A Harvest of Hearts

In case we haven't met digitally before — Hi, my name is Jordyn, and I love to read. I especially love books about magic, cats, and love. It should come to absolutely no one's surprise that I adore the original book version of Howl's Moving Castle very much. So, when I saw that A Harvest of Hearts was immediately compared to Howl, well, I had to request a copy of it. I won't lie to you — I wasn't immediately taken with this book. However, it did grab me eventually, and I sunk very deep into the pages. A Harvest of Hearts is almost too-obviously inspired by Howl's Moving Castle. There's a sorcerer who lives in a magic house, and has to harvest hearts to do magic. There's enough different here that it works, but it is still VERY OBVIOUS where the author got her ideas from. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I do want to add!

Our main character is a young woman named Foss who describes herself as hardy, solid, squat, and ugly. Foss is extremely capable, and despite the way she feels about herself, seems to be liked well enough in her town. (Foss claims to be bullied by the other girls, but we see no evidence of that on page. However, a boy she has a crush on is mean to her.) Everything moves along at a plodding pace until we meet the Sorcerer — Sylvester. (Which as a name, I'm not going to lie, did not work for me. I just kept seeing the black and white cat cartoon.) Foss is immediately snagged by his magic, and has her life completely turned upside down. As for Sylvester, he is almost an exact copy of Howl, when it comes to personality. He's whiny, self-important, and vain. He does end up melting his ice-cold exterior eventually, but it does take quite a long time to get there. I don't even think I enjoyed his presence on page until well over half the book.

Through Foss's eyes we are shown why the magic-users must harvest hearts, and what they do with them. We see the horrors that the King is willing to do, and the horrid, toxic personality Sylvester's sisters actually have beneath their beautiful faces. It takes a good long while to get to any sort of point when it comes to the plot, however. We find out that Sylvester is young, and barely seems to know what he's doing when it comes to magic. We find out, eventually, that the King is a horrible person who steals street urchins right under everyone's noses. Right at the very end, we find out why Foss is so different compared to everyone else in her village.

There-in lies my problem with A Harvest of Hearts — it was about a hundred pages too long. While the story itself is very interesting, and the writing well done, the length it takes to get to any sort of resolution is somewhat irritating. This book could have been excellent, and many will probably have the opinion that it is so! Unfortunately for me, I believe it needed a heavy hand with the editing pen. Despite my complaints, I did enjoy most of this book. Three and a half stars.

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.

3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary
Foss Butcher is likely to never amount to more than a butcher's life and perhaps some widower's second wife - until a sorcerer steals a piece of her heart, dooming her to follow him to his magical home, where she finds herself unwittingly involved in the fate of the entire kingdom.

Review
I read this book immediately after The Lost Bookshop, and for some reason linked them, though they really have very little in common. As I noted there, Bookshop has better prose, and this book has a better story. Rather to my surprise, I ultimately found myself rating this book higher.

A Harvest of Hearts has some trouble getting off the ground. The prose is clunky (though you get used to it) and there are a fair number of awkward (or just wrong) formations and word choices. I found it a notable obstacle, initially.

Gradually, however, I was won over by the plot, which is innovative, if built on familiar elements. The characters that move it along are fairly standard types, and there's no great surprise in their choices or resolutions, but they're well deployed and engaging. There's a little inconsistency (or maybe tension) – e.g., the protagonist sees herself as ugly for reasons beyond her control (and unsurprisingly, learns to think she isn't), but sees no problem with describing a villain as ugly (with the hint that that means lacking in moral fiber). Foss' choices aren't always consistent, and at times feel forced for the sake of plot movement, but overall the lapses can be skipped over.

There's a talking cat, which ordinarily I'm not keen on, as being a very overused device. But here, it's charming and adds to the story without being coy or overly cute.

The prose isn't great, frankly, but the story as a whole is engaging and fun.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.