Poet and novelist Andrea Eames (The White Shadow) writes across genres and age groups, and A Harvest of Hearts is her first foray into cozy fantasy. Readers are sure to be hooked--snagged, even, like the victims of the sorceresses in this novel.
The beautiful sorceresses that visit Foss Butcher's sleepy village on the outskirts of the kingdom come with the intention to steal bits of people's hearts in exchange for the magic that is supposed to keep the kingdom safe. Despite their beauty and glamour, they remind Foss too much of everything that she is not, and so she is more resistant to being "snagged" (having her heart stolen) and unsympathetic to those who find themselves in that position.
But one day Sylvester, a sorcerer, appears--the first time that anyone in her village has seen a male magic-worker--and he accidentally snags Foss's heart. Angrily, she follows him to the city in the hopes of getting him to restore it. To prevent the distance from him from destroying her, she becomes his housekeeper in his magical house. In the process, she befriends his talking cat and stumbles upon secrets about the kingdom she could have never dreamed of.
Eames's earnest worldbuilding and engaging, sympathetic characters will charm readers. Foss's blunt honesty and rugged stubbornness bring a delightful frankness to the usual soft edges of the cozy fantasy genre. Eames's story has echoes of different fairy-tale retellings but in a wholly refreshing way that does not feel derivative. A Harvest of Hearts is a welcome addition to the fantasy landscape: comforting but with a bit of a bite. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer