House of Hunger

NOMINATED FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL in the GOODREADS 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.

NOMINATED FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL in the GOODREADS 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.

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.

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.

In her new role as Bethel's warden, Immanuelle struggles to unify her people and reckon with the strange new gifts she's wielded since the Slaughter; the community seethes with unrest. Worse still, Immanuelle's nights are haunted with gruesome dreams of Bethel's violent destruction. When a band of wounded refugees from beyond the Wall comes to Bethel seeking sanctuary, Immanuelle realises that her nightmares of fire and blood are more than figments . . . they're prophecies of a coming war so brutal, it will make the horrors of the Slaughter seem tame in comparison. Desperate to prevent these visions from becoming reality, Immanuelle embarks on a secret mission beyond the Wall, hoping to negotiate peace with the atheistic city-state of Hebron before the war can begin in earnest. Her quest takes her through war-ravaged wilds, ruined cities, and mountains teeming with hostile tribes . . . all the way to Hebron, where she meets two ruthless Grand Magisters - brother and sister - who are beind this war on superstition and mysticism. Welcomed as a guest of the Grand Magisters' court, Immanuelle enters a dangerous world of politics and intrigue, where reason is prised, religion feared, and magic is outlawed on penalty of death. But as she works to stop the war, her powers continue to manifest, threatening to expose her true nature to the Grand Magisters, who would see her burned. Then negotiations fall apart, and Immanuelle realises that the only way she can end the war is to win it.

In her new role as Bethel's warden, Immanuelle struggles to unify her people and reckon with the strange new gifts she's wielded since the Slaughter; the community seethes with unrest. Worse still, Immanuelle's nights are haunted with gruesome dreams of Bethel's violent destruction. When a band of wounded refugees from beyond the Wall comes to Bethel seeking sanctuary, Immanuelle realises that her nightmares of fire and blood are more than figments . . . they're prophecies of a coming war so brutal, it will make the horrors of the Slaughter seem tame in comparison. Desperate to prevent these visions from becoming reality, Immanuelle embarks on a secret mission beyond the Wall, hoping to negotiate peace with the atheistic city-state of Hebron before the war can begin in earnest. Her quest takes her through war-ravaged wilds, ruined cities, and mountains teeming with hostile tribes . . . all the way to Hebron, where she meets two ruthless Grand Magisters - brother and sister - who are beind this war on superstition and mysticism. Welcomed as a guest of the Grand Magisters' court, Immanuelle enters a dangerous world of politics and intrigue, where reason is prised, religion feared, and magic is outlawed on penalty of death. But as she works to stop the war, her powers continue to manifest, threatening to expose her true nature to the Grand Magisters, who would see her burned. Then negotiations fall apart, and Immanuelle realises that the only way she can end the war is to win it.