I really enjoyed the premise of this book. The different take on possession and ghosts was well done, well supported by good world building. I haven't read anything set during the English Civil War before, either, so the different time frame was welcome and interesting. I look forward to reading more of Hardinge's work.

Another Hugo ballot book, this time something from the YA list, and again something I probably wouldn't have ended up reading otherwise - that's one good thing about these kind of awards, I guess, that you might come across stuff that's outside your usual stomping grounds...

A Skinful of Shadows is set in the run-up to and early days of the Civil War, the UK one. We first meet our protagonist, Makepeace, in the sternly-Puritan environment where she is living with her mother. Life is tough, to say the least, and the threat of outright war is still in the future while Makepeace tries to deal with the way her mother is attempting to toughen her up by making her stay in the local graveyard overnight. It's not until after the death of her mother in a riot some months later and an unwanted claim being made on her by her father's family that Makepeace discovers just what ghosts have to do with her own ancestry.

Once she has found her place in her family's home, even though that place is working in the kitchen since she's one of the former lord's illegitimate children, Makepeace discovers the truth about the family to whom she's related. The current crop of lords are literally being bred to exist as containers for the ghosts of their ancestors, with Makepeace and her half-brother James being convenient substitutes if the process doesn't work. Once she's realised just what fate awaits her, Makepeace begins to plot her escape although it takes a while for her plans to actually work out.

A Skinful of Shadows is an interesting book and probably one I would have absolutely loved as a teenager, with a clear attention to detail in terms of the ongoing history and the lives people lived in that period. Makepeace doesn't quite work as well as a character for me and I can't quite put my finger on why that is, which is irritating, hence my rating at 3 stars rather than 4.

I didn't realize that this was a short story when I began it. You don't get that feel as you are reading it, which leads to a disappointing ending because there is no resolution nor does anything really happen. For me, I barely understood what exactly was going on. I don't believe the author made it clear nor was there any form of backstory that actually told you why/how this particular issue was happening to this girl.
I didn't like this book.

I was just confused with this book. So many people loved it but I didn't which makes me wonder if I did something wrong. Maybe I'll try it again in the future.

I really wanted to love this one, and probably would have, were it not making a mockery of Christians. I"m fine with authors who aren't Christian, but to deliberately miss quote the Bible, adding stories, and stereotyping Christians in a negative light, I can't just look away.

That said, the story, and especially the spooky tone made for an interesting read, I just wish I could have loved it more, but I didn't.

This book was beautiful, stunning, magical, and shocking all at the same time. What I expected from reading the synopsis and what I read in the actual book were two very different things, but not in a bad way--I was not disappointed! Makepeace was a very realistic character. A girl growing up in the mid-17th century, Makepeace suffers from nightmares of tortured spirits and no one will talk to her about it. Until her mother, Margaret, lets slip that this runs in the family and in a moment of weakness, Makepeace lets her guard down and a ghost invades her mind. This is no ghost like she has encountered before. This one is a bear--frightened and angry and a character all its own.

Throughout this entire book, I never had any idea what would be happening next. I love scary or creepy books and this one was just haunting. I enjoyed it in a way that I haven't enjoyed anything else before.

Not what I expected, but fans of Hardinge will enjoy - will recommend.

Set at the beginning of the English Civil War, the main character, Makepeace, is sent to live with her father’s family after her mother accidentally killed during a riot. But that family isn’t what they seem and that is why her mother had kept her away. Because Makepeace can hold ghosts insider her, and so can the rest of her father’s family. The rest of the book focuses more on the war and how the Fellmottes (the family) are right in the middle of it. Makepeace knows she needs to get away from the Fellmottes, otherwise she will be used and spit out by the Fellmottes. While this was a good book, it wasn’t great. I’m not really sure what was missing for me, but something was. Or maybe everything didn’t tie together quite right. It is still an interesting story and if you enjoy historical fiction, this book would be right up your alley.

This was super promising but I could not for the life of me, cannot seem to connect with the characters or the writing. I am not interested in writing a review.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
While interesting and original this young adult horror story had a bit of an identity crisis as it tried to marry its horror story with historical war.
A Skinful of Shadows starts out very solid as we learn about our lead gals odd ghost 'issues'. Her Mother that appears cruel and the Aunt and Uncle who have no interest in her sets our lead gal up as a neglected, alone and forgotten soul. Not unlike some ghost/spirits might be.
And without a doubt Frances Hardinge is a superb writer. She sets excellent scenes and can create a creep factor without being gory or over the top. But...

Historical + Horror
There's no real reason A Skinful of Shadows needed to have an identity crisis. Set during the English civil war, our horror story is the focus, but certainly our characters are affected by the battle events around them. Which was all well and good until our lead gal ends up caught up in a scheme that will benefit one side of the war. While it gets our characters away from certain situations this interlude of smuggling, spies, infantry movements and battlement sieges is just dull. Instead of having an engaging reason to care, and partially because our lead gal doesn't care who wins, I just couldn't bring myself to feel any passion about the war or whose side wins or losses.
If you're hoping for information about the civil war setting this is the absolute wrong book as the majority of the information is fictional.

Uniqueness
While there are many ghost/spirit haunting stories, and there may even be some in which the spirits haunt live bodies, A Skinful of Shadows still stood out for me as an unique and compelling story. The added touch of a dynasty family with great political and financial power helped put our characters front and centre to many situations we may not have encountered otherwise. This use of a non-noble but high ranking household is brilliant by Hardinge. And while servants, like our main gal, embroiled in high family affairs is not a new setting, Hardinge takes it to a whole new level by defining a servant as something more than a pushy kitchen girl and instead she is a rare commodity that the main family cannot afford to lose.

Disney's Brave
Perhaps it's very sad and pathetic of me but the use of a bear spirit in this kept reminding me of Disney's Brave. Don't get me wrong I adored our bear and his ferocious, often confused and yet protective role in our story. But each time a bear spirit was referenced all I saw was our lead girl dressed up as Meredith. This was distracting for me. And so I think a different animal might have been a better choice. A cougar could easily have played the same role and maybe helped distance the small similarities to Brave bear spirit.

Overall
This was my first Hardinge book. I have more a couple more of hers on my shelf for the future and I'm definitely excited to read them. While I give this a 3.5 stars it's a solid 3.5. Assuming you can push through the dragging war bound middle of the novel then I believe most will enjoy Hardinge's creepy and (mostly) compelling ghost story.

From the 5 chapters that were included with this ARC, I'm definitely intrigued in reading the rest of this story. The story starts out strong and is interesting and engaging from the the very first page with interesting characters and a very enticing premise.. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the story.

This book was just not my cup of tea and I was not able to finish it. Thank you for this opportunity, though!

When I heard about the publication of A SKINFUL OF SHADOWS by Frances Hardinge I was quite excited because I really enjoyed - and have avidly recommended - her novel titled The Lie Tree. Alas, I started this second novel, but was not entranced by Makepeace, the fourteen year-old protagonist who suffers from nightmares and is sometimes made to sleep alone in the dark church by her mother. I thought the story started too slowly and could not relate to the characters or the time period/setting (English Civil War). A SKINFUL OF SHADOWS certainly appealed to professional reviewers, however, receiving starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.

Link to earlier post on THE LIE TREE: http://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-lie-tree-by-frances-hardinge.html

This is an interesting and rather unique book. Twelve year old Makepeace has always known she was different and has never understood why her mother would lock her up in the graveyard with the ghosts in order to learn how to fight them off. After her mother's death, and when a ghost inhabits her and she is sent to live with her father's relatives, she learns the secret that the family desperately tries to hide. This book is intriguing and hard to put down!

A Skinful of Shadows was another smart, dark-edged fantasy from Frances Hardinge. Against the backdrop of the English Civil War she spins a compelling tale of ghosts, possession, a power-hungry family and the one girl who might be able to stop them. I appreciate how Hardinge doesn't use her horror-tinged elements for gratuitous thrills, but gives them psychological resonance - and how she's always trying something different. New and old fans should lap this one up.

Francis Hardinge's books are always dark, haunting, disturbing, and beautiful. You can't look away, and you don't want to. A SKINFUL OF SHADOWS is no exception. Set during the English Civil War, this is a story of corruption, friendship, trust, family, and absolutely heaps of double-crossing. I love double-crosses! I'm still rather stunned from the brilliance of this, and so cannot fully express myself, but this is something every library should have, and everyone should read.

Heartbreaking, but so beautiful. Makepeace may be my new favorite heroine!

I thought this was a full book but it’s a sample! But I really enjoyed it so I bought the hardcover and plan on continuing!! Hopefully it stays as amazing as it is so far!

This was only a 5 chapters sampler of A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge I got from NetGalley but it was good! It was unlike anything I have ever read. Very creepy. I might give the full book a try (the only reason I say might is because my TBR is out of control and I’m on a book buying ban). But if you’re not, definitely check it out!