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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: Addiction, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, and Death of parent
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: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Torture, and Xenophobia
Minor: Incest and Death of parent
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: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, Medical trauma, and Gaslighting
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: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, 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, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
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: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Body horror, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Forced institutionalization
goolaina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Death and Death of parent
behindpaperbacks'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent