A review by whatkireads
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a haunting tale about the Battle of Paschendaele and a mix of World War One. It revolves around the battle between the Canadians and the German before the Allied forces came to assist in the battle. 
I'm not sure I fully understand the story, but it was haunting and gripping entirely the same. The book has a sliver of fantasy, where amidst the war, there is a being known as the fiddler, called Faland. Some refer to him as the devil, but he equips a violin and grants your wishes in exchange for a story. 
The subplot of romance was very unexpected for me, the way the story makes you slowly realise when a character is falling in love, just like how the character comes to the same conclusion.
The side characters never really feel like side characters, they all are complex and hard to understand and yet you can't help but root for them all the same. 
This was very different from the books I usually read, but captivating and haunting all the same.
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