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A review by solflo
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
medium-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? No
2.5
it's so mid it's so so mid. should have had a YA tag (derogatory). unchallenging in every regard. and it seems content with being utterly mediocre. rolled my eyes a lot. giving it a 3 because it's readable and i'm a pushover with ratings. but like don't bother unless you're 13-15 and reading instead of paying attention to class (commendable).
also the author seems somewhat inept in her descriptions. she can't keep track of objects and clothes very well. if someone's wearing a nightgown and stockings (in a vaguely victorian setting) there's no way bite marks on her thighs would be seen. it annoys me.
edit- actually the more i think about this book the madder i get. lowered the rating to 2.5, because again, it's not egregiously bad it's just so mediocre at every turn. we know marion will become a bloodmaiden, it's the fucking premise, so why start off dilly dallying with three whole chapters of stuff and then never bring any of that up again? agnes vanishes from the narrative, raul's death is just kinda there. why bother with that leg of the worldbuilding if it doesn't affect the narrative at all! or rather: why not have that worldbuilding be impactful? marion says she'll write to agnes, well where are the letters? where's marion writing and not receiving replies, having her correspondence tampered with so she doesn't reveal her misery (oh yeah what misery?), hearing bad news (giving her reason to leave the house of hunger, or feel more trapped there) or not hearing anything back at all (making her feel isolated). come on. one of the foundational vampire texts is an epistolary novel. it's free real estate.
that's not all. marion (and thus the reader) is told the rules of her identureship: can't leave the island, can't have sex or give her blood to anyone that's not the countess, i think that's the gist of it. and none of these things ever happen. she (or any of the other girls for that matter) never has to make a choice that'll lead her to consider breaking a rule. she seems perfectly content with them. so what's the point here. where's the tension.
the book's full of unfired chekov's guns all the while being extremely repetitive overall, and with its one (1) motif — the word wretch and its accompanying tooth — that doesn't even really pay off. we know cecelia is fucked and wretched, there needs to be more external signs building up that Yes, Marion And All The Bloodmaidens Are Fucked Too, In This Particular Way. else it's just relying on the reader's previous knowledge of fiction. and that makes it predictable, lukewarm, unchallenging, mediocre. because of course they're fucked and won't survive, and of course the plucky heroine will find a way regardless. she doesn't even lose a tooth.
also the author seems somewhat inept in her descriptions. she can't keep track of objects and clothes very well. if someone's wearing a nightgown and stockings (in a vaguely victorian setting) there's no way bite marks on her thighs would be seen. it annoys me.
edit- actually the more i think about this book the madder i get. lowered the rating to 2.5, because again, it's not egregiously bad it's just so mediocre at every turn. we know marion will become a bloodmaiden, it's the fucking premise, so why start off dilly dallying with three whole chapters of stuff and then never bring any of that up again? agnes vanishes from the narrative, raul's death is just kinda there. why bother with that leg of the worldbuilding if it doesn't affect the narrative at all! or rather: why not have that worldbuilding be impactful? marion says she'll write to agnes, well where are the letters? where's marion writing and not receiving replies, having her correspondence tampered with so she doesn't reveal her misery (oh yeah what misery?), hearing bad news (giving her reason to leave the house of hunger, or feel more trapped there) or not hearing anything back at all (making her feel isolated). come on. one of the foundational vampire texts is an epistolary novel. it's free real estate.
that's not all. marion (and thus the reader) is told the rules of her identureship: can't leave the island, can't have sex or give her blood to anyone that's not the countess, i think that's the gist of it. and none of these things ever happen. she (or any of the other girls for that matter) never has to make a choice that'll lead her to consider breaking a rule. she seems perfectly content with them. so what's the point here. where's the tension.
the book's full of unfired chekov's guns all the while being extremely repetitive overall, and with its one (1) motif — the word wretch and its accompanying tooth — that doesn't even really pay off. we know cecelia is fucked and wretched, there needs to be more external signs building up that Yes, Marion And All The Bloodmaidens Are Fucked Too, In This Particular Way. else it's just relying on the reader's previous knowledge of fiction. and that makes it predictable, lukewarm, unchallenging, mediocre. because of course they're fucked and won't survive, and of course the plucky heroine will find a way regardless. she doesn't even lose a tooth.