House of Hunger
Ratings45
Average rating3.5
WANTED - Bloodmaid of exceptional taste. Must have a keen proclivity for life’s finer pleasures. Girls of weak will need not apply. A young woman is drawn into the upper echelons of a society where blood is power in this dark and enthralling Gothic novel from the author of The Year of the Witching. Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation are all she know. Despite longing to leave the city and its miseries, she has no real hope of escape until the day she spots a peculiar listing in the newspaper seeking a bloodmaid. Though she knows little about the far north—where wealthy nobles live in luxury and drink the blood of those in their service—Marion applies to the position. In a matter of days, she finds herself the newest bloodmaid at the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery. At the center of it all is Countess Lisavet. The countess, who presides over this hedonistic court, is loved and feared in equal measure. She takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, and Marion is eager to please her new mistress. But when she discovers that the ancient walls of the House of Hunger hide even older secrets, Marion is thrust into a vicious game of cat and mouse. She’ll need to learn the rules of her new home—and fast—or its halls will soon become her grave.
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2.5 rounded down
I just did not vibe with this y'all....
The descriptions were lush and beautifully written but it took up a great majority of the book. I can tell you the exact arrangement of Lisavet's room but I couldn't tell you her depth as a character. Also the ‘romance' was not it for me because it moved way too fast and Marion switched up so quickly. Also, she was just a really selfish character and the whole ‘chosen one' trope was not it for me. I just thought that something was missing (maybe some plot and character development) but I read till the end to see if it got better, but sadly, I was disappointed.
This book wasn't what I thought it would be. I enjoyed the story and the characters, and assumed it was going to be some sort of love story, or a haunted house situation. Maybe What Moved the Dead has inaccurately shifted my expectations.
I really enjoyed Miriam as a character and her development what great to read even before she came to the house of hunger. I am really glad they started the story there. At first, the background of her family and life didn't really make sense to me, but it added beautifully to the story later on.
I did hope there would be some more explanation of what exactly happened and how this all came to be. Everything was explained, but it feels nonetheless like there should be more. Making the bad guy show no indication and then suddenly be completely evil, seemingly without reason, is very frustrating storytelling. I just wish there was more lore and something more complicated going on. It made the last couple of chapters slightly disappointing.
TL;DR
I love the Gothic/Victorian era that this book is set it, love how it's written and really like all the characters in the story. I had a great time reading.
My Scoring System
I have five things I look for in a book, if the book checks all five it's a 5/5 stars book, if it checks none it's a 1/5 stars and everything else is a combination:
X - Main Story: It's not very interesting, I found that the "story" isn't really there, it's just the life of a poor girl turn bloodmaid and how that changed her perspective on things. And her relationship with the new "sisters" and the ruler of the house that she has now.
X - Side Stories (if it applies):
✓ - Characters: I liked every character, really liked the relation between all the sisters and how they got more close to each other.
✓ - Setting/Ambiance: I loved the era and ambiance of this book, the Gothic/Victorian era is my favorite in terms of looks and dresses so I really liked that about this book.
X - Ending: I think the book could have really used an epilogue to let us know what happened after the ending and gives us a bit more of a satisfying conclusion. Not a bad ending but it could have been better.
Extensive Review
Even though the story isn't very interesting I really liked this book, mainly due to how it's well it's written, the conversations between the characters are very natural and I love the Gothic/Victorian era style so that did help my rating. I've read other people's reviews and can agree with them on how the romance didn't work for them because it felt a bit hollow and rushed, I do agree but I still had a good time reading it.
