Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

81 reviews

btorsi's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

i genuinely can't say if this book was amazing or terrible. maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea (or blood) but my toes were curling the whole time. the romance wasn't what i wanted and there was a good chunk of the book where marion was completely insufferable. i couldn't tell if i was supposed to love lisavet or hate her, or if that was the point? so maybe it went over my head but eh. not my thing. that said, the world building was real cool! but that's all i really liked. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content

hehkhatea's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

You mean to tell me in a noble house run by Vampire Butch Lesbian Supreme where blood drinking is an everyday occurrence that there was not one single instance of menstrual blood being drunk/eaten? WACK.

Really liked this book overall. Wasn’t sure what I was getting into but once I realized Lisavet was based on Elizabeth Bathory the jig was up. I think if you were unfamiliar with her or other classic literature naming conventions the twists might be more shocking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Addiction, Blood, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Murder, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Classism, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Slavery

Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, and Medical content

sydneysunray's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Violence, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Animal death, Physical abuse, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Torture, and Toxic relationship

that_guy_bo's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Many of the reviews I'd read about this book focused heavily on the sapphic elements, so as a gay man, I wasn't sure if this one was "for me." But, the blurb had intrigued me, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
 And I have to say, this was one of the most gripping books I've ever read!

 I've raved about it to anyone and everyone at every possible opportunity, because it really doesn't matter what your sexual orientation is, this is an entrancing book.

  The scenery is dripping with every possible luxury, which makes the slowly mounting horror of the story stand that much starker against the decadent backdrop.

Additionally, as a huge fan of vampires, while this isn't technically a vampire story, it has all the trappings of one, and it certainly has the atmosphere! So if you're a fan of vampires, you'll very likely love this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Chronic illness, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, and Addiction

Minor: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Incest, Classism, and Chronic illness

toriwatson's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Death, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent

annabelle's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.75

I loved this version of vampires and the setting. It has a good spooky autumn vibe. But tbh it could have been spookier...

The pacing was quite slow for most of the book until things came to a head about 75% in and then it's very fast. While I predicted parts of the ending, I still enjoyed how the story wrapped up. The last 20% was so good and had me on the edge of my seat. 

I wasn't really sold on the relationships between characters and wish we spent more time diving deep into the various relationships and thier power dynamics, especially between blood maids. Ultimately this and the abrupt pacing change is why this didn't fully hit 4 stars for me. I definitely recommend this if you like slow and eerie gothic stories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Body horror

cecetomas's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book was everything gothic and gory and delusionally romantic. It can feel like this book doesn't have a plot, especially compared to other fantasy novels that might focus on quests or wars but I really enjoyed the eerie nature of this book and just following the girls around until the twist is revealed at the end. I do think that some of the romantic details could have been flushed out better, especially when it comes to Lisavet's emotions, to have better continuity for the story as a whole. The imagery was haunting and creepy- just the way I like it. Definitely a good October read for anyone into gothic sapphic bloodlust.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Chronic illness

debhawkins's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Death, Murder, Chronic illness, and Gore

Minor: Sexual content

lovesit1892's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I enjoyed this book, it was mysterious enough to hold my attention, but the writing and plot felt quite basic and young. Given the subject matter, I think it could have been written a bit grittier; if we're already on the topic of creepy, blood-drinking royals, then we might as well take it all the way there. Also, more explanation of the North and the South and the history of why these people consumed blood was just glossed over and farfetched. Just make them actual vampires!?

The relationships feel immature and rushed. I feel like the dynamics between the characters could have been explored more, to make the suddenly deep development seem more realistic. 

If you're looking for sapphic vampires (which I always am!) it's a slightly different take on the trope and an easy, casual read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Classism

Moderate: Body horror, Torture, and Death

Minor: Sexual content and Confinement

scifi_rat's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Plot: 3.5★
Prose: 3.75★
Pace: 4★
Concept/Execution: 4★/3.75★
Characters: 3.5★
Worldbuilding: 3.75★
Ending: 3.5★

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Classism, Murder, Physical abuse, Cursing, Self harm, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Chronic illness, Torture, Mental illness, Sexual content, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, and Gore

Minor: Cannibalism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Animal death, and Child abuse