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A review by kymuir
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail