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chiropterabitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gaslighting
gellyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship
bookycnidaria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Addiction, Blood, Gaslighting, Murder, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Classism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, and Toxic relationship
scifi_rat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Prose: 3.75★
Pace: 4★
Concept/Execution: 4★/3.75★
Characters: 3.5★
Worldbuilding: 3.75★
Ending: 3.5★
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
jasper_is_atypical's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Grief, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Self harm, Animal death, Cannibalism, Classism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Body horror, Bullying, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual content
Moderate: Xenophobia, Adult/minor relationship, and Torture
Minor: Death of parent and Incest
archaicrobin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Based on the real Blood Countess Elizabeth Bathory, Marion is a new blood maid for the House of Hunger where girls are bled for the wealthy nobles to drink. She’s not only a blood maid, but blood maid to one of the most hungry and insatiable of nobles Lisavet.
This is the second book I’ve read by Henderson that fell flat for me. I had read Year of the Witching previously and had the same problems with plot and characters. While her writing is very atmospheric and lyrical, her plots and romance all come off as stale or slow to me. House of Hunger started off great, I was invested in the story and curious as to where it would go but once Marion arrives at the castle it all just slows down. The focus shifts to the relationship between Lisavet and Marion, and it turns from a horror novel into some weird toxic romance.
Romance is not my thing, I don’t read it, I don’t pursue it, and I don’t mind it as a subplot if it’s well done, but in House of Hunger the relationship was so abusive and toxic from the start I never got behind it. Unfortunately, a huge chunk of the book is just Marion and Lisavet in the castle bleeding for each other and shooting boar, not really interesting to me.
By the time the plot picks up again, the story goes in to hyper speed and then it’s over, the pacing is not the best. Also, If you know the history of Elizabeth Bathory the twist is not a shock to you, which again probably ruined some of the intrigue for me since I’m a huge history buff and was probably unhealthily obsessed with Bathory as a child so this story was just a miss overall for me.
I can definitely see why so many people love this, it’s dark paranormal romance with gorgeous prose and a bloody story but it’s not what I’m looking for in my own reading.
Graphic: Cannibalism, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Classism, and Death
pebbletown's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Blood, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Gore, and Animal death
Moderate: Child abuse and Grief
bethboo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The premise is wonderfully interesting. A world divided by class and ruled by blood. Sapphic characters and relationships and sensually dark obsessions and fatal alliances. A big almost empty manor that used to be beyond lavish with old money and old tales and old histories and old fears. It's a book that is purely for the vibes, because the execution was lack luster at best. The author and the writing style was lacking in finesse. It reminded me of a Wattpad story. Some of the stories on their are crazy interesting, but the writing is amateur in all of them.
So, as someone who listened to the audio book and just put it on in the background, it was a fairly decent book. The vibes were immaculate but the plot definitely missed the mark.
I think the development of characters and later plot lines moved way too quickly, and kinda felt like the author just trying to wrap things up sloppily. The ending was a bit unexpected, so I'll give it that, but it definitely didn't go where I wanted it to.
I would give it a worse rating, but the atmosphere was good and the premise was great and the summary of it all is fabulous. Simply the writing disappointed the book. Even the title and the cover art and names of characters and places and the world was all amazing. But I hated the writing.
Graphic: Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Confinement, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
birbmcbirb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Classism, Trafficking, Murder, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Blood, Violence, Gore, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Domestic abuse, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse and Drug use
zany25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Also I’ve drawn blood for work in the real world and their blood letting descriptions were pretty spot on, aside from the sprinkling of supernatural of course, I enjoyed how they described the veins and scarring as a nice realistic touch.
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death, Alcohol, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Minor: Mental illness, Self harm, Incest, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, and Addiction