The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

Katherine Arden quickly became one of my favorite authors with her previous works, The Winternight Trilogy. Her exquisite storytelling ability and breathtaking settings have wowed me from day one and I always recommend her whenever I can. I loved reading her children’s series, Small Spaces, but was avidly awaiting her next adult novel as I knew she would not disappoint. I was beyond excited to receive an ARC copy of this book, even though I had also preordered a signed copy from Arden herself.

Arden successfully mixed historical fiction and fantasy in this WWI novel with a mysterious twist. It was dark and heartbreaking but showed the realistic toll of war that affected people in many different ways. You don't see many books about WWI out there which is part of the reason why Arden says she wrote this book. So as dark as the material is, I enjoyed learning more about this pivotal historical moment. Especially Arden's notes after the story was over of why she wrote this particular book in this particular way. So incredibly unique and clever.

Arden's character development is flawless, and I could easily picture each character and match their personality to the scenes and dialogue as the story continued. You are introduced to a sister, Laura, who has been a frontline nurse during this long war. Wounded and sent home but now back after she hears conflicting stories of how her brother died. Laura is determined to find out what really happened to him. You are introduced to her brother, Freddie, a soldier stuck in a pillbox with an enemy German soldier, Winter, and their harrowing journey of clawing their way out and searching for safety.

As the storyline unfolds for this brother and sister, you follow them in their struggle of losing hope in this desperate and chaotic time. Their memories threaten to drag them to a dark place that they might not be able to escape. And that is where the fantastical element is added in this storyline. I can’t say much without giving away the clever and unique twist, but it enhanced the dark and harrowing journey for both of these characters.

I cannot say enough about how much I love Katherine Arden’s writing or how much this story affected me. All I can say is read it as soon as you can.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book so I was able to read it earlier than the release day. Of course, I am so glad to have the personalized physical copy in my possession now and it has immediately gone to my favorites bookshelf.

Synopsis: During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.