Sometimes, when a person dies, their spirit goes looking for somewhere to hide.
Some people have space within them, perfect for hiding.

Set against the backdrop of the English Civil War, A Skinful of Shadows tells the story of twelve-year-old Makepeace, illegitimate daughter of the aristocratic Fellmotte family. Makepeace shares the Fellmotte's unique hereditary gift: the capacity to be possessed by ghosts. And the Fellmottes have big plans for Makepeace and her gift, plans to protect a dark and terrible family secret.

Reluctant to accept her "appointed destiny" as vessel for the spirits of the Fellmotte ancestors, she escapes. As she flees across war-torn England, she accumulates a motley crew of her own allies, including outcasts, misfits, criminals, and one extremely angry dead bear.

Hunted across the country, accidentally inhabited by a brutish spirit, fear at her back and hope at her core, Makepeace must press on - or face the consequences of an impossible choice.

From Costa Book of the Year winner Frances Hardinge comes a new dark historical fantasy that’s sure to satisfy her leagues of fans who are eager for more.