when i read that it was reminiscent of Howl’s Moving Castle, i was absolutely in. unfortunately, the beginning felt like copy and paste of Howl’s and I was a disappointed. however, the second half of the book contained many redeeming qualities that kept me intrigued till the end. all characters (except the cat, the cantankerous cat was perfection) felt half formed and the threats and stakes were kinda boring.

is it my new favorite book? no. buuuut i did enjoy the story and would tell others to give it a try. i want to give this book a second chance and reread it physically instead of listening.

This was a fun magical time. A house that is alive, a cat that talks, and sorcery you got me there. I got a chance to listen to Audio version of this book and the actress who read was amazing! I must say the Cornelius (cat) reminds me of the cat from the 90s tv show Sabrina the Teenage Witch, he’s got that sassiness. I loved the story between Foss and Sylvester. The house was a character in itself. So if you like studio Ghibliesque stories then this is the book for you.



I want to give a huge thanks to NetGalley and RBMedia for allowing me to listen to this fun Arc.

I LOVED IT!!

First off, I LOVE Cornelius. he is the best. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The character development is amazing. and I am happy it's a standalone, sometimes series tire me out. haha. i really liked the narrator and her accent.

Thanks to netgalley for an audiobook copy!

Foss is put under the spell of a sorcerer and finds herself drawn to him and compelled by his magic. Full of wonderous magic, a talking cat, and beautiful world-building, A Harvest of Hearts is a delightful fantasy read and the perfect distraction from the chaotic world.

I really enjoyed the audio version and I would highly recommend it. The narration was perfect.

I recieved an audiobook of A Harvest of Hearts from @NetGalley - I decided to listen to this on a whim (this was my first audio book) and it really made an impresson on me. I loved this adventure fantasy and felt pleased to have discovered this book. - The plot was very alluring through out and I was excited to listen to more everyday

The story follows Foss, a butchers daughter who lives in a small town on the outskirts of the kingdom. Their king has magic workers (sorceresses) who are known to visit and “harvest” the hearts of small town folk. Once snagged by a sorceress, a person feels a sudden desire for them and follows them away into the city. Nobody knows what comes of them in the end. Sylvester is the only male sorcerer, during a visit to Foss’s town, he unintentionally and unknowingly snags Foss and as a result she makes a journey into the city to find him. When she finds him, he allows her to live with him as a house maid. In the magical house, Foss meets Cornelius - Who is Sylvester’s talking cat. Together, all three go on a journey of discovering more about the king and what is happening to them and those around them. There is a dark truth of what is happening in their kingdom and what is expected of Slyvester.

My positives from this book were that I really loved Foss’s character, she was extremely likeable. The element of a talking cat added a fun tone to this book which otherwise revolves around a dark mystery - The story is well written, unique and was easy to understand and imagine. The adventure and the mystery aspect was great and I found myself really invested in wanting to find out what is the root cause of all the issues in their Kingdom

My only negatives are that I personally didn’t like how much Foss self loathed herself because in my eyes she was a great character and I wanted her to have more confidence in herself. She really carried this story for me so I wish there was less of this in her character.

I really would have liked more romance and tension between the main characters earlier on in the book. The romance develops towards the end however the pining was always from Foss’s direction, I definitely would have loved it if there was more intensity from Sylvester. I think a Sylvester POV would have been great somewhere in the book.

Overall, I would really recommend this book, it did not disappoint

This book just has a very whimsical feel to it, that seems like a cross between Alice and Wonderland and Beauty and the beast. We have a magical house, a talking cat, along with spells, magical kingdoms and whimsy. It is like a mixed up fairy tale and I loved it. At times though the pacing seemed a bit to slow, and fmc a little depressing with always putting herself down. This book is definitely different

The world-building is truly exceptional, and I found myself easily immersed in the whimsical world created.

The story is well-crafted, with a rich backstory that adds depth to the characters. However, the female protagonist can be quite self-centred and negative, which can be frustrating at times. Nevertheless, this aspect of the plot is integral to the story.

The male protagonist is initially portrayed as a passive and uninteresting character, but he eventually redeems himself and the talking cat, who steals the show with his witty banter.

The pacing of the story is slow and deliberate, with a unique perspective that sets it apart from other works. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook version to listen to.

The unexpected twist at the end was a pleasant surprise, and the overall reading experience was highly enjoyable.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia for the advanced audio book</i>
I wanted to try this because I thought the cover was spectacular and the premise seemed interesting. Boy was my intuition right! The magic system in this book seemed new and fresh. I really liked learning how it worked with our main character Foss. Cornelius was obviously my favorite character. Who doesn't love a sassy talking cat? I will say even with the explanations it felt weird for her to know she doesn't love Sylvester but also be entranced by him. Overall I thought the book was really good and interesting! I also thought Jessie Elland did a great job narrating the book!

I did not particularly enjoy this book, but I think a lot of other people will. I personally just did not vibe with Howl's Moving Castle at all - and while that was a comp for this book, it was also comped to The House on the Cerulean Sea, which I adored. This was very similar in plot and vibes to Howl's Moving Castle, and not remotely similar to the latter.

The plot was interesting, but I just get icked by any sort of 'I love him without my free will and consent' kind of scenario.

All that aside, I really thought the narration was well done. I think this kind of accent is hard to pull of well, and they truly did!

My first ARC read! I enjoyed it. Foss kept stressing me out. It was clear from Sylvester’s early interactions that he was unsure of his role in taking her heart and that he started to care for her early on. I really enjoyed seeing her come into her own — leaving everything behind to embark on this journey and reclaim what was taken from her. Her personal mission grew into a greater purpose, and we got to witness her transformation from an average town girl into a true heroine, creating a life she could finally be happy about. Sacrifices were made, lives were lost, but in the end, the king got what he deserved.

As a big ole Studio Ghibli fan who will happily rewatch Howl's Moving Castle at any given chance, I immediately had high hopes for A Harvest of Hearts. And no, I was not disappointed at all! Jessie Elland's voice is a perfect fit for this story. She is so expressive and her voices for different characters truly fit, which is not always the case (rarely the case, more like) for audiobooks.

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Foss Butcher is a plain butcher's daughter who has her heart accidentally snagged by a sorcerer. In order to escape the heart sickness, Foss runs for the city to find this sorcerer and demands he let her stay as his housekeeper. Sylvester has newly come into his powers as a sorcerer and is not really doing much of anything with his life. His magical home is a mess, his magical powers perhaps even more of a mess, and now he has some girl living with him too.

With the kingdom's heart magic faltering, Foss and Sylvester must save not only themselves but everyone with a heart.

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My favorite part of this book is obviously Cornelius, the most cat-like talking cat to ever exist. Followed up by the magical house that has an attitude and is also supremely clingy.

I think there were pieces that were not as fleshed out as they maybe should have been, primarly the world beyond the kingdom's borders and also why they needed the hundreds / thousands of hearts they had in jars if they are just kind of sitting in store rooms?

But Foss and Sylvester were a perfectly Sophie/Howl couple. There were themes in this story reminiscent of Blood Over Bright Haven, made slightly less horrifying and disturbing due to the lightness of the world.

Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for providing an eARC of the audiobook for A Harvest of Hearts.

This book was really fun to listen to. This book really dove into the magic system and the ethicality of taking from someone to "better" the society as a whole. I will say, I did get annoyed with the main character's choices sometimes (JUST LEAVE THE CASTLE DON'T LOOK AROUND DUMB DUMB). But the relationship between all the characters was very fun to read.

I feel bad that I didn’t LOVE this. It was just a smidge underwhelming. The story takes a while to gain momentum, and I struggled to stay entertained most time while listening.

While the book does capture a whimsical tone, it wasn’t as enchanting as I had hoped. The romance is a slow burn, which may appeal to some readers, but it didn’t fully hold my interest. The world-building was creative, and Cornelius the cat was undeniably the highlight of the story, bringing charm and personality.

However, I found the female main character occasionally frustrating due to her frequent self-deprecating remarks, which became repetitive. Meanwhile, the male main character, Sylvester, failed to leave much of an impression—his personality felt flat and uninspired.

The plot itself had potential, and the twist at the end added a bit of intrigue, but I couldn’t help but feel that more could have been done with the concept. Overall, while this wasn’t a bad read, it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

This was a perfect standalone fantasy. I know its marketed as cozy fantasy but it had more character depth and high stakes plot than i typically expect from a cozy fantasy which worked in its favor. I will say the presence of a sassy talking cat could be skewing my review. I thought the romance was really well played and the ending was perfection.

The talking cat stole the show!

The comparison's of A Harvest of Hearts to Howl's Moving Castle were spot on! This was a fun read with a great sense of atmosphere, which was only heightened by the audio narrator. I will say that I did find it a bit grating to hear Foss continually disparage herself for her supposed ugliness, but that was a minor gripe of mine. Overall, I found this a lovely little fantastical escape.

I was a little confused about the tone of this book? I was expecting a "whimsical" cozy fantasy read and this was kind of dark and serious. It just really through me off from the start. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the characters. They all felt one note and underdeveloped. The villain also had be rolling my eyes a bit. I just feel like there was no clear idea from the get go with this book sadly. I feel like marketing was a big part of the problem here.

2.5 stars rounded up. I went back and forth on my rating for this one a lot. I liked the idea of heart magic and was so excited to dive in after looking at the cover/reading the Howl's comparison. But this just wasn't for me. The magic system was cool, but I did not like either of our main characters. Unfortunately, the protagonist spent a lot of time talking about how they weren't pretty or special... and it didn't seem like the book really had much purpose for that. I almost DNF'ed multiple times, BUT there is an awesome talking cat, the idea of using hearts to power magic was fascinating (even if it wasn't developed deeply), and I liked the familial relationship of the main character and her father. There are definitely some things that work well and a great cat, so check this one out and see if you like it better than I did!

Thanks to NetGalley, Andrea Eames, and RBmedia for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.

Book review: 3.5/5 ⭐️
Genre: YA fantasy
📖 Read if you like: Immortality: a love story, Starling House, Within These Wicked Walls

As someone who will never have enough of witchy reads, I was very excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley and RBMedia. With hearts the primary source of magic it promised to be both dark and endearing. With an alluring premise and a heart wrenching love story it was a dark yet cozy fantasy.

Foss Butcher is plain and clumsy. Long known as cursed in beauty and birth she unexpectedly follows the first male sorcerer ever seen to the city after he accidentally snags her. With nothing to do but follow her heart’s desire and seek proximity to the sorcerer Sylvester she ends up working as a house girl. She uses the cover to seek means to undo the spell and regain her heart. Yet her heart is only part of the story, for there is much more to magic and the magic wielders than she ever imagined.

The sorcerers are part vampire, part frankensteins’s creature and part witch. Entirely ensnaring with otherworldly beauty they steal the hearts of humans and drain their lives slowly. These sorcerers are not born, but made to be this way by the king in order to wield magic that secures the kingdom. Yet this magic requires the high price of human hearts, one which the people are seemingly willing to pay.

They lived unquestioningly in a kingdom where magic workers came into villages to pluck hearts and never seemed to really wonder what “threats” the king claimed he was defending the people against. The characters themselves seem to come to this realization three quarters of the way through this novel after which the darker truth is revealed.

The characters: Foss’ plainness and insecurities was a refreshing change for an MC. Her self depreciation can be viewed as off putting, but I think this may be a more realistic narrative. The romance was rather banal, but I liked that it didn’t overtake the plot, and offered a nice complement in the later half of the book. Sylvester is petulant at first and then makes the change to self aware and selfless rather quickly. I really wish he was given a POV and more thoroughly developed so I could make out his character and experience his transformation. My impression of him is essentially a beautiful newly made robot. The best character in this book was hands down Cornelius the cat, who was somewhere between the Cheshire in Alice in Wonderland and Salem in Sabrina. He added some charm and quirkiness to this story along with the house.

The plot critque: The villains (besides Clarissa) lacked complexity so the wider story required hearsay. In a long book I expected the king and the other sorcerers to be given a little more time and personality. Now on to our leads. There is a fine line between goodness and stupidity, and Foss walks it. Her need to stand up for others and save all the ensnared children is admirable even if it came at the coat of common sense. Whenever she makes a plan to escape a dangerous situation and is moments away from success, she walks right back in and falls into an obvious trap. It makes you want to shake Foss and tell her to use her brain every once in a while and consider risk assessment. If she gets caught while attempting to save another that just means two hearts for the monsters, which she never seems to realize. I liked Sylvester and his house, but didn’t really understand his motivation if I am being honest and there were some conveniences in his story near the end that didn’t really make sense to me. I also didn’t understand how Foss could be snagged in the first place given her ability.

Overall I liked the story and the magical system was inventive even if there were some small holes. The mystery itself was dark and kept me reading. I was surprised with some of the revelations and the house and cat were brilliant. The first half was slow and repetitive in heart harvesting chatter and Foss’ deemed humiliation. Most of the plot happened in the second half, but at least we had a lot of atmosphere and background for this world.

🎧 This book had a slow pace, especially at the beginning, making it perfect for an audiobook. Jessie Elland is brilliant as a narrator giving voice and character to this story. Her evil drawl and northern English accent were just what I pictured for this book.

I liked elements of this book but felt the relationship between Foss and Silvester was a bit forced. I wish the two had more dialogue and interaction in the early novel. Cornelius was the best, and I loved his relationship and connection with Foss. I thought it was entertaining and would recommend it to a select group of readers.

This book is a lovely tale of fantastical adventure, personal growth and the triumph of love over all obstacles in the tradition of Howl’s Moving Castle. It feels like a fairytale retelling while wholly original.

If you've ever felt like the ugly duckling and looked over, as if life's pressures and privileges were set aside for the golden beautiful ones, this is the tale for you, about Foss Butcher, a plain butcher's daughter who has more skill than beauty but discovers her own kind of magic when she gets snagged by Sylvester, the only wizard in a kingdom where magic is wielded by stealing parts of people's hearts or the whole of them.

This is only the beginning of a wonderfully whimsical story and I urge you to pick it up.

Thank you Netgalley for this ALC.
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