Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

A magical realism, historical fiction novel about WWI – with the main character as a nurse – I am sold. This prosaic novel was exactly what I would have hoped for from this genre. The characters had such great development, the premise was unique, and the depictions of trauma responses were all so well done.
Laura is a returned-from-war nurse who has lost her mother and father to an explosion and has now been notified that her brother is missing/assumed dead in action. So, she of course, decides to go back to the war front to see if she can find him – rightly so, he is her only family left at this point. Once there, she returns to her nursing ways, mending the sick and dying of the frontlines, all while kindling relationships and searching for her brother. Throw in a magic fiddler man - who just might be the fiddler from The Charlie Daniels Band’s infamous “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”, but think more Paganini – and you have your magical ghosty-man who… well, I let you figure out what he does by reading the story.
I loved this book and the deeper elements that it brought to life within its prose. I also really enjoyed the Armageddon parallels and think Arden a very crafty human.

Content Warning: war, death, murder, gun violence, body horror, hostage, deception

Would I Recommend: Yes, I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction and magical realism.

4.5 Stars rounded up

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Orpheus and Eurydice meets M*A*S*H.

Do you want to read a deeply romantic WW1 historical with a smattering of Greek mythology and religious commentary? Do you love a sexy devil? I'm looking at you, Addie LaRue girlies.

Pre-reading:
Another book box. Another ugly cover. Another book I know nothing about, but my instinct is that I will not like it.

Thick of it:
Oh no, a map. (Not once do you need this.)

Misogyny is eternal.

Sorry to this book, but I’m already bored.

This audiobook is doing WORK.

Detritus sin

Freddie, get it together.

The author: it’s men dying at war. It’s very sad
Sam: what if it’s a little gay though
(The author: what if it’s a LOT gay though)

Forced proximity trope

Sam: bopping along thinking this is a v serious historical. Wait. This sounds like the start of a gay love story.
The boys: reading each other poetry in the dark
Samantha: is this is a date? This is a date.

I take it back. I’m not quite bored. This just isn’t my genre.

Tam

Tell me Laura is not at least a little bit bi.

This book reminds me of War Horse, and if you’re like Samantha, every single war book reminds you of that book, you’d be correct.

Am I crazy? Everyone in this book is gay.

Oh, I like these women.

Puttees

Equanimity

My instinct is that he’s going to switch IDs with the German soldier, and she’s gonna have to let him go live with him in Germany. And so help me god if I’ve solved the book at 15% literally at page 51-

If Pim dies we riot. There’s no way she’s making it out of this book alive, but like fuck. (Samantha‘s predictive algorithm is too strong for her own good.)

This would make a good limited series.

I want Pim to go. I’m not done with Pim.

HELL YEAH, PIM

Wow, I already don’t want anyone in this book to die, but I have a bad feeling that everyone in this book is gonna die. (On Samantha doesn’t read the back of books, so she was still under the impression that this was a ~very serious~ book.)

Generous mouth? They’re on a date.

Farthingale

Am I insane? (Yes.) I thought they told us Hans had brown eyes. Now he has blue eyes?

I don’t get the asparagus joke. Is that a war thing or is it that he’s tall and thin? (Samantha, you just had to be patient.)

importunate

billets

This is so well written. It’s an excellent balance of humor and grimness.

Detritus sin again

Who you gonna murder, Pim?

Ha, the devil limps.

Sam, you can't fuck the devil. Put the horny down.

Texting my friend who’s also reading this book like I’m sorry, is this book extremely gay?
And she’s like what are you talking about?
And I’m like what are you NOT talking about? He’s got his head in his lap and he’s thinking about the people he loves? I’m sorry, but they’re in love. (I texted my friend at the poetry moment, asking her if this book was gay, and she was like I’m at 57% and it’s not gay yet, and I believed her. Like an idiot. I’m so used to reading chemistry where there’s none intended.)

This book is gay as HELL.

Oh, give Laura a handsome doctor.

Oh, I like them together. Sir, yes sir.

It's slow right now.

When this book is all dialogue, it’s snappy and wonderful. When this book is musing of like oh, is this real? Is it a hallucination? I’m so bored.

Oh, I like her and the doctor together so much.

Torpid

Raffish

OMG, yay Winter is alive!

Cuirassier

Faland sexy.

This author is so talented at making you love a character in a paragraph or two.

Title drop

Burghers

Gimcrack

Neurasthenia

I repeat, Faland sexy.

Faland SEXY.

Let's play doctor. (Samantha, stop being horny on main.)

No, not her hair! Omg, I’m so sad. Like I get it, but sad.

Voluble

I love them. I want to get them to get married and retire and be lovely together.

The only thing ruining this book for me is the pacing.

When it’s good, it’s so good. Five stars, limited series, HBO, Peaky Blinders nonsense. And then we get stuck in inner monologues, and it grinds to a halt, and I’m like I don’t care.

Oof that was a metal line.

Literally, I thought I was insane for being like the German had brown eyes, and then all of a sudden he had blue eyes. I’m not insane. I’m never insane. Why do I do this to myself? (Because you are in fact insane.)

What does the changing eye color mean? What does it mean? (I still don’t know. Sound off in the comments below if you have a theory.)

Dilettante

I knew it was gay. I’ve spent this whole book- I texted one of my besties. She’s like this book’s not gay. I’m like this book is hella gay. (It did take this long for Sam to get irrefutable proof that she wasn’t reading too much into it.)

Who does he want Pim to murder? (He doesn’t. She does. You idiot.)

Malingering

And it’s gonna be Orpheus and Eurydice as a nice callback to the beginning and like it’s predictable and we done been knew, but whatever.

Malediction

Chicanery

I want Pim and Faland to go full Hades and Persephone and fall in love and fuck.

Contretemps

Laura, don’t be an idiot.

Faland sexy, holy shit.

Very Persephone and Hades. Man, I like this book a lot. It’s predictable, but it’s unfolding in the way you want it to, and it’s just so well done, so I don’t mind. It reads like a good movie or a limited series. If it didn’t have the pacing issues where I literally want to put the book down and never pick it up again, this would be five stars. But because it has those times where I don’t love it, it’s gonna be a 4. But when this book is good, it’s perfect.

I don’t understand any of the transportation that’s happened in this book. Like I don’t understand how people aren’t just stopping them while they’re walking through a war zone or how there’s always just convenient cars for them to hitch, but do I give a single flying fuck about the plausibility? No.

One bed, one bed, one bed

Goddamnit what do you mean? You tease! I know, I know, they’re very grown adults and very serious, and she can sleep with her sibling all practical-like, but like fuck the doctor.

If Jones dies we riot.

Oh fuck me, this book is romantic.

If the doctor dies we riot. No one else is allowed to die. Do you hear me, book?

Abeyance

What a perfect ending.

This is an excellent author’s note.

She killed it. This book is so good. It has a shit title. Sorry to her inspo, but the title sucks.

Post-reading:
Sam, why do you keep picking up books you think you’ll hate? Because sometimes you get surprised with gems like this one, and it makes it all worth it.

The cover of this book, bad. The title, bad. The pitch, bad. Nothing would’ve made me pick this up, and I would’ve missed out on my best book of the year so far.

I still think it’s an odd pick for Owlcrate. It’s not an adult fantasy novel. It’s a historical and barely magical realism. Those are two genres that I notoriously hate. I loved this. I ate this shit up. I do think my reading experience benefited incredibly from the audiobook. The audiobook was so good. I don’t know if I would’ve gotten everything out of this book physically reading it because I wouldn’t have given the characters accents and I would’ve mispronounced like every battle location in here. The audiobook also helped me speed through the pacing issues instead of giving my eyes the opportunity to glaze over and start hate-finishing this book. But man, did I like this.

It is such a deeply romantic book.

Is it a little cliché? For sure. Is it predictable? Almost to a fault. But it was so well written that I didn’t mind knowing what was coming. It was still satisfying to see how the author was going to accomplish it. I think a lot of times when a book is predictable, you run into the problem of whatever you’ve imagined will happen, ends up being better than what actually happens. You don’t have that problem in this book. It all just works. I loved the religious commentary and Greek mythology spin. It was seamless.

The only thing bumping this book down from a five-star is the pacing. When this book is on, it’s on. The dialogue is so snappy. It’s made for TV. This would make an incredible limited series. The pace grinds to a halt when we get stuck in characters’ internal monologues. It gets painfully boring. It makes you want to put the book down, and you just have to continue on in blind faith that something interesting will happen again. And if you push on, the book does reward you, but it’s a shame that those parts couldn’t be culled or reworked so that the book holds your attention for its entirety.

If you’ve been around my reviews before, you know I am nothing if not an ignorant slut. I will not be critiquing the historical accuracy of this book. I do not want to touch that with a 10-foot pole. It sounds like the author did a lot of research, and I enjoyed the slang of the times that was snuck into the dialogue. I think the transportation angle of the book can get a bit plotholy. It’s super convenient that there’s people always just around to pick our main characters up and no one questions where they’re going and they never need documentation for it. All of that is pretty glossed over which can make the book read a little snippety, but I also don’t care because I don’t want to read about the intricacies of traveling between countries in wartime. That doesn’t entertain me. The book knew what was interesting, and it stuck to it. Suspend your disbelief. You’re already dabbling in that if you wanna believe that one of these characters is the devil.

And let’s talk about my boy. He’s a star. The author’s take is perfect. He’s sexy. He’s morally gray. He’s got depth. Just 10 out of 10. If you liked Luc from Addie LaRue, you’ll love Faland.

I think this book nailed its tone. It’s grim and horrifying because like war, but there’s still humor and light because life goes on. I loved that. The characters were angry. That worked so well for me. I love that we got a happy ending.

I’m not sure what else to say. This book is so good. I will be recommending it to just about everyone. I'll tell them to get the audiobook. It’s gonna be a hard sell because of the title, cover, and blurb. They are not doing the book justice. The marketing is really failing the author for this release. But like fuck, pick this up if you like character studies or a modern fairytale.

Who should read this:
Historical fans
The Addie LaRue and Evelyn Hugo girlies
People who liked Divine Rivals but wanted it to be an adult novel
WW1- fans feels like the wrong word but-
Anyone who likes a good goddamn gay love story

Do I want to reread this:
Hell yeah. I bought a Goldsboro subscription just to get a special copy of this damn book even though Owlcrate’s already sending me one.

Similar books:
* Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross-historical romance, magical realism, WWI
* War Horse by Michael Morpurgo-Black Beauty but make it WWI
* The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab-historical, magical realism, sexy devil
* Masters of Death by Olivie Blake-urban fantasy, gay as hell, make a deal with the devil to save your boyfriend
* The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater-hear me out. They’re not the same at all, but if you like found family, and less plot more vibes

In the midst of the Great War, amidst the chaos and carnage of the trenches, Katherine Arden weaves a hauntingly beautiful historical fiction with a speculative twist. Readers who have come from the folklore-inspired fantasy of The Bear and the Nightingale should be aware that this book is very different in tone and subject matter. This book is more historical fiction than fantasy, and doesn't shy away from depicting the visceral horrors of the trench warfare of World War I.

The story follows Laura Iven, a combat nurse sent home after an injury, now devastated by finding out that her brother Freddie has disappeared in the trenches of Flanders. There's something wrong though, and enough clues to indicate he might not be dead. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura embarks on a journey that leads her back to Belgium, where she encounters whispers of wild men in the trenches and a mysterious hotelier with otherworldly powers.

Meanwhile, Freddie himself awakens in the aftermath of an explosion, forming an unlikely alliance with a wounded enemy soldier named Hans Winter. Together, they seek refuge with a man who holds the key to their survival amidst the horrors of war, but comes at a great price.

As we alternate between both of their perspectives, the timelines slowly come together in a climax where Laura's fight to save her brother from a malevolent power echoes the struggles of war survivors to overcome the trauma etched into them by the things they have seen and done in battle.

The supernatural aspects of the book are used to highlight WWI as a turning point in histor. A point when one world died and a new world began, with higher stakes and new forms of evil. The paths the characters tread straddle the boundary between history, myth and scripture but never stray too far from the grim reality of war.

Who would enjoy this: lovers of both historical fiction and fantasy who would not shy away from brutally detailed depictions of war, violence, and combat medicine.

Who might not enjoy it: Fans of Katherine Arden's previous story who want the same level of fantasy and romance; those who don't want to read about the horrors of war.

This book was beautiful and devastating. The horrors of WWI are often overshadowed by WWII, but no less grotesque to read about. You can tell that Katherine Arden did rigorous research to create the correct atmosphere for this book, and she succeeded in doing that. I did feel like I was in war stricken Europe. This book is poetic and heartbreaking, but there was still something missing for me, something unfinished about it. The beginning gripped me but then it was a long slog in the middle before I was hooked again towards the end. This isn’t a long book, but it took me a long time to read. I don’t know if the style just wasn’t for me or if there was something lacking. Despite my misgivings I still highly recommend you add this to your reading list.

DNF at 25%, lacked connection to the story and character. I felt like this was a very surface level conversation between the characters. A very bleak accounting of war

This book was beautiful. One one hand, it's quite a unique story, with traumatized protagonists that felt real enough to touch. On the other, it sits comfortably alongside the classic, heartbreaking war stories contemporary to its setting during WWI.

Laura is a service-disabled combat nurse who loses everything in the span of one winter. The Canadian army discharges her after she is injured, her parents die suddenly, and her brother, Freddie is missing in action.

Details of Freddie's disappearance don't sit right, though, and when a spiritualist acquaintance insists that he is alive, she can't get the thought out of her head.

So she returns to Flanders to learn what she can, though her investigation is confounded by speculation and supernatural rumor.

Laura and Freddie's story is full of love, but love is not an easy thing when surrounded by death and destruction. It deals with trauma, and the struggle of finding the things that make life worth living in spite of the horrors. And it shows that Hell is a place that we've created for ourselves.

In her afterword, Arden writes about the way WWI is essentially a gap in our history curriculum in the States, overshadowed by WWII. Having grown up in the States, I can attest to this.

But I'm also Flemish, my mother coming from Vlaams-Brabant, so I learned about it anyway. I've seen the way Flanders has bounced back, but I've also seen the toll that being the epicenter of two world wars has taken on our landscape and the Belgian national character. Beyond that, it's surreal to know that you come from a place that, to most of the anglophone world, is synonymous with war.

I appreciated the thoughtful way in which Arden handled the horrors of war while writing a book that did not much take place on the battlefield.

I'm very glad I read it.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is one of those books that challenged me in the best way possible. At first, I struggle with the pace of the story and the writing style. At times the writing was choppy and a little hard to follow, but I love Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy and I really wanted to give it a shot. I'm glad I stuck with it.
Once the story got going, it was hard to put down. I found myself invested in the journeys of Laura and Freddie and the people around them. All the characters are all fighting their own demons (sometimes literally) brought on by the horrors they have faced. All of them are plagued by ghosts. And yet they are trying to find a way to survive. To continue living in a world that no longer makes sense. In a world where the boundaries between black and white, right and wrong have been not only blurred but completely eroded. But the story is not one solely of doom and gloom. Arden makes sure to infuse hope into its very marrow. Even as the characters face their worst nightmares and lose part of themselves there is always a reason to keep going and that is what makes this book special.
The other thing that makes this book special is the bond between Laura and Freddie. I'm a sucker for a sibling story and the way these two supported and loved each other was so beautiful and heart wrenching and real. I enjoyed the dual POVs and watching as the sibling's timelines came together.
The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a deep mediation on war and grief and family and love. It mixes history and fantasy, myth and reality. It is like nothing I've read before.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book had all the ingredients I love and expect when it comes to Arden’s writing style-- a headstrong female character, a rich atmosphere, and a blend of historical fiction with magical realism. However, the plot didn’t capture me the way her previous works have.

⇢➤ Plot: Set in the later half of World War I, the novel follows the duel perspectives of a sister and brother. Laura Iven is a combat nurse that’s seen the worst of the war. Her brother Freddie is pinned underground with a German soldier after an explosion, and they must work together to dig their way out. The two perspectives are set a year apart as the mystery of what happened to Freddie is slowly unraveled. Throughout the story, the two siblings encounter ghosts and legends, including the devil himself-- for where else would the devil be during the end of the world?

⇢➤ Pros: Few war novels are set in WWI. I enjoyed seeing the characters discuss the implications of the war and the advancements of technology in wartime. For many, it was an apocalyptic situation, and Arden captures this dread in stark clarity. Between the descriptions of combat, the way tear gas sticks to soldier’s clothing, the harsh winter, and the side characters reciting biblical verses, it feels like the reader is truly witnessing the end of days.

Freddie was the most interesting character to me. Freddie’s fight is largely mental, not physical. The inclusion of the devil and ghosts, with Freddie having to give up his memories to the devil for reprieve, was a great explanation for PTSD in a world that hadn’t acknowledged it yet. (PTSD was not recognized or added to the DSM until 1980. This was largely due to research from the Vietnam war and Holocaust survivors from WWII. However, terms like “shell shock” and “combat fatigue” hinted at the psychological trauma embedded in combat.) Freddie’s journey with Hans showcased the bravery, love, and desperation many soldiers experienced.

There is a hint towards LGBTQ romance and the author does a good job removing the stigma that would otherwise be present at the time.

⇢➤ Cons: Despite being a strong woman desperate to find her brother, it was hard to empathize with Laura’s character. She compartmentalized so much of the war that her character felt stilted, stuck in time. This significantly impacted my reading of the story, as her plotline is set in 1918 while Freddie’s is set in 1917, and it felt as if the two were fighting through mud to get to one another. Stylistically, it’s an interesting choice that highlights how the two are fighting across space and time. For the reader, it drags the plot itself to a standstill.

If the novel focused on Freddie and Hans alone, fighting to get free of combat and free of their demons, it would have been more engaging. Instead, there are multiple chapters with Laura at the medical hospital that did little to add to her character or the overarching plot. I enjoyed Arden's other female leads (e.g. Vasilisa in Winternight) and look forward to seeing her next historical fiction.

⇢➤ Recommended for fans of: Ava Reid, Olivia Atwater

Emotionally damaging. This is a perfect magical realism/fantasy novel about the Great War. A war that changed everything for everyone on this planet. This book is about people, and how the war made them into someone different than they ever were, and how the atrocities they faced have no justification or reason. And each of our characters are dealing with that fact and coming to terms with their own losses, grief and trauma.

The prose of this book is very well done, and this being my first Katherine Arden book, It may be something to continue to expect from her works. This novel is written so intelligently, weaving fantasy elements into a desolate atmosphere and it doesn’t come across as contrived.

Katherine Arden has a way of transporting you with her writing, this time to war-torn Flanders in Belgium. This story was captivating, lyrical and it really made me feel totally immersed. Such dark subject matter, but Laura and Freddie's stories were expertly told. The symbolism within this story was top-notch. I really felt as if I was there on the Front myself, in the middle of the Great War.

Thank you to Del Rey books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of THE WARM HANDS OF GHOSTS by Katherine Arden in exchange for my honest review!

This was my first experience reading Arden's works and I could immediately tell that her writing style was up my alley. She writes with a lot of heart and thoughtfulness, and you can also tell it was well researched. I really enjoy historical fiction, generally, but I loved the liberties Arden took with the fantasy/paranormal elements in this story. The themes in THE WARM HANDS OF GHOSTS are also really poignant and I think will leave a lasting impression on readers.

Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Unfortunately, the prose style in this novel just didn't work for me. The sentence structure was often very curt and choppy, and that really made me feel disjointed from the reading experience and the story. It felt like dialogue was often unfinished as well. However, with that said, although this book wasn't a great fit for my reading preferences, I think it's overall a really intriguing premise and if you are a fan of historical fiction, you should definitely give it a try.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars

Ah, the middling book, packed with unfilled promises and what-ifs.

Set during WWI, The Warm Hands of Ghosts begins with a lot of potential. Arden sets the scene and characters up beautifully, along with the dual timelines that, by their sheer closeness, are destined to collide.

In January 1918, we meet Laura Iven, a revered field nurse wounded and discharged from the medical corp, Laura has returned home to Halifax, Canada. Further rocked by a tragedy just the previous month that claimed the lives of her parents (see Halifax Explosion), Laura is profoundly upset when she receives word of her brother's disappearance. But when his personal belongings, along with the full set of dog tags, arrives by mail one day, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer nurse for a private hospital to uncover what has happened to her brother, Freddie.

The narrative then dives back to November 1917 inside a half-destroyed pillbox where Freddie Iven awakens following an explosion. He discovers a companion in the rubble with him, a German solider named Hans Winter. As the two figure out how to work together to survive, they grapple with the idea of a way ahead that would keep them both alive.

While I loved the idea of visiting some rarely covered WWI topics, reading Arden's book felt like climbing an uphill battle of my own, only to have it collapse at the end. At first, Freddie's storyline felt like it had the more gripping elements and reminded me heavily of the Poitier / Curtis movie, The Defiant Ones (1958). Set in the Southern United States, the film features two escaped prisoners, one white and one Black, shackled together, who must learn to co-operate in order to survive. However, Freddie's story never really took root in anything meaningful or delved too deeply into a stronger connection or bigger conversation for the two from opposite sides.

The two timelines begin their collision course by way of a supernatural connection — both sets run into a magical oasis of sorts in Belgium. As Laura continues her work as a nurse with plans to set off to determine Freddie's fate, she and her two female travel companions (one being Mary Burton (a real-life person), happen into a magical underground reverie, where a mysterious figure, Faland, welcomes weary guests with food and music. He also has a magical mirror that shows people what they truly desire...and he has garnered a reputation among the soldiers who experienced his spectacle and long to return but are unable to find it a second time. Meanwhile, Freddie and Winter meet up with Faland on their own, impacting the pair in different ways.

Elements of The Warm Hands of Ghosts worked really well and played around with themes of mental health, grief, and guilt. But the opening took too long to get going, and by the time Faland and his "night circus" dreamscape arrives, it was hard to remain engaged. In fact, once over the hump of the halfway point, though I held out hope, the story was on a steady decline and all but fell apart by the end.

I adored Katherine Arden's Winternight trilogy, and would not hesitate to continue to recommend it wholeheartedly.

I really enjoy Katherine Arden’s prose, and I’m so grateful to have received an arc of this book from the publisher. This is a dual perspective story with alternating chapters. We follow siblings, Laura and Freddie, during WWI as they try to find each other. Freddie is presumed dead, but Laura does not believe the “evidence,” so she returns to Belgium to try to get more information and find her brother. This reads like Historical Fiction with a touch of Magical Realism. It's clear that Arden did a lot of research and this effort really brought the book to life. I did like the main and supporting characters, but I wish their arcs were better written to make them feel more three-dimensional. I think you’ll appreciate this book too if you’re looking for a historical fiction with some mysterious magic. The descriptions of the war torn cities was vivid, the characters' emotions were explored with care, and the subplot of romance was moving but a little surface level. Overall, a good read.

Historical fiction with an element of the supernatural. Takes place during WWI and is the story of a nurse and her brother and the tragedy of war and the endurance of hope.

I didn't love this as much as I did The Bear and the Nightingale, but it was good. I think I liked the parts told from Freddie's POV the most, even thought they were the worst.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

(4.8 rounded up) I don't usually read many books set during World War 1. I loved the Small Spaces quartet by this author, and the premise seemed interesting. I'm really glad I read this book.

In this story, we follow siblings Laura and Freddie. It switches between their POVs (Laura's in 1918 and Freddie's in 1917). I was almost immediately invested in the fate of the siblings. I really felt immersed in the time period. Arden did an excellent job of bringing us into the past. It's obvious that a lot of research was done for this book.

Without getting into spoilers, I absolutely loved this book. There are so many scenes that will stay with me. One of them involving the warm hands of ghosts (IYKYK) really moved me. I don't want to give any details as it's best to go in knowing as little as possible. The book touches on the effects that war has on people.

"The more we progress, the more it seems we destroy ourselves." The author's note is also definitely worth a read as well.

This was a beautiful and haunting story. Yes, it's about ghosts. Kind of. It's mostly about what it means to be human. To be human is to suffer, yes, but there's also love and hope. This book will leave you with a lot to think about.

I'd recommend this to anyone. Especially those that enjoy historical fiction with a dash of something extra. If you're at all interested in World War 1, definitely pick this up.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for review.

“He was suddenly afraid that the memory of grief was part of the edifice that fixed his love for her in his mind. Could he not rid himself of sorrow without losing the rest?”

Although it’s early in the year, Ghosts is currently my favorite book of 2024.

A tale of devotion at its core, The Warm Hands of Ghosts follows a World War I nurse, Laura, as she seeks out her missing brother, Freddie, presumed dead on a battlefield in Belgium. However, rather than finding the tale of his demise, Lauren instead discovers that a new world comes with new devils — and that she is not the only one searching for Freddie.

The first quarter of Ghosts was a slow read while still being enjoyable. Around the halfway mark the action picks up, and as you’re very invested in the characters — Arden does an excellent job of this, as I felt strongly connected to a doctor who is introduced late in the novel and has sparring page time — you’ll be unable to put down the book until the last page.

I loved Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy and went into this book with the same expectations. That was a mistake. This book was entirely different and I felt a bit let down. I did myself a disservice by going into this book with the same expectations.
The Warm Hands of Ghosts took me a while to get through. Almost 3 weeks in fact because I kept putting it down. It was hard to read at times. But ultimately I am glad I continued with it. I thought the ending was worth the struggle to get through. I do believe the struggle to make it through this book was more my fault than that of the author. I have a military background and come from a Military household. PTSD is something I am well versed in.

I thought this book was well written and had interesting perspective on war and PTSD. I do believe it is a book I will think about in the future and ultimately I am glad I read it.

3.75

A wonderfully haunting novel about the love between siblings and dedication to humanity.

Personally, I have mixed feelings about The Warm Hands of Ghosts. On one hand, I see the passion, research, and dedication to writing a story about WWI. The desolation, isolation, and devastation of war comes across in technicolor. On the other hand, the characters' stories drew no strong emotions from me. For a story about a sister heading back into an active warzone to look for news about her brother who went missing, there was very little that moved me. There wasn't enough desperation on Laura's part to ravage the forbidden zone for Freddie. Winter did more to liberate Freddie than Laura did in my opinion. The paranormal aspect didn't do much to add to the story either other than create a space in which Freddie could disappear into.

I loved all the moments between Winter and Freddie and wish we'd gotten more of that instead of the long-winded beginning where nothing really happened other than following Laura around. I felt there was more dedication and love between Winter and Freddie than between Laura and Freddie.

All in all, a very worthwhile read even if it does take a while to get into the thick of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Del Rey for generously providing me with a digital reviewer copy

Laura and Freddie, both having been traumatized by being in the war, are each struggling to keep moving forward and find their way through it. Laura has put up a wall to keep herself together, struggling to let her guard down around the people who are helping her. Her determination to find out what happened to Freddie, although she has no hope of finding a miracle, drives her forward and causes her to return to Belgium to solve this mystery.

Freddie on the other hand has been forced to ally with an enemy soldier. The desperate bond between then being the only thing that may get them out of a terrible situation alive. Their reliance on one another keeps them moving, but also causes Freddie to fear what may become of them when their complicated relationship is discovered. Desperate for an escape from the things he has seen and done, Freddie finds an unexpected chance to leave the war behind for good and avoid what he fears his sister may think of him if he does return.

I loved the bond between Laura and Freddie. How they have lived through similar situations, but responded to them so differently. In both cases their love for one another is a driving force in their decisions. The side characters certainly added something to both halves of the story with the various relationships helping and sometimes hindering the main characters' progress. I enjoyed seeing the way their paths crossed throughout the novel as they were all looking for some way to make it through, as well as the addition of magical elements to this real world situation.

Some moments felt incomplete, like there was context missing or a thought left unfinished. Still, I was engaged in this story and seeing how things may work out for our characters. Not everyone makes it through the war in the end, but it still felt like a happy ending, or at least as happy as a terrible war story can end. Overall, I very much enjoyed this story and going along on this difficult journey with both Laura and Freddie.