SuitabookA Skinful of Shadows
Frances Hardinge
- Reading
- Read alongside the reader if needed, pausing around the first possession, the family’s secret and the war-related danger. Afterwards, ask how Makepeace’s choices affect her sense of self.
- Themes
- Identity and control: Makepeace resists ghosts, then carries a spirit that may also defend her while she tries to escape danger. The premise clearly raises questions about whether an invading spirit changes or threatens a person’s identity, but its moral treatment is not given.
- Survival amid power and conflict: Makepeace is placed with a wealthy, powerful family while civil war is discussed and she travels through a war-torn country. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Consider whether the reader is comfortable with ghosts, attempted possession, death, a wild spirit within the protagonist, war and a family’s dark and terrible secret.