This new release from Katherine Arden is focused on the events of the Great War. It is a historical fiction with strong supernatural elements. The main character Laura is a combat nurse from Halifax who was sent home after sustaining major injuries. While home, she receives word from Europe that her brother is missing. The letter that accompanied his effects implied that he might be alive, and there were some irregularities with the effects themselves. Thus, Laura finds herself back in Flanders and begins searching for information about her brother.
I loved Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy. I still think of that series often and want to reread it. So I was really excited to get an ARC of her newest novel. Unfortunately, by far the best part of this novel is the Author’s Note at the back. The book itself failed to move me. I did not care about the characters. The horrors of WWI the way Arden described them did not have the intended impact on me. In fact, I was bored most of the time while reading this book and really struggled to get through it. I took me 12 days reading every single day to finish this 325 page novel - it was truly a slog! So unfortunately 1 out of 5 stars. Not for me. Oh and was Faland inspired by Bulgakov’s Voland? I couldn’t help but notice the similarities in the names.
An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com
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