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.

As a fan of the Winternight trilogy, I was so excited to receive this ARC! It did not disappoint. A lovely blend of historical fiction and fantasy, I was mesmerized by the entire story.

This was an amazing story. It had all the unnerving and harrowing elements I like to read in a supernatural historical fantasy.
Don’t expect this to be like Arden’s Winternight trilogy. It’s totally different.
The war battles with its fear, horror, and hope were very evocative. I felt like I was there observing the characters’ lives, especially the mental agony of Freddie and Winter. It was very moving and heartfelt.
There’s a surprise twist I did not see coming. But then when you think about it, you can sympathize.
The supernatural were just enough to give you the creeps. But the allure of oblivion after someone has these experiences is so understandable. Is there enough reason to continue living or is it better to lose those memories in Faland’s shabby gilded mansion?
My only criticism is that some of the answers were a little too easily given. After all the harrowing trauma, some things just wrapped up a little too neatly. I did expect more sadness at the end than there was. But I’m happy for those characters were life will find a way despite all the tragedy.

Rating 3.5/5.

What a harrowing journey this was.

After returning from nursing for the Great War, Laura is taking time to recover and heal her wounds. When she is informed of the death of her brother Freddie, killed in combat while serving in Belgium, Laura attempts to mourn but things just aren't adding up. Her suspicions mounting, she decides to travel back to the warzone in an attempt to find answers, fighting the enemies unseen of her past, her present, and her own mind.

I was intrigued by the blurb and was so fascinated by the idea of a war story from a speculative angle with a dual point of view of both Laura and her brother. Katherine Arden writes grief well and successfully captures the multifaceted experience of a traumatized soldier, as well as the horrors that follow and cling to positions like nurses as they leave the realm of battle and attempt to move forward to live a full life. Freddie's chapters were terrifying; it was always a guessing game as to whether what he was seeing was real or if it was a result of compounded stress, hunger, and fear, but somehow holding tight to his compassion for the people he meets on the journey from the trenches. While not in immediate danger in the beginning, Laura's flashbacks of war fuse with those of her past; she struggles to keep her survivor's guilt at bay and her head above water. Trouble comes from all angles as being a woman in the early 1900s has its own host of problems, and I felt for Laura when she was constantly belittled and her expertise in nursing scoffed at. I wish that Laura's chapters were as substantial as Freddie's - I found them dragging at times and she was rather dry, not actually responding to the things happening to her. I feel as though the women in the story were lacking in personality and there was great opportunity for depth in that arena.

This is the kind of story that stays with you, when people who go through terrible things and see the unimaginable have to do anything they can to survive. When someone believes to be at the end of their rope, the mind attempts to march forward in any way possible, twisting and warping and grasping, manipulating what it knows to keep a person alive. From that manipulation, and maybe from hope, tales are born and exchanged in an attempt to bolster the human spirit. Whether our characters were at the mercy of one of these tales is up to the reader's interpretation.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me with this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

Told in alternating viewpoints, Laura is a nurse in WWI who is injured in the line of duty and sent home to Halifax. She receives her brother Freddie’s personal effects and notified he is presumed dead. But the elderly ladies she boards with make their money conducting seances and one of their subjects brings a message for Laura to return to the western front and find Freddie.

Laura is kind of a stilted character and her chapters kept ending right as something finally started to happen. On the other hand, Freddie is so real and rounded but his timeline is bleak and visceral and that made his chapters difficult to read. When the threads all come together at about the 75% mark, the story is so good! But I found it a bit of a slog to get to that point.

The prose is beautifully written, and there are some echoes of scenes from the Winternight books. Are those supposed to be the ghosts? I definitely expected more ghosts. Ultimately, I wanted to like it more than I actually did.

First and foremost thank you NetGalley for my advanced readers copy of this book. I went into this book with high hopes as the author has a large presence in the book community because of her other books (that I have not read personally, but have heard nothing but great things about.) I went into this knowing that it was a war themed plot. Even though it’s not my favorite type of story line, I was hoping the ghost aspect would provide an equal balance. For me, it didn’t. It seemed to focus mainly on WW1 and as someone who isn’t into history, I found myself confused a lot of the time when reading. I will say that there are several characters who grew close to my heart by the end of this book.

I have nothing but good things to say about this book, from the characters to the narrative to the writing style.

Our protagonists Laura and Freddie were absolutely one of my favorite parts of this book. They felt very real, very raw, and despite experiencing severe trauma, with writing that navigated author-described apocalyptic scenarios of war, the prose never felt saccharine, never felt exploitive, yet also never hid from the truth of it all. Laura is never truly soft and the narrative doesn’t ask her to be in order to be kind. Freddie displays genuine weakness but maintains his quiet strength. They felt like whole people and they’re relationship with each other as well as with all of secondary characters were very well done.

There was also a great blending of historical fiction and fantasy here, which was admittedly a bit delayed, to the point I put the book down and said, “Did I get tricked into just reading a war book?” I still thoroughly enjoyed the story playing out but really was pulled in when some of the more fantastical elements began. The mystery was well plotted,and after reading a lot of unsatisfying novels right in a row, it really felt like the book knew where it was headed, and neither rushed nor drug it’s feet to get there.

This book may not be for everyone. It can be graphic. It can be grim. It can be brutal. But ultimately it’s a story about finding a way to move forward when everything feels lost, about unfailing dedication through love, and about opening our eyes to the horror and truth of the world and I think we could all use a bit of that.

4.5 stars
I love Katherine Arden's writing style. I can't explain it, it is so immersive and flows so well. It really brought this story to life in my head.
This story was a dual POV as well as a dual timeline. At first it was a little bit confusing, especially listening to the audio because you really have to listen to figure out the timeline. Our first timeline is Laura. She has returned home from being a nurse in the war after being injured. She receives her brother's belongings when he is presumed dead. She feels in her gut, something is off, so returns to Germany to try to find him.
The second POV is Laura's brother Freddie. He has been trapped after an explosion with a German solider in a pillbox. They are able to claw their way out and take refuge with a man they think can help, but may not be the best source of help.
The way each story wove with the other was magical. The side characters would show up in the story they did not originate in and I could tell sooner or later they would crash together and I was so interested to get to that point. The effects of war were heartbreaking, we are able to see Laura tending to the wounded as well as Freddie fighting and dealing with the aftermath of fighting in a war.
I really liked all the characters in this book, Laura and Freddie were great main characters. They had such depth and such great backstories. The side characters were great too, I especially liked Pim who worked in the hospital with Laura and Winter (the soldier stuck with Freddie at the beginning) was extremely intriguing.
When I finished reading this, I just felt. It wasn't a specific emotion, I just felt, and I love when books bring that out. It was extremely well written and interesting.

As a fan of the Winternight trilogy and the Small Spaces books, I was eager to pick up the Warm Hands of Ghosts. WW1 books are not a historical fiction era that I'm usually drawn to, but in this case I made an exception. I appreciated the metaphorical focus of war = hell/apocalyptic in the chapter headings and even how the characters interacted with the world. The trauma and ugliness of war is at the forefront; not even for the soldiers but for the combat nurses like Laura as well. With a bit of a paranormal/fae flair, some characters interact with a not-quite-human character who offers them a Faustian-like bargain to wash away the War's troubles at a cost. The plot moves along steadily between two main points of view, Laura looking for her brother Fred, and Fred looking for a way out of the misery and trauma of the war. I've always enjoyed the author's pragmatic yet descriptive prose and this book is no exception. A huge thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for sending me an eARC in exchange for my thoughts. A full review will be on https://armedwithabook.com/tag/ariels-arcs/ closer to publication.

Oh Wow! I am going to need some time to recover from reading this. I want to sit with Laura and Freddie's stories a little longer. The devastation of the war is so horrific but I could not stop reading. The emotional impact this had on me reminds me of reading The Book Thief for the first time. I don't usually cry while reading, but I did for this special book.

I am in all my feels right now. I can already tell this is some of the best writing I will be reading this year.

This is a Historical Fantasy set during WW1. Arden has done her research and I have learned many things I never knew about what WW1 was like for those who lived through it.

The story is about a woman looking for her brother who was presumed killed in action, but it’s about so much more! As the publishers blurb states, there is a “speculative twist” to some of the events, enough to give the book a haunting feel but still tying it firmly to our world and experiences.

I was happy to find Arden’s Author Note at the end of the book explains how processing WWI is intimately tied to the fantasy genre (think Tolkien) as a means of coming terms with some of the trauma involved and the extent of the devastation of the war that was to end all wars.

All of this coalesces into a moving and inspiring story. I know this book will be in my top books of the year. DON’T miss it.


Thanks to DelRey publishing for sending me this advanced reader copy and access to an e copy on NetGalley.

Thank you to Del Ray for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Arden’s writing when I first read through the Winternight trilogy. I was thoroughly excited when I heard she was releasing a new novel, this one set during WW1. Arden wove the stories of each character together so smoothly as their plots connected. With just a sprinkle of magic over the story, it reflected a lighter magical taste than what is found in the Winternight Trilogy.

Laura Iven is a Battle Nurse from Nova Scotia, having been injured in battle has returned home to a grave event that send her life into a new whirlwind. Her brother, Freddie, has been lost in the battle and is presumed dead. She sets out to find out what happened to her brother on the battlefield and returns to the war front.

The exploration of hope in a hell on earth was so interesting as Arden dives into the morality of the soldiers on the war front. She opens up thoughts about the choices and motivations during a time when just opening your eyes can be traumatic. The balance of hope and wonder brings out faith in things of the unknown, like the warm hands of ghosts.

Katherine Arden's The Warm Hands of Ghosts is her first foray into adult fantasy/fiction since her stunning Winternight Trilogy, which I adored. So I couldn't wait to pick up her latest novel, which combines the haunting and mythical elements of Satan and Hell on Earth with the historical aspects of WWI in Flanders, Belgium from 1917 - 1918.

Dual timelines alternate between Alfred "Freddie" Iven in 1917 fighting in one of the Great War's deadliest battles and his sister Laura Iven in 1918 a nurse wounded during the war and living in Halifax as she tries to recover. In Freddie's timeline, he finds himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out only to be separated as they seek asylum.

Laura is devastated when she learns that her brother has been killed in action, and through a series of fortuitous events returns to the front to volunteer at a private hospital while seeking answers to her brother's sudden disappearance. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Gradually their timelines converge as Laura struggles to free her brother from the hands of the ruthless Falan.

While Laura's timeline was a bit less convincing, I loved Freddie's as he struggles to remember Hans and their escape while giving himself - and his memories - over to Falan in exchange for an escape from the horrors of war. The implications of war as hell is kept front and center and the menacing yet charming Falan is portrayed vividly.

I did think the story wrapped up a bit too easily but still enjoyed this ghostly reminder of the lives impacted by war.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but when I see a book by Katherine Arden-- I read it. This book was beautifully written, and I actually really enjoyed the story. I loved the dual timelines and having both sibling's POVs. Laura and Freddie were both easy to love characters, and I was so interested in both of their journeys.

I had no idea where the book was going at first, but then slowly everything becomes clearer and starts making more sense. At first, I felt like the pacing was to slow but now that I've finished I feel like it was perfect and the build up to the events that happen felt really satisfying.

I was hoping for more fantasy/magic/paranormal/something from this book, but it reads more like a historical fiction with a fantasy element...sort of. If you were hoping for something like The Winternight Trilogy-- this isn't it, but it was still a very good and compelling read.

Thank you to Random House and Del Rey for this ARC!

I’m not usually one for stories set in the World Wars. I find them far too depressing for the payoff to be worth it. However, I did enjoy Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, so I gave this book a shot and wow was I glad I did. With beautiful prose, intimate character studies (against the depressing backdrop of WWI), and a striking memorable story, The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a must-read for any literary fantasy fan.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is one of those rare books where the characters feel so real, their psyches so thoroughly explored, their weaknesses and vulnerabilities laid bare for the reader to see. Pair this with a story set on the front line of World War I, where every day men die by the thousands in all sorts of gruesome manners, and Arden presents offers some of the best character work I’ve recently read. This isn’t a book where the idea of a ‘likable character’ comes to mind, but one of an almost voyeuristic nature, where we watch down on characters put through the most hellish conditions and are forced to make heartbreaking decisions for mere survival.

The story structure is one I’d almost describe as slice-of-life, if slice-of-life could take place largely on the front lines and at a war hospital. We follow POVs of the Iven siblings. Laura, a discharged field nurse returned to the frontlines in search of her missing brother Freddie, and Freddie, a Canadian soldier assumed dead, forced to pick his way back to safety and make some terrible choices on the way. The first 70% or so of the book is mostly a tale of survival, detailing their day-to-day lives at the war front, largely reacting to the sorts of horrible occurrences one encounters at war. It’s only in the last portion that these two storylines truly begin to converge. I particularly enjoyed Freddie’s storyline, and especially the relationship built on pure survival he develops with the German soldier Winter.

Arden ends the book with a letter to the reader, discussing motivations behind the book and themes she wanted to explore. There’s one quote in particular that so beautifully encapsulates everything I loved about this book.

What use would the lover and exploiter of mortal flaws have for a place that torments without accounting for vice or virtue, a place that renders the infinitely interesting human soul a number in a ledger, a body in drab?

Katherine Arden, The Warm Hands of Ghosts
Because the beauty of this book is Arden’s ability to carve out a story of these two individual souls, give them triumphs and struggles, moments of joy and moments of tragedy, set against such a hellish, cruel backdrop. My favorite character is the one who personifies the devil in all his human glory, carefully serving out personal intimate cruelties, while a man-made war ravages indiscriminately in the background.

Overall, I rate this book a 5/5. I’m not typically one for stories set in the World Wars, but Arden blew me away with The Warm Hands of Ghosts. Beautiful prose, incredible character work, and a story of human tragedy and triumph.

Wow, this novel was so beautiful, so tragic, so hopeful. I’m a mix of emotions after reading but I loved it and highly recommend!

I am a huge fan of Katherine Arden — I loved her Winternight Trilogy and Space Spaces series. The Warm Hands of Ghosts was so different but so similar to these books.

Laura Iven, discharged from the army, is a nurse in Halifax when she receives her brother’s belongings from the Great War. But there was no message that said he brother died. And when she stumbles upon a seance and hears he’s still alive, she travels back to the war to find her brother.

Freddie Iven is stuck in the trenches with a German man named Winter. Both lean on each other to survive. And when they come across a mysterious man name Faland, everyone’s lives change.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

First I must praise the quality of the writing. The story is crafted in such a way that you don't even realize the heavy topics you are delving into until you are brewing on the questions they raise later in the day.
What are our limits?
How does our perspective change the "evil" we see?
How would you react to a complete shift of your world?

Second i must tell you this is NOT a romance as i thought it was. But even though that is what I wanted I am NOT sorry i read it and would recommend this to those seeking an introspective journey.

I really enjoyed this dream-like ghost story of siblings trying everything they can to reunite, dead or alive. This is not a book for someone who enjoys fast-paced thrillers with a lot of plot. This is a slow-burn beautiful journey on unlikely friendships, ghosts, music putting you into trances, and family we make. If you like Katherine Arden's style and atmospheric writing, you will enjoy this one.

Katherine Arden might be the only writer there is to get me reading a novel set in WWI.

I absolutely adore her writing style and mesh of different genres. It is rare to find an author that can write in such a way, that I’m devouring every word.

In The Warm Hands of Ghosts we follow Laura, a combat nurse, as she searches for answers regarding her brother, Freddie. We switch every chapter between Laura’s present POV and Freddie’s Past POV until they meet together for a conclusion. While we revisit the brutal realities of war, we also meet the devil and spend a short time exploring his lure. Sadly, much of his mystery remains.

Without giving too much away, I really enjoyed switching between POVs. I found Freddie’s to be more exciting with a faster pace. Although Laura’s POV was slower, there is nothing without purpose and a slow, increasing dread is constantly felt.

While I enjoyed the story and characters, I wish to have learned more about Jones and “The Fiddler” as well as his hotel.

I also enjoyed Laura’s romantic interest and was rooting for the given outcome. However, Freddie’s romantic interest is where my love for the novel took a nose dive. I think the bond was powerful enough without making it sexual. It felt more forced and out of place than a natural progression. It added nothing to the story for me and diminished my interest in the remaining pages.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to her next novel.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a well-written, eery but interesting tale. I went in blind and highly recommend anyone else reading this to do the same. The story was woven well, with intricate characters whom you want the best for. It was painful and heartbreaking, but realistic.

The lack of the additional 2 stars are to not fault of the book, but my own - do not go into this novel expecting it to be in any way similar to The Bear and the Nightingale. Arden pivots completely with this novel, and it is incredible! Just not what I was expecting (again, totally a reader issue and not an issue with the book, writing, or author).