"This is the story of a bear-hearted girl . . .Sometimes, when a person dies, their spirit goes looking for somewhere to hide.
Some people have space within them, perfect for hiding.
Twelve-year-old Makepeace has learned to defend herself from the ghosts which try to possess her in the night, desperate for refuge, but one day a dreadful event causes her to drop her guard.
And now there's a spirit inside her.
The spirit is wild, brutish and strong, and it may be her only defence when she is sent to live with her father's rich and powerful ancestors. There is talk of civil war, and they need people like her to protect their dark and terrible family secret.
But as she plans her escape and heads out into a country torn apart by war, Makepeace must decide which is worse: possession – or death."
I never thought this would be such a dark, wonderful book. Set in the times of English Civil War, a 12 year old Makepeace has been living in a small village with her mother. Things changes soon after her mother dies and her relative send her to her estranged father’s home, Grizehayes, where she works for a number of years. Makepeace has a special magic within her which she thought was a curse, but slowly she realizes that she has the ability to host ghosts or souls within her. This magic makes her an important part of the powerful Fellmotte family for reasons I wont go into as it is too much a part of the book. There she meets her step brother James, and they start making escape plans but alas life is not so easy for these two. James gets stranded in a deeper conspiracy and Makepeace does everything in her power to cling to this last person she cares for.
Makepeace herself exhibits uncommon bravery in the face of the unknown. All her life, she has been surrounded by lies, even from her own mother, who was admittedly just trying to protect her. Still, by withholding the truth, Margaret has only managed to make her daughter more defiant, and like most confused adolescents, Makepeace occasionally lets her temper get the better of her. Still, instead of turning me off, the protagonist’s little acts of defiance only endeared her even more to me, because it made her feel genuine and easily relatable.
And then, of course, there’s the Bear. Out of all of Makepeace’s relationships, the one she has with her ghostly beast passenger was by far my favourite—and not just because it’s so strange and wonderful. Having the spirit of a wild animal in your head is as scary as it sounds, but eventually a deep rapport forms between the two of them, with Makepeace trusting the bear’s instincts and “forest wisdom” to guide her. For a companion who isn’t even human, and mainly only communicates with our protagonist through senses and emotions, bear was a surprisingly deep and heartfelt character.
I adored the ghost/souls aspect of this book. It was handled with such delicacy and originality that I was blown away. The idea of setting this during the English civil war, an extremely unusual setting for a YA novel, works brilliantly. Well painted time period without getting bogged down or felling like a historical novel.
Ms. Hardinge writes beautifully. She knitted a web with her characters, their weaknesses and strengths and a spellbinding story, it was hard to put it down. It was haunting and yet mesmerizing too. I was expecting children’s story but this turned out to be a darker tale of coming of age.
This is only my second novel by Frances Hardinge, but I already feel confident in saying this is not a fluke. She is one of the most creative storytellers I’ve ever read, with a clear talent for crafting strong and evocative narratives whose depth of emotion will stun you. Highly recommend.
Age Rating 13+. Nothing untoward.
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