​A SKINFUL OF SHADOWS BY FRANCES HARDINGE - BOOK REVIEW

Cool supernatural historical fiction novel on current Carnegie Medal shortlist ​

Around the Easter holiday period I managed to read all eight books on the short-list for the current Carnegie Medal book prize which is awarded in June and Frances Hardinge’s A Skinful of Shadows was one of my favourites. This novel might not be new, but because it has a strong supernatural theme I have decided to review it for Ginger Nuts of Horror. Looking back at previous winners of the Carnegie Medal, very few of them seem to be and horror and only Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, which won in 2010, has a major scary theme. I hope Frances Hardinge changes that in 2019.

A Skinful of Shadows would be a worthy winner as Frances has made the Carnegie shortlist twice before for The Lie Tree and The Cuckoo Song which also both have strong supernatural themes and are other books I enjoyed. She always seems to set her novels in distant historical periods, but which feature spunky teenage girls I can easily connect with.

This author always seems to come up with very clever and original ideas to build her spooky stories around. Instead of a tree which feeds on lies A Skinful of Shadows looks at life after death, but in a rather different way from which you might expect. When creatures (or people) die their spirits can sometimes go looking for somewhere to hide. Some people have a space inside them, perfect for hiding. This dark, quirky tale is set during the English Civil War and it follows the life of a young girl called Makepeace who has one of these spaces hiding inside her. After her mother’s death, she is sent to live with her late father’s family who have a dark secret which is connected to her weird ability.

I enjoyed this book because it had a little bit of everything; the way the supernatural was presented was very realistic and combined with a convincing historical setting and a touch of a love story there was much to enjoy. The Seventeenth Century is both an odd and an interesting period to set a YA novel making it even more of an adventure for the reader. Because I have studied the English Civil War at school it made the background to the story much easier to pick up. I think it would be helpful to have some basic knowledge on the Civil War before starting this novel, but most of it is explained and the author who really brings the period to life for the readers. It was so vividly written I’m sure the author hopes her readers interest will be piqued to investigate the subject further. Hardly any of my friends read historical fiction, which is a shame, as this book had a perfect balance of historical and supernatural elements.

Overall it is a jampacked ride full of castles, soldiers, plagues and of course ghosts. Lurking in the background is the idea of witchcraft and during the Civil War it was very easy for women to be branded witches for doing nothing wrong. Somewhere in the middle the story became a little bit slow, but it is worth sticking with, as it has a terrific finish.  A Skinful of Shadows requires strong and confident readers; this author is not known for writing easy books and if you read it in primary school you’re probably too young. I would rate it for ages twelve and above.  
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If you go with the flow and immerse yourself in Frances Hardinge’s world you will definitely finish the book feeling very satisfied. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys gripping, spooky fantasy novels or something just a little bit different. There are few better authors than Frances Hardinge at being different!
4.5/5
AJ

​A SKINFUL OF SHADOWS BY FRANCES HARDINGE 

Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2017.
'A Skinful of Shadows confirms Hardinge's status as one of our finest storytellers. It's rare to find a book which is every bit as intelligent and stylish as it is riveting - I was enthralled' - Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent.
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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.

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