Alexis Henderson: House of Hunger—blood is power in this Gothic novel

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Written By Chris Well

Photo: © Marissa Siebert / Hazel Eyes

“Deliciously brutal, hypnotic, and brimming with ravenous malice...”– Francesca May, Wild and Wicked Things

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.

House of Hunger
By Alexis Henderson
Ace Books
Buy House of Hunger from Amazon (affiliate link)

“Henderson is a master at crafting a story that is atmospheric, creepy, and unsettling. The dark environs of the House of Hunger and the literally cutthroat ecosystem that exists within it truly come to life, and there are some truly frightening moments.” (Courtney Reads Romance)

Henderson told The Nerd Daily, “As a reader, I love the way that dark fantasy blends the conventions of horror and fantasy in new and inventive ways. That said, I think what draws me to dark fantasy as a writer is different. I like the challenge of building vast fantasy worlds that reflect (and often elucidate) the inherent darkness of my own.”

Alexis Henderson is the author of the Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist The Year of the Witching, as well as House of Hunger. Watch the video below for a virtual book club event regarding Alexis Henderson’s debut novel THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING, along with with Rachel Harrison, author of SUCH SHARP TEETH…

Penguin Worlds Book Club with Alexis Henderson and Rachel Harrison

Chris Well

Chris Well been a writer pretty much his entire life. (Well, since his childhood.) Over the years, he has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio, and books. He now is the chief of the website Monster Complex, celebrating monster stories in lit and pop culture. He also writes horror comedy fiction that embraces Universal Monsters, 1960s sitcoms, 1980s action movies, and the X-Files.

https://chriswell.substack.com/
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