I enjoyed this a lot! A Harvest of Hearts has an interesting, unique magic system that starts off on the whimsical side and, as the story unfolds, it gets a darker. The way the magic impacts the kingdom and its people kept me intrigued, and the beautiful writing brought the world to life, as did the narration. Some aspects felt a bit repetitive (such as the self-deprecation), but overall, this was a great read!

Thank you Andrea Eames, NetGalley, and RBmedia / Recorded Books for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cozy, slightly chaotic delightful read. If you're into quiet magic, grumpy girls, emotionally unavailable sorcerers, and talking cats with attitude, then this one is worth checking out!

Foss, our FMC, isn’t your typical weak fantasy heroine (which I love!!). She’s blunt, not conventionally pretty, and just trying to figure out what happened to her heart. The story lets her be messy and real, which made her super relatable and had me rooting for her throughout the whole story.

The magic system is unique, and the magical house was full of fun surprises that kept me engaged. Cornelius the cat was the perfect side character, so dramatic!

I felt that this book was very flat. There is no emotion or strong characterization. Our heroine, Foss, is very monotone and self-loathing. Her heart is "stolen" by a sorcerer, so she leaves home to go work as a servant in her castle. She just can't resist. This premise is somewhat similar to one of my favorite books of all time, Howl's Moving Castle, so I understand why the comparison is made. But Foss is just so boring to read from. She doesn't have any personality. The sorcerer, Sylvester, does not have any charisma to make up for this; he also falls very flat. Since I am not interested in these characters, I am just not feeling the story. I think you will like this if the writing style works for you, but I'd drop it at like 20% if you are not vibing with it.

I absolutely loved this book, and want so many more stories from this world.

I found the characters, particularly Foss, to be so real and endearing. She’s not the perfect beauty of some fantasy novels, and is so relatable. Add in her lovable sidekick (a talking cat), and a slow burn, kind of enemies to lovers romance, and this was everything I hoped for. It feels like the perfect blend of high stakes and cozy fantasy, and I cannot wait to read more from the author!

I also loved the narration of the audiobook, particularly Cornelius (I absolutely LOVED him). Jessie Elland was the perfect choice for Foss.

A delightful homage to Howl’s Moving Castle with a slightly darker twist.

Foss is easily likeable and a breath of fresh air among the rows of beautiful-but-she-doesn’t-know-it-yet protagonists common in fantasy novels and her delightfully uncomplicated relationship with her father is one of my favourite aspects about this book. Even though this is a stand-alone, we got a pretty good insight into Foss’ past, which connects nicely with the overall themes of the story. The narrator does a perfect job at bringing the characters to life with different dialects and voices and I was a little sad when I realised that this isn’t the beginning of a series. I would have loved to spend more time with the characters, especially the talking cat.

There are some times where the story dragged a little and the romance didn’t feel as well developed as I would have liked it, but there were a couple of sweet moments and I liked the twist on why Sylvester felt drawn to Foss, the comments on beauty and the simple fact that the protagonist isn’t pretty and never will be and instead of having her realise that she was beautiful all along or give her a make-over, she’s just allowed to be a little ugly. Really refreshing. My favourite character is the witch, who’s truly living her best life.

Overall, I had a really good time and would love to read whatever the author writes next.

In a world where your heart stores real magic, Foss lives in a village that is regularly visited by the King's sorceresses who slyly steal pieces of the villager's hearts.

Foss is our FMC who describes herself as a plan, nothing special girl. She works with her dad at the butcher shop. The sorceresses are visiting more frequently lately, and Foss, intrigued, steps out of their shop to see what is going on. That's when she sees Sylvester, a male sorcerer. They have a passing moment and Foss feels he's stolen a piece of her heart as she can't explain the feeling that comes over her and the longing for him that eventually makes her leave her village to search for him when he leaves. This is a rare occurrence, only knowing two others who left the village to the city.

She finds the sorcerer and claims she's there to be his housekeeper and finds herself trapped between magical walls with a talking cat (Cornelius) as her only friend. She is trying to work out what to do about her heart, was a part of it stolen? Can she get it back? All she knows is when she's away from Sylvester, she feels literally love sick, and when with him, she is overcome with her love for him that seemed to come out of nowhere.

As the book goes on, Sylvester's stand offish and void of emotion demeanor starts to make more sense as the magic system and history is explained. He seems to have no cares towards Foss and what she is up to in the magic house. During her time in the city, Foss will learn more about their magic, how they use the hearts they harvest and what the sorcesses' and kingdoms intentions are. Cornelius the cat kept this book alive and moving for me, and I was most invested in his witty character!

The magical house was so much fun to learn about, and the book had a very unique magic system. At first, this felt like a cozy fantasy, but I will say it developed to be a bit darker than that in the second half.

Narration was great - Overall, enjoyed this read.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC in exchanges for an honest review.

Beautiful, whimsical book! Absolutely loved the vibes of this book. I'd definitely read more from Earnes.

What a delightful book! The middle was a struggle as I couldn't see where it would go, but I am glad I pushed through. The ending was fantastic and wrapped up the story wonderfully. The narrator was able to do all of the voices for the different characters in a believable, not cringe way.

A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames is a fantasy novel with Howl's Moving Castle vibes. No nonsense Foss Butcher has had a rough life in the village she grew up in, but that all changes when a whiny but strikingly handsome sorcerer accidentally Snags her heart; life does not get easier when he shows up, however. Light romance and a less obnoxious Howl.

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.