Things are going quite well for Eve since her death. There is nothing to complain and all she now wants is to be able to communicate with her daughter once again. The story (so far) follows Makepeace, a strange young girl with the ability to see dead things. Except, these aren't the sort of ghosts you'd want to meet on a dark night - we're talking wild, dangerous wisps that try to enter her mind and take over. Her mother tells her to arm herself against these spirits, before dying herself - which leaves Makepeace at the mercy of her father's strange and sinister family...

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge - Pan Macmillan

Frances Hardinge was born in Kent. She enjoyed a bookish childhood in an isolated old house on a hilltop in the country. She read English at Oxford then worked as a technical author for a computer software company. However, it only takes one fateful night for her to let her guard down and end up with an unknown spirit inside of her. There is a good use of adventurous language and normally when I read a book I can imagine the surroundings and make up what I think it would look like but with this book nothing is left the the imagination because everything is described so well I feel like I'm there. The reality is there are many books with ghosts in them that are not scary at all. They all have engrossing plotlines and read like any other good paranormal fantasy. These books have equal number of fans who want to enjoy the paranormal but do not want the usual scare, blood and gore.

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... 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 favorite—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 sens

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge | Goodreads A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge | Goodreads

This resource is designed to be used during Reading Workshop and is to be used with A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge One of the best books ever written when it comes to non-scary books about ghosts. At least according to me and the legions of fans of Neil Gaiman and his absolute classic The Graveyard Book. 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.

5) Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

Our MC's life stalls in the household of her biological family after she loses her mom who escaped from the horrors there, but she eventually escapes using her wits and ghosts and has an adventure across England. This wasn't so much horror at this point but it sure was fun. The rest is about survival, intrigue, and being hunted by a cadre of ancient ghosts. And what she learns is just as important as the adventure. My favourite part of the book was when the main character becomes bonded to the ghost of the bear and they become friends.

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge | Waterstones A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge | Waterstones

stars. Frances Hardinge books grab you by the ankle and drag you under the current. They're not exactly pleasant (any more than drowning is), but they are certainly immersive, creative, and intensely disturbing. A Skinful of Shadows is the darkest of the three I've read by this author, and this one is a ride. Mother was like this sometimes. Conversations became riddles with traps in them, and your answers had consequences.”

So here are a few books that are not scary but have ghosts as either their main characters or they are central to the plot of the novel. 1) A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

A Skinful of Shadows - Frances Hardinge A Skinful of Shadows - Frances Hardinge

What are you doing here?' It was uttered in tones of outrage and surprise, and in a voice as cold and musical as the clinking of cups. 'Who do you think you are? This is my family.' The intriguing and imaginative world of Everlost explores the middle-realm of afterlife and is filled with captivating characters, plotlines and adventure. 7) Haunted by Kelley Armstrong Haunted is a fast-paced thriller and not exactly a goody-goody book. The protagonist herself is a demon and not your typical hero.

With considerable pressure after the incredible success and critical acclaim for The Lie Tree, Frances Hardinge managed to once again mesmerize readers with her unique and imaginative style of storytelling with her latest book A Skinful of Shadows. The Charley Davidson series combines excellent detective work with engrossing paranormal romance. Definitely one of the best books in the ghosts as central characters genre. 5) Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire