Katherine Arden writes absolutely haunting yet lovely scenery and turning her attention to the battlefields and combat hospitals of World War I resulted in more of the same. The amalgamation of the real horrors of a war that is mostly overlooked by Americans and a speculative twist with ghosts and magical hotels works in a surprising way. Highly recommend to those who enjoy a quiet and dark tale (but who don't have a squeamish stomach for gore) but want a little light and beautiful descriptions even of the horrific wartime scenes.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I have really mixed feelings about The Warm Hands of Ghosts. Arden most definitely did her research for this one and it shows in the details. However, this was almost difficult to get through due to the pacing and one of the POVs (Laura’s). I enjoyed the first 25% of this book and the last 15% was amazing, but everything in between was so slow paced that I found myself speed reading. I thought Arden’s writing felt very stilted and clunky at times, too. I found Freddie’s POV the most interesting and really enjoyed how this one ended. Idk I have a lot of mixed thoughts and I am definitely slightly disappointed by this one considering how much I love The Winternight Trilogy.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While Arden continues to be an author with undeniable talent, this is a pronounced shift in her style of writing and storytelling. While the truth of war is certainly laid bare — its haunting, nightmarish, raw and brutal, I did feel that the characters themselves felt flat.

They felt more like vessels for narrating the realities of war instead of having distinct storylines of their own or being able to really see the shift in who they were before and after the war. They felt too simple in their emotions and connections and lacked personality and nuance.

I didn’t find the magical realism / fantastical elements to be compelling or necessary, but I do understand how it’s used for symbolic value. I thought it could have been used a bit more strategically instead of the ending where it drags a bit.

Ultimately I struggled to find a lot to compel me to read and keep my attention. It just felt like nothing was happening other than repetitive gruesome scenes of war.

And, most surprisingly of all, I found the ending too convenient and neat, I expected more losses given the initial set up and the war setting itself.

While I respect the work and writing, this just wasn’t a story I enjoyed. Rating 2.75 up to 3 stars.

I liked the author’s Winternight trilogy, so I was excited to read her newest book. I liked it a lot, but I think it’s important to note that this is different in tone. It’s fantasy/folklore as far as the villain, but it’s also very much WWI historical fiction. A nurse is wounded and sent back to Canada, where she finds out her brother is missing, presumed dead. She’s not getting real answers about what happened, so she returns to the war to find out. The story shifts between her current perspective and that of her brother in the year before.

The scenes in WWI can be emotionally intense. The descriptions share the living hell of the experience. I found the story gripping and wanted to know what happened next. It comes out February 13. Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the eARC.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a spell-binding and gripping story of the horrors of war and what one will do to find information on a lost loved one. Much different than the world of The Bear and the Nightingale, Katherine Arden still pulls you into a different kind of fantasy, one where you are not sure if its the living or the dead telling the story. Whether the devil with a violin or some other kind of creature stalks the forbidden zone of World War 1 looking for souls to devour.

If it wasn't for daily distractions of life I would have had this finished in one sitting. Its a wonderful book that shows the devotion we as humans strive for with those we love, enter Katherine Ardens world in The Warm Hands of Ghosts as Laura finds herself returning to the War after having been discharged when the hospital she was working at was targeted by the Germans. Now that tragedy has once again struck she is determined to find out if her brother Freddie still lives.

Freddie wakes in the dark his only company corpses and a Germin soldier he has no desire to kill, they will be dead soon enough in this overturned pillbox. They will slowly suffocate to death and neither will see the light of day again.

Out in the Forbidden Zone a man walks, carrying his violin case he enters a newspaper shop meant mainly to send out funnies to the troops but much to everyones surprise he wants to place an ad for dancing, music and revelry. He places no address just that those who want to come will be found or will find the hotel and cash payment is not accepted. Just like that this man disappears into the night, many will follow the sound of the Fiddler. The Fiddler takes payment in another form, when Freddie meets the Fiddler will he agree to price that is asked of him?

Thank you to #Netgalley for the chance to read #TheWarmHandsofGhosts by #KatherineArden in return for a fair and honest review.

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
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

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!