The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden is a historical novel with a touch of the supernatural, set against the backdrop of the horrors of World War I. The story follows Laura, a combat nurse who returns home to Halifax, Canada, after being injured. Haunted by the thought of her brother Freddie, who is presumed dead in the trenches, Laura clings to strange messages that seem to suggest he is still alive.

Praise

Vivid Portrayal of War: Arden's writing masterfully captures the devastation and desperation of the war. The novel doesn't shy away from the physical and emotional trauma experienced by soldiers and nurses alike.
Unique Blend of Genres: The combination of historical fiction with a touch of the supernatural creates a captivating and suspenseful atmosphere.
Compelling Characters: Laura is a strong and determined protagonist, and the supporting characters are well-developed and memorable.
Criticisms

Pacing: Some readers may find the pacing to be slow at times, especially in the beginning of the novel.
Bleak Setting: The relentless bleakness of the war can be emotionally draining for some readers.
Overall

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a haunting and beautifully written novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. It is a powerful testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable hardship.

Recommendation

This novel is perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of the supernatural, or for fans of Katherine Arden's previous work, such as The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy. If you are looking for a light and uplifting read, this may not be the book for you. However, if you are looking for a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant story, The Warm Hands of Ghosts is definitely worth checking out.

“We were born together, we died together. I cannot live without you.”

I read a lot of historical fiction that circles one of the two world wars. This was such a refreshing story that talks on such heavy topics.
This is Historical Fiction with a gothetic twist.'

This needs to be read by everyone

Unfortunately the momentum of this story fell short for me. I thought this was an incredibly slow read and I was not interested in Laura’s storyline at all. I felt as if Freddie should’ve been given more focus and I wish the novel had gotten into the more mystical fantasy aspect and characters quicker. This book was a struggle for me to finish and felt like a chore. I had high hopes based on the summary but unfortunately I didn’t feel like the novel lived up to my expectations, despite liking the writing and descriptive parts.

I requested this ARC on the strength of the author's name as I had really liked her Winternight trilogy. I'll go ahead and say that I would definitely not recommend picking this up just because you liked Arden's previous work as they are very different reads and I don't necessarily think just because you are a fan of one that you would also be a fan of the other. Which unfortunately is about where I fall.

This ending up being a mixed bag for me. I enjoy historical fiction so I enjoyed the WWI setting (well as much as you can say you enjoy a book set in the midst of war). I liked Freddie and Winter's chapters together and found those to be the most compelling of the first half or so of the book as I did not particularly find Laura's character or chapters to be interesting which ended up making this kind of a slog to get through. The ending did pick up for me however and I don't regret sticking with it through the end.

I think this book would work better for readers who are more into themes than I am as this was definitely a theme heavy book and that's just not really my thing. I also think people who like magical realism would like this better than I did.

I loved Katherine Arden's winter night series, and perhaps the disappointment I feel about this title was that it was nothing at all like her previous works.

The book felt neither quite like adventure, mystery or Gothic enough to be really intriguing. Just grim and slow.

It's very hard to rate The Warm Hands of Ghosts. How do you give a book about loss, grief and fighting against all odds for your family and it possibly not even being enough a review? This book was not what I was expecting. Like many of us, my exposure to Katherine Arden was through The Winternight Trilogy, and TWHOG could not be more difficult. Where Winternight is fantastical, TWHOG is steeped in realism and grief with some unexpected supernatural elements. You won't be disappointed by picking this up, but you will definitely be sad.

After reading and loving the Winternight Trilogy, I jumped at the chance to read another book by Katherine Arden. But this book failed to grip me like Winternight did.

This book is very character driven, but the characters felt 2D to me. Laura should have been a great character, she had all the ingredients that Vasilisa did in the Winternight trilogy, by I did not feel like she was a compelling or engaging character; I thought she was a bit bland. I was more interested in Freddie as a character and would have preferred if the focus was on his character instead of Laura. And I didn't really care about the other characters.

Because of that and the fact that the pacing was slow I found it a struggle to get through at times. I love paranormal and supernatural elements in a story, but in this case I didn't care for the execution and thought it should have been explored more.

I did enjoy it to some degree, I thought it was interesting and haunting, but not enough to grip me.

Katherine Arden’s The Warm Hands of Ghosts is probably one of the most unique books I’ve read this year.

After Winternight Trilogy, I’m not sure how I’ll like this standalone, but was pleasantly surprised how much I love it.

Without revealing too much, The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a historical fiction with supernatural elements that mimics the horror and trauma of war. Arden uses an entity that embodies the inner demon that harms one’s mental health and soul.

This is more of a slow burn, but I love how the Laura and her brother Freddie’s storyline weaves together. There’s little romance but I love how it was portrayed as well.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a great book to read and savor. I love Arden’s writing and cannot wait to see what she’ll write next!

The Warm Hand of Ghosts is easily my most anticipated release of 2024 ever since I first heard Katherine Arden talk about the premise during her Instagram lives in 2020. Taking place during the Great War with nods to Dante's Inferno and Milton's Paradise Lost, this novel was heartbreaking and hopeful and absolutely worth the wait. The story opens up by introducing us to a pair of siblings in two different timelines of the Great War - Laura is a former nurse who was sent home after an accident and her brother Freddie is a soldier on the frontlines.

The story starts off very slow as Freddie and Laura set the stage for their individual acts. Laura is recovering from an injury while Freddie is on the run after nearly being killed. When Laura receives a package with Freddie's belongings, he's assumed to be dead, but she notices some items missing which prompts her to return to the frontlines to find answers. The best way I can describe the prose is quietly heartbreaking as the novel tackles difficult topics about war and the trauma that it inflicts on the soldiers and medical staff. Each character deals with their own trauma in different ways and we get to see how their experiences haunt them throughout their journey as they struggle to find a reason to continue holding onto hope for a better future.

My personal favorite aspect however, has to be the exploration of death and memories. I could read a whole novel just following Faland and exploring his backstory and motives. There are hints of a possible angelic background and I was absolutely fascinated by the connection of music and memories and how Faland used his violin as an anchor to humanity. The Warm Hand of Ghosts feels vastly different from Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy which I absolutely adore but this novel stands strong as a new addition to her bibliography. The questions surrounding one's loss of humanity during war haunts both the characters and the readers long after the story itself concludes.

Gorgeous and sad and well developed. You can tell how much research was put into this. Arden is an instant buy for me.

I absolutely loved this book because it mixes history, magic, realism, and resilience well. Katherine Arden brought together historical events and fantasy in a captivating narrative that impressed me. Having enjoyed her Bear and the Nightingale trilogy, I had high hopes for this one, and it didn't disappoint. Arden crafted a compelling story about family, love, friendship, and loss, highlighting the power of courage and hope. Plus, it really showcased her versatile writing style.

Katherine Arden is such a wonderful writer, the setting and characters of her books just jump right off the page.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts takes us back to WW1, Laura was a combat nurse during the war and her brother hasn't come back from the front. She receives word that he's died but she also hears whispers that there might be more to the story than she's being told.

In flashbacks to Freddie's perspective, months before Laura's chapters, we learn of his miraculous survival alongside a German soldier.

There's a lot of supernatural working in this one, a hallmark of Arden's writing.

Ultimately, this is a story of familial love and the refusal to let chance stop you from outwitting fate.

I read this novel back in December and I had forgotten to update my review on this.

Katherine Arden has done it again! Her writing has continues to blow me away since I read her first novel, The Bear and the Nightingale on NetGalley years ago.
Her writing has taken me back to WWI. The characters were so well written including the backgrounds. It felt like I was in the story which I love!

Some readers may not resonate with this novel because it is totally out of the field from her The Bear and the Nightingale series. They may struggle to understand the story because it is very unique.

I would recommend this novel to anyone I know would understand the depth of this darkness and story.

Thank you Del Ray and NetGalley for this wonderful ! All my opinions are my own.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a hauntingly beautiful novel about the horrors of WWI and the bond between siblings. Though it took me a bit to get into the story, once the fantastical elements were introduced I did not want to put it down. I would highly recommend this book to people looking for a darker twist on Addie and Luc’s dynamic in The Invisible Life of Addie Larue.

I am obsessed with the way that the two timelines slowly twine together as the story progresses. The slight differences in the timelines of each perspective preserve a constant sense of tension. Pieces of the past are revealed but certain characters’ fates remain a mystery until the very end. The dark magic of a forgotten god subtly links both of our main characters and it was so satisfying to see how everything connected in the end.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts provides fascinating commentary on grief, trauma, and the way different people were touched by the horrors of the war. The fantastical elements are a uniquely interesting vehicle for these themes and conversations.

There were a lot of different elements in play by the end of the book. Though I found them all interesting for various reasons, I don't know if they all fit together. Some elements felt rushed or underdeveloped which made the ending feel a little bit awkward.

"Armageddon was a fire in the harbor, a box delivered on a cold day. It wasn't one great tragedy, but ten million tiny ones and everyone faced theirs alone."

I cannot express how much I loved this story. It beautifully captured the emotional effects of war on those who served. No man's land stripped men down to their primal instincts to survive. How we cling to comfort when we are alone in the dark, how our brains try to protect us when we encounter things that are too horrific to process, and how, in the darkest times, the warm hands of ghosts can help us find our way back home.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden is a moving work of historical fiction set during the horrors of World War 1 in 1918. It revolves around the siblings Laura and Freddie Iven, who grapple with the profound darkness of the war. Laura, a former member of the Canadian Nursing Force, was forced to retire after sustaining a severe injury in Belgium. Freddie, a private in the Canadian army, embarks on a dangerous mission in The Forbidden Zone to capture Passchendaele Ridge.

When Laura receives a box with Freddie's personal effects one day, she can scarcely believe it—his tags and jacket with a German postcard concealed in the lining. No one had sent a telegram to say that he had been killed in combat. Upon deciphering a cryptic message on the back of the postcard she found in his coat, she sets out to return to The Forbidden Zone and uncover the truth about her brother's fate. He is all Laura has left after the tragic loss of both her parents in the Halifax explosion. She joins forces with Mary Borden and Pim Shaw to navigate back to the front and serve at a private aid station near Poperinghe.

Freddie wakes up and is not alone—there is a voice in the darkness. He reaches out, needing something to cling to, and the voice leads him. Along the way, he encounters a mysterious man named Faland, who offers to help him keep the promise that he made in the dark. But is the cost of Faland's aid too high to bear? Freddie has nothing to offer; the war has already taken everything from him. All Faland asks for in return is a story...

This book has everything I love to read about. I think this book just found me at a bad time. I DNF this book around 30 % which I never like to do. Thankfully every book I have not finished I came back to and finished. I am going to give this book some time and space and will come back to read again! I really enjoyed where the plot was going, I think It was just a little too detailed to take in for me. Usually I read these types of books with audio to help me comprehend but because this was an advance copy I didn't get the chance to. Will circle back again!

Katherine Ardin has some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read! This was a fantastic historical fiction/fantasy that had a lot of beautiful conversations about family. I enjoyed the the fantastical element of this book as well. It added a different layer to the book that really emphasized the familial bond and the horrors of war. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

ARC provided us exchange for an honest review.

My apologies, I’m a little backed up with my ARC’s but working diligently to get caught up. I really enjoyed this book! It had the perfect mixture of horror, history, and romance! I liked how it shows a strong sibling relationship and even has a touch of a M/M love. I would highly recommend if you like historical fiction with some creepy horror aspects and a touch of magic!

I was so excited to receive this ARC since my most favorite trilogy of all time is the Winternight series.

Katherine did not disappoint! I loved the atmosphere of this story. I truly felt like I was walking down the street in Birmingham in the 1900s during the mining times. It's a slow build and a wonderful story of family and the lengths someone will go for truth.

I need more books like these!

Thank you to Del Ray Books and Netgalley for this amazing ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be really engaging and I loved the premise. I'm a sucker for gothic so this story was right up my alley. I am looking forward to reading other books by the author.