It's 1917 and Laura Iven is recovering from her own wounds received on the warfront as a nurse when she receives news that her brother Freddie is missing, presumed dead. With no answers and a lot of questions, Laura travels to Belgium to see what she can find out about Freddie, acommpanied by two other women with their own goals in mind, and they all hear about a fabled musician who haunts the paths of the soldiers on the front and who may have a connection to Freddie.

This was a beautiful, lyrical and quietly devastating story that didn't gloss away from the horrific side of war - both from the soldiers and the nurses/doctors POV. I thought Laura was a great character - very stoic and determined and tough beyond worse but we see hidden glimpses of softness when she allowed herself to crack open with a certain few people.

I actually preferred Laura's POV to Freddie's and while the speculative/magical element of the fiddler in this was haunting, I could have actually enjoyed the story without it as more of a sister seeks brother lost at war tale. Freddie and Winter's bond was also one that was heart wrenching but also slightly unbelievable to a point considering they hardly knew one another.

I did enjoy this and I love Katherine Arden's writing but this wasn't a new favourite which I had hoped it would be.