This story promises to be a cozy fantasy with Gibli studio vibes, the premise is very similar to Howl's Moving Castle with the harvesting of hearts.

I must say the book has been a bit slow for me, although I loved Cornelius, a great touch this character, I loved him more than the main characters.

Foss and Sylvester's relationship happened in a way I didn't expect, I was thankful that the romance wasn't the main driving force of the story, although their moments together were cute, I kept reading mostly for the intrigue of how the harvesting and the whole magic system of this cozy fantasy works.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for my review.

4.5/5.0 ⭐️

What if magic was fueled by human hearts? A Harvest of Hearts is a whimsical yet dark standalone that took me completely by surprise! I haven’t read anything like it but it does seem to have been inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle which I have, unfortunately, not read yet. So I imagine if you are a fan, then you might like this book also!

The story follows Foss, the so-called “ugly” butcher’s daughter, who is accidentally enthralled by the first male sorcerer her village has ever seen. Without his knowledge, his magic compels her to seek him out, pulling her into a journey filled with eerie sorcery, self-discovery, and unexpected humor. On the surface, the kingdom may seem like a fairy-tale and the beautiful sorcerers carved out by the gods themselves but what lies beneath this perfect facade?

Foss is an absolute sweetheart and does not deserve the way she is treated by society. It is heartbreaking to read about her own self-deprecating outlook on herself at the beginning of the book but I loved watching her gradually recognize her own worth throughout the novel. Her inner dialogue is hilarious, and I found myself laughing out loud more than once. Here is just a little taste:

“I let it pass through me like the runs and, like the runs, it left me weak afterwards”

“Dav, who had about as much life now as one of his own dead fish”

Sylvester, the heartbreakingly stunning but broody sorcerer, also struggles with his own self-worth and purpose in life. It is fascinating to see how his struggles mirror Foss’ in unexpected ways. It is time for both of them to start questioning the status quo. Their romance is slow and closed-door but it is still so sweet! The angst, the longing …

“Yes, thank you—but despite all of that, to look the way I do and to love someone who looks the way you do, that is a humiliation that is worse than any pain. I would gladly take the suffering and leave the love, if I could. I would be in pain every day rather than love you.”

Overall, this was such a cozy and heartfelt read. My heart (no pun intended) goes out to both the main characters and their struggles to adjust to the standards of their society. If all of that did not convince you, I think Cornelius, the talking cat, would also tell you that you should go and read this book!

Happy Reading!

Thank you to Erewhon Books for providing this book for review via NetGalley!

This was darker than I was expecting, and the romance missed the mark for me. But, overall, this was a pretty good read. I liked the author's writing style (though a single 1st person point of view isn't my favorite) and loved the premise. The worldbuilding was interesting, and the characters engaging.

I really wanted to like this book. It had a unique magic system that should've been explored more, especially if you want me (along with Foss) to just accept the magic house and suddenly talking cat. The romantic aspect of it felt flat.

Overall, I really liked the story (rounded up 3.5 star review).

Pros:
The premise was really cool. There was a lot to love about the book, including a sentient house, a talking cat, and an interesting world. The setting was really clear and it was really easy to picture each location in vivid detail. It achieved a variety of tonal elements simultaneously- dark, gruesome and tragic world, paired with lightness and humor.

Cons:
The first ~15% was hard to get into and a bit slow, but once the story picked up, I loved where it went. The characters could have been further developed. I felt like I didn’t really get a lot of depth of personality from either MC, which caused the romantic elements to fall flat. It felt kind of random and forced. I also wish there was more about how the magic system worked.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Publishing and Erewhon Books for an advance copy of #AHarvestofHearts. You can find it out today, March 4th- opinions are my own.

In the end I DNF'd this book at 25 %.

In some ways I could see the comparison that was made with Howle's Moving Castle. With Foss being considered a "unattractive", the magical castle and a talking companion. I adored Cornelius and found the magical castle really cool and interesting, but I didn't care for either of the main characters, which made even that 25% a huge struggle.

Foss is just all around annoying. She acts like she has no interest or care for the sorceresses, but then oggles them everyone else. It seems she's supposed to be a bit of a wallflower, but it's so inconsistent. She can't seem to ask simple questions, but then yet has the guts to ask the sorcerer the harder questions and nose into his business. Her constant reminder of how she doesn't deserve fine things because she's so "solid" and "ugly" is extremely annoying.

Sylvester as the other character is just so flat. He's supposed to be the Howle character and instead of being quirky and eccentric, but caring; he's petulant, rude and pretty dull. There's supposed to be a romance budding between these two characters and I just don't see it. Maybe a friendship at best. Maybe.

Sometimes the stories we tell need to be investigated, to make sure we're not accepting something we shouldn't. In A Harvest of Hearts, Foss finds herself on a journey that begins with a stolen heart but includes much more and the unexpected. Thanks to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Harvest of Hearts is marketed as being part of "the tradition of Howl's Moving Castle", and that is maybe a little too kind. (The House in the Cerulean Sea is also mentioned, but as I haven't read that one, I can't speak to its similarities.) Much of the plot of A Harvest, especially towards the beginning, follows Howl's Moving Castle pretty precisely, from stories about hearts being stolen and a magical house/castle to a protagonist who seems to have accepted her unhappy fate. It is not just the general plot elements, however, it is also the physical descriptions and some of the imagery. This is not inspired, necessarily, by Dianne Wynne Jones' novel, but rather by the Studio Ghibli film. It is in how the hair raises when magic is aswirl, the way Sylvester matches the film-Howl pretty well, and how elements from other Studio Ghibli films popped up, such as the talking cat (think Kiki's Delivery Service) and a certain witch visit (giving Spirited Away). I'm in two minds as to how I feel about it. My ARC did not have the acknowledgement section yet, so I don't know whether Eames will acknowledge the inspiration from Dianna Wynne Jones and Hayao Miyazaki. If yes, I am generally good with it. All literature, all pieces of art, are inspired by others and it is in how different works respond to one another that we can see culture develop and grow. If not, I do have an issue with it. It is not that Andrea Eames doesn't do something independent with the story material, but her novel is, in my opinion, indebted to the works of Wynne Jones and Miyazaki in a way which needs to be acknowledged.

Foss has accepted the life that she leads, disregarded by all and generally considered ugly. It is why the sorceresses visiting to collect hearts do not really bother her. They would never be interested in a heart like hers. That is, until, one day, a male sorcerer, Sylvester, comes and snags her heart. She trails after him to the capital, tracking him down, but... he does not seem to recognise her. And so she introduces herself as his housekeeper and begins looking for her heart in his enchanted House. But there is more going on than just Foss' own struggle. There are others, whose hearts have been snatched, and a strange rot seems to affect the kingdom. Can she trust Sylvester, or herself for that matter? I did enjoy the vibes of A Harvest of Hearts. It is a fun mix between cozy fairytale and fantasy with body horror elements, a balance which is hard to strike but Eames manages. I did also like the snarkiness of Foss as a main character, although I could have done with a little less emphasis on "I am so ugly no one would ever look at me". I appreciate giving Foss internal struggles to deal with, which are a consequence of how she was treated as a child, but it was repeated a little too often to not become a little trite. Sylvester is not the most fleshed-out or human of characters, but once you get deeper into the book and plot, that does sort of make sense. Something I really liked about the novel's approach was in its set up, and I'll get into that below.

This is my first read by Andrea Eames and almost from page two I was intrigued by how she was setting up this story. Foss is our narrator, she is introducing this story to us with the benefit of hindsight, and especially in the beginning, we get these little comments of "I'll get to that in a second" or "more on that later". A strong focus, at the beginning, is about the stories we tell, how we take things for granted because it is how it's always been, or it is what has always been told. It lulls us into a complacency which, I think especially in this day and age, needs to be critically assessed. Some of that focus drops away a little as Harvest gets into its plot, but it remains something of a theme throughout. Foss' POV is also an intriguing one, although she acts a little younger than I believed her to be. The world-building in general worked relatively well for me. With the novel's focus on hidden knowledge, it makes sense for Foss to find out things slowly alongside the reader, but sometimes it also felt like an easy solution. The magic system is intriguing, although some aspects remained unexplained which felt pretty crucial to me. I mentioned the mix between cozy and body horror above and I think that, considering that it is marketed as whimsical, the darkness of the novel might come as a surprise to readers. I mean, it is about hearts being taken, of people being under spells, and a main character who is a butcher, so you should really expect all of that to feature in the novel, at times explicitly. The romance is an intriguing element of the story, because Foss needs to figure out where she stands between her enchantment and her actual feelings, and this adds an interesting depth to an otherwise straightforward slow-burn. Overall, I had a lovely time with A Harvest of Hearts.

I struggled with my rating but settled on a 3 in the end. A Harvest of Hearts is good fun and has many aspects which readers will enjoy. For me, some of it felt a little under-developed, and in the end, I had to admit, that some of my favourite moments or aspects did feel borrowed from Wynne Jones and Miyazaki. That is not a crime, like I said, all art is inspired by other art, but it did influence my rating.

This was a struggle to get through.. I was really intrigued by the premise and thought that it had great potential. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the writing style. It was very hard for me to get into this book. The pacing was quite right. Some parts felt really slow and others felt rushed. This one wasn’t for me.

Andrea Eames delivers a fresh and captivating fantasy with A Harvest of Hearts, a novel that blends dark magic, adventure, and an unlikely heroine who is as stubborn as she is endearing. With rich world-building, unexpected humor, and a unique take on magic, this book is a must-read for fans of whimsical yet eerie fantasy tales.

A World Where Magic Costs More Than You Think

In Foss Butcher’s village, heart-taking is an accepted—if horrifying—part of life. Sorcerers harvest human hearts for their spells, and everyone knows to stay out of their way. But when Foss, an ordinary girl with no special qualities to her name, has a piece of her heart accidentally taken by a bumbling young sorcerer, she refuses to simply accept her fate. Instead, she storms into the grand City and demands he fix what he’s done.

A Heroine Unlike Any Other

Foss is delightfully pragmatic, refreshingly unpolished, and fiercely determined. She’s not the typical “chosen one” of fantasy stories—she’s just a girl who refuses to let some careless magician steal a piece of her. Her fiery personality contrasts beautifully with Sylvester, the petulant, lazy sorcerer who has no idea what he’s doing. Their dynamic is one of the novel’s highlights, filled with snark, frustration, and an odd but growing understanding.

A House with a Mind of Its Own

One of the book’s most intriguing elements is Sylvester’s enchanted House, which has moods of its own and refuses to be ignored. Add in a talking cat (because every great fantasy needs one) and Foss’s mission to reclaim her heart becomes as entertaining as it is mysterious.

A Dark and Twisting Mystery

What starts as a simple quest for Foss to retrieve what was taken soon turns into something much bigger. As she digs deeper, she begins to unravel the truth about heart-taking and the magic-workers who wield it. The story takes surprising turns, challenging Foss’s assumptions and revealing that magic is far more complex—and dangerous—than she ever imagined.

Final Verdict
• A Harvest of Hearts* is a beautifully crafted fantasy with a compelling protagonist, an inventive magical system, and just the right balance of humor and darkness. Andrea Eames’ writing is sharp, witty, and immersive, making this a perfect read for fans of authors like Diana Wynne Jones and Margaret Rogerson. If you love stories with quirky characters, eerie magic, and a heroine who refuses to back down, this book is for you.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Andrea Eames for providing me with an ARC of A Harvest of Hearts in exchange for my honest review.

As a long-time fan of Howl’s Moving Castle, I was eager to dive into A Harvest of Hearts, and I’m happy to say that it exceeded my expectations. This book is everything I love in a story: whimsical, with an enchanted house and a talking cat. The world-building is wonderfully simple yet deeply immersive, drawing me into the narrative with its vivid descriptions.

The heroine, Floss, felt incredibly real. Her struggles with feeling unworthy of love resonated with me on a personal level, which made her journey all the more engaging. I found myself rooting for her from start to finish. On the other hand, the hero, Sylvester, didn't quite reach the same depth for me, though I did appreciate the contrast between his more stoic nature and Floss's vulnerability.
However, the true star of the show was Cornelius, the talking cat. His wit and charm brought much-needed levity to the story, and he quickly became my favorite character.

Overall, A Harvest of Hearts was a thoroughly enjoyable read—one I could easily see myself revisiting. It’s a delightful, enchanting tale that has the potential to make a fantastic animated movie in the same spirit as Howl’s Moving Castle. While comparisons to Howl’s Moving Castle are inevitable, A Harvest of Hearts stands strong as a unique and original story in its own right.

Thanks as always to Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC! Publishes tomorrow, March 4th!
This was a good book, had potential to be great but was good.
The magic system was not like any other I have come across where sorcerers take pieces of hearts to work their magic. Cornelius the talking cat was hands down my favorite character and some of the best parts of the book. Very dry British-ish humor that I love!
The ending was orchestrated perfectly with all the choices being made, with the exception of feeling rushed once we finally got to that part. We didn't get a lot of face time with the villain either which kind of made for some meh moments.

A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames is such a delightful and captivating read! It’s down-to-earth yet completely irresistible. Foss is an amazing character, and the addition of her talking cat makes the story even more charming. The book strikes the perfect balance between classic storytelling and fresh, unique twists—making it an absolute joy to read. I loved every moment of it!

A Harvest of Hearts is a captivating read with a unique magic system and an intriguing storyline.

I loved Foss. Her mother died during childbirth, practically unheard of in their town, so everyone believes she’s cursed. Add the fact that she’s quite plain and clumsy, she has a very negative view of herself. Despite this, she’s incredibly brave and caring. I was rooting for her to get her heart back after being “snagged” by the only sorcerer in the kingdom.

Speaking of snagging hearts, the sorceresses harvest human hearts to fuel the magic the King uses to protect the kingdom and the people have come to accept this despite the terrible toll it takes on the victims. Foss however, is determined to find her heart so she makes her way to the sorcerers enchanted house and becomes his housekeeper. While there she secretly searches for her heart, realizes that Sylvester isn't what she expected and discovers the dark truth behind the Kingdoms magic.
This leads her on a quest with the help of Sylvester and Cornelius, a talking cat, to stop the corruption eating away at the harvested hearts and maybe even the King himself.

Cornelius is the best! There’s a lot to love about this book but he definitely stole the show.
I will say I’m glad the romance wasn’t the main focus of the book because it was a bit underwhelming. While we do see her develop real feelings for Sylvester, I think my biggest issue is that Foss was literally under a spell that made her love him. That being said, I really liked them as a couple once we saw him do more than just laze around all day.

I recommend this if you enjoy darker fantasy full of magic, adventure and a dash of romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing the ARC.

This was such a cozy read! I really enjoy atmospheric books, especially ones based on one of my favorite books/movie. This book had a really awesome magic system that I loved learning about. I also really enjoyed Foss, the main character. She was an incredibly dynamic character and I felt drawn into her story. Sylvester was incredibly intriguing and I found myself wanting to know more about him over the course of the story. I wish there had been more development to their romance, but I was not put off by it.

The book was darker than I thought it would be, but it didn't detract from the overall plot and vibe of this book. The vibes for it are absolutely immaculate, and it was great for my own personal brand of escapism. It is a solid fantasy romance book, and I think that people who love Howl's Moving Castle will likely enjoy it, even with the darker bits in the story.

I found this book ok, I liked it but didn’t love it. I couldn’t get into the story, the story idea was good but I kept getting lost throughout.

An intriguing premise with a unique magic system! While the writing style started off slow and the main character, Foss, wasn’t immediately lovable, the story grew stronger as it progressed.

The world-building stood out with a magic system unlike anything I’ve read before—engaging without being overly complex. As Foss developed more confidence and self-assurance, she became a character I truly rooted for.

One of the highlights of the book was Cornelius the cat, easily one of my favorite side characters ever. He added humor, lightness, and much-needed companionship to the story.

The ending tied things together well, leaving me satisfied. While it took a bit to fully engage, A Harvest of Hearts is worth the read for its originality and heart.

I enjoyed this. I found it very readable and hard to put down. There’s an interesting tone to the narration that I found very engaging. The worldbuilding is really interesting and clever, there were lots of ideas in it that I liked. I enjoyed how the house was portrayed, and how Cornelius worked as a character.

I liked the main character, Foss; I thought she was very distinct and well-drawn. I wasn’t so invested in Sylvester. I found his character a little vaguer in comparison, though I did warm to him towards the end. Plot-wise, I liked it; it was intriguing and I wasn’t sure where it was going and there were twists and turns I didn’t expect.

However, I found the romance element a little underdeveloped. I would have liked to see Foss and Sylvester spend more time together before the main plot took over. That said, this would have made the book even longer, and as it was it did feel a bit too long for me. The pacing wasn’t quite right; some parts of the book felt very fast whilst others felt slow.

I also found the book a little darker than I had been anticipating. This wasn’t a bad thing, as I did enjoy the darker tone, but it wasn’t quite the cozy fantasy I had been expecting. There were certainly cozy parts of the book, but there were some quite heavy scenes in it that took me by surprise.

Overall, though, this was a very solid fantasy romance. If you’re a fan of Howl’s Moving Castle and would like to read a far more grown-up version, then this would be a good place to start. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Death of a parent (in past), death in childbirth (in past), grief, blood, violence, murder, death, torture, animal injury, slavery, non-descriptive on-page sex.

This is not Howl's Moving Castle, but if you are looking for a gothic, cozy fantasy then this might be for you. Giving this a 3.5 out of 5. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I almost DNF'ed this at about 40%. Foss found her way into the home of a mysterious magic-worker and meets the best character of the book, aka Cornelius the newly talking cat. But then she stays in that house for chapter after chapter without the plot moving or any real character development.

At about the 60% mark, things finally begin moving forward and you finally get more insight into the character of Sylvester and the skeletons in the closet of the kingdom. The end of the story felt a bit rushed and unsatisfying.

When a handsome sorcerer travels through Foss Butcher’s small rural village, Floss finds herself inexplicably drawn to the magic user. Her chest aches for him in a way that she cannot explain, and the only remedy is his very presence. Foss leaves behind all she knows to follow the sorcerer to the city, determined to reclaim her stolen heart. Only, things are not so simple. Dark secrets lurk in the shadows of the kingdom’s underbelly, and the truth behind the magic users and the hearts they steal is more than Foss bargained for. What we get is a dark yet whimsical story reminiscent of Howl’s Moving Castle but still uniquely its own.

Foss is not your typical heroine, which is a breath of fresh air. She’s not beautiful in the traditional sense, and she has no magic powers of her own. In fact, the entire story happens simply by accident - an awry spell and a girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, she is strong and stubborn and maybe a little crude. She’s more relatable than most characters, and I love her for that.

Marketed as a romantasy, I wish there were more interactions between Foss and Sylvester. I think this is my biggest complaint. Foss fawns over the sorcerer because of the spell, but it isn’t until much later in the book that there is any meaningful communication. I did not care for Sylvester early on as he’s quite childish and bratty - largely ignoring Foss - but he did grow on me as the story progressed. But their romance felt lacking, or, at least, very one sided. I got friend-vibes most of the story.

I absolutely adored Cornelius. He is the best boy, and I will accept no criticism whatsoever. By far, he is the star of the book.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I thought it was fun and different enough to keep my attention. It’s a little long winded at times, but the writing itself is full of wit and charm. I think it’s definitely worth a read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

A Harvest of Hearts definitely has the feel of Howl's Moving Castle until the secrets become more harrowing and dark.

In a land where bits of hearts are harvested to sustain magic and peace across a kingdom lives Foss. A sturdy butcher's daughter, raised by a doting father in a small village on the outskirts of her kingdom. Her life is fairly ordinary until the day a sorcerer comes and ensorcells her heart, leading her on the adventure of a lifetime.

I'm a bit torn, much like Foss. There are definitely parallels in the story of Howl's Moving Castle (the movie more so than the book) and A Harvest of Hearts, which I deeply appreciated. Especially at the beginning. And yet I wasn't entirely blown away like I hoped to be.

I struggled with the relationship between Foss and the sorcerer. I’m not sure if it was the pacing of the book, or the repetitive, intrusive thoughts of Foss, but I never really felt a relationship develop between the two. Just a forced codependency. Frankly, the relationship between Foss and Cornelius was more compelling. I could read a whole book on the two of them faffing about, saving their world. Cornelius is by far the star of the book. He absolutely cracked me up, and his nature was incredibly spot on.

Despite my misgivings about the overall plot Foss is a lovable character. She's stalwart, resilient, and hearty (maybe the pun is intended?). She's human and makes the best of her situation. I appreciate that.

Overall I give this a solid 3.5 stars. I think it's an entertaining story that will worm its way into the hearts of those that read it.