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A review by frostbitsky
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.
Arden has a gift for blending fantasy with the real world. Those who are not fans of the supernatural or fantasy but like historical fiction could still enjoy the story. The supernatural element could be seen as an allegory for PTSD, guilt, and grief.
Most historical fiction novels focus on World War II. World War I is often forgotten and so I appreciate that Katherine Arden chose to tell a story about this period. It really made me think about how there was a time when kings and emperors would fight in the wars with their soldiers. Then in WWI, and down to today, they sit cozy in their castles and chateaus to orchestrate the war while the poor, young boys fight, only to come back dead or damaged.
In The Warm Hands of Ghosts we follow Laura and her brother Freddie. Laura, a nurse, is injured during the war and returns home to Halifax. There she gets cryptic messages that Freddie may still be alive. After befriending Penelope, a mother grieving her son's death, Laura finds her way back to Europe to find out what happened to her brother.
Freddie befriends Hans Winter, a German solider. Together they survive No Man's Land until the mysterious Faland lures Freddie into his strange hotel.
I connected to each character in unique ways. Some characters made me feel anger and others I felt pity for. While the story does deal with dark themes, there was hope and it's a story about how love saves us from the depths of despair.
4 out of 5 Warm Hands
Arden has a gift for blending fantasy with the real world. Those who are not fans of the supernatural or fantasy but like historical fiction could still enjoy the story. The supernatural element could be seen as an allegory for PTSD, guilt, and grief.
Most historical fiction novels focus on World War II. World War I is often forgotten and so I appreciate that Katherine Arden chose to tell a story about this period. It really made me think about how there was a time when kings and emperors would fight in the wars with their soldiers. Then in WWI, and down to today, they sit cozy in their castles and chateaus to orchestrate the war while the poor, young boys fight, only to come back dead or damaged.
In The Warm Hands of Ghosts we follow Laura and her brother Freddie. Laura, a nurse, is injured during the war and returns home to Halifax. There she gets cryptic messages that Freddie may still be alive. After befriending Penelope, a mother grieving her son's death, Laura finds her way back to Europe to find out what happened to her brother.
Freddie befriends Hans Winter, a German solider. Together they survive No Man's Land until the mysterious Faland lures Freddie into his strange hotel.
I connected to each character in unique ways. Some characters made me feel anger and others I felt pity for. While the story does deal with dark themes, there was hope and it's a story about how love saves us from the depths of despair.
4 out of 5 Warm Hands