A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames

Title: A Harvest of Hearts

Series: n/a
Author: Andrea Eames
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Fantasy; Romance
Publisher/Publication Date: Erewhon Books; March 4, 2025

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

In the beloved tradition of Howl’s Moving Castle, a whimsical and unforgettable story of fantastic adventure, common sense, and the power of love to overcome the greatest of obstacles . . .

Before Foss Butcher was Snagged, she thought no more of the magic-users than did anyone else in her tiny village. Sometimes gorgeous women in impossible carriages rolled into town and took bits of people’s hearts. Everyone knew hearts fueled their magic. But Foss, plain, clumsy, and practical as a boot, never expected anyone would want hers. True enough, when the only sorcerer in the kingdom stepped from his glossy carriage, he didn’t intend to hook Foss. Sylvester’s riot of black curls and perfectly etched cheekbones caught her eye a moment too long, that was all. Suddenly, Foss is cursed and finds herself stomping toward the grand City to keep his enchanted House, where her only friend is a talking cat and the walls themselves have moods. But as Foss learns the ways of magic, she realizes she’s far from its only unwilling captive. Even Sylvester is hemmed in by spells and threats. It’s said this sorcery protects king, country, and order for thousands. If Foss wants to free herself—and, perhaps, Sylvester—she’ll have to confront it all . . . and uncover the blight nestled in the heart of the kingdom itself.

Andrea Eames’s, A Harvest of Hearts, is compared to Howl’s Moving Castle, which was enough of a hook to sell the story to me. After all, not only did I read Diana Wynn Jones’s novel but I also saw the movie version of Howl’s Moving Castle too. Even so, I wasn’t expecting a retelling or something that held on to its influences too much. And, while you could see where the inspiration was, A Harvest of Hearts is its own story with its own merits. I was thoroughly entertained.

It starts off with Foss, who, like Sophie, had a very low esteem/opinion of herself/worth. And, at first, she viewed the activity of the sorceresses with some distance, figuring she was beneath their notice, until she was snagged, and her personal stakes rose exponentially. It was a good place to start, as it set up a mystery—will she be able to free herself or won’t she—and which gave the story an early push.

Sometimes with romantasy, the plot can get lost behind the romance, which, you know, I get it. Romance first and foremost, which I have nothing against—I’ll pick up a romantasy when I need something lighter or purely distracting to read. However, after reading this book, I’d be cautious about having that expectation when approaching this book. A Harvest of Hearts was whimsical and fairy tale-esque with a talking cat, a strangely living house, and a mercurial sorcerer—which I’ll admit was very Howl’s Moving Castle of the story. However, the romance is very slow burn, and it remained relatively balanced with the plot. And the latter went in directions I wasn’t expecting, as the strange eeriness was further explored, peeling away the veneer and delving into the terrible, gruesome nature of hearts as a form of currency and magic.

I actually liked that about A Harvest of Hearts. The price for magic was an interesting one anyway, and I appreciated how much detail and time was devoted to exploring the context of the setting alongside the relationship between the characters—particularly Foss, the cat, and the sorcerer, Sylvester.

Overall, there was plenty to like about A Harvest of Hearts.

About the author....

Andrea Eames was born in 1985. She was brought up in Zimbabwe, where she attended a Jewish school for six years, a Hindu school for one, a Catholic convent school for two and a half, and then the American International School in Harare for two years. Andrea's family moved to New Zealand in 2002. Andrea has worked as a bookseller and editor and now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Erewhon Books [Kensington]) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Short Stories I Read In January

It’s the twenty-eighth of February, so welcome back to Short Stories! Today I’m going to go over the short stories, miscellaneous posts, and podcast episodes I read or listened to in January.

The Angel’s Share by Martin Cahill (Reactor Magazine; July 24, 2024)

When I think of guardian angels in fiction, they typically end up as benevolent guides who are only doing what’s best to help their charges (or at least attempt to). But, Cahill’s The Angel’s Share, turns that concept on its head with the situation the character, Mrs. Mead, is embroiled with .It was rather peculiar: an “infestation of 32 angels.” And the irony is: they do seem to help by catering to Mrs. Mead. However, the story drives home the point how much Mrs. Mead’s past has become a trap and a spiral; loss of control under the guise of comfort. How this kind of help was ultimately detrimental, revealing the cloying but entirely conditional nature, which was menacing rather than benevolent. And the angels, I found them an eerie, spectral presence throughout the story. They weren’t ghosts, but there was something vampire-esque about the way they engaged with Mrs. Mead. That being said, The Angel’s Share was, despite the intrinsic horror of what was becoming of the main character’s life, a story which ended on a hopeful note.

I’m Not Disappointed Just Mad AKA The Heaviest Couch in the Known Universe by Daryl Gregory (Reactor Magazine; November 20, 2024)

I haven’t read anything by Daryl Gregory since his novella, The Album of Dr. Moreau. So I was excited to finally mark this one off my list. I’m Not Disappointed Just Mad AKA The Heaviest Couch in the Known Universe was absurd. I mean, they were moving a couch at the same time as an apparent alien invasion! It was lot of fun to read and surprisingly complicated with its character depth as well as the scope of the story. The sci-fi, first contact, space faring adventure aspect of it was done quite well with sufficient stakes to make what happened personal for Tindal. And, honestly, I just found this story—its unusual structure and fourth wall breaks—incredibly readable.

Parthenogenesis by Stephen Graham Jones (Reactor Magazine; October 2, 2024)

Two friends are moving across the country. So, a road trip right? Well, Stephen Graham Jone’s Parthenogenesis takes on an eerie twist. The horror of this story is how effectively it builds up the characters of Matty and Jac. It shows how their friendship works as they take turns inventing a strange story to pass the time, while the narrative also makes you feel for their situation—the interruption of their move, the faultiness of the truck. And, because the story made me want to be attached to the characters, it was why their fate is all that more horrifying to think about.

From around the web…

• A Specter Is Haunting Catesby Wran: “Smoke Ghost” by Fritz Leiber [Sam Reader; Reactor Magazine; January 14, 2025]: For the past year or so, I’ve enjoyed Sam Reader’s column, Dissecting The Dark Descent. One of the latest entries takes a look at Fritz Leiber’s story, Smoke Ghost.

• Trying and Failing to Figure Out “Escapism” in Books [Molly Templeton’ Reactor Magazine; January 9, 2025]: the title is pretty accurate when it comes to describing what this particular column is about.

• Psychopomp Is Relaunching Fantasy Magazine [Vanessa Armstrong; Reactor Magazine; January 16, 2025]: I saw this announcement and thought it should mention it here too. Fantasy Magazine is being relaunched, which speaks for itself.

Music Monday (310): The Pocket Queen, Duckwrth, Lady Gaga

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: Lady Gaga's Abracadabra is one of my favorite songs lately, and she recently released the rehearsal video for it. I like it, because it offers a look at the choreography without the styling of the music video. Check it out below!

Adri: This week, my pick is Good Vibes by The Pocket Queen featuring Duckwrth. It's one that was in my recommendations and another one that's too short.

What are you listening to this week?

The Witless Protection Program by Maria DiRico

Title: The Witless Protection Program
Series: Catering Hall Mystery #5
Author: Maria DiRico
Source/Format: Purchased; Mass Market Paperback
More Details: Cozy Mystery
Publisher/Publication Date: Kensington; March 26, 2024

Goodreads

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Mia Carina has steered her Italian-American family’s Astoria, Queens, catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, into becoming the borough’s premiere party site, and nothing could make her happier—except her boyfriend proposing. There’s just one presumed-dead obstacle in the way . . .

A strong, independent woman and respected entrepreneur, Mia never imagined she’d pine for a marriage proposal. Yet lately, with her beloved Shane, she’s on tenterhooks. It’s especially surprising, considering Mia’s first husband, Adam, was a philandering grifter, assumed lost-at-sea after a boating disaster. But everyone knows what happens when you assume . . . While working a huge wedding expo in Manhattan, Mia is shocked to spot the man who nearly destroyed her life. The one who’s supposed to be sleeping with the fishes. But she loses him in the crowd. And when it happens again the next day, it’s time for an emergency meeting with the family—and the Family . Because if Adam is alive, Mia is still married . . .Everyone wants Adam dead. Everyone except Mia. She’s dealt with enough police for a lifetime. Mia needs to be a divorcée, not a widow. But someone out there disagrees, and if Mia doesn’t discover who, she may never be free to marry Shane—or anyone else . . .

While compiling a list of 2025 books I wanted to read, I decided to check a couple of the series I was reading and discovered the next book of Maria DiRico’s Catering Hall Mystery series had come out in March of 2024. Titled The Witless Protection Program, it turned out to be the first book I read in the New Year.

The Witless Protection Program felt like a definitive conclusion. It began with a full circle kind of moment, essentially where (or with whom) the series started: with Mia spotting who she believed to be the husband who had vanished (and was presumed dead) after wrecking her life, which, if she was right, presented a variety of challenges for her future plans. As far as cozy mysteries go, it was a page-tuner. There was a lot of “why” and “how,” which needed to be answered, and DiRico did a good job of establishing the circumstances which brought these characters to this point—where tempers threatened to boil over with each new and terrible revelation of just who Mia had been entangled with. She had her family and a solid support system of people willing to go to bat for her as well as a partner who was always in her corner. And they were there every step of the way, as she navigated one of the more personal mysteries of the series. All the while, the story managed to bring together the other threads of the overarching plot and relationship arcs into a somewhat chaotic but also satisfying end.

As an aside, if you’re like me and interested in all of the delicious food the character ate, then you’ll find four recipes in the back of the book, including one for Ricotta Sugar Cookies.

 

The Friday 56 (252) & Book Beginnings: The Witless Protection Program by Maria DiRico

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. **Note: Freda @ Freda's Voice is taking a break from The Friday 56; Anne @Head is Full of Books is hosting for now.**

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Mia Carina has steered her Italian-American family’s Astoria, Queens, catering hall, Belle View Banquet Manor, into becoming the borough’s premiere party site, and nothing could make her happier—except her boyfriend proposing. There’s just one presumed-dead obstacle in the way . . .

A strong, independent woman and respected entrepreneur, Mia never imagined she’d pine for a marriage proposal. Yet lately, with her beloved Shane, she’s on tenterhooks. It’s especially surprising, considering Mia’s first husband, Adam, was a philandering grifter, assumed lost-at-sea after a boating disaster. But everyone knows what happens when you assume . . . While working a huge wedding expo in Manhattan, Mia is shocked to spot the man who nearly destroyed her life. The one who’s supposed to be sleeping with the fishes. But she loses him in the crowd. And when it happens again the next day, it’s time for an emergency meeting with the family—and the Family . Because if Adam is alive, Mia is still married . . .Everyone wants Adam dead. Everyone except Mia. She’s dealt with enough police for a lifetime. Mia needs to be a divorcée, not a widow. But someone out there disagrees, and if Mia doesn’t discover who, she may never be free to marry Shane—or anyone else . . .

Beginning: “Tavern on the Green was as lush and elegant as Mia always dreamed it would be.”

56: “Mia emitted a furious growl. She then ran down the back stairs, brandishing the bat.”

Comments: My first read of 2024 was Maria DiRico's The Witless Protection Program. This is still one of my favorite cozy mystery series. What are you reading this week?

Music Monday (309): Tennis, ALT BLK ERA, Al Green

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: A number of great songs released last week, like Lady Gaga's Abracadabra for example. One of the other ones that I happened to like was Weight of Desire by Tennis. I love everything about it including the visual style of the music video.

Adri: As I thought I would, I've been enjoying ALT BLK ERA's new album, Rave Immortal. My pick for today is Hunt You Down.

Andrea: Hi all. This week I'm listening to Lets Stay Together by Al Green. Have an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?

What I've Been Listening To: November and December 2024

Since I took an extended break at the end of 2024, it’s a given that I’ve accumulated something of a backlog of music, which I haven’t written about yet. So this post is overdue.

Tempest is new to my playlist, but she’s an artist I intend to watch. I adored her EP, The Ranch. Its R&B through and through combined with some pop and rap (particularly on the titular track) with some lyrics about relationships and self-worth (Worthy, Don’t Need You, etc.).

Then I was in the mood for hyper-pop and pop with a dreamy ethereal vibe so I checked out a couple of albums and a collaborative EP. First was My Twee Monsters by Tracey Brakes. This one ticked all the boxes with the exact vibe I was looking for with heavily autotuned vocals and upbeat, almost chaotic beats. Then I got the dreamy music I wanted with Night Tapes’s album, Assisted Memories. There was something soft almost grainy about the style, which made me think of old films—an impression which was furthered by the visuals and artwork—while the themes of the songs went much deeper and were often contemplative. And, switching back to hyper-pop (and rock) I listened to Soul Kiss by Frost Children and Haru Nemuri. Honestly, Soul Kiss was one of my favorite collaboration EPs of 2024. The artists’ styles and vocals meshed really well here, and my only gripe is that I wish it was longer.

Up next, I listened to Mars Argo’s EP: I Can Only Be Me. It only had three songs, but I loved all of them. If you know anything about this artists, then this collection of music will feel very relevant.

And last, but certainly not least, SZA released the deluxe edition of SOS before 2024 was over. Lana was excellent. It added an additional fifteen songs and, tonally, was different from SOS. It was cohesive, but not repetitive. It didn’t stray too far from what I’ve come to expect from SZA, but everything was done well and with creativity, making it a fun foray/return to SOS. And, oh man, did I love every second of it.

The new singles added to my playlist include: Best Friends by Banks, Obsessed by Olivia Rodrigo, Lizard People by Chi featuring Deto Black and Mowalola, Don’t Smile and Bed Chem by Sabrina Carpenter, In the Morning by Dorian Electra, and Need Dat Boy by Lil Nas X .

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986)

I’m not a ballet aficionado, but I enjoy them from time to time. That being said, few movies make me think of winter and the holidays as much as the various recordings and retellings of The Nutcracker. There was this one version, though, the motion picture—as the title proclaims—released in 1986, which I watched, paused, and then resumed watching almost an entire year later with my co-blogger, Adri.

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture is fun. Because it’s not a stage production, it does interesting things with its lighting, the angle of the camera, the transitions between the scenes (the switch between perspectives, the shrinking and growing). There’s no audience, but the grownup version of Clara is the narrator. It’s on the stage, but it’s clearly a motion picture with that format in mind. But it also holds onto its influences, with set backgrounds and moving aspects designed with a distinctive (and flat) illustrative quality. The character’s don’t speak, but instead tell the story through dance and expression.

Again, I’m no aficionado, I’m just a viewer, and this is my opinion. Have you watched Nutcracker: The Motion Picture?

Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging by Tara Roberts

Title: Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging

Series: n/a
Author: Tara Roberts
Source/Format: BookishFirst; Paperback ARC
More Details: Nonfiction; History; Memoir
Publisher/Publication Date: National Geographic; January 28, 2025

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

This searing memoir by a National Geographic scuba diver recounts one woman's epic journey to trace the global slave trade across the Atlantic Ocean—and find her place in the world. For fans of adventurous women’s memoirs like Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love, Cheryl Strayed's Wild, and Jesmyn Ward's Men We Reaped.

When Tara Roberts first caught sight of a photograph at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History depicting the underwater archaeology group Diving With a Purpose, it called out to her. Here were Black women and men strapping on masks, fins, and tanks to explore Atlantic Ocean waters along the coastlines of Africa, North America, and Central America, seeking the wrecks of slave ships long lost in time. Inspired, Roberts joined them—and started on a path of discovery more challenging and personal than she could ever have imagined.

In this lush and lyrical memoir, she tells a story of exploration and reckoning that takes her from her home in Washington, D.C., to an exotic array of locales: Thailand and Sri Lanka, Mozambique, South Africa, Senegal, Benin, Costa Rica, and St. Croix. The journey connects her with other divers, scholars, and archaeologists, offering a unique way of understanding the 12.5 million souls carried away from their African homeland to enslavement on other continents. But for Roberts, the journey is also intensely personal. Inspired by the descendants of those who lost their lives during the Middle Passage, she decides to plumb her own family history and life as a Black woman to help make sense of her own identity.

Complex and unflinchingly authentic, this deeply moving narrative heralds an important new voice in literature that will open minds and hearts everywhere.

Admittedly, I’m not familiar with Tara Roberts’s work, as much as I would like to be. Before BookishFirst shut down in December, her new memoir, Written in the Waters, was one of the books being offered for review. And, after reading the excerpt, I jumped at the chance to read the rest of it.

Tara Roberts wove a compelling memoir that was part journey of self-discovery and part historical narrative about the complicated history of the transatlantic slave trade, while also reconciling how it related to her own life. From a not-so distant relative who was born enslaved, to the journey Roberts embarks on through diving and travel, to exploring shipwrecks and talking/meeting with people doing important work—with student programs, with politics, or working to find new evidence and preserve an important part of history—in the hopes of finding a sense of understanding, belonging, and peace in her own life.

Most of the memoirs I’ve read didn’t approach history quite like Written in the Waters, which I get, because they were, first and foremost, written with a specific focus (kind of like how some fiction is more of a character study rather than anything else). But Roberts found a good balance, a bridge between the past and the present (no pun intended), through the ups and downs of her life—and even the highs and lows of gaining more experience as a diver.

Written in the Waters is a compulsively readable memoir. And, I highly recommend it!

About the author....

Tara spent the last six years following, diving with, and telling stories about Black scuba divers as they searched for and helped document slave shipwrecks around the world. Her journey was turned into an award-winning National Geographic-produced podcast called “Into the Depths” and featured in the March issue of National Geographic magazine. Tara became the first Black female explorer ever to be featured on the cover of Nat Geo. In 2022, Tara was named the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year. Currently, she is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. And her book Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home and Belonging hits stands in January 2025.

Goodreads     Website     Instagram

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (National Geographic) via BookishFirst in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

Music Monday (308): Nao, Nova Twins, Teddy Swims

Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: It feels like it's been ages since I last participated in Music Monday, and I've missed sharing some of the stuff from my playlist. So, it feels good to be back. My pick this week is a song from one of my all-time favorite artists. Check out Happy People by Nao!

Adri: After Nova Twins' last album, I knew I couldn't wait until their next release. That's why this week my pick is their newest song, Monsters.

Andrea: Hi all. I'm listening to Lose Control by Teddy Swims. Have an amazing week!

What are you listening to this week?

New Year, New Stuff

With the New Year there are a slew of new books, movies, albums, and TV shows to look forward to. So here’s a brief list of some of the media I’m waiting for…

Books…

• Kata Basis by R.F. Kuang
• The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater
• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
• When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
• The Capital of Dreams by Heather O’Neill
• Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
• The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcette

Albums…

• Eusexua by FKA Twigs (January 24)
• Hurry Up Tomorrow by The Weeknd (January 31)
• Club Shy Room 2 by Shygirl (February 14)
• Jupiter by Nao (February 21)
• The Right Person Will Say by Lana Del Rey (May 21)

So, that covers it for now. As always, this list will change as more information becomes available later in the year. What are you looking forward to in 2025?

We're Back & Some House Keeping

 

Hello. I know it’s been a while. Our Thoughts Precisely went on hiatus in December and, honestly, I needed the time away from the internet and from reviewing. And then, I ended up extending my break, since the state where I live has gone through a series of destructive wildfires. (I wasn't in the evacuation zone, but the there have been red flag warnings for wind in my area.) But, I digress. I, honestly, didn’t do too much reading in the conventional sense, a couple of novels but mostly a variety of essays and columns ranging in subject from science to history, think pieces, personal essays, and reviews from publications like Reactor Magazine (formerly Tor.com). And, during that time, I really got to thinking about the ways I wanted to engage with the book community and social media going forward.

Some housekeeping…

I’m not quitting the blog, but I have decided to scale back on the number of posts. For a few years now, I’ve maintained the schedule of posting three times a week (typically Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). But, going into 2025, I likely won’t have a consistent schedule like that anymore. It takes time to maintain, and I’ve reached the conclusion: I don’t want to spend that much time on it anymore, besides the fact that some books I just want to enjoy rather than making decision with “blog content” in mind.

Content wise, nothing much is changing. Music will likely be condensed into Music Mondays and “What I’ve Been Listening To,” rather than individual albums having dedicated posts. For Short Stories, I may or may not do more with the miscellaneous (from around the web) section; we’ll see.

Other than that, I have no blogging resolutions, and I’m just going to go with the flow for 2025.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's officially 2025, and we hope everyone has a marvelous day. We're not back to blogging just, so we'll see everyone later this month!