By Frances Hardinge

Macmillan, out now

The English Civil War – where brother fought brother, father fought son, and thousands were caught in the crossfire. And where it’s definitely not a good idea to be thought of as a witch…

Meshing genre fiction with a historical period can be a risky business; all too often the author is keen to display the research they’ve done, and the story can get bogged down in too much extraneous detail that means that the power of the tale – and its supernatural elements – can be diluted. That’s not been the case in Frances Hardinge’s previous novels, and it quite definitely isn’t the case in A Skinful of Shadows, which grips from the first page, and tightens that grip from the moment you realise that a dancing bear is one of the key characters…

Young Makepeace has an unusual gift, which is both a blessing and a curse to her throughout the story, as she learns her roots, and becomes embroiled in a centuries-old scheme. It’s a spy story, a ghost story – with a very different way of involving the spectres – and an excellent picture of a country at war with itself. Makepeace’s journey involves her with some of the key figures in the Civil War, but much of the time is spent among the ordinary people whose lives are turned upside down. Hardinge makes them all – the rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate – credible, and we never forget that they operate with a very different belief system to ours, even if human nature doesn’t alter over the years.

Verdict: Highly enjoyable with some novel twists on a familiar genre. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to read our interview with the author