The Warm Hands of Ghosts is WWI historical fiction but Arden has given the story a speculative twist that makes it unlike any other historical fiction I’ve ever read.

The story follows a brother and sister who are both serving in the war. Laura is a combat nurse, while Freddie is a soldier on the front lines in Flanders. Laura is injured & sent home, and while there recuperating, receives word that Freddie has been killed in action. Something about this doesn’t sit well with her, and so Laura resolves to return to the war to either find her brother or at least learn the truth. Once she returns, she starts hearing strange rumors about haunted trenches and a mysterious hotel owner who offers his guests a wine that promises the gift of oblivion.

The truth about Freddie is that he and a German solder somehow found themselves both trapped under an overturned pillbox during heavy fire. The only way to survive is to work together and so they form an unlikely alliance. Neither man wishes to return to war and when they find a mysterious hotel, they take refuge there and are offered a chance to make everything they have been through disappear. At what cost though is the big question...

Arden does an incredible job capturing just how horrific war is. The way she describes the front line made me feel like I was right there in the trenches with those who were fighting.

She has also created a poignant story about family and loss as much of the story focuses on the siblings trying to find their way back to each other because, with the deaths of their parents during a bombing, they are all each other has left.

The speculative element was what pushed this to a 5 star read for me. This mysterious fiddler out on on the battlefield who lures people to him, almost like a Pied Piper. Is he meant to be the Devil or something else entirely? Whatever he is, he truly embodies the soul crushing nature of war.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a haunting read that is going to stay with me for a long time.

I went into this pretty much blind, as I tend to do with books once I add them to my list. I liked that this book examined the mental ramifications of war even more than the physical, while still using period-appropriate language and diagnoses. (It's clear that Arden put in a lot of research on that front.) And while the story was overall very dark and depressing, we do end with a semblance of hope. I usually struggle to get into historical fiction, and this one was no exception, but the audiobook was a great help. I can't exactly put my finger on what was missing, but this didn't quite reach 5 stars for me. Regardless, I fully recommend. This has me looking forward to The Winternight Trilogy, the first book of which has been sitting on my shelves for years now.

Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is one of those books with the right amount of action to keep me entertained and is a historical fiction set in WW1 and scratches a part of my brain that I thoroughly enjoy The sibling love through war brought tears to my eyes. Absolutely loved this book and I will keep a lookout for more books by this author in the future.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I didn't know what to expect when I began The Warm Hand of Ghosts. For starters, I didn't read the blurb. Then, to top it off, I might be the only person on the planet who didn't enjoy the Winternight Trilogy (I know, I know, for shame). I enjoy Arden's writing, especially her ability to create lush atmospheres, but I rarely care about her characters. Unfortunately, this remained true in The Warm Hands of Ghosts.

Set during the final years of World War I, Arden transports readers to 1917 Belgium after the Battle of Passchendaele. After the devastating loss of both her mother and her father, Laura, a discharged war nurse, returns to the Western Front to search for her brother, Freddie, who is presumed killed in action.

At its heart, The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a story about the horrors of war and asks, what if the devil came to play in Hell on Earth? It's an intriguing premise, and if executed well, one that could result in necessary conversations about the impact of war on both sides of the line and soldiers and citizens alike. However, Arden's surface-level attempt at an answer ultimately fails to leave a lasting impact.

My overall issue is that Laura's storyline is uninteresting, unfocused, and honestly unnecessary. I found Freddie and Hans' storyline more imaginative, and had Arden focused most of her time here - I think it could have been a more successful story. Farland, Arden's devil character, is essentially wasted. Arden shoves you face-first into the violence and wastefulness of war, but you come out clean. It sorely lacked in emotion and vulnerability.

Now, the reviews for this book are very strong, and knowing that I didn't like Winternight, may mean this is more of a me thing and not a book thing

This book is small but nightly and I didn’t realize how much I adored these characters and how invested I had been on their happiness until the last few chapters of the book.
Winter and Freddie were my favorite part of this story. Their meeting, their journey and the way they end up falling for each other just seized my heart and did not let it go. I was squealing when they finally kissed.
Laura was a force for her brother and I felt for her journey so much.
The concept of ghost and the devil during the events of world war 1, world war 2 and the civil was even is not a foreign concept and has been explored before but I love the spin that Katherine put on it. It was heartfelt, it was well researched and it was an incredible story.

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This novel is very interesting and filled with well developed characters. It was a bit slow moving for me over the first half of the story, but once the characters returned to the front in Belgium, the story picked up and was much more captivating. The supernatural elements were interesting, but not as fascinating for me as the overall storyline and characters. I would give it 3 and 1/2 stars, as the slower pace of the story made it difficult for me to stick with this novel all the way through. But it is definitely well written, and a treat from an exceptional author.

First off, I want to say Katherine Arden clearly has a way with words. The descriptions and atmosphere are beautiful. It’s apparent she spent a lot of time doing the work to research this book.

What didn’t work for me is the pace and the characters. I didn’t understand exactly what was happening and why I should really care about either character’s point of view. I wanted to get to the action faster, but it was a brutal slog to even get to the fiddler.

The fiddler as a villain was too much and over the top for me as an atheist, so reading about a watchtower deity just wasn’t for me.

Overall, this is just a book that was not for me. I think it can really work for those who like a depressing war story that’s historically accurate with an element of speculative.

Just not my type of story and that’s okay.

I DNF’d this at about 65%, but not because there was anything wrong with it- it just wasn’t my vibe right now. Arden is a great writer. Her characters were engaging, real, and I cared about them. I just didn’t care very much for the setting. This is very historical fiction with gothic interwoven and lining the pages. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for this kind of story, but it just didn’t flow in a way that made me want to keep reading it right now. Granted, I’m really busy at work right now, so that could be it, but it wasn’t enough to grip me in the midst of those busy days. At least not right now.

If historical and gothic are your vibes, this is going to be a good one for you. The mix of gothic elements with the very real and gritty side of war in the early 20th century is phenomenal. Arden doesn’t shy away from the scars and traumas of that time, and it makes the setting incredibly real while still having these paranormal gothic elements that were also all the rage at that time too. It’s a very well done book.

Arden just doesn’t know how to write a bad book. She knocked this one out of the park.
Her presentation of an overshadowed point in history displayed her deep research and understanding of the time period but didn’t overwhelm the reader in the dry facts.
Her handling of the question “what would an old god/devil do in this rapidly changing world?” was masterful.
As always, the prose was heartbreaking and beautiful.

Thanks NetGalley and DelRay for the ARC!

A brand new book by the one and only Katherine Arden who is known for her beautiful writing and atmospheric stories. In this novel we follow Laura, an injured WWI nurse, who wants to find her brother, a missing soldier and this leads her to finding help in unexpected places. It's a mix of history and fantasy and grief amid war, it was very different from the Winternight trilogy as I don’t really know what to expect plot wise but it was great and emotional!

At the outset, I must admit to some bias in my choice of book and this review. Katherine Arden wrote one of my favorite historical fantasy series ever, starting with The Bear and the Nightingale, and so when she announced her next book I was first in line.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a historical fiction novel with some speculative elements. We follow three characters, Laura Iven, Freddie Iven, and Hans Winter, as they deal with the horrors of the Battle of Passchendaele. Laura is an injured combat nurse who has come back to the front in search of her missing brother, Freddie. Freddie finds himself in a bombed out pill box with German soldier Hans Winter and the two develop an unlikely partnership through their escape. But will they reunite? Between the bombs and the mysterious violin player who seems to haunt the battlefield, or at least the soldiers, the prospect seems unlikely.

Arden writes in her author’s note that she chose World War I as her setting for this story because of the contradictions inherent in the times, for example, the widespread use of long-range artillery compared to armies communicating via messenger pigeon.

She was also fascinated by the psychological remnants of this time on the survivors. “Europeans in 1914, rich with plundered colonial wealth, believing wholly in their cultural supremacy, discovered that they were capable of sending their children off to live in holes and murder each other.” What sort of scar does this decimation of previously essential beliefs bring to those who survive?

Katherine Arden is a master of atmosphere, so I knew when she took on the ghastly World War I trenches that the results would be devastating. I was not disappointed. I heard every bomb whistle and felt the mud cover my body with Freddie and Winter, and tasted the antiseptic of Laura’s hospital. And that was just the background. When I understood the implications of the title of this book, I cried.

This story is a story of familial devotion in the face of unimaginable tragedy, and yet it is also a story of memory and how we remember our own histories when the foundations of our world seem to collapse. It is also an analysis of how much we might give up of ourselves to forgo the pain of remembering. What bargains might we make with what devils in the face of such death and disaster?

Katherine Arden has created a world of terror and trauma with characters that are so beautiful that the disparity between the two is heart-rending. This book is a beautiful ode to humanity in the darkest of times and is worth not only a read, but a re-read.

“Why did you stay?”

“Can you ask? We were dead together, we were born together. I cannot live without you.”

Katherine Arden does it again!! I lived for the Winternight trilogy so a new adult book by Arden needed to be in my greedy little mitts immediately. I picked this book up as someone who is really NOT into historical fiction anymore (I binged historical fiction as teen and burnt myself out so bad) but also knowing that an Arden book couldn't do me wrong. And I was RIGHT!!!!!!!

Arden writes about a young brother and sister during WWI - one a combat nurse and one on the front lines. The author makes this book feel so deeply intimate that I thought less about WWI and more about War in general and the ravages of it.

One of my favorite things in books is when authors write about past and present from chapter to chapter, especially when it feels like the past tense is racing to meet our present tense chapters. We have Laura Iven in the present, going back to the war in the present after the death of her parents and the mysterious disappearance of her brother in hopes of finding that she has someone left. In the past, we have lost Freddie Iven, doing his best to hold on to himself and the people he loves with the help of the enemy (or enemies...). Arden writes beautifully dynamic characters full of complex emotions dealing with love and grief and hope and joy during a time that felt like Hell.

Speaking of Hell, we have our sprinkle of magic that always sets Arden's books even farther apart. Anywhere there are soldiers, there are stories of a man, an almost mystical violinist, who will ply you with wine for a night and make you forget. Once you leave him, you will never find him again. This man is nowhere and everywhere you might look for him and the Ivens become tied up with him from the beginning. The magic in this book is so believable, spiritual and mythological instead of feeling like any kind of fantasy.

On top of the gorgeous writing, intricate plot, and complex characters, Arden gives us these beautiful relationships throughout the book. The Ivens, Pim, Winter, Mary, Jones. I have so much love for all of these characters and I loved seeing the slow development of their care for each other.

I would recommend this book to EVERYONE but especially if you have liked Arden's previous books or something similar to The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

I may have found my favorite book of the year, and it's only February!

I chose to read this book because I loved The Bear and the Nightingale by this author. However, I was also a little nervous because it's a very different type of book. I should not have worried. It was just wonderful.

Laura Iven was a battlefield nurse in World War I until an injury sends her home. She has now received word that her brother, Freddie, is either missing or dead. She needs to know what has happened to him and why there is confusion about it, so she heads back to the war as a volunteer nurse, to see if she can get answers. This all seems like a straight forward historical fiction, but there is also a supernatural element that adds another (pretty frightening) layer.

The story is told in two timelines. Laura's story begins in January 2018; Freddie's is from November 2017. Katherine Arden really helps the reader understand the horrors of war and the effects it has on everyone involved. Laura suffers from PTSD just like the soldiers do. You will find yourself pulled in and feeling everything alongside the characters.

I highly, highly recommend this book. Absolute perfection.

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.

This is a perfect example of why it’s important to read outside of your preferred genre. I am NOT a fan of historical fiction. While there are definite fantastical elements in this story, I have read historical fiction mixed with fantasy and it is not always my jam. So this was a win.
This story is haunting, delicate, and gorgeous. The descriptions are poetic. The characters are beautiful and damaged. And everyone is just trying to decide if it’s worth it to keep living or should they just join their ghosts.
I went in blind because I heard good things about the author and I loved this cover/title. I’m honestly glad I did. So I will not give a summary in this review because I know I cannot do this story justice by talking about its plot when this book is so engrossing and much more than just a plot.

A big thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC for this book! It was stunning!

Taking place during WWI, Laura, a combat nurse who was discharged from her time as a nurse surgeon due to an injury, makes her way back to the war zones of Europe to find out what happened to her brother after receiving a package that leaves her with questions.

This story was heart-wrenching, haunting, and beautifully written. A fantastic read!

Is there anything that Katherine Arden CAN'T write? This had the same beauty was her winternight trilogy, and it is emotional and poignant, and will utterly wreck you. One of my top reads of the year!!!

I want to say thank you to Random House Ballantine/Del Rey for allowing me to have the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. I’ll start by saying I love Katherine Arden and so this review is really hard to write. I’m a huge fan of The Winternight Trilogy and I also read her MG books. I started reading this book in October, put it down thinking maybe it was just the timing but when I picked it up again – I realized that it wasn’t the timing – it’s me. Maybe I had too high of expectations because this book was really not something that I wanted to read. I had to force myself to read and finish it. There were a lot of things I didn’t like about the book but I won’t go into specifics. I won’t be posting a review on Goodreads. I will definitely read the next book Katherine Arden writes because I am hoping this is book was just an anomaly.

As a combat nurse stationed in Belgium during WWI, Laura Iven was familiar with death and dying. There were other types of trauma; physical and spiritual trauma. No one was immune from developing shell shock.

Experiencing a serious leg injury, Laura was discharged from the medical corps. After three years in the combat zone, she was sent home from Flanders, Belgium to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Tragically, her home life unraveled soon after when a munitions ship explosion killed both of her parents. Her only living family member was her brother, Freddie.

In November 1918, Laura received notice that Freddie was presumed dead after the Battle on Passchendaele Ridge in Flanders, although an enigmatic and unfinished message indicated that perhaps he was missing in action. Further complicating matters, Laura received Freddie's tags and soldier's uniform jacket. Wouldn't he have been laid to rest in his uniform? Requesting the assistance of Mary Borden who ran a Belgian hospital and Mrs. Pim Shaw whose son was also presumed dead, Laura signed on to return to Flanders and work at the Belgian hospital while searching for answers about Freddie's whereabouts. If he did indeed die, how did he die? Presented in a dual timeline, we are privy to Freddie's story on the Ridge in 1917 with the intertwining of Laura's story as we track the siblings.

How else could Freddie Iven and the German, Hans Winter have survived in the forbidden zone when they become trapped in a German pillbox, but to befriend one's enemy? They vacillated between hope and despair but forged a joint effort, promising to stay alive while creating a bond of protection. First and foremost in Freddie's mind, find Laura.

In the "haunted trenches", soldiers talked about a hotel where mysterious wine was served as a salve to soothe the souls of its visitors. "The man in the hotel-he's called the fiddler....but what they all say, every story, is those who've drank with him, heard the music, seen what he shows you, and then come back out here-well they're always pining for it... But you only see it once. You can't get back. They say men have gone mad...and no one ever sees that man again." Faland's eery fiddle music could be mellow, romantic or angry. When Freddie arrived at the hotel, control over him was profound as Faland tried to claim Freddie's memories. Freddie needed to stay strong in order to find Laura and fulfill his promise to Winter to stay alive. However, he was losing his grip on reality. He looked haunted, the shadow of the man he was before the war.

"The Warm Hands of Ghosts" by Katherine Arden is a historical fiction novel laced with fantasy as a brother and sister search for each other in war torn Belgium during WWI. Laura's efforts were intermittently buoyed through the assistance of her hospital friends, Pim Shaw, Mary Borden and Dr. Jones. Freddie's traumatic struggle was one example, among many, of the effects of shell shock. Would Freddie be able to claw his way out of the abyss or lose himself to Faland's promise of blissful forgetfulness? Highly recommended.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group- Dey Rey and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laura Ivens was a nurse serving in WWII until she was injured and sent home to Canada. However, her brother is still out there fighting and she still feels the need to do something. While home in Canada, Laura receives a trunk of Freddie’s belongings but while at a neighbor’s house and on-going seance, the “spirits” seems to indicate Freddie isn’t dead and Laura needs to try and find him.

I give this book a genre of magical realism because there are points where it feels as though the lines between the real and the paranormal are blurred. The mysterious hotel of the fiddler and the dreams, and ghosts. There is subtle romance and longing. There are family ties and risking everything to save the ones you love.

Katherine Arden set a precedent when she wrote her beautiful Winternight Trilogy. Though different in content, it is no less beautiful, heartbreaking, and complex in the way she weaves her narrative. This book will take you on a powerful journey of survival where each character struggles to hold themselves together. I want to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in return for my honest review and feedback. Arden has created another masterpiece of words and prose which flow through the lives of our characters.

I love Katherine Arden. Her writing is so strong-balancing historical aspects and magic just right. It’s hard to find writers like her!

And as much as I loved her Bear and the Nightingale trilogy, there was something about a WW1 setting with a bit of a supernatural twist that left me sure that she is one of my favorite writers. Arden just knows how to string a story together.

If you are a fan of Naomi Novak, or Juliet Mariller, you need to read Katherine Arden’s work