Synopsis

Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation is all she knows. 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 – and at the centre of it all is her.

Countess Lisavet, 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 her fellow bloodmaids begin to go missing in the night, 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. 

Review

It’s not often that a book makes me feel physically sick…

House of Hunger is such an assault on the senses. It’s chaotic, vibrant and downright creepy…

Deviating from traditional vampire stories, Henderson weaves a spine tingling tale of power, desire and greed that is beautifully gruesome, breathtakingly sexy and totally barbaric. What a combination!

Bloodmaids may be held in high esteem, but they are little more than slaves submitting to the will of rich, bloodthirsty people. While their role seems exciting at first, there’s more to it than meets the eye…

It’s a captivating premise and readers are easily caught up in the charade of lust and love. But there’s a dark secret in the House and those of us of a nervous disposition will become lost in the darker side of a bloodmaid’s duties.

Characters are almost addictive, well-drawn and believable; their interactions, friendships and betrayals keep readers on edge and there’s enough sex and violence for the most lascivious and sadistic among us.

Dark, salacious and sickening, this sapphic tale of sacrifice is a must read for October.

Thanks to Bantam Press for my proof copy. Opinions my own.