Starred review from July 18, 2022
Breathlessly paced and dripping with gothic decadence, Henderson’s second novel (after The Year of the Witching) cements her status as one of horror’s best new voices. Marion Shaw toils away in the poor South of Prane, dreaming of escaping her miserable life of low pay and abuse for the North, where rich nobles from old money live in debauched elegance, drinking the blood of young women called bloodmaids to keep themselves healthy and preserve their youth. After Marion applies for one of these bloodmaid positions, she is whisked away to the service of Countess Lisavet of the notorious House of Hunger. There, Marion is pampered beyond her wildest dreams, but also drained of blood daily for the reclusive and chronically ill countess, who needs the supply of several bloodmaids to stay alive. Marion rises to become Lisavet’s favorite, and their bond deepens beyond servant and mistress. But Marion also grows close to her fellow bloodmaids, and when her new friends fall physically and mentally ill, Marion must risk her opulent new life and budding love with Lisavet to uncover the truth about the House of Hunger and the role of the bloodmaids. It’s a fascinating new spin on vampires that combines gory but gorgeous imagery and searing social commentary. This compulsively readable novel gives readers something to sink their teeth into. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency.
Starred review from August 1, 2022
Henderson (The Year of the Witching, 2020) has put a completely new spin on a vampire novel. Marion Shaw grew up in the slums, working as a maid to make rent and feed her brother. When an opportunity arises to leave her current life behind with the possibility of an early, well-paid retirement, Marion does not hesitate--even though the opportunity involves being a bloodmaid for a noble far from home. A well-established, in-demand occupation, a bloodmaid gives her blood to the family that employs her. Marion has tasty and complex blood, so she is acquired by the head of the powerful House of Hunger, the Countess Lisavet. The countess is known for her collection of bloodmaids, her isolation from the world around her, and her hedonistic court. At first Marion is leery, especially after finding a tooth in her room, but is soon taken in by the comfort and pleasure of her new world, where she quickly finds herself an object of fascination and desire. The large, mysterious house, images of bloodletting, and Marion's new, strange surroundings create an atmospheric read. A great book for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic (2020) and Sarah Waters.
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