Early Review – The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: February 13, 2024
ASIN: B0C56RBPSW
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone Book
Source: eGalley From NetGalley for Review
Rating: 5/5 stars
“January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, Laura receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital, where she soon hears whispers about haunted trenches and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?
November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.
As shells rain down on Flanders and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of the for review through netgalley.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book a lot. This was very different from Arden’s previous books (all of which I have loved) . This is a historical fiction set in WWI timeframe with some magical realism in the form of supposed ghosts and a mysterious fiddler. The story jumps between two POVs; that of Laura in 1918 (a dishonorably discharged nurse) and her brother, Freddie, back a few months before the timeframe Laura is in (he is a soldier on the war front).
The bulk of the story involves Laura trying to track down Freddie after receiving his effects with no body or explanation. Freddie’s portions of the story involve a bit more magical realism. At first he is trying to survive a very dire situation on the war front and then he finds himself involved with the mysterious fiddler.
This was beautifully written and completely engrossing. I loved Laura’s character and really enjoyed the people she meets on her travels to find Freddie. Freddie was also well done. There is a lot of seeing what happens to people in war and some of war in the actual trenches. However, woven into all of this is a mysterious story about a fiddler man on the front who makes the soldiers yearn for the escapism he provides, some soldiers yearn so much they go mad.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this, it was incredibly well written and engaging. It was nice to read a book set in the WWI time-frame, I feel like I have read a ton of books about WWII but there aren’t as many about WWI. The characters were amazing and I loved the mysterious fiddler. There is a lot of violence and trauma in this book. You are reading from both a solider’s and nurse’s perspective and neither were very kind professions during wartime. I loved the ending to this as well, it was so hopeful. Arden is an amazing author and so far I have loved every book she’s written. I will definitely keep my eye out for future books.
