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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
i would’ve crashed out if freddie and winter didn’t kiss #lol
emotional
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted to like this more.
'The Warm Hands of Ghosts' is a stand alone by Katherine Arden. Laura and Freddie Iven are siblings from Halifax Nova Scotia that are helping in World War One in Flanders. Laura as a field nurse and Freddie a solider. Laura is wounded and sent home only to later receive news of Freddie's death as well as her personal effects. But something is off and through the urging of new friends Laura decides to head back to see if she can find some answers herself. While there rumours keep pointing her in the direction of a fanciful hotelier that is said to help soldiers forget. Freddie meanwhile finds himself stuck in the in-between and must fight for his life with the help of Hans Winter to make it back to the trenches. But how can he go back and return to fighting?
spoilers
I love love love that this is set in Halifax. As a born and bred Maritimer I love books that have connections to the area. I think what lost me is I went from their wanting this story to forget the fantasy and stick to the heart wrenching story about the war and what it does to ones humanity. I probably could have just read a book about Hans and Freddie struggling to get out of the pill box and dealing with one of them ending up on the enemies side. I didnt need the mirror or the hotel or all that. The other half of the time I wanted that whimsical fantasy that I got in her other series and found there wasnt enough.
I went in expecting what I had already seen from her but this was vastly different. Not the same flow or cadence, not the same draw or grand story telling. I liked that this was dark, I liked that it featured the war. I didnt care for Freddie, I know I shouldn't judge him but I found it hard being in his head. I enjoyed Laura, I didnt love her or see much if any character growth. What I hated was Faland, I figure were supposed to hate him but I just didnt enjoy the story line at all. That anyone fell of his attitude is shocking. He would have driven me away right away. Laura's friend, Pim, I found her side plot distracting. But at least she got an ending. I felt like once Laura and Freddie meet up everything is too easy, too neat and clean. Forged papers, a house that feels catered to them. No mention of either solider having PTSD. Also Freddie is supposed to be dead. Which she says they have to hide. But sometimes soldiers were declared dead when they weren't. Dog tags were found and assumptions were made. My own grandfather came home from World War Two to find his family grieving his demise. Though I guess Freddie couldnt admit to being alive without being forced back into active duty.
I felt like a slow and drawn out book that suddenly must have hit a page count and everything needed to be wrapped up quickly and it didnt match the rest of the book.
I will definitely read other books by Arden I just wish I had liked this one more.
'The Warm Hands of Ghosts' is a stand alone by Katherine Arden. Laura and Freddie Iven are siblings from Halifax Nova Scotia that are helping in World War One in Flanders. Laura as a field nurse and Freddie a solider. Laura is wounded and sent home only to later receive news of Freddie's death as well as her personal effects. But something is off and through the urging of new friends Laura decides to head back to see if she can find some answers herself. While there rumours keep pointing her in the direction of a fanciful hotelier that is said to help soldiers forget. Freddie meanwhile finds himself stuck in the in-between and must fight for his life with the help of Hans Winter to make it back to the trenches. But how can he go back and return to fighting?
spoilers
I love love love that this is set in Halifax. As a born and bred Maritimer I love books that have connections to the area. I think what lost me is I went from their wanting this story to forget the fantasy and stick to the heart wrenching story about the war and what it does to ones humanity. I probably could have just read a book about Hans and Freddie struggling to get out of the pill box and dealing with one of them ending up on the enemies side. I didnt need the mirror or the hotel or all that. The other half of the time I wanted that whimsical fantasy that I got in her other series and found there wasnt enough.
I went in expecting what I had already seen from her but this was vastly different. Not the same flow or cadence, not the same draw or grand story telling. I liked that this was dark, I liked that it featured the war. I didnt care for Freddie, I know I shouldn't judge him but I found it hard being in his head. I enjoyed Laura, I didnt love her or see much if any character growth. What I hated was Faland, I figure were supposed to hate him but I just didnt enjoy the story line at all. That anyone fell of his attitude is shocking. He would have driven me away right away. Laura's friend, Pim, I found her side plot distracting. But at least she got an ending. I felt like once Laura and Freddie meet up everything is too easy, too neat and clean. Forged papers, a house that feels catered to them. No mention of either solider having PTSD. Also Freddie is supposed to be dead. Which she says they have to hide. But sometimes soldiers were declared dead when they weren't. Dog tags were found and assumptions were made. My own grandfather came home from World War Two to find his family grieving his demise. Though I guess Freddie couldnt admit to being alive without being forced back into active duty.
I felt like a slow and drawn out book that suddenly must have hit a page count and everything needed to be wrapped up quickly and it didnt match the rest of the book.
I will definitely read other books by Arden I just wish I had liked this one more.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The overall plot is interesting however the pacing is slow. There is some where the story line of a character is carried forward and then when you are in another characters point of view you’re going quite a ways back to repeat that same story line again. The main character Laura Iven is the most interesting main character I’ve read in awhile but I think some of that is because she’s a nurse during wartime, which is a view that’s always been appealing. However, it took me two months to finish this book which is a long time for me when I can finish a book in a week usually.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No