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A review by rhargadon
House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson
4.0
This was the second book where I did my new "start at 69" (start at page 69, if you want to keep reading five pages later, then go to the beginning and read the whole book). And, no regrets. It's a lesbian anti-romance vampire book, which is not normally the sort of thing I'd read, but I was intrigued by the cover.
What I Loved About This Book
- the worldbuilding. It was done very well. I could visualize everything, and if you liked the scenery of Ketterdam, you will like the beginning of this book for sure.
- Marion's interiority. She felt like a real woman, not a book character, and her reactions to things were spot on. I could easily imagine myself in her place. So despite the fantasy/horror aspect of the book, it feels very authentic to real life. It seems feasible, that it could happen.
What I Didn't Like
- her brother just felt very unnecessary. I'm an author myself and I swear, I am never including a superfluous sibling again. Everyone does it, it is annoying.
- Lisavet could have been either more loving or more terrifying. I will not spoil the book, but for the middle one hundred pages, I couldn't get a read on her at all. She's an unwell vampire who hovers and is good in bed but not earth shattering. The characters of Cecilia and Marion were top-notch, but I felt like Lisavet, our primary villain, needed some oomph. I loved the tooth scene.
Overall it was a good read. It wouldn't make my top ten but it was enjoyable.
What I Loved About This Book
- the worldbuilding. It was done very well. I could visualize everything, and if you liked the scenery of Ketterdam, you will like the beginning of this book for sure.
- Marion's interiority. She felt like a real woman, not a book character, and her reactions to things were spot on. I could easily imagine myself in her place. So despite the fantasy/horror aspect of the book, it feels very authentic to real life. It seems feasible, that it could happen.
What I Didn't Like
- her brother just felt very unnecessary. I'm an author myself and I swear, I am never including a superfluous sibling again. Everyone does it, it is annoying.
- Lisavet could have been either more loving or more terrifying. I will not spoil the book, but for the middle one hundred pages, I couldn't get a read on her at all. She's an unwell vampire who hovers and is good in bed but not earth shattering. The characters of Cecilia and Marion were top-notch, but I felt like Lisavet, our primary villain, needed some oomph. I loved the tooth scene.
Overall it was a good read. It wouldn't make my top ten but it was enjoyable.