my core, and I’m considering doing a reread come fall when the ambiance is better suited.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a beautiful tale of love, loss, and magic. You can clearly see the influences of Howl's Moving Castle on the novel, BUT it maintains its own unique story and characters. Foss is a no-nonsense, confident (but also insecure) main character whose convictions and burgeoning desire to help folks really drives the story. Sylvester's contrast to her, with his initial ambivalence and chaos, is really striking. His character arc is wonderful, and I liked his character more and more as the book went on. And CORNELIUS. Gosh I love snarky little talking animals so much.

Put these colorful characters in a backdrop of mysterious and spellbinding sorcery, heart harvesting, sinister plots, and simple village life, and you have this precious story. It really is magical. :)

DNF @ 15%
I swear, I tried so hard to get into this book but I can't 😫

It's just SO very descriptive and the pace is so slow I feel like I'm trudging through sludge to get anywhere.

The writing is very well done though It's beautiful and atmospheric, magical and cozy and it's not a bad descriptive just overly so.... And yet I was having the hardest time imagining Foss' character. I think I prefer books with more dialogue

I told myself I was just going to go one chapter at a time and slowly work my way through but when I got to chapter 6 I realized just how similar this book is to Howl's Moving Castle and I decided I didn't want to force this anymore.

II don't dislike HMC per se but it's another movie/book (I've only seen the movie) that I have a hard time following. I've watched it with the kids several times and TBH I don't think I could explain the story to you. 🙈

This book was done well, it certainly had some aspects that were not needed and were a bit to much in my opinion, however this book was very cozy and I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cozy, whimsy feeling to it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC.

The advertising for this book as a cozy romantasy was extremely misleading. The entire book has more grit and darkness than anything cozy should have.

Foss was a difficult character for me to read. Her crude humor and self-deprecations could interrupt a scene at any moment. However, I did enjoy her relationships (such as Cornelius and her father) and small village perspective.

I'm a huge fan of cozy fantasy and this a good addition to the genre. Well plotted and entertaining, it kept me reading and turning pages.
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book had its flaws, but it still gave me that cozy-fantasy escapism I crave. If you like a magical world with beautiful writing, mild chaos, and a cat with better one-liners than most humans, this might be your cup of enchanted tea.