Marion Shaw is a beautiful girl, but one whose looks and charm are wasted in her position as a lowly maid in the Southern industrial city of Prane. She toils all day, only to go home to her ungrateful and drug-addicted brother, Raul, but she longs for the finer things in life and a better existence. One day she spies an ad in the matrimonial section of the paper seeking "a bloodmaid of exceptional taste" and although the profession is taboo in the South where she makes her home, she has heard tales of the lucrative pensions one can earn after their years of indenture. So off she goes.
Fast-forward and she is now known as Marion of the House of Hunger, having been selected by Thiago the Taster and presented to the beautiful and elusive Countess Lisavet Bathory. She is fifth in the ranks of the bloodmaids, with Cecelia being the favorite and First Bloodmaid, followed by Irene and twins, Elize and Evie. There is also Mae, Lisavet's young mute ward, although she is far too young to be a bloodmaid. While it is immediately clear that Lisavet develops a penchant for Marion's blood, Cecelia is wickedly jealous and determined to hold onto the top spot for as long as possible. Despite her youth and beauty, Lisavet's hereditary illness requires her to consume copious amounts of blood to stay alive, but she expects nothing less than total devotion and loyalty from the bloodmaids she so desperately needs. And if they are seduced by her, and even fall in love with her, so much the better.
When Marion falls into Lisavet's thrall, she finds herself being consumed by her, both physically, due to her life-giving blood, but also sexually and emotionally. As the pair grow closer and Lisavet reveals bits of her past to Marion, the bloodmaid starts to see a future with her mistress, although it is clear that Lisavet is keeping her a bit at arm's length. What secrets do Lisavet and the House of Hunger hold? As strange occurrences start happening, Marion can't help but feel that things just don't add up, but no one likes a snoop, especially a powerful, blood-sucking Countess. Can Marion unravel the mystery that lies beneath the House of Hunger before it is too late? Her life and the lives of her fellow bloodmaids just might depend on it.
I read this book in a smattering of sittings, and truthfully, if sleep hadn't been an issue, I probably wouldn't have put it down until I was done, start to finish. House of Hunger is both enthralling and horrifying in equal parts, but Henderson's prose is so beautiful and enchanting that you don't want to put it down, even though you may fear what is on the next page. It reminded me of a book I read decades ago called The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter, not just for subject matter, although there are similarities, but more so due to the foreboding story that lurked in the pages, but one I couldn't help but continue to read. If you enjoy a dark story, you will love House of Hunger. Although it appears to be loosely based on the actual Hungarian Countess of Blood, Henderson's world is far more interesting. Alexis Henderson is now at the top of my list of authors to watch for and I anxiously await her next release. Highly, highly recommended.
