The Warm Hands of Ghosts

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The sweeping new novel from New York Times bestselling author Katherine Arden.

Discover the Sunday Times bestselling supernatural historical fantasy from the author of The Bear and the Nightingale, a spellbinding, sweeping novel set in the trenches of WW1.


Amid the falling shells of Flanders Field, magic and mystery fills the air…

January 1918: Laura Iven, a Canadian nurse, returns home from the war, only to receive devastating news - her brother Freddie is dead. But something doesn’t quite make sense.

Determined to uncover the truth, Laura heads back to Belgium, volunteering at a private hospital. There, she encounters the eerie whispers of ghosts moving among those still living and a strange inn-keeper whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could this have happened to Freddie - but if so, where is he?

November 1917: Freddie Iven wakes after an explosion to find himself trapped with a wounded German soldier. Against all the odds, they form a bond and claw their way to an escape.

But in the chaos of No Man's Land, neither know where to turn to avoid persecution. Amidst the atrocity, they encounter a fiddler with the power to make their hellscape vanish - but at what price?

With the power to both warm and break your heart, The Warm Hands of Ghosts is a breathtaking and spellbinding tale of love, survival, and the supernatural.

Darkly beautiful and deeply humane.' Ava Reid, bestselling author of A Study in Drowning
One of the best historical fantasies I've ever read’ Emma Törzs, bestselling author of Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe
'Wonderful storytelling. Inventive, haunting and deeply moving.' Sarah Winman, bestselling author of Still Life

©2024 Katherine Arden(P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

Well-researched and beautifully written, this is a compelling, memorable novel.
The Guardian

User Reviews

Book 4.8
Narration 4.8
5.0
5.0
Captivating story with some interesting twists. Very interesting period details helped to anchor the story in reality, despite the supernatural elements.
LaurenOwen 21/04/2025
5.0
5.0
hyperbooktivity 22/03/2025
5.0
5.0
A harrowing but moving read. Well researched with believable characters. An interesting facet, for me,as a Brit, on the experiences in WW1 of soldiers from across The Pond.
I cried throughout - enough said.
GardensofPaper 17/03/2025

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