With war taking its toll on countries and people, memories left in the wake of attacks haunt the lives of those who remain in The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden.
Wounded in the line of duty as a field nurse, Laura Iven has returned home to Halifax, where she relives guilt-laden memories of her mother’s death as a result of an explosion. When Laura receives word of her brother, Freddie’s, presumed death with a box of his effects, the facts don’t seem to add up, making Laura determined to venture back to Belgium to learn the truth of her brother’s fate. Freddie Iven, serving his country against the Germans, finds himself trapped in a pillbox with an injured enemy soldier, Hans Winter; working together the two men manage to escape and find their way beyond the trenches to the halls run by a mysterious man, where Winter is hesitant to accept his aid but Freddie decides to stay despite the cost. After returning to the front, Laura and her traveling companions hear rumors of and experience the hospitality of an odd man, Faland, whose hotel provides a respite from the horrors of war that lingers in the mind and can drive you mad. In searching for answers, Laura’s investigations unearth inconsistencies and questions, which when she meets a rumored one-armed German spy who knows of her brother become a bit clearer as the two endeavor to rescue Freddie, and themselves, from the haunting fates they’re facing.
Detailing the haunting horrors of war and unimaginable loss of loved ones due to calamitous events, the story provides the perspectives of both Laura and Freddie’s experiences and how they each manage the difficult decisions they’re faced with, many of which revolve around the heavy topic of death. While a majority of the story is anchored rather firmly within historic confines of World War I, the paranormal addition of Faland as a man who is rumored that you only see once, who ghosts follow, and who takes the stories of men and turns them into music was an interesting method of demonstrating the mental toll that traumas, such as those that war can impart, can take in turning hearty individuals into ghosts of their former selves. The pacing of the story was rather slow as it establishes and develops the characters and narrative arc, though it did accelerate toward the latter part where there was an increase to the supernatural involvement, which didn’t feel entirely explained or explored to a satisfactory level despite being interesting and engrossing.
Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden.

I really wanted to like this book, but I had a difficult time getting through it. I know several people who are huge fans of The Bear and the Nightingale who are anxiously awaiting their copy of this one. However, I just could not get into it. I felt like I really had to force myself to read it, which never makes for an enjoyable time. Also, maybe I am just not smart enough to like this book? I definitely know several library guests that I would recommend this to, so I feel bad even writing a review for something that was just not for me.

✨3.5 Stars✨
Thank you to NetGalley, and Random House for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re picking this up because you are expecting it to be similar to Arden’s last series you will be disappointed. It has the same beautiful and descriptive writing quality but the two topics are nothing alike and this book focuses more on the historical than the fantasy. I would go as far to say that there really isn’t much fantasy in this book at all. I didn’t realize that when I initially when to request it so I think I’m necessarily the target audience for this book.

With that all being said I did think this was a very well written book. It does not shy away from the gritty realism that comes with war and what happens to people who survive it. The book started out very slow for me but towards the last quarter really picked up and I enjoyed everything that happened. I think someone who enjoys historical fiction, especially WWI books would really like this. Personally, those topics are not something I normally pick up so the overall effect was lost on me but I still appreciated the book and how it was written.

I don't know what I was expecting when I started The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden. I knew of her previous work and knew she is a fantastic writer but I personally hadn't read it yet. I loved it, though. The story was so different from anything else I've read. Especially anything set in that time period. It was devastating but beautiful. I thought it was so original and unique to anything else out there. It was haunting and I find myself thinking about it randomly. I cannot wait to recommend this to everyone.

BOOK REVIEW 📖

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
Pub Date: Feb 13th
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Synopsis: 1918: Laura Iven is a field nurse during WWI who was sent home to Halifax after an injury leaving her brother, Freddie, behind fighting in Belgium. When she receives word that he is missing and presumed dead, she decides to return to Flanders to volunteer at a private hospital and try to uncover the truth about her brother. Once she arrives in the Forbidden Zone, rumors swirl about hauntings and a mysterious entity known as The Fiddler who leads soldiers into madness.

Thoughts: What an incredible story! I was fully captivated right away and could not put it down. Told in dual viewpoints/timelines, we follow Laura’s journey to search for her brother as well as Freddie’s fight to survive amongst the horrors of the battlefield. Both main characters were compelling and felt fully fleshed out. Arden’s writing is evocative and atmospheric, transporting the reader to the front lines of WWI. I could definitely tell that she put a great deal of effort into her research for this book. She manages to portray the harsh reality of the worst of wartime humanity while weaving in themes of hope and survival. The ghostly aspect fits in seamlessly and believably (I can’t imagine a more likely place to be haunted than the battlefields she describes). I can’t stop thinking about this darkly beautiful and haunting story, and I highly recommend picking up a copy asap!

Read this if you like:
🪞historical fiction
🪞speculative fiction
🪞dual pov/timelines
🪞atmospheric setting
🪞ghosts

Thanks to @netgalley and @delreybooks for the advanced copy!

I LOVED the Winternight trilogy and really enjoyed the creepy Small Spaces series so was looking forward to reading this book, especially after seeing the author's social media posts calling this novel "The Fiend" due to its difficulty to write. It is definitely a different kind of book from her earlier works but it has some similarities as it is set during real events with a fantastical twist.

The book follows Laura Iven, a field nurse during WWI who was discharged after being wounded. She is back at home in Halifax while her brother Freddie is fighting in Flanders. She receives a package with his personal effects saying that he was dead but something didn't make sense. Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer nurse for a private hospital, hoping to gather more information about her brother. Freddie wakes up in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier. They form an alliance and dig their way out. They find a man who appears to have some power to make the trauma of the trenches disappear. Can Laura and Freddie find each other again?

The author writes in an afterword that this wasn't an easy book to write and it wasn't the easiest book to read either. The writing is not as flowy as in her other books, but with shorter and choppier sentences. The subject matter is grim and there are plenty of descriptions of the hell of war. It is a book about trauma, loss, love and finding hope in the dark places. Another excellent story from Katherine Arden. I hope that the next book comes a little easier for her.

I’ll start by saying I was already a fan of Katherine Arden going Into this book. Her writing Is so lyrical and poetic, and I found that to be as such for this book as well.

TWHOG takes place during the tail end of World War I (1917-1918) and follows the main character, Laura, an honorably discharged nurse. Laura Is home In Halifax, Nova Scotia when a tragic event occurs. Without giving much away, she finds her way back to Europe In search for the truth of what happened to her brother, Freddie.

I loved this book so much, there were many a times tears welled up In my eyes. Devastating, yet beautiful.

I received a complimentary electronic copy of this exceptional WWI novel from Netgalley, the author Katherine Arden, and Sabrina Shen at penguinrandomhouse.com. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read The Warm Hands of Ghosts of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I love Katherine Arden's novels and am always pleased to have another of her works. Still, this one is exceptional in this genre, giving us an uninhibited look into the effects of WWI on both troops and citizens in and from all of the affected countries. I highly recommend it to family and friends - this was Grandpa Robert Daniel Ketner's war, he served through the whole thing, from Africa to France. Some of his stories are reflected here, so all my cousins need to read it, as do their children. This war, the Great War, was an atrocity but the War to End All Wars. We know how that went, but you can't detract from the participant's conception that they were ending war as we knew it for all time. And their sacrifices still ring true.
Netgalley
pub date Feb 13,2024
1 like

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. I am a bit torn on this one. It is beautifully written and it is evident that a lot of research and work went into the book, but something about it didn't work for me even though I generally love historical fiction with some magical elements. I think the characters fell flat and that, combined with a very slow plot, made for a bit of a slog until about 70-75% in. I also think the magical/fantastical element of the story needed more of an explanation at the end to tie everything together.

From the post-blast shores of Halifax to the frontline of the trenches of WWI, Katherine Arden paints a vivid picture of the world in 1917/1918, and then skillfully adds a dash of the supernatural to this dark and uncertain time. The Warm Hands of Ghosts follows two siblings, Laura and Freddie, one a nurse and the other a frontline fighter, who are caught up in the destructive impact of the first world war and eventually must face an unnatural force that preys on desperation. The amount of research and careful character work Arden does here to bring this work to life is clearly evident, and fans of her earlier work will see that her skills have not faded since her last book. There are some parts of the book that can drag on a little bit, and I wasn't sure how sold I was on the finer details of the supernatural elements of the story, but I loved the way everything came together in the end and came away impressed.

Fans of Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy will need to adjust their expectations to this more grounded setting of war, but very few people will be walking away from this novel disappointed.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I always enjoy historical fiction. On the other hand, I couldn't quite get into this story/characters. It was a little unclear of the supernatural component and this just wasn't a favorite.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC.

I adore Katherine Arden's writing and I'll read any adult novel she writes even if I'm not particularly interested in the subject (i.e WW1 historical fiction). I'm admittedly not a historical fiction girly and struggled a little bit though this story wondering when the Fantasy part would show up. Which is about the 50% mark as the ghosts and devils that haunt the front. The last 20% of this book I was sold, crying my eyes out.

An overall fantastic portrayal of the hell that is war and how love can pull you through without leaving you whole.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m so torn about this rating after finishing the author’s note, as it offers a poignant reflection of why the Great War and how meticulous Arden was in her research: how it stands less remembered in the shadow of WWII, generals in chateaus as soldiers languished in the rotting trenches, its undercurrent of influence in fantasy works like Tolkien's, and as the turning point of modern history. The premise was promising, but the pacing really challenged me until maybe the 70% mark of the story.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts follows distinguished nurse, Laura, and her quest to unravel the unusual circumstances of her brother’s disappearance in the trenches of WWI. The narrative interweaves the siblings’ plot lines, but I found Freddie’s story far more developed and engaging than Laura’s, and it made the first half of the book a slog. Speculative elements also occur later, making it read as a regular historical novel for longer than I’d like. Which is a shame because when pacing picks up at the end, the themes and character relationships become compelling: on the horrors of warfare and remembering, and the way love impacts our ability to keep on.

By the end, I really appreciated the characters, but wished there was more time spent going deeper on their relationships and truly getting to know them. In addition, I wish the speculative elements and religious overtures had culminated in something greater and more overt (not in a preachy sense, but in the apocalyptic sense); instead it’s more light atmosphere when it could’ve enhanced thematic impact. Overall, it’s like the parts were all there, but they just hadn’t completely come together yet. Other reviews have mentioned the writing style is different from Arden’s other works (I found the prose weirdly clipped and at times unclear), so I’m eager to see how the Winternight Trilogy goes or other future works.

However, I want to be clear! This isn’t a bad read by any means and Arden is vastly talented as a writer. I just think this narrative’s pacing didn’t work with me and I had high expectations given the author’s reputation.

I wanted to love this so badly. The idea is so good but the execution lacked. I very much didn’t care about Laura or her group of girlfriends. I found myself slogging through her chapters and skimming full paragraphs just to get back to Freddie and Winter’s storyline, which was a delight. In the end I enjoyed it but would’ve loved it if Laura wasn’t even in it and it solely focused on Freddie. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars rounded up. Katherine Arden became one of my favorite authors last year after I read the Winternight Trilogy and The Warm Hands of Ghosts was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024. Katherine Arden did not let me down. This book is an absolute tour de force! Now, if you are looking for something similar to The Winternight Trilogy, this is definitely not that. The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a historical novel set during World War I with speculative twist. Ghosts and a mysterious man named Faland haunt the front lines, turning men mad. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and was completely engrossed in the setting which Katherine Arden expertly describes in a way that makes you feel as if you are there. I loved these characters and felt so much angst while reading, desperately wanting them to be safe but seeing the danger around every corner. I did have a hard time getting immersed into the story for the first few chapters but that was probably a me thing. Once I did get engrossed though, this book was hard to put down! This is a deeply emotional read and a story that has stayed with me since I finished the last page. I highly recommend this book!

4.5/5
Thanks to Del Rey Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

"But there was nothing detached about his music. It reached a clawed hand right inside Freddie's forgotten heart, alive with things he was too wounded to feel anymore. Regret, tenderness. It was beautiful, and it hurt so much."

This is a story that will stay with you long after you finish. As a fan of Katherine's other series and after following the long, difficult process for her to get this written, it is so, so worth the wait. This is a visceral, achingly beautiful story of a woman's search for her missing brother during WW1. And because it's Katherine, there is a supernatural element to the story. Laura is a former combat nurse who had returned home to Halifax, Nova Scotia after an injury, when she receives a chest with her brother's effects and is told that Freddie is missing. Laura is sure in her heart that Freddie is not dead and finds a way to get back to the front on her mission to find out what happened to him.

Set in 1917 during the push to defend Passchendaele Ridge, the story does not flinch from the horrors of what the soldiers faced during this war that changed the world. I really liked that the story also focused on combat nurses and how they also put their lives and health on the line to help the wounded. I don't want to go into detail about the supernatural element as I think it would spoil the discovery of what is actually happening in the story. Just know that these characters, their journey and how they learn to live with what they have been through is beautifully written, captivating, heart-breaking and so worth taking the time to read.

Wow - this was so great and I cannot recommend it enough.

I was not personally a huge fan of Arden's Winternight trilogy - very much could have been a wrong book, wrong time moment for me. This, however, was hauntingly beautiful and masterfully done. The book is much more speculative fiction than it is fantasy - so get that expectation gone if that matters to you. I would compare the story of this to Divine Rivals, swapping out romantic love for sibling love, and the war aspect done *so* much better (no shade to Rebecca Ross - I loved Divine Rivals). Arden's writing is gorgeous, and she does an incredible job or understanding how an experience from over a century ago would have impacted human beings. Her author's note made me realize just how passionate she is for this era, and it gave me a new perspective on it, as well.

I initially gave this book five stars, but another review for this made me realize that Arden does a lot of hand-waiving plot-wise. While they were not things that bothered me while reading, it was a bit underwhelming to think about after the fact. Regardless, this story gave me so much to think about and contemplate, and I think this would be a fabulous book to discuss with friends or classmates.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve put off writing this review, because this is such a beautiful story I’m not sure I can do justice to, and while it wasn’t perfect for me, I love this author and think this will be perfect for the right readers. Ever since I read THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE and the rest of the Winternight trilogy, I’ve been eagerly awaiting her next adult novel, so I barely needed to even read the description before requesting this book.

THE WARM HANDS OF GHOSTS is a stunning WWI novel with magical realism, strong writing, and a strong brother/sister relationship at its core. Like IN MEMORIAM by Alice Winn, it does not shy away from showing the brutalities of WWI. The author’s note makes it clear how much of herself Arden poured into this book. I haven’t seen this on many 2024 lists so far, but I’m hoping it gets more attention on release!

I’m not a huge historical fiction reader, so this was a bit too slow for my tastes, but I will continue to follow Arden wherever she takes me. I think this has vibes of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE (which I DNFed) and THE NIGHT CIRCUS (which I should have DNFed), if that tells you anything!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was incredibly lucky enough to be invited to take part in a secret read along with Katherine herself and a group like minded bookworms.
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This book truly took you to another time, as someone that doesn't know a lot about war. It was an experience being taken in to the trenches, to see from the point of view of the medical staff and the soldiers themselves. It was a story of mixed emotions so powerful that at times I felt like I was there on the sideline watching.
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Katherine did such an amazing job of researching this time to truly give it the respect that the story needed, while also adding her own person writing flair. Her cast of characters are like none other.
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The story takes place during WW1, we follow Laura a nurse that has returned home after being injured and her brother Freddie who is a soldier still fighting.
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Laura received news that her brother is MIA and presumed dead. She needs to know what happened to him and returns to the war in order to find answers.
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While Freddie and Laura take us on their journey, we met Winter a German Solider and Jones an American doctor. These characters are my absolute favourite in this book. Without these characters the book would not have the impact on the reader that it does.
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Of course, all books need to have their villains. This is where Faland comes in. He is an interesting character to say the least.
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Two timelines that intercept to complete a beautiful and heartbreaking story.

Thank you Del Ray and NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy of The Warm Hands of Ghosts.
I simply adore this book with my entire heart and soul! The characters, the time period, the heartbreak, the entirety of this book was phenomenal. I was at the edge of my seat and never anticipated what was next!
If you enjoy historic fiction, family looking for lost loved ones, a bit of suspense, and a dash of supernatural, this is the book for you