I know the description likens this to Howl's Moving Castle, but, while I see some vague similarities, this is it's own story.

Foss Butcher is a plain girl from a small village. Her mother died during her birth, but her father has loved her dearly. The other townspeople however are sure something is wrong with Foss and that she caused her mother's death. They are less than kind.

On a periodic basis the ethereally beautiful magic-users come to town. Everyone knows they're taking little bits and pieces of hearts with their presence, and using those bits to protect the kingdom. No one questions or begrudges this.

One day a male magic-user visits them. He's every bit as beautiful as the others, and when his gaze lands on Foss a hook is sunk deep into her.

She's compelled to follow him to ease the ache in her heart, and from there the story spools out. Secrets, betrayals, and love.

Overall I found this to be a sweet romantasy.

A Harvest of Hearts is an atmospheric novel brimming with gothic vibes. Its unique magic system revolves around magic users who sustain themselves by taking pieces—or even entire—hearts, much like vampires with blood. The story also carries a whimsical feel as we follow Foss and Sylvester, whose differing worldviews shape their journey. As they grow closer, they begin to sense that something mysterious is unfolding—along with the possibility of deeper feelings between them.

Team Cornelius!

In a kingdom where magic wielders take bits of villagers' hearts to power their spells, Foss Butcher lives a life of near invisibility. She feels guilt over her mother's death in childbirth, and sees herself as sturdy and dependable, unlike the dainty and pretty village girls. After a cruel incident in which a boy she liked mocks her, she decides she will not set her sights on any man.

Until Sylvester, a sorcerer, sets his sights on her and snags a piece of her heart.

Foss is angry and a little intrigued, because now that the sorcerer is gone, she has pain in her chest, and also, this is the only male sorcerer she's ever seen. Determined to get the piece of her heart back, she goes after him, and when he doesn't recognize her, she blurts out that she's there to be his housekeeper.

The sorcerer's house is filled with magic, and Foss settles in, determined to find the missing piece of her heart, but she finds Sylvester to be much different than she imagined. He is moody and his magic is not the best, so he is usually the last resort for people seeking charms and spells. Foss also meets Cornelius, a black cat that can speak and is probably the best character in this book.

I enjoyed this audiobook a lot, Jessie Elland captures Foss's witty personality so well, and the book was a whimsical delight.

Harvest Of Hearts had such a fascinating premise that I couldn't help but dive in with high expectations. The story concept itself was incredibly intriguing and held so much potential—one of those plots that sparks the imagination and keeps you curious about how it will unfold.

However, I have to admit that the execution left me a little underwhelmed. While the plot had me hooked, I struggled to connect with the characters on a deeper level. They felt somewhat underwhelming, making it difficult to fully immerse myself in their experiences and emotions. The main character stood out to me as being overly critical and negative about herself. I understand that self-doubt can add layers of relatability, but in this case, it felt a bit overemphasised, which made it hard to root for her wholeheartedly.

On a brighter note, the narrator for the audiobook was a wonderful choice. Their clear articulation brought the story to life in a way that the text alone didn’t quite achieve. The accent they had was an especially nice touch—it really complemented the atmosphere the book was aiming for and added an extra layer of authenticity to the storytelling.

While Harvest Of Hearts might not have fully lived up to my hopes, it still offered some moments of intrigue.

Loved the narrator, didn’t care for the story. I couldn’t connect with the FMC and didn’t necessarily care about what was going to happen with her. Interesting premise thougb

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Heartbreakingly beautiful.

Eames thoughtfully melds cozy fantasy with something darker.

The book see’s Foss, a butchers daughter, tangled with Sylvester, a sorcerer who trusts his house a little bit too much, and a talking cat, who stole the book.

Writing:

Simply put, Eames writes beautifully.

She skilfully weaves whimsy with deeper meanings, capturing the readers attention and keeping it, as you try to anticipate what happens next.

The pacing suits the whimsy of the story, which sees the characters just existing for a part of the story. The pace picks up well as the story develops and certain elements of whimsy are lost as the story gets darker.

Character:

Reminiscent of Howl and Sophie, Sylvester and Foss are both flawed individuals and Eames took care to explore their flaws.

The relationship between Sylvester and Foss builds slowly, with hints seen throughout. In the context of the story, I think the pace of the relationship made sense, although in any other book I would be questioning the build.

Like many before me, I was drawn in by the phrase “talking cat” and let me say, it does not disappoint. Cornelius was absolutely perfect.

Issues discussed:

This book discusses issues including parental loss (off page), self esteem, bullying (past), and manipulation. It has never been more obvious that an author has put in the effort of using a sensitivity reader to make sure that these topics are given the care they need.

I have read many books where the main characters are almost unrealistically beautiful and it is a breath of fresh air when the main character isn’t. I’m sure that there are a lot of people, myself included, who can relate to Foss, who is for all intents and purposes, an average person who despite her doubts remains strong throughout.

Narration:

Jessie Elland nailed the narration. The voices were nice and distinct, with none of the awkwardness that you sometimes get when a female narrator uses a male voice, and visa versa

A Harvest of Hearts includes a FMC with a macabre connection to a sorcerer, a magical house, and a talking cat. I enjoyed the beginning of this book, but I lost interest before the halfway point and never seemed to reconnect with the characters or the pacing. I did enjoy the narrator Jessie Elland and would absolutely listen to future narrations by her.

I received an ARC and ALC from Kensington Publishing | Erewhon Books and RBmedia | Recorded Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really thought I was going to love this one. It was off to a rough start but once we got the the main characters together, not to mention the talking cat, I started to enjoy myself. Sadly, the MMC failed to present a personality. Romance fell flat. Plot meandered and by the end I lost interest.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the narrator either. The accent she used annoyed me from the beginning. I got use to it somewhat, but the annoyance would come back, so it wasn't a good reading experience.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the premise of Hearts being needed for "real" magic to occur. I especially liked the House and Cornelius. The sorcerer's sulking and Foss' constant habit of putting herself down got on my nerves. I like the narration. 4 stars.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc and an alc!

while this was certainly heavily inspired by howl’s moving castle, this was neither cozy or whimsical for the most part — there are quite a lot of trigger warnings that should be emphasized, specifically the removal of bodily and cognitive autonomy through the process of “harvesting hearts”.

i found this harvesting of hearts to fuel magic to be rather original, but also the graphically gruesome descriptions of those divested of their hearts was simultaneously horrifying but interesting.

despite the darkness of this world and the magic, i really enjoyed this book, especially the cat companion cornelius 💗

as for the narrator, she did a fantastic job!

this was another book that i wouldn't have picked up by myself! i loved this book a lot more than i thought i was going too. i am so thankful that i was able to listen to it