4 🌟

This was a truly lovely read, fairytale-like and dreamy, with a solid protagonist and enough action to keep everything exciting.

Howl's Moving Castle is one of my favorite books (and movies), so the inspiration here is obvious. However, the novel stands strongly on its own, with unique and fascinating world-building that had me intrigued to the very last page.

I absolutely loved this book and found it so fun and enjoyable. And Cornelius is the best boy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is a fun, whimsical standalone fantasy with a touch of romance and a really interesting magic system.

However, I don't think I would really describe it as a cosy fantasy (even though it has a talking cat) as the stakes are too high and a lot of the story is quite dark. If you're after a cosy fantasy like Legends and Lattes or Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, this is not on that same level at all.

A Harvest of Hearts is much more epic and at times I was really stressed for the main character. Foss is exactly the no-nonsence character I love. She is a normal person thrown into extraordinary circumstances who manages to keep a lot of her humour as things look increasingly dire.

While it is largely a subplot, I love the way she comes to accept that she is great and worthy of love just as she is. She is strong, sensible and definitely the person you want on your side while battling and evil king and his awful magic.

Although I was expecting more cosy vibes, I fully enjoyed this book and will happily recommend it to fans of whimsical fantasy, as well as re-read it in the future.

If you love a good slow burn mixed of the cosy vibes of “Howl’s Moving Castle “ this is for you! I loved how cosy, funny and heartwarming this was and the talking cat? It’s the best!

A Harvest of Hearts is described as a cozy fantasy for those who love Howl's Moving Castle, so I had to check it out. It's me, I'm the target audience, and I completely adored this book.

The story starts slowly, picks up pace as you go, and I soon found myself unable to stop reading. While it brings all the cozy vibes, a talking cat, and a sentient house that ships them, it's a pretty dark tale with hidden depths. Things aren't at all low-stake, as our characters find themselves with the lives (and hearts) of an entire kingdom in their hands. They end up witnessing and being on the receiving end of gruesome, evil deeds and making great sacrifices to defeat the baddies. It does have a happy ending, but after all they go through it feels well earned and not at all forced.

I'm a big fan of interesting magic systems with limitations and drawbacks, and I loved the execution of this concept here. It ties into the plot really well and makes for a good transition into the later events.

The romance between Foss and Sylvester is a very slow burn, and slightly questionable for a while due to the influence of magic, but I found it very sweet by the end of the story. They both start as super goofy and insecure because of very different reasons, and I like how they work through that and find their strengths.

This immediately became one of my favorite books ever. If you - like me - want more stories of strong girls and bewildered wizards saving the world like in Howl's Moving Castle and Uprooted, you'll love this one!

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

DNF @ 30%

The story is slow & meandering & while I love the talking cat I just cannot get into this.

Others will love the world building and slowness of the pace but it just not for me.

I liked the prose of the book, the world, & the magic system. Unfortunately though I felt the book was too long and the FMC was very frustrating with her constantly iterating her "ugly" appearance. The first half didn't have a lot going on and by the second half I was frustrated it took so long to feel like anything was progressing in the story. It wasn't a bad book but it wasn't for me.

Based on the description I thought I would enjoy this book a lot more than I did. It had elements I loved .. a unique magic, a talking cat, and an expressive and everchanging house. Add in the inflictions of the Snagged and this story had a lot going for it. However I found the disparaging thought of Foss as very off-putting. I get she has self esteem issues due to her looks but I felt like too much at times. Also the attraction to Sylvester is a bit questionable as she is very much under a spell for the majority of the story. I know the story was meant to have a HEA but I felt like so much was left unanswered to the state of the kingdom. I ended up with so many questions and as such it kind of left a bitter taste in my mouth, so to speak.

Rating 3 stars

I truly wish I could re-read this book again for the first time. I think we as a book community downplay the importance and artistry it takes to write a cozy novel, one that truly makes the reader feel a sense if comfort. Harvest of hearts was an absolute joy, I laughed out loud more than once and left with those warm fuzzies. All of that and a talking cat? Swoon. I need more of this world immediately.

The cozy fantasy genre has been super popular and I'm loving it. Harvest of Hearts seemed to fit right in with the rest of em. And it was!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book wanting to love it as it's described as having a similar whimsical feel as Howl's Moving Castle, but I was left a little underwhelmed. The book took a while to really take off, and I found it hard to keep my interest at times.

It is whimsical, but not as much as I would have liked. It is also a slow burn romance. The world building was interesting, and Cornelius the cat was the star of the show. However, the FMC could be rather frustrating at times with her self-deprecating remarks, and the MMC Sylvester did not interest me at all. His personality was just dull.

The overall plot idea was interesting, and the end did have a little twist to it, but I feel like they could have done so much more with it. All in all, it was not a bad read, but it is not one I will remember and want to come back to. Still check it out if it interests you as you may like it.

A Harvest of Hearts presents a promising concept with its magic system, which stands out as the book's most intriguing feature. The magic itself feels unique and well-conceived, offering an interesting twist that adds depth to the plot. However, the world-building overall is quite minimal, leaving much of the setting and its nuances underexplored. This lack of detail in the world left me wanting more in terms of immersion and context.

The protagonist, while compelling in some respects, is burdened with a heavy criticism that makes it difficult to connect with them on an emotional level. Their character arc feels somewhat stagnant, and their development is overshadowed by their pessimistic outlook. Additionally, the supporting characters also suffer from a lack of depth, contributing to a sense of emotional distance throughout the story.

While Harvest of Hearts delivers a fresh take on magic, its lack of world-building and flat characters may leave some readers feeling disconnected from the story. It's a promising idea, but one that doesn't quite live up to its potential.

Nope. There are so .any better versions of this story put there, that this was just not needed. Too.bad, it sounded so good from the blurb.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I see whimsical and I must read🧎🏼‍♀️ and this is a truly whimsical story. It's magical and quirky, the writing is fun and witty and the characters are likable and feel authentic. This is possibly blasphemy but it was compared to Howls Moving Castle and I actually might have preferred this

A Harvest of Hearts starts off in a small village where Foss Butcher lives. The imagery the writing of this books presents is brilliant. Everything written is so easily and vividly imagined.

While there is romance in this book it is minimal, this doesn't feel like a loss but if you are looking precisely for romantasy, this may not be what you're looking for.

The magic system is fun and unique and the characters believable.

If your a fan of Howls moving castle, then you HAVE to read this book! it's grim dark, intense, filled with horrifically beautiful settings that will give you chills, and leave you in awe. a dark telling of what really happens when a sorcerer steals your heart. it's very much an adult tale, filled with a morbid humor, and paired well with flawed and brilliant characters who you will adore, and in the case of the antagonists, hate. between the world building, the magic system, and the ending, this book is going to be an absolute obsession. an almost cozy horror blended with a dark fairy tale twist and heavy ghibli vibes, this is a definite must read!

Before we get started on the review portion I wanna give a big thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Publishing for an arc of this book. The thoughts and feelings are my own.

Yall I was so excited for this book. And I can’t believe the review I’m about to write is not going to be all that positive. This book was pitched as a cozy fantasy book version of Howls Moving Castle. Which for those that don’t know is one of my all time favorite piece of media. So with that pitch line I was sold, however the execution was not there at all. That plus the amount of times I almost DNFd is depressing.

Our book follows our MFC Foss, the butcher’s daughter with massive self esteem issues. She’s noticed and has her heart snagged by our MMC Sylvester a sorcerer who practices heart magic. Feeling a void she decides to follow him home and become a housemaid. While she’s there she discovers a talking cat and something more sinister that can potentially threaten her entire village. of uncovering something sinister.

The only positive I have for this book remember that talking cat I mentioned. Yep that talking cat. Cornelius is literally the only good thing about this book. And if it wasn’t for him I would’ve DNFd this book.

Our MFC Foss is the most “pick me girl” energy I’ve read in a while. And that’s not a positive. The amount of times she says she’s ugly is atrocious. To make matters worse she isn’t even freaking ugly. And of course she doesn’t start to truly feel pretty until the hot sorcerer tells her she’s beautiful. I cannot stand characters like this and it honestly degrades women. And I wish authors would stop using this as a character personality trope.

We can’t forget our MMC, Sylvester. I’ve read some immature men in books in my life. But I think Sylvester took a new low for me. The amount of times mentioning being so hot and perfect made me want to barf.

Character issues aren’t the only problem. The book is extremely slow and way too drawn out. The magic system definitely had potential but unfortunately fell completely flat. ,


Overall, this book had so much potential but lacked execution. I honestly can’t recommend this to everyone. However, if you do decide to brave it. Just remember Cornelius is where it’s at. I would ride or die for that cat.

Final Rating: 3.5

I enjoyed reading A Harvest of Hearts, but I think it probably could've been a little bit shorter because it felt a little too slow for me, and it felt like there was not really a lot happening for a lot of the book. I also struggled a bit with Foss constantly calling herself ugly for having red hair, large hands and being "sturdy" (meaning fat), but like, that doesn't make you ugly? And I know it's all in her image of herself because she was bullied when she was younger, but it felt a little unnecessary to point it out as often as it was. As someone who has struggled with feeling insecure, I get it - but at the same time she would bring it up CONSTANTLY. Other than that, I did really like Foss as a character. She's kind and thoughtful and often goes out of her way to help others even when it puts her in danger.

I adored Cornelius the cat, he was definitely my favorite character by far! And Sylvester was interesting, although I don't really feel like I got to know him as much as the others, and I'm not quite sure if the chemistry between him and Foss was really there, and the real romance only came in in the last maybe 20% of the book, so in that sense I felt like it only just got started seeing the two of them starting to fall in love.

I do think the last third was the most interesting of the entire book, as that's really where things got going and we learned more about the magic and all the politics, which was the most interesting part of the story to me.

I'm a big fan of whimsical stories with darker aspects (like T Kingfisher) and while I liked those aspects of this story, it felt kind of...superficial? In fact, the entire book kind of felt just surface level, and we never really got deeper into the characters or the plot.

This wasn't a bad book by any means, it just wasn't for me. I hope it finds its audience because I know there are going to be people who absolutely love this one!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I felt this story fell flat from my expectations. I really wanted to like this book, but it didn't do it for me.

In theory this book should have had everything to be an absolute showstopper it had everything I love mystical setting, gothic fairytale vibes, a talking cat, love a whimsical but sinister vibes book but unfortunately thats not enough for it to be a good book.

The pacing was so off, incredibly slow and so boring at the beginning I almost Did not finish. It then sped up and felt rushed towards the end.

I also felt the characters were so bland, especially the king, like he was just a villian for the sake of being the villian there was no substance. I hated that the only thing we really learnt about Foss was that she was "ugly" like how does being sturdy make you ugly... I will tell you what, it doesn't like I don't understand that! What fat phobic bs is that.

I truly appreciate what the author tried to do with this book, but it just wasn't as well executed as I would have liked.

2⭐️ Strictly for the cat.
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The story follows Foss, a butcher’s daughter with incredible self-esteem issues who has been “snagged” by a perfect sorcerer who practices heart magic. She follows him to his magical home and meets the most wonderful talking cat Cornelius. Cornelius is the only character in the book with a good personality and any sort of sense. Foss spends most of her narration time lamenting about how ugly she is (newsflash: she is not actually ugly!). The incredibly hot sorcerer eventually falls in love with her and he makes her realize that she is not ugly. If there’s one trope I hate in a book, it’s the “I’m ugly until a beautiful man tells me I’m not” trope.

Foss’ issues aside, the story itself is very drawn out for something that lacked a lot of depth. The magic system had a lot of potential to be interesting but fell flat with the wandering prose. The world was very immersive, but with no explanation of the magic system or greater motives of our villains, it felt like a giant echo chamber.

Our sorcerer, Sylvester, is incredibly immature and lacking depth but that doesn’t matter because did I mention before: he’s just so beautiful and perfect and hot!?

Overall, for a book with so much potential I am quite disappointed

I was given an advanced copy to read by Netgalley. All opinions in this review are completely my own. I am thankful for the opportunity to read A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames.

Comparing A Harvest of Hearts to Howl's Moving Castle is right on the money. While there are many similarities between the two books, the whimsy and magic that is created in Howl's Moving Castle is very much present throughout A Harvest of Hearts. However, Eames' book stands on its own spine for having a unique, magical, and intriguing story of its own that is different in many ways. Fans of Howl's Moving Castle will enjoy A Harvest of Hearts. Eames did wonderfully building her world of magic-workers, the snagged, the harvested, and the mysteries surrounding a king and his kingdom built on stolen hearts.

My favorite character was hands down, Cornelius the cat. He was a supportive companion for Foss throughout the book. I often enjoy sidekick animal characters. I found myself rooting for Foss to overcome her self doubt and insecurities. I enjoyed the character development of Foss, Cornelius, and Slylvester. I do wish Sylvester's character development delved even deeper perhaps into his creation or even more into the person he was becoming as the story unfolded. I am not unhappy with his development or in his ending, I just feel he had much potiential that could have been explored further.

While having Foss as our main point of view worked well given that this is her story to tell, I feel it would have been intriguing to have Sylvester tell his perspective in addition. I believe A Harvest of Hearts is a stand alone novel, but dual point of views would be nice for future books if Eames decided to expand on this world she has created.

The overall pace is good. At the beginning I was really intrigued and could not put the book down. Somewhere after reading the middle, I felt the pace slowed greatly. The pace did not affect my overall enjoyment.

My only complaint with A Harvest of Hearts is the ending. I found it predictable and the solution too easy of a fix for such a large problem, especially a problem that has been ongoing for centuries. It wasn't a terrible ending, but it wasn't great either; it did fit the storyline.

I highly recommend reading A Harvest of Hearts. It was an enjoyable, whimsical, and well written story. I look forward to reading more from Andrea Eames.