A Skinful of Shadows

  • Format: Paperback / softback
  • Authors: Frances Hardinge
  • Language: English
  • Book Publisher: Pan Macmillan
A Skinful of Shadows is the stunning story of a young girl's quest to shape her own destiny from Frances Hardinge, the author of The Lie Tree, winner of the Costa Book Award 2015.
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Product code:
9781509835508
RRP £9.99 ex.vat

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.

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.