5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to NetGalley for the free arc.

This one is described as Howl's Moving Castle meets The House in the Cerulean Sea. Personally I more got the feeling of Howl's Moving Castle and A Sorcery of Thorns. We have a woman who goes to the magical house of a sorcerer and just announces she is the new housekeeper - doesn't ask, just announces it. This cosy housekeeping is much of what gives us the Howl's feeling. Then the dynamic between the FMC, Foss, and the sorcerer Sylvester, reminded me of Sophie and Howl but also Elizabeth and Nathaniel from Sorcery of Thorns. And then there is the talking cat, Cornelius, who will definitely give you Calcifer or Silus feels. I don't get the Cerulean Sea comparison, I loved that book too, but don't understand how it's similar to this one?

I love me a magical house. I love an animal companion, or just a cute magical companion. I love a determined FMC who does what needs to be done. Yeah, she's scared and hurt and fragile and extremely insecure, but damned if she will ever let that hold her back. Foss is ugly, apparently, and she does think on this a lot. She tries to be very nonchalant about it, like it doesn't matter. But occasionally you will see her bitterness and jealousy bleed through. Which I actually appreciated, because it is so easy to write a character that is exactly how they seem to be - but the truth is, we all lie to ourselves all the time. Like, oh I am fine with this thing, but secretly I am dying inside. That's normal, and it's so easy to not add that to characters. I love that it's here in Foss. I also love that it doesn't end the story with Foss suddenly becoming beautiful, or trying to tell us she was actually beautiful all along - no she's actually ugly. But a lot of ugly people get love too you know.

This was super cosy, but it managed to have the occasional little snippet of almost horror. I mean, you can't really make heart harvesting anything but, can you? And I just love when a story adds these little snippets of what could be horror in an otherwise super light and fluffy book. I also like that, though Foss is magically forced to adore and worship the sorcerer, the book actually does discuss the lack of consent in this condition, and thankfully we don't have to deal with an icky, is it consent or did he just….? situation.

A cosy, lovely, light-hearted, romantasy. I think I will almost certainly reread this one when needing a comfort read, probably around the same time as I feel the need to reread Howl's Moving Castle.

I devoured this book in a single weekend and can confirm that the 'Howl's Moving Castle' vibes are immaculate!

The Vibes:

—Howl's Moving Castle-esque

—slow buildup

—coziness and whimsy

The Basics:

Foss Butcher is shocked when one of the magic-workers who regularly come to harvest hearts accidentally takes a part of her heart. Mad as hell, Foss goes to his House and demands he fixes his mistake, only to find that the magic worker–a petulant man named Sylvester—has no idea how to do it. WELP.

The Review:

You can definitely see the Howl's Moving Castle influence in this one, and if you're a fan of the movie in particular, I think you'll enjoy it. Similarly to the movie, it gives off this idea of a take-charge heroine and a spoiled, bratty manchild, which... does work for me. And this does have pretty prose.
What I've been kind of struggling with in cozy fantasy romances is this really self-aware, pretty prose, which is nice to read but makes me feel less like I'm sitting with the characters. I do know that this kind of magical vibe does work for a lot of people! But for me, it comes off as a little "gowns, beautiful gowns". Not a bad thing! It just doesn't hit my heart really hard, and I'm the kind of reader who prefers to be walloped in the chest with feels. And ANGST.

I am a Howl's Moving Castle (movie) lover, but I do think that went a bit harder on the romance. Foss was very self-critical about her looks, and like—look, HMC definitely has that. But in that case, Sophie has a bit of a harder edge and a bossy attitude, which sort of offsets the insecurity. Again, a lot of readers love a "plain and insecure" heroine, but it just doesn't super hit for me.

I did really enjoy an aspect of the book in which Foss was essentially enchanted to fall for Sylvester, despite him being, well, kind of irritating to her. I'm a sucker for that, and while the sparkliness of the prose may offset it a bit, I still found that to be a bold move. I wouldn't call this a very "romance heavy" romance, but... it still squeaks into the genre.

This wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be (I kind of wanted a HMC for adults) but it was a pleasant read and I do enjoy the writing style. It will be perfect for a lot of cozy fantasy readers who like a romance plot, but don't want it to be TOO strong.

Thanks to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think the main reason this didn't click for me is that our main character didn't have enough development that made me want to root for her or the plot of the story. It was not a bad book and had an exciting concept regarding the magic system and how everything turns out, but most of the characters lack the depth I like in these stories. I think the whimsy in the beginning stages of this book was my favourite part and overall it was enjoyable if you want slower, cozy, witchy stories.

THIS IS NOTHING LIKE HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE OR THE HOUSE ON THE CERULEAN SEA.
i'm sorry but i HATED this. the plot didn't make any sense and the first half of the book is way too slow while in the second half everything happens way too quickly.
i hated foss, she acted completely out of normal and did things that made no sense. the sorcerer, sylvester, didn't have a single personality trait, he was as flat as a piece of paper. the only character i enjoyed was cornelius, the talking cat. also, the romance between the characters sprouted out of thin air.
lastly, the book left me confused multiple times, because there were a couple of plot twists not treated as such. things happened and names were said as if the reader should already know those things (i didn't).

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a bit of a rough start for me, slowly crawling its way up from what I thought might be a 2.5 star read to a very solid 4 star. I think it all comes down to the first few chapters feeling like a bit of a drag; the pacing feels off and the tone the author uses sounds like they were trying too hard. However, once Foss, our main character and narrator, sets out for her journey, things perk up quite remarkably.

Firstly, the somewhat pretentious tone dulls down and eventually feels authentic. Foss too makes herself much more likeable as time passes. I confess, from beginning to end, I struggle with the idea that Foss is considered ugly by merit of being chubby and a freckled red head. It’s really a mixed bag; in a way, Foss can be a good stand in for any one who felt ugly about themselves - a sad truth but I think many of us do at least from time to time. But Foss and other characters made such a huge point of very specific features of her being ugly that I found it borderline insulting to people who this might apply to.

The whole focus on ugliness aside, Foss was pretty great. She’s practical and down to earth - she may not have the best confidence in her looks but she does not cower and gets things done. She’s also very adaptable and rational and a big bonus point for totally succumbing to become a cat person (as opposed to succumbing to the love curse placed on her which she resists pretty well).

Speaking of which, you can almost always hook with a cat character, bonus points if they talk. Cornelius delivers both, is black and has an awesome personality, definitely the star of the book. I also liked Sylvester quite a bit, although I wish we’d learned a bit more about him. The supporting cast was by and large also well done.

The plot and world is bleaker than I had expected. Of course, being titled A Harvest of Hearts should give an indication, but it was definitely a more grotesque business all around than I had expected. I believe this is a standalone and works well as such. It is nonetheless a would that could have easily contained a series to be explored further.

It wasn’t necessarily my favourite romance, but I do like the main couple generally speaking and how things were handled with the love curse. I suppose I’d have liked perhaps a wee bit more of a spark, but I’d like to argue that this book’s focus was more on the fantasy and quest side than really having romance as its focus point.

This book was advertised as being similar to Howl’s Moving Castle - one of my biggest favourites. I want to say both yes and no to this - part of the set up was almost too close; a girl who thinks herself plain and unloveable makes her way to a wizard’s magic house to work as a housekeeper in order to find a cure - sound familiar? Nonetheless, this one lacks the light heartedness of Howl’s Moving Castle and relies much less on the supporting cast (besides Cornelius). I do believe that fans could enjoy both.

Despite the bumpy start, I really enjoyed this book and will be getting a copy for myself. I enjoyed the darker aspects and of course Cornelius alone is almost enough for me to recommend this.

A whimsical magical story with a gothic fairytale vibe. Ummmm a talking cat?!! Yes please!!! Love it! This book was fun to read. I really enjoyed meeting our main characters and imagining this world in my head. I wish there was a tab bit more romance/connection in it but it's not a deal breaker. I also feel like we can all relate to our FMC in our self confidence levels a times. I've never read Howls moving castle so I can't compare it to that but I feel this tale was beautifully written.

Thank you NetGalley and author Andrea Eames for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Andrea Eames’s, A Harvest of Hearts, is compared to Howl’s Moving Castle, which was enough of a hook to sell the story to me. After all, not only did I read Diana Wynn Jones’s novel but I also saw the movie version of Howl’s Moving Castle too. Even so, I wasn’t expecting a retelling or something that held on to its influences too much. And, while you could see where the inspiration was, A Harvest of Hearts is its own story with its own merits. I was thoroughly entertained.

It starts off with Foss, who, like Sophie, had a very low esteem/opinion of herself/worth. And, at first, she viewed the activity of the sorceresses with some distance, figuring she was beneath their notice, until she was snagged, and her personal stakes rose exponentially. It was a good place to start, as it set up a mystery—will she be able to free herself or won’t she—and which gave the story an early push.

Sometimes with romantasy, the plot can get lost behind the romance, which, you know, I get it. Romance first and foremost, which I have nothing against—I’ll pick up a romantasy when I need something lighter or purely distracting to read. However, after reading this book, I’d be cautious about having that expectation when approaching this book. A Harvest of Hearts was whimsical and fairy tale-esque with a talking cat, a strangely living house, and a mercurial sorcerer—which I’ll admit was very Howl’s Moving Castle of the story. However, the romance is very slow burn, and it remained relatively balanced with the plot. And the latter went in directions I wasn’t expecting, as the strange eeriness was further explored, peeling away the veneer and delving into the terrible, gruesome nature of hearts as a form of currency and magic.

I actually liked that about A Harvest of Hearts. The price for magic was an interesting one anyway, and I appreciated how much detail and time was devoted to exploring the context of the setting alongside the relationship between the characters—particularly Foss, the cat, and the sorcerer, Sylvester.

Overall, there was plenty to like about A Harvest of Hearts.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Erewhon Books [Kensington]) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

They quite literally have jars of human hearts, and at first i thought maybe it was metaphorically, when they said the sorceress took hearts but no.

It started with him staring into her eyes and then she couldn't keep still, feeling tugged to him. I enjoyed the magic of it all and of course the talking cat and the house that has a bit of its own mind. It was entertaining, but it does get a bit dark with the effects of one not having their heart. I couldn't even imagine the emptiness they must've felt. I love when she mentions how usually a kiss was said to break a curse and he goes right for it. The ending was heartwarming.

This was such a cute …. Morbid…. Cute??? Romance/action novel. If you like howls moving castle, but wanted more “umph”- this is it. Loved it so much!!! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for allowing me to read this early! The premise of this book is so promising yet it lacks actual substance. While the whimsical vibes are there I generally didn’t care about the characters. The story overall felt very meandering and had no real purpose.

First off I would like to thank NetGalley and Andrea Eames for my very first ARC! I was very excited when I was notified about this novel.

Now time for my review. I want to be as honest as possible. The beginning of the book was very slow and it was hard for me to keep up with it. The beginning was slow and difficult to get through, but the world building was great. I just felt as if it could have been condensed a little more. Foss is the main character who has poor self esteem and is slightly unintelligent, whether that is common sense or street sense I am not sure. I did not enjoy her character because of the lack of depth it had. There were a few times I laughed at her dry jokes and personality but overall I did not resonate with her.

Sylvester is the young sorcerer learning what all that entails. I felt maybe his character could have had more depth as well, especially when he and Foss interacted together. Their relationship is quite strange and at times; I felt disconnected from them.

The star of the show was Cornelius the talking cat! His character was designed beautifully and he had just enough depth to give the feel of an actual pet.

Overall after the 50% mark I was enjoying the book more, due to the climax and the adventure that ensued.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrea Eames for the amazing opportunity to read this book!

First of all, thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC.

A very cozy and whimsical read, i have a lot to say about this book. I did enjoy my time reading this book and i would totally recommend it because i believe it is worth reading it but they are some things that i could believe they could have gone a little bit more different.

At the first 30% of the book it all felt very cozy, a book entirely for the vibes and i don't mean it in like a bad way. I do enjoy a lot reading books where the vibe is the main thing and for a moment i really thought this book was that and i think it would have gone really well if the problematic in the book wasn't so big.

In the next kind of 40% percent of the book we are faced with all the problematic, issues, backstory. It is a lot in a few pages and i think that for me that was the problem. A lot of information was displayed in a very short amount but it was even a shorter amount the part where it was supposed to be resolved.

I think that if at the end the book was taking that turn to show more problems, it should have been resolved with a little bit more depth, there should have been more time to explain somethings that were presented at the moment. I felt that the end was really rushed and also, everything in regards of the MC relationship i would've love maybe two more scenes showing them a little bit more vulnerable. I think this book would have work better if it had been a little bit more longer or with a problem that didn't require so much elements to it.

At the end like i mentioned i still enjoyed the book and send the author so much love on release day.

**Features:**
- A dark and whimsical fantasy in a similar vein to “Howl’s Moving Castle”
- A main character with dysmorphia who struggles with her self-image
- The setting is its own character
- A talking cat

**Synopsis:**

Like everyone in her village, Foss knows that real magic requires heart. However, she never expected for her own heart to get snagged. Determined to get the missing pieces back and stop the endless pull towards the sorcerer that took them, Foss finds herself at the sorcerer’s opinionated house. Befriending a talking cat named Cornelius, Foss starts to unravel the mysteries behind the kingdom’s magic and the dark truths at its center.

**Thoughts:**

I was immediately drawn to this book’s beautiful cover and whimsical premise! It has been compared to Howl’s Moving Castle and I definitely felt that was accurate. Though it does not quite have the same level of whimsy, there are some clear plot and thematic parallels between the two. However, the deeper main character Foss digs into the true nature of this magical world, the darker and more unique this story becomes.

Foss is the narrator of the story and her dry humor and spunk made me love her immediately. Both due to her mother’s death during childbirth and her dysmorphia, Foss has always been treated poorly by the villagers (minus her dad). As a result, Foss’s negative self-talk is just as casually ingrained into her speech as her humor and it takes a while for this to shift in any way. Where I thought it was a very authentic way for a person who has lived a lifetime of social rejection and accepted it as fact to think, others might be bothered by the frequency and candidness with which she expresses these thoughts. Foss’s growth shows up more in the amount of space she chooses to take up in the world around her more so than in the reduction of these almost habitual thoughts. All that is to say that mileage could vary depending on how you are affected by Foss’s negativity towards herself.

Cornelius is a talking cat that Foss befriends and he is definitely the star in this story! Though Foss is endearing in her own way, Cornelius is really the character that brings life and levity to this story and I love the two characters together. For me, their friendship was a lot more compelling than Foss’s relationship with the sorcerer Sylvester. Sylvester is far more closed off and his connection with Foss is giving very little time to grow. On the romance front, I wouldn’t go looking for anything spicier than a bell pepper in this one and even that might be a little bit of a stretch.

This book starts off a little on the slow side as Foss becomes snagged and then makes her way to Sylvester’s home. Though it drags slightly and can be slightly repetitive, Foss’s narration still makes it work. At about the halfway point, the book takes a darker turn and things start happening at breakneck speed. Despite this shift, the story still draws from a number of hints dropped in the earlier parts of the book and brings things together in a way I found clever and satisfying. The villains themselves were nothing to write home about, but I don’t think they were the point of the story anyway.

Heart magic is the most powerful kind of magic. Foss Butcher is resigned to the fact that she’ll only be the butcher’s ugly and clumsy daughter her whole life. Afterall, her village thinks she's cursed and the beyond beautiful sorceresses that visit her village once a month to collect hearts certainly don’t pay her any mind. So, when the only sorcerer comes to the village instead one day Foss thinks nothing of it. Until she’s snagged by him. Forced to deal with her newfound missing heart, Foss leaves the only home she’s ever known for the city to get back what was taken from her. Befriending a talking cat, a house with a sassy personality and dealing with her ever growing feelings for the sorcerer Sylvester, Foss quickly learns that not everything in the kingdom is as it seems. A blight is spreading in the kingdom and the snagged are quickly losing the battle. Together with the help of her new friends and a lot of running from sorceresses, Foss must do everything she can to save the kingdom or risk losing her own heart along the way.


I wanted to love this book more than I did. As an avid fan of Howl’s Moving Castle I was so excited to immerse myself in this story. And in the story's defense there were some aspects I thoroughly enjoyed. For starters, the side characters brought so much joy and entertainment. Cornelius the cat was such a little gem. He was witty and silly and I loved every interaction he had with Foss. Foss’s father was also such a wonderful character. He was kind and so understanding. Secondly, I really enjoyed the heart magic. I thought it was different and unique. It added something almost gothic to the story that made it feel dark and whimsical all at the same time.

Yet, I found myself wanting more from the story. For example I wanted more out of Foss and Sylvesters relationship dynamic. Unfortunately, their relationship just felt very flat to me. Foss spent the majority of the book pitying herself for how “ugly” she was. And I’m convinced Sylvester didn’t know what was going on half the time. In turn, the intimacy between the two characters felt very non existent until about seventy-five percent of the way through the book and by then, everything felt too rushed. The pacing of the book was also just incredibly slow for my personal tastes. I think less description of things and more interactions between our two characters would have bumped this up a star rating for me.

Overall, this dark reimagining of Howl’s Moving Castle was dark and whimsical but lacked meaningful interactions between our two main characters. I would recommend to anyone who loves talking cats and very attractive (and a tad bit whiny) sorcerers who know just how to steal your heart.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing & NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Something's rotten in the Kingdom of—well, we never actually get a proper name for it. The story follows Foss, the plain daughter of a village butcher, who is ensnared by a heart-snatching magic-user. Everyone "knows" that the harvested hearts are used to keep the kingdom safe and prosperous, but no one is very clear on how exactly or even on what happens if more than a little piece of a heart is taken. Despite the high stakes both for Foss and the kingdom, this story manages to be charming as it explores what really makes a human and what hearts are for, in every sense.

I read an advance copy via NetGalley for no consideration other than an honest review.

"They said that magic, real magic, [...] could only be performed in exchange for a human heart."

The premise of this was so intriguing! The concept of heart-snagging is so fun and fairytale-like. I was sure I'd love this. Unfortunately, the writing style didn't appeal to me. I think this is just super subjective, but it read as younger-YA. I felt a bit like I was reading a fantasy middle-schooler's diary. I also wish there was more nuance.

Overall, the ideas are there but the execution wasn't for me.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

I have gone back and forth on my rating here as it’s so close to being a 4 but I just couldn’t do it.

I enjoyed the plot, it was fun and interesting. The mystery kept me hooked as I wanted, no needed, to know more. I loved that there was a balance between whimsy and darkness, it’s such a hard balance to find and I think it was done wonderfully here.

Pacing is a bit sluggish. It takes us far too long to get to the city and for anything interesting to start happening – I can’t help but feel that if the first half was tightened up and more time dedicated to the second half then this would have been a much stronger story.

But the real issue I had here was simply that the characters didn’t work for me.
Foss… Her self image was a challenging topic during this. She often refers to herself as ugly and I just don’t feel like this was particularly well dealt with. While I do love that the author didn’t just instantly make her beautiful or do the whole ‘you were beautiful all along’ trope I would have loved more nuance around this conversation about not fitting in with beauty standards. I didn’t need her to magically solve all of her insecurities and negative self beliefs but I wish this had been explored more rather than her negative self talk just making for often uncomfortable reading.

The relationship between Foss and Sylvester just isn’t there. It’s painfully underdeveloped. Which is a huge shame as theres so much potential there for them. But, they just don’t spend anywhere near enough time together for me to buy into this. That’s completely putting aside the magic tying them together and what a complicated mess that makes of any relationship developing there..

I couldn’t write this review without throwing in Cornelius. He’s a stand out and, again, I wish we had gotten more exploration with him.

Overall, I think if the first half of the book had been significantly cut and the second half more developed and expanded upon this could have been a real stand out. As it is, it was a nice read but it failed to fully deliver for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Harvest of Hearts is a dark fairytale romance about a butchers daughter who has her heart ensnared by a not very great sorcerer.
Foss Butcher lives in a small village with her father. Foss suffers from fantasy girl plain Jane syndrome. She is smart, sassy and capable so of course she is slightly overweight, not attractive and generally an outcast in her town. In this fantasy world glamorous and beautiful sorceresses roam freely and magically steal away portions of hearts from the citizens. For their own good of course.
One day Sylvester, the only male sorcerer, arrives in town and with one extended look snags a portion of Foss’s heart. Determined to restore herself Foss travels to the big city and manages to get a job as Sylvester’s housekeeper in his magical home.
Thank you to NetGalley and Erowhen for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. This book is getting 2.5⭐️ from me.
Not even the best character, Cornelius the talking cat, can save this book from its problems. First this book is way too long, the relationship between the MCs didn’t work for me and most of the characters were too one dimensional to care about.

3 1/2 stars :) nothing I love more than whimsical vibes and a talking cat!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc!