The Warm Hands of Ghosts

To end November, last night I finished reading The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden who also wrote The Bear And The Nightingale trilogy. In 1918 field nurse Laura Iven is discharged from the medical corps after being wounded. Laura receives news that her brother Freddie died in combat in Flanders Belgium and is sent back his personal items. Though something doesn’t make sense to Laura & she’s determined to find out the truth after hearing whispers about a mysterious hotelier also known as Faland & The Fiddler & gives the soldiers the gift of oblivion but at a price…. Wilfred “Freddie” Iven is trapped in an overturned pill box with an enemy soldier named Winter. They both com across the Fiddler & to save Winter he stays with Faland and gives him stories, but this comes at a price as he’s about to lose some of his memory and his soul….

Story, Writing & Everything In Between

I was so happy to receive a copy of The Warm Hands of Ghosts from Katherine Arden’s publicist since I couldn’t do a Q&A with her yet. I love that the story is historical fiction mixed with magic. The Warm Hands of Ghosts is definitely darker than The Bear And The Nightingale. Katherine’s writing brings the story to life, and I felt I was there in the hospitals, Belgium and in Faland’s creepy hotel and the mysterious doors & the magic mirror. My favorite characters are Laura, her brother Freddie, Winter & Jones. Laura doesn’t give up on her quest to find out what happened to Freddie and save Freddie before it’s too late. Faland is a very well written villain, as he’s mysterious and who he truly is is left to interpretation. Faland to me is either the Devil or very similar to the Devil.  Neither option is good. If you’re a fan of Katherine Arden’s books, or you are a fan of historical fiction mixed with scary elements, grab a copy of The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden available wherever books are sold!