Reviews

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

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katreadsalot's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

4.5

thepolishedbibliophile's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

4.0

"The Warm Hands of Ghosts" was a lovely mix of historical fiction and fantasy, set during the time of the Great War. I was immediately drawn to Laura as a character and her plight to find out the information about her brother. I was also immediately immersed in the story! With the use of two storylines, Katherine Arden leads her reader through a story of mystery and family. Once I started this book, it was hard for me to put it down or stop thinking about when I did put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

merrin11's review against another edition

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emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

rhonda66's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

lawcompetente's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

3.5/ 5 Stars!

How do I start with this one? This book took me a while, and although the latter part of the book and the ending felt satisfying, getting there was rough.

Starting with the characters, I do think that Arden was able to create complex and personable characters. I personally like the steadfast and rawness of Laura, as well as some of our supporting casts. The plot is also interesting enough to keep me going and finish the book, but I do have to say I had trouble finishing it because of the writing. This was my first Katherine Arden book, and I do think that she has some great prose and lyrical lines in there, but there were just instances where I felt that some sentences felt incomplete. It is a personal preference, but I found some of the writing too abrupt, without a full seamless thought. It is in the latter part of the story though where I felt adapted to the writing style, and found amazing proses and vivid imageries from the novel.

I think this also affected my overall enjoyment of the book, but it still wouldn't stop me from admiring how this book was ended. It had a great twist, with hints of emotional pangs and light romances that I absolutely appreciated. Overall, I understand how this book can be loved by other readers, and still a good recommendation.