If you love Howls Moving Castle and your fantasies filled with whimsy but with a dark edge "A Harvest Of Hearts" is for you.

I honestly can't believe this is a debut, it had me hooked from the first chapter with its strong hearted but cheeky heroine. Foss's a simple butcher and everyone in her kingdom knows what happens when the magic workers show up, they harvest hearts to use in their spells, to protect the kingdoms borders and ensure good harvests. It's just the way it is, noones ever questioned it. It's a small price to pay for the welfare of the kingdom, and they mostly don't harvest the full heart, leaving those harvested alive.

But one day, a magic worker shows up unlike the others and Foss finds herself snagged, furious and with a need to follow, she heads to the city to demand her heart is returned. But the magic worker is not what she expects, he's new to his powers and seems unable or unwilling to return her hear.t. Forced into remaining close by due to the effects of the harvesting she finds herself alone with only a talking cat as company, searching for a cure and drawn into a bigger conspiracies then she could have ever imagined.

Slow burn and whimsical but with an edge this tale will draw you in. Filled with domestic elements as well as kindgom wise conspiracy, you'll find cosy elements alongside high stake adventure and you'll find yourself unable to stop turning the pages.

One of my favourite elements other than the talking and rather witty cat of course, was Foss's personal development throughout the tale and how closely I felt to the mind and emotions she was experiencing. Foss is a strong heroine, she's practical, but she's never imagined anyone would want her heart. She starts off as someone who constantly compares herself to others, she feels plain and unwanted yet she despite this refuses to stand down and accept her fate.

I absolutely loved this book! I read an eARC on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

This is pitched as Howl’s Moving Castle esque and this is clear throughout the book. There are a lot of parallels. I already love Howl’s Moving Castle so I was primed to enjoy this. However this does strongly stand in it’s own right.

We have a strong main character who is forced out of her comfortable life when a sorcerer visits her town and steals her heart forcing her to travel to find him. She turns up at his magical house, befriends his cat and announces herself as his new housekeeper. Here she intends to investigate to find and get her heart back.

The main character Foss believes herself to be really unattractive but she is the apple of her Dad’s eye! I loved the father daughter relationship here where the dad just adores his daughter and thinks she’s the best and most beautiful girl in the world. I also loved the relationship with the cat who adopts Foss as his best friend!

Foss’s investigation uncovers a whole world of intrigue, magic and conspiracy. As she delves deeper she learns there’s much more at stake than the return of her heart. There was some pretty nasty magic in this and some callousness and cruelty Foss has to challenge.

Absolutely loved this, I was riveted! So gripping, engaging and magical!

Intriguing premise and story. However I struggled to connect with the writing style and characters. Overall this had potential, it just missed the mark for me.

I found this book to be an enchanting tale that combines whimsy, mystery, and a little romance. The story centres on Foss Butcher, a strong, endearing village girl whose world shifts when her heart is unknowingly (and accidentally) snagged by Sylvester, a young sorcerer with an interesting history. Determined to take charge of her fate, Foss sets off to the enchanted city. There she enters Sylvester's sentient house, meeting a charming talking cat, and uncovering the secrets hidden within the kingdom's magical heart-snatching practices.

The setting is immersive, filled with whimsical details that evoke Howl's Moving Castle. The house is a fascinating work of magic that is fun to explore along with Foss. Cornelius, the witty talking cat, adds a much-needed companion for Foss. He has a good sense of humour and a needed warmth for Foss.

Eames' writing is colourful and tender, particularly in portraying Foss’s blend of bravery (or stubbornness) and self-doubt in the face of powerful magic. I must confess that Foss’s constant negative self-talk began to drag on me. It was demonstrated perfectly in the first quarter of the book and didn’t need to continue through the book.

While the plot hints at romance, the slow-burn relationship between Foss and Sylvester might not be worth the wait for some and may be considered underwhelming. It would have been lovely to see more development in Sylvester's character to sell the connection as being more than just the magic that Foss is a victim of.

Even so, this book’s unique, character-driven story will resonate with readers who enjoy novels like "Howl’s Moving Castle" and "The House in the Cerulean Sea". With its mix of medieval village charm, sinister magic, and a hint of melancholy, this debut novel is perfect for those who appreciate whimsical fantasy with a touch of depth and enjoy a slow burn.

Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames is a delightful debut that blends cozy fantasy with a touch of dark magic and whimsical charm. The story invites readers into a world where magic-workers harvest human hearts to fuel their spells—a haunting yet fascinating concept (at least for me haha). At its center is Foss Butcher, a no-nonsense, clumsy village girl, whose life takes a drastic turn when a piece of her heart is snagged by the enigmatic sorcerer Sylvester.

Eames excels at crafting a richly detailed world, complete with a sentient house and Cornelius, the snarky talking cat who steals every scene he’s in. (I wish all cats would be like this) These whimsical elements, paired with the darker undertones of heart-snatching magic, create a unique and immersive setting. The magic system is intriguing, and while some aspects remain underexplored, the blend of humor and mystery keeps the narrative engaging.

Foss is a relatable and grounded protagonist, though her obsession with her perceived ordinariness can feel repetitive. Sylvester, on the other hand, is a mix of charm and frustration—a petulant, inexperienced sorcerer who slowly grows on you. Their relationship develops at a slow burn, which might test some readers' patience (said reader is me). The romance, while charming, could have been more fleshed out to feel truly earned.

The pacing, especially in the middle sections, might feel slow for some (because I missed some more engagement for the reader) However, for fans of character-driven, cozy fantasy, the steady unraveling of secrets and the deepening bond between Foss and Sylvester will likely be satisfying. More insight into the sorceresses and their backgrounds would have added depth, but the story still stands strong on its whimsical and emotional merits.

I really loved the atmospheric feel of A Harvest of a Hearts and it is certainly a more of a cosy fantasy and perfect for an autumn read.

The premise of this book was something I found so interesting and compelling. It did start a little slow in the beginning but I found really picked up the further you got into it and this made me enjoy the story so much more it was such a unique and interesting read.

There was such a sweet romance and I loved the overall feelings this story gave not to mention the sentient house and a talking cat. Such an enjoyable read!

Thank you so much to the author and the publisher for this eArc.

The premise of this cozy fantasy is really intriguing. The main character, an ordinary village girl named Foss Butcher, has her heart unexpectedly snagged by a sorcerer named Sylvester. As a result, a peculiar bond forms between them—one that Foss is determined to break at all costs. There's also a talking sidekick cat named Cornelius and a magical house. What could possibly go wrong?

There were several aspects of this book I really enjoyed. First, the concept of the world, where magic comes from harvesting hearts, is both intriguing and creative. The stakes feel appropriately high, so the plot doesn’t revolve around trivial problems.

That being said, the execution fell short in some areas. First, the book feels too long for the amount of story it has to tell. Despite the characters being constantly busy, the pacing still feels slow, especially in the beginning and middle. Second, I had issues with the main characters. It’s not just that they embody typical cozy fantasy tropes, but the dynamic between them feels underdeveloped. It's clear the author was inspired by the relationship between Sophie and Howl from *Howl’s Moving Castle*, but that effect isn’t achieved when the heroine spends three-quarters of the story obsessing over her perceived unattractiveness. Unfortunately, we don’t see much character growth in Foss, and the story ends with the male lead simply deciding she’s beautiful after all. Sylvester had the potential to be a fantastic male lead, but we don’t get to know him well enough, which is a shame.

I also had issues with the romance plot. For most of the book, Foss’s feelings for Sylvester seem to stem solely from their magical bond. As a result, when "real" feelings finally emerge, they feel unsupported by the plot and even unjustified. I believe this is the book’s biggest flaw—if the pining between the two characters had been more palpable, I could have overlooked the other shortcomings. Ironically, the best-developed relationship in the book is the one between Foss and the cat.

In the end, I had higher expectations for this book, though there were still elements I enjoyed. Fans of cozy fantasy might appreciate it more than I did, and I'd still recommend giving it a chance.

A Harvest of Hearts whisks you away into a whimsical world full of lush detail, gorgeous magic-workers and dark secrets. I have had the best time reading this book over the past couple of days, Andrea Eames has a vivid way of storytelling, her characters are very likeable and this is a story that will bury it's way into many peoples hearts.

The sentient house and Cornelius have to be two of my favourite aspects from this book (come on guys... a talking cat?!), not once did the pacing feel off for me, I found it to be very constant and relationship between Foss, our FMC and Sylvester develops excruciatingly slow at times, but the romance is worth the wait - I only wish we saw a bit more.

We don't really see a lot of the sorceresses, apart from Clarissa - I would have liked to delve a bit deeper into their backgrounds and making but the concept of the story was fascinating and the way magic was used within the book was done very cleverly.

I'm sad to have finished this book so fast, the beautiful writing from Andrea and the development of her characters was very special to read. I hope we get more like this in the future.

Please read this book, its whimsical, magical, dark, and wonderful.

A Harvest of Hearts is described as a cosy fantasy and whimsical in the blurb, so I was expecting a light-hearted, cosy fantasy. I wasn't expecting something darker and more emotional, but those ended up being the qualities I enjoyed the most.

I definitely connected to Foss' character and to her relationship with Sylvester, the sorcerer who magically snagged her heart. I didn't find her insecurities/negative self-talk about her appearance and body irritating because it felt believable. It was also balanced out by her father's unwavering love and support for her and how he had always seen her as beautiful, which was also reflected in Foss' otherwise confident personality. It resulted in her feeling like a well-rounded character, and the emotion of Foss's insecurities and the ensorcelled love that Foss feels towards Sylvester made me cry several times.

The characters, the plot that wasn't afraid to go a bit dark, and the emotional impact were definite highlights. The only reason I didn't go five stars for this book was because there was a noticeable downturn in pace near the end, right when things had been really ramping up, and the first few chapters felt a bit stilted compared to the rest of the book. Sometimes this happens in the world building chapters, and the first few chapters were dealing with that as well as laying down the tone of Foss' personality. Because it was trying to do both things at once, it came across as a bit blunt and clipped at the start. Once those first few chapters were over though, the book didn't feel like that at all for me, and Foss' personality naturally came through as honest and funny, while still self-deprecating.

So, although it wasn't exactly the whimsical, light tone that I was expecting, I really enjoyed it and binged it in one evening. The emotional aspects of the book definitely hit me and it was a great standalone.

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley but this is my voluntary and honest review.

Ah yes, may we live in a kingdom where we are free from fear, where we care about our fellow human beings...

I think some of the themes of this book can be interpreted as being quite topical: what do we actually need and how does that differ from what we want, it is also about the way we look at beauty and makes us wonder if that affects our opinions and behavior towards others, is it okay for someone to do something bad for a good cause, can people change and/or do they deserve a second chance?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.