A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

A Skinful of Shadows

Frances Hardinge

This spine-chilling page-turner had me rooting for its heroine. Possession and age-old evil face her in Civil War England. Who can she trust? Can she even trust herself?

Extract
Makepeace closed her eyes only just in time, and felt a cold touch settle on her eyelids. It was the nightmare, it was all her nightmares, but now she had no hope of waking. She covered her ears, but too slowly to stop herself understanding the soft, horrible sounds.
Let me in ... Let me in ... Makepeace, let me in ...
It felt its way across her mind, her defences. It found the cracks made by her grief, love and memories, and tore at them with cruel, eager fingers. It ripped pieces out of her heart and mind, as it dug its way in. It knew the way past her defences, the path to her softest core.
Parallels
  • The Coffin Path by Katherine Clements
  • Falcons of Fire and Ice by Karen Maitland
  • Northern Lights by Philip Pullman