Exhibit A of how to make the most charming and relatable protagonist with a strong character voice that is just delightful to read.

That openning chapter had finely polished hooks that most readers will be got by.

You can tell it draws heavily from the beloved "Howl's Moving Castle" but does so in a manner that keeps this story feeling fresh yet connected to it's ideas origins.

The worldbuilding was slightly clunky but for it's imaginative nature in a time where fantasy romance feels one note it deserves a lot of praise.

I LOVED IT!!!

I started this book without many expectations, but it has something that caught me. The setting and the realness of the main character were everything. Foss was a queen. Sylvester was mysterious and cute. And, the beat character of them all… Cornelius the cat!!! I held my breath every time he was in any type of danger.

Talking about the plot more in depth, the book is set in a world where magic workers (people with magic) are known to harvest hearts to be able to do magic, leaving the victims dazed and in an inhuman state. One day, Sylvester, the first male magic worker Foss has ever seen steps foot into her small town, catching her. Going out of her mind, she doesn’t have much choice but to go to the city and find him. When he does, she manages to live with him and slowly discover the truth about the magic and the kingdom.

All in all, i loved it so much. When it comes out, I will buy a physical copy a 100%. For me this one is a 5/5 stars. I totally recommend it.

Romantasy, is the biggest genre right now and this will not disappoint! Filled with sorcresses and binding magic. This fabled read will give you all the fairytale feels with a twist of horror. This was such a refreshing read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In theory this book had everything to be a complete showstopper in terms of my taste: a cynic and grumpy main character that is forced to deal with an eccentric sorcerer, a talking cat and a magical sickness that is a mystery.

Unfortunately the execution just left it being a middle of the road tale.

The pacing was all over the place, the first half of the book was so incredibly slow which I wasn't that annoyed by in the beginning but dear god nothing was happening. On the other hand the ending was super rushed and predictable and I can't believe what was supposed to be this immense challenge for our main characters was that easy to deal. And obviously to top of my list of pet peeves the author goes back on something they wrote (trying to be super vague) which is something that completely irks me.

Besides Foss every character felt like cardboard, specifically the King he is just a villain for the sake of being a villain and sorry I truly can't stand that. Sylvester had so much potential but the author just tried to make him to eccentric and nothing else. He has absolutely no charm and their romance had no chemistry and a lot of the time they had interactions that where supposed to be wholesome off page. Not to mention that Foss' love for him was kind of forced which just made me feel even more meh about the situation.

The beginning of the story started off strong but it just felt apart. A good concept but the actual execution wasn't on that great off a level.

thank you to NetGally for sending me this , I genuinely thought that this was a cozy fantasy until things started to pick up at like 70ish% it started to get a little exiting but still not THAT exiting you know I really like the primes of the story but it could've been way better than this but it doesn't mean it was bad I mean it was Ok i was interested enough to finish the book , there are A LOT of things I like about the book like the magic in it and the hearts and how the harvesting works and how they use it it was so much fun , I wasn't attached to any of the characters my FAVOURITE thing about the whole book is the talking cat I LOVE it also I wasn't invested in the love story and you know how in YA books they don't go past kissing and it isn't even describe a lot like barley there but this book it felt so long that I had to skip after I felt like it was being dragged so i don't know if it developed after i skipped it , honestly it was a fine book i think other people may enjoy it to be honest it just wasn't completely for me

This was a really fun, whimsical story. Very reminiscent of Howls Moving Castle but with so many other magical elements it's entirely unique. Finding a way out of the heart taking is Foss' goal, but Sylvester isn't making it easy. Their friendship becomes something they never would have expected, and, new magical discoveries are made.

I loved the concept of this, but the pacing was quite slow and the narration very distant--several chapters in and I hardly even knew who the main character was.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

def has some very howly vibes, kinda himboish (at first) sorcerer ML and a very fun FL, though both grow and change pretty rapidly in the story. Would recommend for a cute romantasy with a TINGE of darkness. 4 stars. would recommend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one--I felt that the main character was well-developed and understandable. I appreciated her character growth throughout the novel and, as a result of that, the ending was satisfying. The writing style/narrative voice suited the character well.

One critique of the story is that I would have liked a little more interaction between Foss and Sylvester while she is in his enchanted house. The narrative is so heavily dominated by her inner thoughts (usually about herself) that I didn't feel as if there was enough time for the reader to see Sylvester apart from her own personal views of him.

This book is actually great. I’d be deeply surprised if the author hadn’t read Howell’s Moving Castle, but it has original enough twists and perspectives to keep it fresh. It also has a slightly more serious bent, and an adult edge. Overall, I think this is a fun fantasy romp.

The Great, the Good, the Bad, & the Meh

Quick thoughts!

A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames. This unique fantasy follows a butcher’s daughter who tracks down the sorcerer who stole part of her heart & helps him find his in the process. I wish she had had higher self-esteem, TBH, bc she’s brave & determined & saves the day. This was an interesting one & I’ll check out another by this author! 4.25 ⭐️, out 02/25. (Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo: KD is one of my fave middle grade authors—she tells a fantastic story & her talent is so versatile. This book will remind you of the wonder of children & dogs 😭. 5 ⭐️.

Her Knight at the Museum by Bryn Donovan. I had a bad feeling about this one on page 1 when she gets sexy tingles just from handling this statue. Alas, this one never gave me something I could enthusiastically & unequivocally root for, & I ended up skimming from 40% on. DNF, out 11/12. (Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

The Duke at Hazard by KJ Charles. A Duke & a one-time school acquaintance who’s now disgraced set off on a trip to locate the Duke’s missing signet ring. This one has so much of what I love about a KJC book, & I loved how the Duke finally stood up for himself at the end. 4.25 ⭐️, out now!


📖 have you read any of these or are any on your radar?

A few moments were there when I was not sure what to think of this book but in the end this was what made it perfect for me.

This is the book I wanted to read after watching Howl's Moving Castle.

I loved it. There is a weird sorcerer, a talking cat, a dark mystery, evil magic and a protagonist who takes some time to fall in love with.

Foss hates her body and this is what threw me off for some parts of the book. But like Foss I learnt to love her exactly as she is.

Needless to say, after finishing my ARC I preordered the special edition, as I will reread this quite a few times.

Studio Ghibli eat your heart out! a whimsical and magical adventure story that follows our FMC Foss, the butchers daughter, who has been 'snagged' by Sylvester the Sorcerer.
I am a huge fan of Howls moving castle so this book ticked a lot of boxes for me. A magically cheeky house that is constantly changing rooms and of course, a talking cat who takes a liking to Foss as she arrives at the sorcerers house looking for answers only to discover something much more complex than just her heart being captured.
beautifully descriptive, the writing does a wonderful job in bringing the story and its characters to life however sometimes i did feel that the pace wasn't pacing for me and got a bit slow but once you get to the second half of the book it definitely picks up. This story has so much more to offer than just your average romance, it is strange (in the best way!) and we follow Foss on her road to self-discovery. I would have liked the relationship between Foss and Sylvester to have been explored a bit more, i was a bit unsatisfied with their interactions however this didn't make it unlikeable.
I very much enjoyed Foss's no nonsense approach to life, lets just get on with it, this is what i've got so let me work with it! was quite a refreshing take on a FMC and i loved her dry sense of humour - right up my street!
Cornelius the bacon loving Cat is definitely the star of the show and the relationship he develops with Foss is utterly charming. I do feel that Sylvester was quite one dimensional, great potential for this character to be explored in greater depth.
overall, a very enjoyable and enchanting read and i will look forward to future work from this author

The writing was extremelly detailed and descriptive and drew me into that world from the begining. Sometimes it can be a little slow, but it is worth it. My favorite parts were the magic and the talking cat really!
I would have liked a little bit more romance, but even so I really enjoyed this book.

⭐️⭐️

I have gone back and forth on what star to rate this at and I think I have decided on a 2 star.

This book was super difficult for me to get into and while I loved the concept and I can definitely see how the Howl’s Moving Castle comparison started, I just never was able to fully immerse myself in this book and often found myself struggling to even remember what I was reading and I had to go back a lot to refresh my memory.

Foss, the female main character, has extremely low self esteem and I found it difficult to fight through how often she brought herself up and compared herself to others. Her insecurity (while relatable to a teenager maybe), was just too much for me and I found it to be more of a character flaw than anything else.

Cornelius was the saving point of this book (Foss’ talking cat) and I really only kept reading for him as he was the most interesting part of the story.

I also felt the romance fell flat too and ultimately just never really liked any of the characters except for Cornelius.

I loved the concept of this book and I wish I had been able to get into it more and I do think the overall storyline is interesting!

4.25 ⭐️

• Thank you to NetGalley, author Andrea Eames, and Kensington Publishing for a chance to read this book early •

I did not expect to like this book as much as I did!
It is a little cozy fantasy that has similar vibes as Sorcery of Thorns, and I loved every second on its ride. It was such a fun read even with the bits of eeriness that were introduced about 60% of the way through. It's like you wanted to take this book very seriously, but the narrator's tone was just comedic and so much fun.

In this book, we follow our main characters, Foss and Sylvester, who, by a play of luck and fate, find themselves entangled with each other. These main characters were extremely loveable.
The FMC has insecurities about her body as she is a bit on the thicker and bigger size. She also thinks of herself as ugly because she has red hair (rude!) However, I did find the whole thing funny since her name is 'Foss', and in my language we normally use this as a term of endearment for someone who is cute and tiny, more baby-like.
Also! We have a talking cat named Cornelius and a sentient house, and we LOVE that!

The plot seemed a bit on the slower side and maybe could use some editing down. But honestly, I did not mind it one bit; the book hooked me, and I was just enjoying it the whole while and couldn't put it down. I just needed to know what happens next.

The only thing I want to comment on, the reason why I bumped it down to 3.75 ⭐️, is that I wish we had a little more romance and relationship building between Foss and Sylvester. I did love them together!

Definitely recommend this book for a cozy fall fantasy!
Read it if you like
| enemies (??) to lovers
| forced proximity
| cool magic system
| talking cat/sentient house

A Harvest of Hearts was whimsical and dreamy. I enjoyed the authors writing style and LOVED Cornelius. However, it has a pretty slow first half
of the book. I loved the concept of the magical house and I liked whenever Foss interacted with the it and Cornelius

Thank you to Andrea Eames, Kensington Publishing, and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I'm pretty sure there is a better way to underline the importance of something or someone instead of thinking/saying capital letters. I'm coming across this first time and to be entirely honest it's starting to bothering me and I'm around 25% in.

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.