"Tense and creepy supernatural story set in an often ignored historical period - full of ideas and amazing writing"
Award-winning Frances Hardinge’s latest novel bubbles over with brilliant ideas in a fast-paced and thought-provoking adventure encompassing families, a very special kind of haunting, spying and the English Civil War. Twelve year Makepeace has grown up practising how to defend herself against spirits who go in search of another living being to inhabit when they are released from the dead. Makepeace is skilful at defence but, when grieving the death of her mother, she lets her guard down and is filled with the spirit of a bear. But Bear is a friend as much as a foe and now Makepeace has a strong internal allay who may be exactly what she needs when she goes to stay with her father’s terrifying family whom she needs to resist at all costs. Frances Hardinge’s beautiful writing makes the unbelievable credible and tangible as she weaves together and then unravels layer upon layer of complexities in this substantial and deeply story.
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Beautifully Written, Beautifully dark.
Wow! Absolutely loved this book. So twisted and dark yet the way it's written almost sounded like a poem.... Read Full Review
Frances Hardinge weaves a dark, otherworldly tale in A Skinful of Shadows, her first book since the Costa Award-winning The Lie Tree. When a creature dies, its spirit can go looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have space inside them, perfect for hiding. Makepeace, a courageous girl with a mysterious past, defends herself nightly from the ghosts which try to possess her. Then a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard for a moment. And now there's a ghost inside her. The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, but it may be her only defence in a time of dark suspicion and fear. As the English Civil War erupts, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession - or death.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed A Skinful of Shadows and determined it is suitable for children aged 11-14 years old
A Skinful of Shadows features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Recommendations, Featured Books for 11+ readers, Julia Eccleshare's Picks of the Month, Historical Fiction, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Recommended Children's eBooks, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Star Books
A Skinful of Shadows is available in Paperback, Hardback, CD-Audio
A Skinful of Shadows was written by Frances Hardinge and published by Macmillan Children's Books an imprint of Pan Macmillan
A Skinful of Shadows has 414 pages
£8.99
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