I quite liked this...a combination of Faust, Tales of Arabian Knights, and All Quiet on the Western Front. Was skeptical, but it was quite compelling. When her parents are killed in the Halifax explosion in 1917, and she curiously receives BOTH sets of ID tags from her brother fighting on the Western Front and reported dead, Laura Ivers goes in search of her brother, a sensitive poet named Wilfred (hm....a not so subtle nod to Wilfred Owen). Freddie has seen the most horrendous horrors on the front, and has survived with the help of a German soldier. But when the mysterious Monsier Faland offers respite in his "hotel" and wine in exchange for stories as he plays his violin, the plot is set in motion. Laura has to save her brother, but knows the compulsion to follow Faland as she herself has felt his pull. A sort of surreal WW1 story, but it really works! Enjoyed it immensely.

As someone who’s read both Arden’s Winternight series and her middle grade horror series - this standalone novel is a fairly marked deviation from her typical fantasy lite approach to storytelling. And if I’m honest I’m not sure it’s totally working for me - but that might be my general resentment towards the commodifcation of World War fiction.

Arden takes a slightly speculative approached (i.e. the ghosts) to tell a story about siblings and trauma and the catastrophe of a war that has fallen in the shadow of a much greater one. And I do understand the sentiment of World War I being the often less explored great war of the 20th century and deserving it’s remembrance but… it’s still an extremely “popular” time period to write fiction in. Perhaps not all of these stories have a slightly paranormal twist like Arden was hinting at here - but I feel like the events of this book can easily be read as just psychological trauma. Not ghosts. Which leaves you with… just another World War I historical fiction book.

The only relationship I ended up caring about was Freddy and Winter’s dynamic unfortunately. Which is not great if you consider the driving force and narration of the novel to be Laura and her determination to find her brother. She never really felt like a person to me, beyond this goal she had set in her mind, and once that goal was accomplished she felt even less like one. I know Katherine Arden is more than capable of writing a compelling female lead but this was not… it.

I’m disappoitned that I don’t love this, because the Winternight trilogy is truly one of my favorite fantasy series of all times. But I understand this was a very involved and extensively researched project for the author, and respect what it means to her.

Thank you to the publisher Del Rey for providing an e-ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

"We won, screamed the people outside. Don't they know, Laura thought, we all lost?"

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden is the first fictional, supernatural WWI book I have ever read, so it all felt very new and innovative. Personally, someone could write almost anything on WWI or WWII (fictional or nonfiction), and as long as it is well-researched and the writing is okay, I will probably love it. So, The Warm Hands of Ghost was off to a good start for me before I even began reading the first page. And it kind of lived up to my internal hype.

The pros: I loved learning about a part of history that I previously didn't know much about (also a great representation of an aspect of history that I feel isn't as well known). I liked that Laura was a bit unlikeable. I liked the depiction of Freddie, and felt that it was an accurate portrayal of how young men were when they were sent off to war during WWI and WWII (although they could have made him a bit younger to be more historically accurate). I like the concept of Faland and supernatural hotels that open up to lost soldiers and delving into the psychological impact of war.

The cons: The writing was a bit choppy, and the jumping back and forth between Freddie and Laura felt clunky at times. I have read (and loved) a few of Katherine Arden's previous books, and the writing doesn't quite compare (likely because it is meant to be historically accurate to how people spoke back in 1918, so I give it some leeway). Nothing in The Warm Hands of Ghosts struck a chord in me that I feel will be overly lasting, which is kind of hard to do with a WWI or WWII-centered novel. It was a good book, but not amazing, not life-changing (at least for me).

3.75 / 4 stars. I understand how immensely difficult it is to write about war and do it justice. Finger-snaps to Katherine Arden for doing it. Thank you Katherine Arden, Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
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During the Great War, combat nurse Laura searches for her brother, who is believed to be dead in the trenches. But she has reason to believe he is still alive somewhere.
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This book is kind of an atmospheric historical fantasy? I listened to the author’s note at the end and how she was feeling like writing a steampunk book and felt like this time period in history was the closest to steampunk.

I listened to the audio and I think reading this with my eyes might have been a little easier to follow the story. I was confused about one character for awhile, who they were and what they were trying to accomplish in the story. By the time it got to the end I had figured him out ( I think).

My favorite part of this story was the Doctor that Laura worked with. He was kind and wanted to help Laura because he cared for her. Otherwise the whole story was very sad, how awful humans can be to each other, and how much suffering there was during the war.

3⭐️⭐️⭐️ If I’m being honest, I think I would have struggled to get through this book if I hadn’t have listened to the audio. It was a good story, I just did not have any strong emotions about it.

A lovely read! Im a big fan of Katherine Ardens novels overalls, and while this one is more of a Historical Fiction novel, i enjoyed it a lot!

I’m such a huge Katherine Arden fan and this just further solidified that fact! She’s such a talent with an utterly enchanting and unique voice. This book surprised me and broke my heart at times. Wow, just loved it start to finish.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Katherine Arden for my advanced copy of this book!

As a fan of The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden, I was eager to dig into this book. In The Warm Hands of Ghosts, we follow two different perspectives at two different times. Firstly, we follow combat nurse Laura in the present on her mission to uncover the truth of her brother Freddie's death. Secondly, we follow Freddie in the past and get his timeline of events. What I truly love about all of Arden's writing is the way that she makes everything so incredibly atmospheric. She has a way of luring readers into her world through her style and imagery. Her research and attention to detail and culture are meticulous and noteworthy.

I thought this was a fantastic Historical Fiction read with a touch of magic. The only thing that would have made this better in my mind would be to read during the colder months. I think this leans into how much of a setting and atmosphere she drops the reader into.

Overall, I will always pick up a Katherine Arden book, regardless of the topic.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for so graciously providing me qirh this e-ARC! I am very thankful and once read will update this review placeholder with my thoughts and also review on my Social medias.

I'm a huge Katherine Arden fan. Her "Winternight" trilogy is a favorite of mine.

And while Arden's latest falls a bit short of the "Winternight" perfection that came before it, it's an engrossing read for the most part. She mentions in the author's note how "The Warm Hands of Ghosts" gave her fits and took her ages to write, and the trouble she had during the writing process shows itself within the pages. The book isn't as tight as her others -- certain elements of the plot are murky (exactly what is Faland?) and the ending is weak, what with how Arden wraps it all up a bit too easily and how one particular character's motivations seem nonsensical.

But I liked the book. Arden knows how to write an engaging story, and I immediately took to Laura, the protagonist. I couldn't stop reading it, despite the mild disappointment and frustration I experienced alongside my enjoyment.


My sincerest appreciation to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All thoughts herein are my own.

3.5 stars

This book kind of fell middle of the road for me. I love historical fiction but like a few years after this one takes place. I really liked reading from Laura's perspective because there was adventure and traveling as well as a healing journey but I really didn't like Freddie's pov the war but it could just be that I am not big on war pov's.

Katherine Arden's ability to weave words into worlds is unmatched. I just had a little bit of a difficult time with this one.

Thank you to Del Ray and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laura is a field nurse, sent home after a leg injury, received word that her brother has been killed in action. Laura refuses to believe that he is actually dead, a belief fueled by the words of her neighbor, a medium, so she finagles her way back to the front to search for him.
I'm not sure what I expected from "Warm Hands," but I had a difficult time getting into it. I just did not connect with Laura, a little more so with her brother Freddy, but as I was constantly pulled away from him scenes it was difficult to fully engage.

I loved this beautifully written, historical fantasy up that takes place during WW1! The plot was so interesting and I loved the brother and sister relationship aspect! Katherine has such a way with words, that it's hard to put her books down! The romance in this book was well down and I loved their chemistry! I can't wait to read more books from Katherine Arden!

Sorry for the late review, I was dealing with some health issues the past few months, but now I'm catching up on all of my reviews and arcs!

*5/5 Stars*

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this eARC!

I absolutely loved this book so much. It was the right amount of blend of historical fiction and fantasy. Katherine Arden writes the most atmospheric books I've ever read. She didn't shy away from the horror that is World War 1. I will forever be a fan of her work and I can't wait for her next book.

Such a beautiful and well-researched piece of historical fantasy. The true and the fantastic merge together seamlessly, in the service of bringing out the larger truths about grief, about what it means for a world to end - whether that be a personal world, or a larger societal loss.

I struggled with this book. While the prose was gorgeous and atmospheric, I had difficulty connecting with the characters and the general progression of the story. This book was not for me.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The premise is amazing, but it fell flat due to the abrupt writing style. The characters weren't compelling enough because I couldn't really get to know them, and the ending with the brother and Winter was not my cup of tea. I did love the idea of using Biblical prophecy and war time to explain things. That was a cool twist that I haven't seen often in war themed books.

I really enjoyed this novel, despite, still – at the end – not truly knowing who the character of Faland really was. Was he a ghost? Was he the devil? Was he a symbol of the atrocities of war? Was he all of the above? Well, this is, after all, billed as fantasy – so anything is possible!

Either way, Faland added an ethereal element to the horrors of war and was a great mirror to soldiers fighting to maintain their sanity during WWI. One of the main characters, Laura, was tough as nails – a decorated nurse during the war – and her brother, a soldier, who finds himself in the trenches with the enemy, provided deep emotional insight about divided loyalties.

There is a love-interest element in this book that I thought was superbly done … perhaps one of the best I’ve read. No broadcasting or expectations… just a natural progression of a relationship. And there were surprises here and there that kept the pace up.

I enjoyed this talented author’s previous book The Bear and the Nightingale as well.

*3.5 rounded up*

"The Warm Hands of Ghosts" was a lovely mix of historical fiction and fantasy, set during the time of the Great War. I was immediately drawn to Laura as a character and her plight to find out the information about her brother. I was also immediately immersed in the story! With the use of two storylines, Katherine Arden leads her reader through a story of mystery and family. Once I started this book, it was hard for me to put it down or stop thinking about when I did put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Katherine Arden remains steadfastly one of my favorite authors. Her writing completely transports me into another world. This novel wrecked me. I fell in love with the characters and the magical realism. I will admit, I didn't know too much of WWI and this novel lead me down an historical rabbit hole of pill boxes, major battles and folklore. This is the Hallmark of a glorious novel: one that makes you think, feel and research. Poetic language and a masterfully woven narrative makes reading this novel delightful.
Told from alternating points of view between two war-torn siblings, the plot unfolds when one is orphaned at home and one is lost in the ravages of war.
Laura is a battle-scarred nurse who returns home to watch her world crumble. She's taken in by three older ladies in need of a live-in nurse. Freddie is trapped with the enemy with little hope of surviving. Their fates and fortunes are intertwined the beat of a fiddle played by the most masterful of manipulators.
Will fate see these siblings reunited? Read on to find out!

What I loved most: the poetic writing, the flawed characters, the musical magic of folklore, the infusion of history

Katherine, I hope you never run out of the ideas.

This story dug it's hooks into me from page one and it never let go. What a satisfying and eerily beautiful journey through grief and trauma with an overlay of love.

The story is focused on two timelines that slowly interlock as the book goes. Both main characters, siblings Laura and Freddie, are captivating and relatable. I felt so deeply for both and wanted nothing but for them to reunite. Sibling bonds are always an important theme for me and this one did make me tear up once or twice.

The fantastical elements were also subtle but powerful and the tension never dissipated. Seeing how everything came together at the end was rewarding, and I appreciated that it wasn't an easy or picture perfect ending for any of the characters. But it did end with hope. Hope to live, hope to love, and hope to heal.

What a beautiful story.

Thank you to Net Galley & Random House Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.