A Harvest of Hearts — Book Review and Content Warnings
Author: Andrea Eames
Genre: Fantasy romance, dark fantasy
Series: Standalone
Age Rating: Teen+
Synopsis
Foss Butcher is a plain, ordinary village girl whose heart gets literally snagged by a passing sorcerer. She leaves her hometown to reclaim it, discovering the sorcerer’s magical House and talking cat, Cornelius, along the way. As she seeks her heart, she finds that not all is as it seems in her realm, and more nefarious plots are afoot.
Content Warnings
General Rating: Teen+ (14A / PG-13 / TV-14)
Spice Rating: Mild—fade to black scene in chapter 21, very brief descriptions of self-pleasure
Violence Rating: Moderate to severe—gore and blood, body horror
Profanity Rating: None
Other Trigger Warnings: over-the-top dramatic horror elements
Overall Rating: 5/5
A Harvest of Hearts was marketed as “whimsical” and “cozy,” which I vehemently disagree with. The heart and blood magic were too gory and creepy to be appropriately called whimsical, though those who like horror comedy will find it amusing. This is a primary plot point, so there are several somewhat gruesome descriptions, but generally, the story was magical and otherworldly with a dose of darkness.
What I Liked
Foss: How often does an author write a plain Jane character? The answer: Not often. I appreciated Foss’ no-nonsense farm girl attitude and resonated with her inner self-esteem struggle.
Cornelius: My favourite! Truly, everyone needs a talking cat named Cornelius. He is the shining star in this book.
What I Didn’t Like
Mismarketing: While I really enjoyed A Harvest of Hearts, I found that it was mismarketed as a whimsical cozy fantasy… and it wasn’t that. It was great, but it wasn’t that.
Sylvester: If A Harvest of Hearts was a movie, Timothée Chalamet would be a perfect cast for the lazy, indulgent sorcerer, Sylvester. There was some character growth, but mostly, he’s an overgrown, naive child who has never learned any sort of responsibility in the world, not unlike Chalamet’s portrayal of Laurie in Little Women (2019).
Themes and Reflections
Consent: Hearts are stolen and snagged without consent. Humans are enslaved to sorcerers for the remainder of their short lives. Foss resiliently resists their spells as best she can.
Beauty standards: The sorcerers and sorceresses are beautiful beyond imagination. Every human wants to be just like them, except when Foss discovers how humans are transformed into sorcerers, she is horrified. Beauty is only skin deep, yet it covers, or at least diverts attention from, the greatest evils.
Self-image and confidence: Foss struggles with her self-confidence. She’s ordinary and somewhat stout in figure. She compares herself to the impossible beauty of the sorceresses and falls far short. However, Sylvester sees her as the most beautiful woman, and this belief begins to transform her perspective of herself.
“You belong in the world, Foss. You are right to take up space in it, and move through it, and leave your mark on it. There is nothing about you that should be other than what it is.”
Writing Style
Atmospheric and beautiful, Eames’ writing style was smooth enough to carry me away, yet descriptive enough to allow pauses to digest the world-building and characters. It was a perfect balance of humour, horror, exposition, and romance. I found myself tearing through the pages within two days.
Tropes
Reluctant love
Enchanted house
Talking animal sidekick
Dark fairytale
Closed-door romance
Books Like This
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst
The Wizard of Oz (film)
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Publisher Info
Publisher: Erewhon Books
Release Date: March 4, 2025
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