Challenge Corner discussion

During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale

January 1918. Laura Iven was a revered field nurse until she was wounded and discharged from the medical corps, leaving behind a brother still fighting in Flanders. Now home in Halifax, Canada, she receives word of Freddie’s death in combat, along with his personal effects—but something doesn’t make sense. Determined to uncover the truth, Laura returns to Belgium as a volunteer at a private hospital. Soon after arriving, she hears whispers about haunted trenches, and a strange hotelier whose wine gives soldiers the gift of oblivion. Could Freddie have escaped the battlefield, only to fall prey to something—or someone—else?

November 1917. Freddie Iven awakens after an explosion to find himself trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded enemy soldier, a German by the name of Hans Winter. Against all odds, the two men form an alliance and succeed in clawing their way out. Unable to bear the thought of returning to the killing fields, especially on opposite sides, they take refuge with a mysterious man who seems to have the power to make the hellscape of the trenches disappear.

As shells rain down on Flanders, and ghosts move among those yet living, Laura’s and Freddie’s deepest traumas are reawakened. Now they must decide whether their world is worth salvaging—or better left behind entirely.

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RESTARTING OCTOBER 28TH, 2025


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Trisha, just let me know when you start this one, no hurry at all....got plenty on my TBR list lol

Trisha - I was gonna start Hungerstone tonight/tomorrow, but I saw you started this one today. Should I just start this one instead & do Hungerstone after? I bought both :)

Amanda wrote: "Trisha - I was gonna start Hungerstone tonight/tomorrow, but I saw you started this one today. Should I just start this one instead & do Hungerstone after? I bought both :)"

I plan to read both today, so the order is completely up to you!!

I have started this one first, though!

10 chapters / 58 pages

(view spoiler)[
wow, I can not imagine being stuck, blind, in a muddy metal grave. I'm glad her brother has someone else - I hope they don't end up attacking each other and, instead, stay together.

and the rats *shudders * that is terrible

but wow, for Laura to go back into the war - after the injury. but I don't blame her - so many questions. And she loves her brother
but wow, it very brave

Mary is kind of a jerk - I hope she becomes her friend (hide spoiler)]

through chapter 10-(view spoiler)[ I agree that Mary seems to be a jerk, but then I thought maybe its just that she runs a tight ship, but then no, she's a jerk...I can't imagine going back into war either. Yes I would want to find my sibling, but I think especially after her horrific injury, I would have to wait for word at home. I don't think anyone knew how horrific World War I was going to be. Trench warfare and so many other "technological" advances were made in that war that somewhat made it even worse, if war can be 'worse" (hide spoiler)]

through 20-(view spoiler)[so many questions and theories...Is she dead? Is he realy dead and she is on a ghost chase? Or could they be really in the same hotel together? Is the Faland the same as the one who took in Mary and Laura? Was the bomb that took Winter's arm the same as the one that took their Lorrie? (hide spoiler)]

20 chapters

(view spoiler)[oooh no!! Do you think the Canadian that he strangled in the water was Pim's brother?!?! UGH!

I do think he's made his way back and that she has come to the last area he was seen. Now to imagine this stranger and how he comes into it- that I don't know.

what are his mirrors? and why does it show something? and is the wine drugged??

I hope his sister does help, I hope Winter and Freddie both live but wow, this was not what I thought this story was about! lol (hide spoiler)]

Trisha wrote: "20 chapters

" no (view spoiler)[this book was nothing what I thought it was going to be! I never even thought about the man Freddie killed being Pim's brother, but that makes ALOT of sense in the suspense/mystery of it. Is Faland drugging him or is he just so messed up?
disclaimer...I have finished the book, but want to respond to your live reading of it, lol. I absolutely love your input on books. I wish I had better insight, but I am getting better. I do make sure I do not include upcoming chapter comments unless notated. I try to be pretty careful with that. (hide spoiler)]

30 chapters

(view spoiler)[ wow, now I am completely baffled!!

Flanad seems to be. . .eating the stories? the memories? maybe the emotions - like an emotional vampire?

it breaks my heart that he wants the memories of Winter!! I hope he finds Winter again. They are still protecting each other, even as they are apart.

But does that mean that she DID see her brother and that he dodged her?

I was worried when she was so sick, glad Laura is better. But Pim doesn't seem to be doing well - trying to keep trying to get back to that mirror. Yikes! (hide spoiler)]

ha! I love that you finished! Did you like it? I'm almost done!

and done

(view spoiler)[
wow, I didn't expect Pim to both shoot the man AND go with Faland!!

It felt like Faland was a metaphor of the psychological affect of warfare. You see so many horrors, you can get lost in your mind - and it seemed like he liked that. Making them focus on bad memories or bad things and erase the good ones.

I did love that Jones found Laura in the end. Ugh, so sweet.

and I love that Winter and freddie got new identities and went off to live a very quiet life. they deserved it

the author's note was interesting too!
I liked the steampunk idea around the warring technology and new things versus the old ways of war and how they were mixed in WWI (hide spoiler)]

Also finished-(view spoiler)[ Yes I loved it. Not at all what I was expecting with the genre it was listed in and the title, but was very good!

comments on previous post: Freddie and Winter were definitely protecting each other while apart, that promise they made in the trench was more serious to each than their own life was!

Do you think he intentionally dodged her, or was just so out of his mind at the time, and still he thought she was just imagined?

I didn't see Pim's actions at all. I knew she was devastated, but didn't expect that revenge plot. And that Freddie actually tried to stop her! Wow

Yes Faland was a metaphor as were the "warm hands of ghosts". War takes all the good away as Faland was trying to.

So glad that Freddie and Winter both made it out alive and am thinking(maybe naively) that they were able to live happily ever after in their quiet life together, but know that being gay back then, no matter how quiet a town they moved to was going to be rough, plus Winter is severely disabled without today's medical technology and innovations for amputees, and Freddie's mind is maybe not "lost" but most assuredly has gone astray. Hopefully, Winter is able to get him calm and with his love he can overcome and survive his ptsd. Even though PTSD wasn't a thing back then, they did have "shell shock" which is the same damn thing just wasn't a "medical" definition or condition until 1980, ugh<-whole 'nother soapbox!

I was SOOOO worried that Jones was going to get killed in the last hours of the war and actually teared up and giggled for Laura when he showed up at her door to "collect his debt". Glad she allowed her to live HEA also!

We will call this my Vampire book for the year that I liked, haha! Just had to love on your emotional vampire comment!

Oh, one last thing....Mary is STILL a jerk! (hide spoiler)]