Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Warm Hands of Ghosts

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The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

70 reviews

timelord10's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

This is probably my most surprising book of the year. I started the book thinking it was slow, not interesting and that I would end up giving it like 3 stars. But I grew attached to our characters: Laura, Freddie, Winter, and Jones, and I cared about what happened to them. I’ve read many World War 2 novels, but this was my first World War 1 novel and the setting is heartbreaking. In the author’s note, the author says that World War 1 is overshadowed a lot by World War 2, but World War 1 was still just as devastating. What the author did with the setting was just brilliant. Also, in the author’s note, she talks about the character Faland, and how he is basically supposed to be the devil. In the book, she tries to answer what would the devil do if he was irrelevant because the war is doing his work for him essentially? And I think she answered that question brilliantly. The book just has so much depth, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

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fkshg8465's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

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

Interesting story. Mostly loved it was about WWI. Seems like there are very few stories about that one, and I’m a bit burned out on WWII.

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.

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adenwatt's review against another edition

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dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

i LOVED this book. i was captivated from beginning to end, and quickly fell in love with the characters. i love the dynamics that katherine created for this novel; pim and laura, laura and wilfred, wilfred and winter. their devotion to each other, the unwavering loyalty.

i especially loved the dynamic between wilfred and winter. the way wilfred refused to let go of his most painful memories because he couldn’t bear to forget winter. the way winter continued to hold on, on the brink of death, because he couldn’t stomach dying without saving wilfred. i’m supper happy that katherine gave them their happy ending. i had almost convinced myself that wilfred was going to reach the point of no return with faland, and that perhaps winter would die after all, especially after pim tried to assassinate gage in front of everyone and winter had been forced to take the fall.

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.

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kymuir's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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 devoured this book in one day.

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

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juanat77's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

This was a total cover buy. It wasn’t what I thought it was. After all these years I still haven’t learned to not judge an actual book by its cover. Historical fiction with paranormal touches. During WWI. 1917 to 1918. Two POVs (brother and sister) told in alternate timelines. It was a very different way to tell a war story. I really liked the premise but I had difficulty connecting with the characters. When I read I like to immerse myself into the story and think about the characters when I’m not reading and when I’m done with the book. I found myself rushing to get through the story. I enjoyed that it had a relationship between a brother (Freddie) and sister (Laura) as opposed to a romance as it is often done. I was more invested in Freddie’s chapters than Laura’s as his were more emotional and his character was deeply developed. It is beautifully written and the history was thoroughly researched.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

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toriwatson's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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theoceanrose's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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

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midaas010's review against another edition

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4.5

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xiggy's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

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

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michaelapr's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is an intensely emotional read. Katherine Arden delves deep into the horrors of World War I using enough details to make you hurt but without going into too many details. This book is an exploration of the traumas of war and how war is often an apocalypse for those living through it. The characters in this book were deeply traumatized and I was rooting for them all the way - especially Freddie and Winter. I really enjoyed listening to this book with it's trauma, it's haunted desperation, and an antagonist that's easier to go up against than the system of war as he tempts our characters into oblivion with his fiddle and his hotel.

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