House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson drips with intrigue and decadence.
This gothic horror delivers sensational, heart-pumping terror in a bite-sized binge read. It’s an intoxicating book that reimagines vampires within a sapphic-centred power struggle that screams with sensuality and nipping tension.
The rags-to-riches tale follows Marion Shaw, a poverty-stricken girl swept into noble society when she answers an advertisement for a Bloodmaid. If she can satisfy the insatiable cravings of the rich and bleed with integrity, Marion will be free to retire young in wealth and luxury. However, the indulgent position with its lavish gowns and grand living quarters hides a sinister drawback. As Marion grows closer to her employer, Countess Lisavet, their bond grows deeper than a bloody transaction. The Bloodmaid begins to question whether she can survive true love in a house that is draining everything she has to give.
The truth of this horror show unfolds with a delectable pacing that keeps readers eating up every word. We have to listen with agonizing breaths as each drop of spilled blood trickles towards the conclusion.
The beautiful writing details a haunting mansion of consumption, feeding our gluttonous Gothic desires with exquisite fashion, elaborate passageways, and sickeningly sweet confections. It isn’t challenging to slip willingly into this world of wealth and grand promises when it offers such tantalizing and vivid imagery.
“I’ve built you a house out of my bones and still it’s as if you believe there are cracks in it.”
― Alexis Henderson, House of Hunger
At the heart of this ensemble is a complex web of raw relationships, from friendships forged in whispers to lover quarrels consumed by lust. Marion and Countess Lisavet fight for every piece of flesh and blood they take from each other in the shadows of night, and their tormented embrace makes this twisted love story all the more enthralling.
The women’s romantic collisions are sexy and powerful, with enough blood spilling between them in bed to suggest their affair is no more than the paces before a duel.
The escalating tensions and oddball interactions build with breakneck speed, simulating that the reader is hurtling towards an epic bloodbath. When a book has you entranced and eager to have all the secrets of this chilling court spilled, the missteps are easy to miss.
Sadly, House of Hunger doesn’t hide its true nature as well as it could.
The plot doesn’t do the necessary heavy lifting, leaving this vivid picture half-finished. Many of the relationships with the other Bloodmaids aren’t nurtured, and we know very little about them beyond the minimum empathy to root for their well-being. The same can be said for the houses; we know just enough about the power struggle blooming between the royals to invest in the Countess, but everything beyond her is fuzzy and unfocused.
Marion is confined to a two-dimensional mansion, forcing the reader to stay rooted in the parts of the house that have been developed for the sake of the story. There’s no opportunity to let our minds wander to other parts of this potentially rich world Henderson has established, because they don’t exist. The lack of care for the world around Marion and the Countess leaves the novel open to an unfortunate spell of missteps and plot holes as it careens towards the grand finale.
House of Hunger offers the typical splendors of a gothic horror with chilling allure. But for all the sacrifices the Bloodmaids make, their story lacks the bones to build a proper structure worthy of housing their depth.
That said, there’s something to be said about the simplicity of two women carelessly letting the other carve their bleeding hearts from their chest. House of Hunger is spooky and sexy, and oftentimes that is enough to curb our hunger for more.
—
Want more cool content? Follow Us on our socials:
Want to add this book to your TBR pile? You can find more information and purchase a copy of House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson here!
coolgirlcritiques.com 