Reviews

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

cradman's review

dark informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Warm Hands calls itself scifi, but I’d say magical realism. The WWI scenes are horrific, yet accurate. The magical element is a fiddle playing devil who steals souls. All of this is rendered in a fugue state caused by battle fatigue that feels nightmarish. But bearable.

booksnapsandcatnaps's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden totally surprised me—in a good way! I picked it up based on some recommendations and honestly didn’t know much about the book or the author. I’m usually not big on historical fiction, so I was a little unsure at first, but I’m so glad I stuck with it because the magical and paranormal elements were amazing!

It did take a bit to really get going, but once the fantasy kicked in, I was all in. The dual POVs kept things interesting, and I loved how it mixed the darkness of war with those eerie, paranormal twists. It touches on some heavy stuff like injury and death, but the supernatural aspects added a cool, unexpected layer. Watching the timelines come together was such a satisfying part.

If you're into historical fiction with a splash of magic, this one’s definitely worth checking out!

dchumphrey213's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

saraf7990's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

erinlikestoread's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

nbmki's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

mscookielady's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

torivclh's review against another edition

4.0

I finished it a month ago and I’m still thinking about it regularly. The story is compelling and the characters emotions sharp. Bittersweet and haunting.

nmmarquez02's review

mysterious medium-paced

3.5

mallorymars's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5