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  • Published: 5 December 2023
  • ISBN: 9781804992999
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $22.99
Categories:

House of Hunger

the shiver-inducing, skin-prickling, mouth-watering feast of a Gothic novel



Inspired by the true story of the infamous Elizabeth Bathory, a compelling Gothic tale of blood and dark desire from the author of the acclaimed The Year of the Witching...

NOMINATED FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL in the GOOD READS READERS CHOICE AWARDS...

'A lurid, luscious debauch of a book.' Guardian

'An unforgettable feast of decadence and depravity, House of Hunger cements Henderson's place as one of the great gothic writers of our generation.' S T GIBSON, author of A Dowry of Blood

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.

WANTED: A bloodmaid of exceptional taste. Must have a keen proclivity for life's finer pleasures. Girls of weak will need not apply.

Marion Shaw has been raised in the slums, where want and deprivation are 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 strange advertisement 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 at the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is swept into a world of dark debauchery - and there, at the centre of it all is her.

Her name is Countess Lisavet. Loved and feared in equal measure, she presides over this hedonistic court. And she takes a special interest in Marion. Lisavet is magnetic, charismatic, seductive - 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.

  • Published: 5 December 2023
  • ISBN: 9781804992999
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $22.99
Categories:

About the author

Alexis Henderson

Alexis Henderson is a speculative fiction writer with a penchant for dark fantasy, witchcraft, and cosmic horror. She grew up in one of America’s most haunted cities, Savannah, Georgia, which instilled in her a life-long love of ghost stories. When she doesn’t have her nose buried in a book, you can find her painting or watching horror movies with her feline familiar. Currently, Alexis resides in the sun-soaked marshland of Charleston, South Carolina.

Also by Alexis Henderson

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Praise for House of Hunger

A gory gem of a story that sinks in its teeth and won't let up, House of Hunger proves that Alexis Henderson is one of the best Gothic writers out there.

HANNAH WHITTEN, author of For the Wolf

A beguiling Gothic feast. Every lush, gorgeous page oozes atmosphere and delicious dread. Alexis Henderson is an exhilarating talent, creating rich new worlds that terrify and enchant. House of Hunger is an exceptional work of dark fantasy. Magnificent.

RACHEL HARRISON, author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle

House of Hunger is gorgeous and lushly dark, a nightmare vision that will pull you into its terrifying grip. Alexis Henderson is a master at creating enthralling fear.

SIMONE ST JAMES, author of The Book of Cold Cases

The kind of book that deserves to be devoured. Deliciously brutal, hypnotic, and brimming with ravenous malice, Alexis Henderson has crafted a bloody, sapphic fever dream of a novel and I can't wait to read it again.

FRANCESCA MAY, author of Wild and Wicked Things

With decadent prose as bewitching and as dangerously sharp as a rare gemstone that could slice you open at any moment, Alexis Henderson's House of Hunger is a Gothic masterpiece that demands to linger like the coppery scent of blood in the air long after the final page is turned.

ERIK LaROCCA, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

Readers will devour every page of House of Hunger. Alexis Henderson delivers a chilling, atmospheric tale shrouded in mystery, indulgence, deceit, and dangerous consequences.

N.E.DAVENPORT, author of The Blood Trials

With sumptuous prose and decadent, Gothic atmosphere, Alexis Henderson spins a lush tale of depravity, sensuality, and horror that kept me on my toes until the bitter end.

ISABEL CANAS, author of The Hacienda

Bloody and atmospheric with a seething undercurrent of dread, House of Hunger will lull you into a false sense of security just before baring its teeth. Fans of gothic horror will not want to miss this novel.

GENEVIEVE GORNICHEC, author of The Witch's Heart

An unforgettable feast of decadence and depravity, House of Hunger cements Henderson's place as one of the great gothic writers of our generation. Readers will be absolutely spellbound by this sinister, scintillating tale.

S T GIBSON, author of A Dowry of Blood

Breathlessly paced and dripping with gothic decadence, Henderson's second novel . . . cements her status as one of horror's best new voices . . . a fascinating new spin on vampires that combines gory but gorgeous imagery and searing social commentary.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

A supremely Gothic page-turner.

THE i NEWSPAPER

Sexy and queer and monstrous and very bloody . . . House of Hunger is a killer sophomore novel from Alexis Henderson. She has more than earned her place on my list of auto-read authors. Fans of gothic horror, sexy blood drinkers, and sapphic fantasy should move this to the top of their TBR.

TOR.COM

Henderson knows exactly what makes the gothic novel work, combining lush and lurid prose with beautiful scenery . . . House of Hunger is a novel as rich and dark as any blood shed by its heroines.

HORROR DNA.COM

Delicious . . . House of Hunger's Dickensian plot and gorgeous Victorian steampunk setting make it a pleasure to read . . . like a modern-day Anne Rice, Henderson has a gift for creating a world engorged with desire and death.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Has something of the grotesque novelty of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast, tinged red by a Clive Barker-esque blending of blood and sex . . . a lurid, luscious debauch of a book.

GUARDIAN

Gritty, Sapphic, Gothic . . . rich with suspense and intrigue, the novel is equal measures addicitve and haunting.

CULTUREFLY

Darkly gripping.

THE INDEPENDENT

A dark, blood-filled fantasy that's dripping in gothic vibes . . . dread and desire simmer from the pages of this unsettling and lushly written horror. It'll have you simulatenously wanting to look away and keep reading.

METRO
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