swampsprout's review
- 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: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Drug use, Confinement, Blood, Gore, Death, Murder, Self harm, Trafficking, Child abuse, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cannibalism, Slavery, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Addiction
cozyscones'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
5.0
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Death, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, and Body horror
Minor: Cannibalism
tnm94's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Drug use, Gore, Body horror, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Animal death, Classism, Addiction, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Incest
eldritch_archivist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Cannibalism, Classism, Addiction, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Gore
Minor: Excrement and Death of parent
slicebread's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Blood, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Violence, Terminal illness, Self harm, Murder, Gore, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Cannibalism
melliedm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Marion is from the slums of this pseudo-European fantasy world, both the social strata she was born into and her race contributing to her place in the world. She works thanklessly as a maid for a demanding mistress and fights to keep her earnings from her brother, who lost himself to sickness and drink and became the controlling, abusive figure they lacked without parents. Marion is also, straight from the outset, a lesbian—hell yeah.
When Marion sees a listing seeking a new bloodmaid, she sees an opportunity. You see, in this world the northern regions are ruled by a nobility who, inspired by dark tradition, consume blood. They're not vampires, per se—they're a more human metaphor for the desperate consumption and boredom of the upper crust. But hey, becoming a bloodmaid might cost you several pints or quarts over the years, but once you finish your tenure you're basically set for life. That's gotta be better than working till your death, right?
Marion ends up applying, and with the exquisite taste of her blood she gets fast-tracked into the court, where she's soon introduced to the Countess Lisavet, of the House of Hunger. From there, we enter into a thrilling and twisted toxic romance between the two, a courtly competition between bloodmaids for importance, and an old castle full of dark secrets to be uncovered.
Where House of Hunger could have been satisfied there, it instead takes things a step further and makes a firm commentary on the nature of class, the limits we can achieve within a system of capitalistic consumption, and how easily possession can be confused with love.
I loved Henderson's quick pace, especially her world-building. Too frequently I find that authors dump too much information or try to make their world too different from our own, forcing them to spend more time teaching us about how their world works and less time on how the characters interact with the world: Henderson didn't have that problem here. She takes what she needs from our familiarity, settles it into a gaslamp-esque setting, and adds her own twists that she works in where it's relevant to our characters, and doesn't bother giving us unnecessary details.
I had a great time with this read, and devoured it at breakneck pace. With this and A Year of Witching, Henderson is now on my "must read new releases" list.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Cannibalism, Confinement, Violence, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal death, Classism, and Chronic illness
Minor: Addiction, Torture, and Racism
Needlesexcavatingmytbr's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Confinement, and Death
etyines's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
also just kinda realizing now that they're all such flat characters....
plot's really engaging though (except when she literally says, time passes like this + verbal exposition)
Graphic: Cannibalism
blacksphinx's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Drug abuse, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Classism, Addiction, Bullying, Sexual content, and Confinement
Minor: Mental illness
ktgoodman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Classism, Murder, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Death, Physical abuse, and Torture