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.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC.

This wants to be the next Howl's Moving Castle so bad, and that unfortunately sets a high standard that it did not achieve. The comparison asks for something cozy, and it was until about halfway through. Talking the idea of stealing hearts literally is interesting and magical, but it also takes it seriously as a conversation on consent. and it gets really dark at that point. I also feel like for going in that direction, it doesn't go far enough to justify it. Foss is a complex character; her insecurities might be a lot for the narrative, but her thoughts were very familiar to me. Where small slights add up throughout your life to leave you subconsciously feeling like you are not physically meant to have a romantic partner, that no one could consider you an option. So frequently that any other possibility is inconceivable, never came to your mind until someone else suggested it. I really liked Foss' growth because it's something I wish I could do. Everyone else was fairly flat. The villains were cartoonishly evil, save for a little bit from Clarissa. The king especially gave a whole lot of nothing. Sebastian also didn't have a lot going for him. There weren't a lot of genuine romantic moments between him and Foss, so by the end, I really didn't buy into them as a couple and the hea wasn't satisfying. It was good prose, but structurally I was disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and Erewhon Books for this ARC Audio Copy!

I was really intrigued with the premise of this book and the magic system was quite interesting. I really enjoyed the relationship with talking cat, and the house, that was probably my favorite part of the story. I wish the FMC would spend less time talking about how plain or ugly she was, I feel like we got the point pretty fast on, especially when we have literal examples of her being bullied because of it. Definitely something I feel like should have been caught in the edits, but I guess it's better than saying how tiny and skinny she is every 5 min. The romance was a bit lack luster as well, but all in all it was a cute little cozy story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book all. the way through to the Reader’s Guide at the end. Reviews have said A Harvest of Hearts has a similar vibe to Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle and I agree. Though at times gruesome there is a whimsy to the story especially with regards to the House, Cornelius and even Sylvester. I appreciated the themes of self-esteem and self-image, learning to know your worth and that you deserve to “take up space”. Judging from the results I think the author took Ms. Gabriel’s sensitivity reading to heart (no pun intended). Spoiler alert: I found Eames’ love scene to be one of the more inventive I’ve read. Her descriptions transcended the physical and instead allowed the reader feel the full emotional impact of the scene and how it led Foss to accept herself. It’s also clear that the author is a cat “owner”. Her descriptions of Cornelius were spot on. Finally Eames has written with great whit, sarcasm, imagery and poetry. This was an excellent read and I will be recommending it frequently. Thank you.

Love, love, love, love! While I haven't read Howl's Moving Castle yet, I have a feeling that I will also love that book based on how many other people compared this book to that one. There was adventure, there was found family, and there were plenty of cozy vibes. I am so grateful to have received an advanced copy of this book. I even purchased a physical copy since the sprayed edges and cover are so beautiful. Thank you, NetGalley!

Well.. this wasn’t really my cup of tea. I found Foss pretty annoying and the way she keeps talking about how plain and ugly she is speaks of so much internal misogyny that I found exhausting.

The pacing was off, the magic system was confusing until the end, the solution seemed mysterious and overpowered at the same time and the relationship between the main characters was kinda cringey due to the love spell Foss was under.

The only really good thing was Cornelius, you can’t go wrong with a snarky talking cat! And the writing was okay I suppose, at least there was a very distinct voice to it which I like in a story. Anyway, for me this wasn’t it, but maybe other people will like it better!

Nevertheless thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the e-arc!

Lovely read, definitely reminiscent of Howl's moving castle! Will be purchasing a copy for my shelves!