Read This Book…

Marion Shaw has grown up in the South of Prane in the slums. In this fictional world, the South and the North are at odds in almost every way. Marion’s parents died when she was younger, leaving her with her abusive older brother, Raul, who depends on his maudlum addiction to numb him of his physical and emotional pain. Marion is a maid in town, and she’s pretty much the only source of money to be coming into her and Raul’s home.

Marion dreams of so much more, and she knows there is money to be made in the North. The nobles of the North have peculiar tastes, which is to say, they drink blood. If a person is lucky enough to be chosen and brought on as a bloodmaid, they would be set for life after their few years of service. They live in the great noble houses of the North, existing in opulence and luxury, and they would regularly be bled for their masters and mistresses. It is understood that after their tenure, bloodmaids are given a large pension to remain in luxury for the rest of their days. There are 24 great houses in the North, and Marion dreams of leaving Prane and becoming a bloodmaid, which is super frowned upon in the South. Southerners think it’s disgusting and depraved, but Marion sees it as a way to a better life.

Marion spots an ad in the paper for a bloodmaid. She sneaks out on her brother to go be “interviewed” and meets a taster who bleeds her and offers her a place in one of the great houses. Marion agrees and leaves Prane, not without a lot of difficulty and violence. But when Marion arrives at the House of Hunger, that’s when the real story begins. The house employs a number of bloodmaids, all of whom serve the Countess Lisavet Bathory. Countess Bathory has an exceptional need for blood, which is why she employs so many bloodmaids. Of course, things are not what they seem, and the bloodmaids vie for rank and attention.

Content warning: there is a lot of blood and gore in this book, as well as taxidermy. Humans aren’t the only beings harmed in these pages.