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timelord10's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
takarakei's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Anyway the only thing I knew about this was like ghosts(?) and something about a violin which is what sold me initially.
But it’s a commentary for sure on war. It’s set during WWI and I actually really enjoyed the authors note at the end which talked about all the research she did and gave some more context for her reasons to write this book. I just love a good
Authors note.
It’s told in dual pov between Laura in the ‘present’ 1918 and her brother in the past a few months before. It was interesting to read a book that centered a brother sister relationship. It generally reads very much historical fiction with some fantasy/odd things sprinkled in.
Speaking of, I will say I was a bit confused even at the end with the whole plot line of this mysterious sort of evil character (name is escaping me so that maybe shows how memorable it was) who is sort of feeding off the emotionally weak. The violin ended up being just a part of what this nefarious being uses to manipulate people. I think maybe if the plot had leaned in to it a bit more it would’ve felt more integrated, but as I said it reads really more like hist fiction. Which if that’s your genre you’d probably love this. It just didn’t quite work for me.
That being said there was some beautiful prose and I did overall enjoy the story. There’s a little romance in there which I really enjoyed. The stern doctor was one of my fav characters
Graphic: War and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Blood, Medical content, Grief, and Medical trauma
fkshg8465's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Was a little surprised homophobia went unaddressed given the time frame it was written in.
Pace of progression was a little fast for me. Seemed like little time passed between all the events and that ordinarily, such said events would take longer to develop. However, I liked it overall.
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
adenwatt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
i was very, very, very happy with this novel. the beginning, the middle, and the end. i am a huge fan of the winternight trilogy, which is how i found this novel, but katherine arden truly outdid herself with the warm hands of ghosts. i highly, highly recommend reading this book. it’s worth it. i can’t praise katherine’s writing enough. she’s amazing.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, and War
kymuir's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
I wrestled over whether or not I’d read this. I tend to avoid WWI historical fiction, but I loved Arden’s Winternight trilogy so much that I knew I had to give it a shot.
This tale is about a nurse trying to find her brother, a Canadian soldier missing from the frontlines in WWI. Much like The Bear and the Nightingale, The Warm Hands of Ghosts offers a deeper commentary on morality and the flawed systems we exist within, and the role that hope and perseverance play in survival and life beyond survival.
Arden’s prose is hauntingly beautiful, and you can see how her writing has sharpened with this latest book, especially the dialogue. The writing is atmospheric, the plot kept me turning the page, and I felt for the unique characters and their heartbreaking conflict. She also weaved in fantasy elements in a way that was supernatural and creepy, it felt like more of a terrifying extension of the reality we know than a reimagined world you’d escape to. All of the religious Armageddon references (including the chapter titling, so freaking clever) definitely contributed.
I’ll be thinking about this book for weeks. Thank you for another brilliant book, Katherine. You’ve officially become a must-read author for me. 🤝
TW: gore, death, intense descriptive wartime scenes
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
juanat77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
theoceanrose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, and War
Minor: Suicide
midaas010's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and War
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Torture
xiggy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
hagwife's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Set in WWI as it is, I went in with some expectations about how difficult and how emotional this read would be, but Arden's characters and writing pushed the book far beyond my expectations. It is both a war story and a story set during war and the level of accuracy and attention to detail is intense. Which is a good word for this book overall: intense. I could probably talk anyone's ear off for hours about this book, but its really hard to put in words.
The one thing that I can articulate is how much I adore the fiddler.
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and War
Minor: Suicide attempt