A Harvest of Hearts was a book that was equally charming and frustrating. It read like a classic fairy tale, and the "Howl's Moving Castle" influence was definitely visible, which made the book more endearing to me, as a fan of both influences. The cast of memorable characters all added to the book's charm (including a talking cat!) and made it so that the reading experience felt very immersive. The concept of hearts getting "snagged," and the storyline with main character's circumstances in particular, was quite original and I liked the way the implications were explored throughout the book.
There were, however, a few things that really grated on me while reading. First of all, I think this story might've been better written in third person, or written in a more detailed way in first person. I understand that a lot of the cases where the characters' internal and emotional experiences were brushed over it was to maintain to fairy tale-esque tone, but written in first person it just meant that the character came across as underdeveloped. There were so many situations that clearly really affected Foss that the reader got no commentary on whatsoever. Also, Foss seemingly developed very little as a character. Her constant negative self-talk didn't seem to have a purpose so far into the book, and nothing she discovered about herself or her background swayed her negative self-perception. It got exhausting to read after a while.
The ending was a bit chaotic and really felt like it dragged (maybe around the 80% mark), to the point where I found myself skimming entire paragraphs just to move it along a bit. The final chapter was a fitting one for all the characters, though.
All in all, A Harvest of Hearts was a fun, charming book that nevertheless would have benefited from some more editing.

I loved this book! It was so different from the usual fantasy with a young female POV. Foss Butcher is not ordinary girl. She's a tough, no nonsense, butcher's daughter. She is ugly and the whole world knows it, including herself. She is under no delusions that she will ever find love. When the magic users enter her village, she is accidentally 'snagged' or caught in the web of a spell that makes her behave like a love sick fool. She leaves her village behind and follows the sorcerer back to his magical house in the big city. Feeling like a fool when she shows up and he does not remember her, she claims to be the new housekeeper. With the help of a magical moving house and a talking cat she starts to understand the mysterious sorcerer Sylvester. Their relationship grows closer, however, his sisters and father the king wants him to take hearts, not just from her but from the villagers, leaving them close to death. Foss must change her sorcerer's way of thinking and work together to save the kingdom.

okay, i don’t know how to begin this review. where should i start?? the fact that this book is an absolute mess compared to the things that i have been promised by the blurb, and the way it took me more than a month to finish this?

first, the blurb promised me Howl’s Moving Castle vibes, but delivered absolutely nothing of the sort. i mean, i could see it! just barely. and instead, what i got was a fantasy with romance that is trying to combine five different disney movies and fairytales into one book. i’m actually not sure where the author was going with this one. the magical world feels like it’s barely holding itself together, bland, and lacking any actual *magic*. the characters and the villains? well, their personalities are so flat that you almost forget that they’re there. the main character's only personality is being obsessed with vanity and nothing else.

the storyline lacks obstacles or tension to give this plot any pulse at all. the relationship between the leads feels as dry as a cardboard. is the chemistry in the room with us? this relationship feels like two strangers pretending they know each other because the plot said so.

It could have been great but the epub have a lot of issues and was unreadable for me.. I am very sorry

This story was so cute and whimsical! There's a talking cat and a house with magic of it's own.
The heart of this book in my opinion was Foss' journey to discovering her inner beauty. She starts off believing that she's the ugliest girl in her village, and while she has accepted that, she believes she will never find love because of it. Her romance with Sylvester is the catalyst for her realising she may be loved for something other than her beauty. While I've said it quite plainly here, it's not as on the nose in the book and I also appreciate that. It was incredibly relatable and heartwarming.
The writing style and quality was very good. It was very descriptive and successfully set a vibe that is both dark (especially with the manner of magic in this book) and whimsical.
Where this falls short for me unfortunately is the plot, and other aspects of the romance. For me, I did feel the plot was a little bit expected and didnt take me by surprise at any point.
While I very much enjoyed how the romance between the two main characters made both grow in their own ways, I did struggle to see through the book how they developed feelings for each other. Their interactions were somewhat dry, and while Foss did uncover how Sylvester was kind and caring when she assumed the opposite, I fail to see why they became lovers and didn't get stuck at friends. Perhaps we just needed more scenes with them.

This was really good! An unusual and complicated magic setup. A very slow-burn romance, and it felt realistic (so to speak, at least within the world of the book). Although I was skeptical at first about the trope of a man who needs a woman to get him to stop being selfish, I really liked Sylvester.

A Harvest of Hearts is a wonderfully imaginative and fun adventure. The story feels like a friend is sharing an amazing tale with you. It creates a rich new world full of interesting characters, both main ones and supporting ones. The setting is easy to understand and feels well-developed. The characters are complex and relatable. Even though the plot meanders a bit, it allows the story and characters to grow.

I really enjoyed reading it, but I didn’t give it a five-star rating. I’ve been going through a reading slump, and I think that if I weren’t in that slump, I would have read this quickly and given it a solid five stars. Unfortunately, it didn't pull me out of my slump, which is why I'm holding back on that perfect score.

So I didnt hate this book I also didnt love it I was very much in the middle with this. I loved all the characters and the world building but I dont know something felt like it was missing and i cant put my finger on it.

When I read the blurb, it reeled me in, but the first couple of pages threw me off completely. The writing, the tone, it was just so unexpected and unnecessary in my opinion that I was really struggling. And the info dump was extreme, was reeking of a female main character being written by a man. I forced myself to complete the book to see if it got better, or if this was a plot to aid the story, but unfortunately, it didn't get any better. I will give it props for trying to be an original storyline with its unique features, but the other issues completely overshadowed the reading experience.

Such a fascinating read! A mix of fantasy and fiction with a sprinkle of love story.

I admire Foss and her journey in this story! I would love to read more about her and how she develops her own abilities after the story ended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for an ARC Kindle edition of Harvest of Hearts, by Andrea Eames!

Foss Butcher's life may seem simple, but it hums with an undercurrent of magical mystery that’s impossible to ignore. As the daughter of the village meat monger, Foss is as reliable and sturdy as the cleaver she wields, and goes about her duties in her father's shop with gratified (if cynical) contentment. She’s fine with her role in the small, tight-knit town on the day-to-day, and when The Sorceresses arrive on another gathering mission, she merely accepts it as part of existence. These enigmatic, gorgeous women, cloaked in power from the ruling Kingdom, come not only for herbs and tinctures from the village herbalist, but for pieces of the gentry's heart—yes, literal pieces.

They offer Foss' village an unusually reliable peace and prosperity in return, but no one really knows the truth behind the heart "snagging" magic, or why it's necessary to begin with. Foss has always accepted it as "just the way of things", until she's accidentally "snagged" by an incredibly rare male Sorcerer, Sylvester, and her world plunges into heartsick disorder.

Determined to get down to the bottom of her malady, and bring back answers for others that live in her village, Foss follows the wrenching in her chest (again, literally) to Sylvester in the main Kingdom, intending to retrieve that piece of her heart, while leaving him with a piece of her mind.

Eames' writing is nothing short of brilliant, and Foss' personality practically leaps off the page, thanks to the clever use of colloquial dialect that makes her narration feel authentic and engaging. The storytelling is so vivid and richly detailed, it’s impossible not to picture every scene unfolding in your mind, filled with colorful descriptions and quirky, laugh-out-loud metaphors.

But the real star? Cornelius, the talking cat. He absolutely stole my heart! He’s everything you’d expect a cat to be if they could speak—witty, aloof, and brimming with charm.

This book is packed with clever, realistic mystery reveals that kept me guessing at every turn. Nothing felt predictable or easy to figure out, which is a rare treat for me since that’s often one of my biggest gripes in tales with mysteries.

The one aspect that fell flat for me was the romance between Foss and Sylvester. While Foss is “snagged” and develops romantic feelings (which thankfully turn out to be more than just enchantment), their interactions didn’t quite live up to the potential. Sylvester, for his part, spent a good amount of time being depressed and bratty, while his redeeming qualities didn't shout "leading man" at me. There’s a sprinkle of romantic tension here and there, but nothing that really sizzled or felt inevitable. I was left wanting more depth and spark from their connection, but perhaps the author was intentional in her choice to down play that aspect and the expectations not met were my own fault.

In the end, A Harvest of Hearts is definitely worth the read! If you manage your expectations for the romance, you’ll find a captivating story that delivers on so many other levels. Don’t let that one aspect hold you back—dive in and enjoy the journey!

"A Harvest of Hearts" is a captivating fantasy novel that immerses readers in a richly constructed world filled with magic, intrigue, and unforgettable characters.

The author masterfully weaves intricate plotlines and vivid descriptions, bringing the fantastical landscape to life. The pacing is well-balanced, with moments of action and introspection that keep readers engaged throughout. Foss’s journey is not just a physical one; it’s also a profound exploration of identity and courage.

The supporting cast is equally compelling, featuring a diverse group of allies and adversaries that add depth to the narrative. Themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the struggle between good and evil resonate throughout, making it a relatable read despite its magical setting.

Overall, "A Harvest of Hearts" is a beautifully crafted tale that will delight both fantasy aficionados and newcomers alike. It’s a must-read for anyone seeking an escape into a world of wonder and adventure. Highly recommended!

This book sounded like the exact type I would love to read, and there are so many good ideas and -heart- in its pages. However the characters were extremely frustrating, especially Foss’s childlike annoying habits. It was really hard to get in to the world when I also wanted to shake the FMC by the shoulders.

This was a cute and cozy autumn read. If anything, it took a bit too much inspiration from Howl’s Moving Castle, with many similar plot points, and spent too much time in exposition at certain points.

I was excited about the premise of Howl's Moving Castle but felt that this promise did not quite deliver.
I enjoyed the morally grey characters, and the idea of sorcerers and sorceresses taking hearts for their magic. The first three chapters set the scene perfectly, but then the story did not seem to go anywhere. The house felt like a pale imitation of Howl's house and lacked any originality for me. The magic was often told to us, rather than shown, which I was quite sad about. Overall, I felt the pacing could have been tighter and perhaps the book even shortened.

I tried so very hard to read this book. But after 2 months, I’m finally going to have to call it quits. I’m 24% through with the book, and not a single interesting thing has happened. That’s about 115 pages of absolute boredom. I tried to push through it. I’d take a break, read something else, and try to come back to it. But there is nothing about this story, nothing about the vague lore, nothing about the characters, that motivates me to continue.

I’d like to thank Net Galley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

The premise of A Harvest of Hearts really drew me in. Although I've never seen Howl's Moving Castle, I know the idea it. I'm just beginning my adventure into fantasy and this is an easy intro into the fantasy world without it having heavy world building.

Foss is a commoner from a village where female sorcerers come to visit from time to time. Those sorcerers come to snag bits and pieces of people's hearts to take back to their kingdom. No one really knows why they take their hearts, but those that are snagged eventually start feeling repercussions from it's magic and some eventually pass away. Foss does her best to avoid the sorcerers when they come to town, however, one day a male sorcerer comes and she is intrigued by him and he accidently snags a piece of hers.

Determined to find out why he took it, what he plans to do with it and get it back, Foss sets out to find him and demand answers. Along the way, she meets an adorably funny cat who can speak to her, a house that comes alive and can shape shift and a sorcerer, who might not be who she originally thought he was. All in all, it's a great story line and plot.

My issues with the book, however, are that the story line moves very slow in the first half of the book and then the 2nd half feels rushed. I believe there could have been a better balance to this and it would have helped with the relationship building between Foss and the sorcerer as that was also lacking in depth. I really wanted to see more of a romantic relationship develop between them and their interactions were minimal and not ones that would indicate an interest in one another. The writing itself was a bit lackluster for me. I felt a lot of words or phrases were being repeated over and over again and it became redundant. There was a lot of descriptions of things in the first quarter of the book that I feel were unnecessary and didn't add depth to the book and could have been left out as to help develop the plot instead. I honestly had a hard time continuing the story to the end because of the writing. Personally, it just didn't keep my interest enough and I almost DNF'd it several times, but I feel with the changes mentioned above, this could be a stellar book.

Thank you NetGalley, Andrea Eames and Erewhon Books for giving me an ARC copy to read and review. Best of luck to you and your book on release day!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For fans who love Howl’s moving castle.

I felt that the magic building was very easy to follow and I was engaged in the story right away.


Foss Butcher, a young woman who villagers never bat an eye to catches the eye of the first male sorcerer and is knocked off her feet, literally. She unfortunately, feels a pull to find the sorcerer. In their kingdom, female sorcerers steal the hearts of their people to use for magic. Foss knows this but still feels the pull to find the mysterious man.

Foss finds herself in a dark, magical house that will provide her with what she needs as long as she asks for it. With the help of a talking cat, she finally meets the dark sorcerer to discover how and why she feels the pull towards him.

This is a standalone fantasy.


Thank you to NetGalley and Andrea Eames for allowing me to read this ARC.

DNF - The plot seemed interesting when I first came across the book - it matched the many genres I was interested in, which led me to requesting for an arc. However, a few chapters in, I noticed the very slow pacing of this book - the narrative is filled with excruciatingly long dialogue between the characters and chapters, and the plot seems to be going in a direction I had no interest in. In addition to this, I feel as though there should be more paragraph breaks, as they seem very long and repetitive at times. Then again it could just be me and my particular taste in books - I think hardcore fantasy lovers would enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC copy of A Harvest Of Hearts.

The magic system of stealing hearts to use magic was quite intriguing. I absolutely loved Cornelius.

The story was a bit slow in the beginning but really picked up in the second half and had me completely hooked. I would have liked to see more POV's from Sylvester and to have seen the romance more flushed out.