I have read Katherine Arden's Winternight Trilogy and really enjoyed it. There's something about the old European stories that draws me in. Her new book, however, is something completely different. Yes, there are elements of fantasy, but the book is mostly told in terms of reality. It's all set in the period at the end of World War I. We are introduced to Laura Iven, a nurse, who has recently been sent home to Halifax, Nova Scotia from the front in Europe where she recently sustained serious injuries. Soon after she had returned from that horror, a new one came about with the Halifax Explosion which flattened much of the city and killed both her parents. She's been living in a sort of limbo with some friends since her family home is now gone. Laura's brother Freddie, to her knowledge, is still fighting in Europe, but then she receives a package with his tags and a few personal items. It's not typical of how things usually happen with a death and so she's not certain that he is dead. It's not long until she decides she must go back and discover what has happened to him.

I will advise this is quite the harrowing tale and it's filled with the horrors of war. I usually have little interest in reading books from a war zone. What actually drew me in most was the setting of Halifax after the explosion. I learned about this while living there for a period over twenty years ago. This is the first time I've seen the tragedy as the background of any books I've read. Not to mention Canada is often overlooked as the background in the books I've read. In any case, there is horror in the explosion and in the war abroad. This book really captures the feeling of that existence after the explosion. Especially against the backdrop of the war in Europe. Freddie and a German soldier, Winter, end up trapped together although they can't see each other initially. They go on to form a bond and the perspective on the war changes for both of them, becoming more complex and complicated with each move they make.

The story is told in the voices of both Laura and Freddie and there's a slight variation in the time frame we are following. Laura's story is told from shortly after the Halifax explosion in December 1917 and once Laura goes back to Europe it moves quickly to late winter, early spring. Freddie's story starts in November and remains there for much of the book but then moves forward until they are nearly in sync.

The third central character in the book doesn't have a voice, per se, but it's certainly central to the story, especially the fantastic part. We meet Faland for the first time when Laura and friends are seeking shelter in the extreme winter conditions and happen upon a sort of hotel that doesn't seem to be quite real. Faland is the host, and he lures visitors to his "haven" for his own reasons. Later on, Laura often hears stories of the fiddler from the men being patched up from battle. And the fiddler becomes a central figure in bringing Laura back to Freddie. I wasn't sure how fantasy could be entwined with reality in the story, but I found it was done quite well and it left me feeling pensive well after I stopped reading.

I would also like to comment on the beautiful cover of this version. It's quite striking, much like the book.

I would like to applaud the writer for her amazing work and because of this I am going rate this 4.5 stars. I would like to thank Netgalley an Random House UK, Cornerstone for giving me the arc. I have written this review under no obligation,

This is such a moving and emotional story of bravery and courage in the trenches of WW1.
November 1917, the battle of Passchendaele is taking place, the pounding of artillery sends men flying into the safety of trenches, wet, sodden places that soak the clothes, make rations mouldy and bodies lie where they fall.
Freddie Iven, is buried under the walls of a collapsed trench, he knows that someone else is buried alongside him, but is he friend or foe?
Hans Winter is the other soldier, they are both too frightened to move and be seen. They talk about their homes, Freddie hails from Nova Scotia, Winter is a native of Munich.
Laura Iven is sister to Freddie, a Red Cross Nurse, she was wounded and returned back home. She receives a box of belongings from the fighting front, a blood stained battle jacket, ID tags and a hidden postcard, that seems to imply that despite all the evidence in the box before her, that Freddie is still alive.
The warm hands of Ghosts involves nightmares about the dead, visitations of lost family and companions and a ghostly, playful and creepy fiddler, who is not what he seems. There are descriptions of seances that will bring resolutions for some, depending upon your beliefs, some may be uneasy at such practices.
Such sufferings were never spoken about by those who returned from this War, my Grandfather had two brothers involved at Passchendaele and Vimy Ridge, they saw too many horrors to inflict their experiences upon others. One returned home with gangrene to his leg, the other had severe shell shock, this conflict claimed many lives both during and afterwards.
As a retired Nurse, I was fascinated by the medical details, triage, a phrase we are all now familiar with, and the use of X-ray machines at the front. The early work done on blood groupings and transfusions struck a chord with me, when I started work, blood came in glass bottles, we had rubber tubing to transfuse the blood into the vein, even now, citrate is used to keep blood liquid. Think of the number of lives saved in this way! The desperate days of warfare brought great benefits in peacetime, thank goodness.
A five star read. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Random House UK and Cornerstone, for my advanced copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will post to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication.

My first book by Katherine Arden but definitely not my last. The most hauntingly beautiful story, focusing on relationships alongside the trauma of war was so powerful.

Thank you to Netgalley and Cornerstone for the advance reader copy of The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden for an honest review.

The Warm Hands of Ghost is set during The Great War and follows main character Laura Iven a combat nurse who was wounded and medically discharged as she returns to the front to search for her brother who see believes to be dead despite odd signs otherwise.

She is sent Freddie's personal effects despite him being lost in the trenches could something more be going on here.

Meanwhile the other part of the book is told from Freddie's perspective and leads up to that fateful day when he is trapped in a pillbox only to form an alliance with a German soldier Hans Winter. Both escape their peril only to be met with a strange hotelier who offers soldiers oblivion.

Not my usual type of read but Katherine Arden has a way with taking historical fiction or tales from folklore and adding elements of magic throughout that keep you captivated till the end.

I enjoyed the dual perspective of the story leading from the past from Freddie's point of view and the current time from Laura's point of view and how the two story lines came to merge together.

As with The Bear and the Nightingale series this is another captivating read from Arden that is one to add to your to be read list.

Having never read Katherine before, I was so excited to find her new book, and instantly knew I had to read all her books. Loved this book, it was so beautiful, the trauma of war, each character is superbly written, can’t wait to give it to everyone.

I went into this book not knowing anything about this author or her other novels. It was the ghostly element of the book that attracted me with the World War I story which is a setting I love reading about.
Laura was a nurse on the Front and having suffered an injury was invalided home with honours. Her brother is still out there with the Canadian division. Shortly after coming home a tragedy occurs and her life is changed forever. On top of this she receives a parcel of her brother's uniform and dog tags. She's told he's dead but something is not right. She gets herself back out there by joining up with a lady she meets who runs a private hospital in Flanders and is home drumming up support and funds. She intends to search for Freddie, her brother or even to get information about what really happened. Another lady, who lost her son in battle, travels with them.
As I said, the ghostly element appealed to me but I didn't realise that it was going to be half the book being every second chapter more or less. Each of these chapters are Freddie's story. I got bogged down with this and found it tedious towards the end.
I enjoyed the chapters with Laura, dealing with the hospital and her search.
There was a chapter at the beginning where Freddie is trapped in a pillbox with another soldier and the descriptions of what they went through had me feeling nauseous, the sign of a fabulous writer I think. There is no doubting the author has a wonderful imagination and did fantastic research on the War. I also loved the ending.
This book certainly had it's fans and rightly so, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/03/04/the-warm-hands-of-ghosts-by-katherine-arden/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : This book is absolutely incredible

TWHoGs is one of my most anticipated reads for 2024. I loved The Winternight Trilogy and never miss an opportunity to wax lyrical about it so you may be able to understand how keen I was to see what the author would come up with next. I can’t deny that when I saw the description for TWHoGs I had slightly mixed feelings. It just feels so very different, and I also don’t tend to read a great deal of stories from WW1 and WW2 – perhaps I should after this experience – and so I did feel a little bit worried about how I’d get on – never fear, this story is so good, I’m absolutely 100% certain that I can’t do it justice with this review but I’ll give it a try.

In a nutshell, this is a truly stunning book. It’s a little piece of perfection. Okay, it’s also dark and disturbingly atmospheric. It’s full of pain and heartbreak but at the same time there are snippets of warmth and light, little anecdotes pepper the narrative and on top of that it’s incredibly well plotted dipping back and forth and sometimes taking a new look at an already visited scene but from a new angle. I could envisage every chapter, I quite literally had my own little movie running inside my head – it is that good.

The story is told in two timelines that eventually converge. Freddie Iven, November 1917, trapped under an upturned pillbox discovers he’s not alone. He is accompanied by a German soldier, Hans Winter. Through fear and desperation these two will form a strong bond, determined to help each other survive. Their time in the dark and suffocating space of the pillbox was terrifyingly claustrophobic.

In January 1918 Laura Iven, Freddie’s sister receives a box with his belongings, including his tags. Laura has recently lost both parents in a devastating explosion and has returned home, discharged from her duties as field nurse after being quite badly wounded. Within such a short time Laura seems to have lost everything but then a number of strange occurences start to worry at her mind, causing her to want to look a little harder into Freddie’s death and prompting her to return to work on the front line.

To be honest, I don’t really want to give away too much about the plot. We jump back and forth between the two siblings and a picture gradually forms of what has happened. Now on top of that, there’s a speculative side to the story which predominantly revolves around ghosts and deals with the devil (that’s my take – the actual story involves a character known as the Violinist). Now, both these things are so well incorporated that they feel more like a natural progression of the war. Surrounded by death it’s easy to see why the men fighting on the front saw the ghosts of those they’d known, and a stranger, offering a warm hotel and a comforting glass of wine – well, of course, you’d want to linger by that fire trying to forget all the atrocities you’ve seen. So, whilst there are supernatural elements to this story their inclusion seems almost part and parcel of the dreadful circumstances of the war. Probably not explaining myself very well, I guess what I’m trying to say is the inclusion of these speculative elements felt natural as part of this particular story.

What did I love about this.

The writing. Arden is a gifted storyteller, a wordsmith who can throw you into a scene with deceptive ease. Clearly she has done her homework here and it shows. She brings the battlefield to the page with such clarity that you can feel the fear, taste the noxious atmosphere and hear the cacophony of gunfire, shells and dying men. She doesn’t shy from the brutal truth and in some ways that will make this difficult for some readers but I would say this is one of the most gripping and realistic books involving warfare that I’ve ever read.

The balance. The pacing is good, there is a little bit of set up here but it’s good so don’t be in too desperate a rush to cut to the chase. Everything in this story is of note. In fact it’s relatively short considering the story it delivers. But, what I ultimately mean about the balance is not just in terms of the pacing. There are moments of love, laughter and friendship that give a welcome respite from the bleak brutality of war surrounding the characters.

The characters. I really liked Laura – and I really liked Freddie and Winters. I enjoyed the jump from one story to the other and this is an achievement because sometimes with a dual timeline you find yourself resenting the switch when you don’t enjoy one of the threads. Laura is determined to find out the truth about her younger brother, she doesn’t dare hope but at the same time she is desperately hopeful. Freddie is in absolute despair, without the friendship of the slightly older Hans whose steady reliability and authority are a comforting presence, he would never have got out of the pillbox. Don’t get me wrong, there are other wonderful characters here but I’m not going to highlight them all.

The setting. Well, after a short spell in Laura’s home we eventually find ourselves on the battle front. Laura is a field nurse in the Forbidden Zone and Freddie, out in the war zone, struggling to survive and then finding himself a guest of the Violinist, his personality slowly ebbing as he seeks oblivion in the bottom of a wine bottle. The Violinist could be a simple hotelier, at night, you might be guided by the brief appearance of a light to seek out it’s door and the warmth within, in the grim light of day the place is dilapidated and shabby and seems to be a warren of never ending locked doors.

The plot has more to it than I originally imagined. I won’t give anything away here but one of Laura’s companions, also suffering a terrible loss is gradually spiralling out of control and this feeds really well into the two timelines and the way events play out.

Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this book. It’s the sort of book that makes me love to read. I devoured it and then was disappointed with myself for not savouring it more. I don’t really have anything negative to say, the ending is a mixture of bittersweet and sweet. You’ll have to read it yourself to find out why.

Highly recommended.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I could not put this book down. The writing, the characters, the suspense - I loved it all. I felt for the characters, I cheered for the characters, I worried for the characters. This book made me feel all the feels.

Following injury, Laura has returned to her home in Nova Scotia from her position as a WW1 frontline nurse. Her soldier brother Freddie remains on the front line. When his belongings are returned to her, but without confirmation of his death, she travels back to Europe, hoping to uncover what has happened.

This was, like many WW1 novels, a challenging read, with Arden capturing the horror of the frontline soldiers and nurses.
I was invested in this story, but I didn’t feel that I fully connected to any of the characters and there a magical realism/ fantasy element which I wasn’t expecting and I struggled with slightly given the WW1 setting.

Nevertheless, this is beautifully written and I am grateful for my review copy from Netgalley and the publisher.

This book is human, dark and imaginative. The writing throughout flows so beautifully and mesmerisingly making it a joy to read. I loved the magical realism woven through the historical setting. The characters read as real people dealing with hardships and trauma. The humanity and hope comes across so well. An absorbing read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

This wasn't a story to enjoy but it was certainly compulsive reading. The horrors of the First World War and the disruption of peoples lives and Psyches. The horror is well presented and the characters were excellent.. The conclusion was redemption and hope. Great read!

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden is a wonderful book, filled with humanity and hope despite it's setting in one of the darkest times of the last century. In a story that takes the reader from Halifax, Nova Scotia to the trenches at Passchendaele we follow nurse Laura Iven as she desperately searches for her brother, soldier Freddie, who is missing and presumed dead. Following the tragic death of her parents Freddie is the only family that Laura has left and so she is willing to face the trauma of returning to a battlefield that left her scarred both mentally and physically in a desperate attempt to find out what happened to him. Once back in Belgium and working as a nurse in a private hospital behind the lines she begins to hear strange stories about ghosts and encounters a mysterious inn keeper who has a strange effect on those who seek his hospitality.
Meanwhile , a year earlier Freddie awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped with an enemy soldier. Both men are badly wounded and their only hope of survival is to work together , but if they do manage to make it through no mans land, one of them will be a prisoner no matter which side they end up on . When they meet a strange man who promises safety, though not without a cost , it might be their only chance of escape.
This book just captivated me from the very beginning, I was immediately drawn in by the vividly descriptive writing and the compelling characters. I can tell that the author invested a lot of time into the historical research behind this book and that really pays off in terms of how much it felt like really being there while reading. I simply did not want to put the book down, I needed these characters to be okay, I needed it to work out, no matter how unlikely that seemed at certain points while reading. The author describes this as a book where history meets myth and I was not sure originally how that would play out, but having read and loved previous books by this author I had faith, and it was absolutely justified. The fantasy elements were so cleverly worked into the historical narrative and the character of Faland was genuinely creepy, his interactions with Freddie in particular were a powerful mix of disturbing and heart breaking.
I feel like this is a book that I will be thinking about for a long time to come and recommending to lots of people, it is one of the best I have read in a very long time.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own,

Set during 1917 and 1918, just a few months apart this dual story follows siblings Wilfred and Laura Iven. They are Canadians who have served on the Western Front as a soldier and nurse.
Laura has been injured and sent back to Canada. There she is trying to rebuild her life affected not just by the war and her injuries but also the Halifax explosion which has killed her parents. One day her brother's belongings arrive but something is not right in the message she receives with them. She resolves to return to France to search for him and to find the truth about what happened to her brother. Along with 2 friends, Mary Borden and Penelope (Pim) Shaw they make their way to Mary's hospital.

Myth, rumours and stories abound of ghosts wandering the battlefields, magical music and an inn where you can forget your troubles. Laura continues to search for her brother and in doing so discovers things that affect the lives of all those around her.

A mix of history and fantasy this story leave an impression. The description of the horrors of trench warfare, and the frontline hospitals made an indelible impression along with the desperate need to find out what happened to those labelled as missing.

A really good read.

This wonderful book seemed to be a cross between In Memoriam/Birdsong/Regeneration Trilogy and Master and Margarita.

Laura Iven has been a nurse at the front in World War 1, being a witness to all that entails. She returns to Halifax, Canada due to an injury, to more trauma (an horrific incident in her home city)

She receives news that her brother, Freddie, is missing in action , but is not convinced by this. A message from a "spiritualist" (she was taken in by 3 sisters- weird ones - see Macbeth) tells her he is alive. Disbelieving this, but still not convinced , she joins a group of volunteers to return to the Front.

On a nightmarish journey to the front and the field hospital, a figure appears and takes pity on the group.

Meanwhile her brother Freddie has ended up sheltering in a crater with a soldier who is German. The will to survive takes over any sense of patriotism and the bond between the pair is reinforced by them saving each other from death.

Freddie meets a mysterious fiddler known as Faland and finds it hard to escape his "hospitality".

The hellish nature of war blurs the boundaries between life and death. Due to the missing bodies of the dead, we find out that many women feel compelled to go to the war zone to find out the truth for themselves. What is maybe better documented, is the increase in seances and people who claimed to be able to communicate with the dead.

There are elements of "magic realism" in the character of Faland for example (see Sarah Perry's Melmoth and Bulgakov's Master and Margarita). There are also nods to Milton, the Faust myth and Wilfred Owen .

The author writes that
"I have always been interested in the place where history meets myth"

I had loved Arden's Winternight trilogy and wasn't sure whether a book about the First World War by this author would please me as much as that. However, I can say that I really enjoyed that place where "history meets myth" .

Absorbing, full of pathos and the truth about human nature.

It's a cliché to describe a ghost story as haunting, but it's an apt term for 'The Warm Hands of Ghosts', and not because it features a few spooks. It's the sort of book that draws you so fast and completely that every time you put it down it takes a moment to adjust back to the real world, and you'll remember it for long after you've finished.

The story is set in 1918. A Canadian nurse, Laura, has returned home from the Western front after being seriously injured. She's barely recovered when a munitions ship explosion destroys much of her home city of Halifax and kills her parents. Then she receives some of her soldier brother's belongings and a cryptic letter - it's not clear if he's died or not. So she decides to return to the battlefields to find him. Meanwhile alternating chapters set a few months earlier unfold the story of what happened to her brother Freddy - after surviving being buried alive, he and a German soldier encounter Faland - a legendary figure who is supposed to have the power to allow soldiers to forget their troubles, but only for one night. Those who find him a second time disappear forever...

Whilst it is a fantasy story, it is rooted absolutely in the horrors of the First World War. In fact the reader will almost certainly conclude that no supernatural dangers are as awful as the things done by humans in that war. The first part particularly, where there is little of the mystical elements, is graphic in its descriptions of the hellish trenches, the casualty stations, and the aftermath of the explosion in Halifax. It isn't inappropriately so - I don't think you can do justice to the truth of the conflict in a novel without being brutal - but it's not a cute and cuddly fantasy. I think the fact it's set in more recent history makes it harder hitting than something set in a more medieval time, as fantasies often are.

The characters are good - well drawn and people you can really care about. Arden is one of those writers who can reliably ensure you are invested in the fates of those she writes about. Laura is a great character, and she is balanced by the even more redoubtable but slightly heartless Mary, and the softer, more Victorian Penelope. The male characters are more in a supporting role, even Freddy, but are also nicely written. There's even a bit of romance, although it's not a major feature.

If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a great read - even if you're not a great fan of fantasy, I think the 'historical' element is strong enough and the mystical element not too 'out there' for it to be worth reading. And for fantasy and ghost story fans, it's a must read.

To me WWI feels like time stretched on and on and then folded back on itself, and on and on again. "Ouroboros": That is exactly how it felt, reading this novel. It's only 400 pages long and yet I felt so exhausted every time I continued reading. Especially since we're now soon entering month 5 since the ongoing genocide in Palestine. It feels never-ending, as if none of this is real. Like the world's truly ending.
But before going into all of that, let me introduce you to this story! The Warm Hands of Ghosts is... not really a ghost story, if that's what you expected. Well, it is full of ghosts (real or not, whichever way they manifest themselves to grieving souls)... it's also much more than that. It's set during WWI, starts off in Halifax, Canada, then continues in Belgium where they were fighting off the German Army.
Laura, our main character, is a combat nurse. Discharged from her duties, she went back to Halifax, with honors... To the news of her (soldier) brother's passing... or not? What does she do? Of course she goes back to Belgium to seek more information on her brother's ambiguous disappearing. So Laura embarks on this journey accompanied by two intriguing women, Mary and Pim. Which, by the way, one of these two women is my favorite character out of them all.
From then on, it's war, and blood and dirt and mud. It's exhausting to read. I felt trapped, claustrophobic, and frustrated (why does it feel like I've been stuck in this book for the longest time?)
To a certain extent, all these characters were also stuck, but some of them were *literally* stuck in a limbo, doors opening to nowhere, and everywhere, time and space rendered meaningless. How I felt that! I was losing it. I thought, I finally want to finish this book and be done with it. I was confused for a moment but now I'm positive this is probably how we're meant to feel.
But during the last 30% of the book I was thoroughly immersed, time was moving on again, and I devoured the end of this story. I have to admit, if you had asked me about my opinion 50% into the book I might have said I was not enjoying it (I most certainly wasn't, but who enjoys war?), and now, having finished the book, I am happy with it. The whole story progressed gradually and then it reached a loud, spectacular crescendo. I think it was a perfect ending. It's absolutely my favorite part of the book! I must warn you though, it's a bittersweet conclusion.
There's a character I have intentionally left out, I think it's best if you go into it without knowing much about them, but you need to know that this character is the one I found most endearing. Hint: ❄️.
Near the end of the book there is a particular moment where I almost cried, out of sheer anger at our world: "[...] and perhaps the world had learned."
Oh, and I might have developed a temporary hatred for violons... Hopefully it'll wear out soon.
I've confirmed one thing though, after absolutely loving the winternight trilogy so dearly and having now read Katherine Arden's newest novel.... She's definitely one of my auto-buy authors now. I'll read whatever she writes. Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of this book,

What a beautiful story and amazingly written book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book.

This is a beautifully written immersive book , it charts the challenges and horrors of war and the lives and struggles of the people involved. A wonderful historical novel that resonates with many people involved in conflicts today.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is set during the Great War, and Laura, a nurse returns to the Front to search for her brother, Freddie, who is reported as having died in the trench warfare, though Laura believes this may not be true.

This is a hauntingly beautiful historical novel which incorporates a compelling speculative twist that serves to heighten its impact. It draws on the documented mythologies and folklore of the Great War such as The Angel of Mons.

I found that I quickly became involved and invested in this story and I couldn't put it down. It's one of those reads you know your review will fail to do justice, and I don't want to reveal too much to avoid spoilers.

Its panorama is sweeping, taking in Halifax (Nova Scotia), London and the battle fields of Flanders, describing each location so vividly that you feel you are there yourself, experiencing it directly.

The author has clearly done masses of historical research which ensures a feeling of complete authenticity, but it is worn so lightly and easily that the story never once feels bogged down by it. I already knew a great deal about the First World War, and have visited some of the places mentioned in the novel, but I also learned a great deal, including about the Halifax Explosion of 1917 which I had never heard of.

The prose is beautifully written and the author's descriptive skills embroider upon her historical knowledge to build a world that is a dark, terrifying, brutal hellscape.

Her characters are equally well drawn: the novel is populated with living, breathing people, and given the hellish situations they face, you quickly come to care for them and become invested. In her Afterword, the author describes them as a mix of historical and literary references.

I loved Laura's dogged determination and bravery; I felt Freddie's fear and desperation; I puzzled over the ambiguity of Faland, the very embodiment of evil; and I felt an inward fury at the hypocrisy of the military leaders, and sadness at the loss of a generation of young men on both sides.

Katherine Arden is a born story-teller and she uses her powers to explore the trauma and futility of war, and the power of love and endurance, in this exceptional, compelling, haunting novel. I really cannot recommend it highly enough.

Thank you to the publisher, Century, for access to the Netgalley e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was an absolutely gripping story. I was unable to put it down. Katherine is a wonderful story teller keeping the reader engaged, Well researched makes for a really good read. I am looking forward to reading more from Katherine.