A review by vixenreader
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

In lieu of the legendary Elizabeth Bathory, this book has some amazing atmosphere, the prose is emotionally-wrenching, the cast of characters (led by a strong female lead) are nothing short of fascinating, and the horror is corporeal to a tee. Seriously, it’s a great book about exploitation, imbalance in relationship dynamics, and what it truly means to escape more than one toxic situation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Addiction, Death, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Child abuse, Grief, Self harm, Trafficking, Alcohol, Drug use, Alcoholism, Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Misogyny, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, and Gun violence

Be warned, there are scenes of moderately graphic lesbian sex, ageism, and how the system pits women against one another.