Here are 61 books that House of Hunger fans have personally recommended if you like House of Hunger. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Natural Beauty

Sadie Hartmann Author Of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered

From my list on horror with a slow burning romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

In the hands of a skilled horror author, there is something powerful about a slow-burn romance. When two characters are drawn to each other against the backdrop of dread and danger, the stakes are raised. Every moment the two have together is hard-won, special. The romance doesn’t soften the horror; it sharpens it. It gives readers something to invest in and hope for. That intense emotional investment creates tension. Survival isn’t just about escaping the supernatural threat or a human monster; it’s about what might be lost if they don’t. In horror, love is a luxury because it’s risky and a vulnerability. It's a favorite element of good horror. 

Sadie's book list on horror with a slow burning romance

Sadie Hartmann Why Sadie loves this book

Some horror books manage to create a sense of dread that builds slowly over time, dropping little clues and breadcrumbs for the reader along the way, hinting at the horror just around the bend. Other books keep their secrets. If you’re a Devil Wears Prada fan, you will enjoy the trope of “new employee is completely disgusted by the lifestyle & culture modeled by their co-workers but eventually find themselves adapting to the point of getting sucked into it and believing in it.”

I also enjoyed the sapphic longing and desire that developed between some of the main characters. This works in tandem with the complexity of the story and the growing tension. I will not spoil the direction of the storyline and what ultimately makes this book land squarely in the horror genre, but I will say, it does not disappoint.

A well-crafted debut from Ling Ling Huang. This…

By Ling Ling Huang ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Natural Beauty as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sly, surprising, and razor-sharp, Natural Beauty follows a young musician into an elite, beauty-obsessed world where perfection comes at a staggering cost.

Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can. She employs a technique she learned from her parents—also talented musicians—who fled China in the wake of the Cultural Revolution. But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City.
 
Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures—from remoras that suck out cheap Botox…


If you love House of Hunger...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Book cover of Starling House

Sadie Hartmann Author Of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered

From my list on horror with a slow burning romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

In the hands of a skilled horror author, there is something powerful about a slow-burn romance. When two characters are drawn to each other against the backdrop of dread and danger, the stakes are raised. Every moment the two have together is hard-won, special. The romance doesn’t soften the horror; it sharpens it. It gives readers something to invest in and hope for. That intense emotional investment creates tension. Survival isn’t just about escaping the supernatural threat or a human monster; it’s about what might be lost if they don’t. In horror, love is a luxury because it’s risky and a vulnerability. It's a favorite element of good horror. 

Sadie's book list on horror with a slow burning romance

Sadie Hartmann Why Sadie loves this book

This book weaves a slow-burning romance between two rough-around-the-edges characters drawn together by their investment in a crumbling, haunted mansion and the weight of all its secrets. The tension between them simmers beneath every interaction, and I found it undeniably magnetic.

Harrow balances a ghost story, survival in the face of financial insecurity, and unchecked capitalism in a small Kentucky town. I enjoyed the blending of gothic atmosphere in a modern setting and crafting a love story that grows slowly over time instead of an insta-romance. 

By Alix E. Harrow ,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Starling House as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

'Alix E. Harrow is an exceptional, undeniable talent' - Olivie Blake, author of The Atlas Six

Step into Starling House - if you dare . . . Alix E. Harrow reimagines Beauty and the Beast in this gorgeously modern Gothic fantasy, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Naomi Novik.

Nobody in Eden remembers when Starling House was built. But the town agrees it's best to let this ill-omened mansion - and its last lonely heir - go to hell. Stories of the house's bad luck, like good china, have been passed down the…


Book cover of Vampires of El Norte

Sadie Hartmann Author Of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered

From my list on horror with a slow burning romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

In the hands of a skilled horror author, there is something powerful about a slow-burn romance. When two characters are drawn to each other against the backdrop of dread and danger, the stakes are raised. Every moment the two have together is hard-won, special. The romance doesn’t soften the horror; it sharpens it. It gives readers something to invest in and hope for. That intense emotional investment creates tension. Survival isn’t just about escaping the supernatural threat or a human monster; it’s about what might be lost if they don’t. In horror, love is a luxury because it’s risky and a vulnerability. It's a favorite element of good horror. 

Sadie's book list on horror with a slow burning romance

Sadie Hartmann Why Sadie loves this book

Isabel Cañas leans into romance and historical fiction, delivering a slow-burn, Gothic tale of passionate lovers caught between the horrors of war and supernatural terror. The romantic tension generated from the cat-and-mouse dynamic between Néstor and Nina pairs perfectly with the predatory hunt of the vampires.

The monsters are unique, scary, and absolutely worth the price of admission. Cañas knows how to balance the horror with vivid, bloody intensity and the romance at the same time. An atmospheric, scenic follow-up to the Hacienda that hits the sweet spot for readers craving tender romance wrapped in historical horror.

By Isabel Cañas ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Vampires of El Norte as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

Nena knows a thing or two about monsters-as the daughter of a rancher in Mexico, her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead--something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.

Believing Nena dead, Nestor has been on the run from his grief ever since. He has night terrors of sharp teeth,…


If you love Alexis Henderson...

Book cover of The Duty of Memory

The Duty of Memory by Vicki Olsen,

Separating the true stories from the myths, The Duty of Memory provides a deeper understanding of the diverse motivations that drove ordinary people to join an underground network of French Resistants despite terrible odds and horrifying consequences.

This book takes the reader inside the true story of men and women…

Book cover of Hungerstone

Sadie Hartmann Author Of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered

From my list on horror with a slow burning romance.

Why am I passionate about this?

In the hands of a skilled horror author, there is something powerful about a slow-burn romance. When two characters are drawn to each other against the backdrop of dread and danger, the stakes are raised. Every moment the two have together is hard-won, special. The romance doesn’t soften the horror; it sharpens it. It gives readers something to invest in and hope for. That intense emotional investment creates tension. Survival isn’t just about escaping the supernatural threat or a human monster; it’s about what might be lost if they don’t. In horror, love is a luxury because it’s risky and a vulnerability. It's a favorite element of good horror. 

Sadie's book list on horror with a slow burning romance

Sadie Hartmann Why Sadie loves this book

This Kat Dunn book is an immaculately crafted gothic horror novel that builds tension through atmosphere, character dynamics, and psychological unraveling. I listened to the audiobook, and it became a highlight of my day. The horror elements creep in seductively, rooted more in psychological and emotional distress than terror.

Lenore and Carmilla’s magnetism is intoxicating. The novel stays true to the historical period as Lenore wrestles with her liberation in the hands of her new companion. I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation. Hungerstone is ideal for those who appreciate slow-burning gothic horror with a strong focus on character.

If the moody, mysterious marriage dynamic and tension of Rebecca paired with the vampiric, sapphic yearning of Carmilla sounds interesting to you, this book will utterly consume you.

By Kat Dunn ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hungerstone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE FIERCEST, MOST POWERFUL RETELLING OF 2025: A STORY OF AMBITION, FEMALE OPPRESSION AND UNSTOPPABLE HUNGER . . .

'Rich and daring. This is everything I dream of in a novel' Ava Reid
'Ravenous, righteous and utterly sublime' Bea Fitzgerald
'Intoxicating and vivid . . . Sensual and vicious' Hannah Kaner
'An extraordinary book' Jennifer Saint
'Phenomenal' Samantha Shannon
'A true feast for all the senses' Cosmopolitan
'A beguiling and spellbinding story of female repression and appetite' Heat

FOR WHAT DO YOU HUNGER . . . ?

Lenore is the wife of steel magnate Henry, but ten years into their…


Book cover of Lord John and the Hand of Devils

Linda Ulleseit Author Of Unlocked: A Paper Lantern Writers Anthology

From my list on historical fiction anthologies.

Why am I passionate about this?

We are the Paper Lantern Writers, an author collective focused on historical fiction of all eras. From Medieval Europe to the Gilded Age (and beyond), in locales around the world, from romantic to tragic and back again, our books will take you on the journeys of a lifetime. There’s a story to be told every where you look and we'd love to be your tour guide. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, and join our Facebook group SHINE.

Linda's book list on historical fiction anthologies

Linda Ulleseit Why Linda loves this book

Diana Gabaldon is a powerhouse in the historical fiction genre. Her Outlander series is one of my absolute favorites. In between the release of books in the main series, I content myself with stories about Lord John, an important but secondary Outlander character. This book includes three stories about Lord John.

By Diana Gabaldon ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lord John and the Hand of Devils as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“Deftly written, pleasantly concise stories about the ghosts of desire, each with its own discrete merits . . . [Diana] Gabaldon’s strengths are on full display.”—Kirkus Reviews

Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the celebrated Outlander series, delivers three mesmerizing tales of war, intrigue, and espionage that feature one of her most popular characters: Lord John Grey.

In Lord John and the Hellfire Club, Lord John glimpses a stranger in the doorway of a gentleman’s club—and is stirred by a desperate entreaty to meet with him in private. It is an impulse that will lead Lord John…


Book cover of Eleanor de Montfort: A Rebel Countess in Medieval England

Sara M. Butler Author Of Divorce in Medieval England: From One to Two Persons in Law

From my list on women in the Middle Ages.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am King George III Professor in British History at the Ohio State University. While later medieval England is my specialty, I approach it through a study of the legal record. Medieval people were highly litigious – the average person ended up in court far more often than we do today, making legal records the best means to unearth information about the lives of normal people from the era.  Most of my research has been sparked by questions students have asked me in class, such as: did medieval women stay with their abusive husbands? Did medieval children have rights? What was it like to be a single woman in medieval England?

Sara's book list on women in the Middle Ages

Sara M. Butler Why Sara loves this book

Because everyone loves a good rebel. Eleanor de Montfort was little known before Wilkinson’s fine book. She was the daughter of King John, the sister of King Henry III, and the aunt of King Edward I. She was also the wife of one of England’s most notorious rebels, Simon de Montfort, whose leadership during the period of baronial reform and rebellion (1258-67) saw him rise to become the de facto ruler of England and host of the first representative parliament. Eleanor was no shrinking violet in all of this; she actively supported her husband’s cause through recruitment of allies, strategic hospitality, caring for royal prisoners, and suing for the properties and rights of her sons and husband, even after her husband’s gruesome death and desecration at the Battle of Evesham turned her into an outlaw on the run from English authorities.

Wilkinson’s book is a pleasure to read, as she…

By Louise J. Wilkinson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eleanor de Montfort as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book deals with the remarkable life of a powerful and fiery woman at the heart of the turbulent Barons' Wars. As sister of Henry III and aunt of the future Edward I, Eleanor de Montfort was at the heart of the bloody conflict between the Crown and the English barons. At Lewes in 1264 Simon de Montfort captured the king and secured control of royal government. A woman of fiery nature, Eleanor worked tirelessly in supporting her husband's cause. She assumed responsibility for the care of the royal prisoners and she regularly dispatched luxurious gifts to Henry III and…


If you love House of Hunger...

Book cover of The Deviant Prison: Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary and the Origins of America's Modern Penal System, 1829-1913

The Deviant Prison by Ashley Rubin,

What were America's first prisons like? How did penal reformers, prison administrators, and politicians deal with the challenges of confining human beings in long-term captivity as punishment--what they saw as a humane intervention?

The Deviant Prison centers on one early prison: Eastern State Penitentiary. Built in Philadelphia, one of the…

Book cover of Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy

Tracy Adams Author Of The Life and Afterlife of Isabeau of Bavaria

From my list on vilified European queens and noblewomen.

Why am I passionate about this?

After working on the writings of the 15th-century French writer Christine de Pizan for a while I turned to researching the queen of France whom Christine addresses in some of her works. As I read the primary sources, it quickly became clear to me that poor Isabeau of Bavaria’s terrible reputation had been produced by misogynistic and nationalistic nineteenth-century French historians who promulgated images of political women as promiscuous harridans. I was astounded. How could it be that we were still circulating simplistic old narratives of incompetence and debauchery without critically examining what people of the times had to say? I have been studying the afterlives of infamous noblewomen ever since.

Tracy's book list on vilified European queens and noblewomen

Tracy Adams Why Tracy loves this book

My first three picks are scholarly studies. This book is more popular history in the sense that it lays out Lucrezia’s family and cultural contexts in detail for non-specialists. Bradford brings the period to life and shows the extent to which Lucrezia’s reputation was the inevitable product of the intrigues that surrounded her. She was nothing like the promiscuous, depraved, monstrous creature she is supposed to have been. The contrast that Bradford gives us between the bloodthirsty legend and the cultured and intelligent human being is so stunning that you will never take anything you read about an infamous woman at face value again.

By Sarah Bradford ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lucrezia Borgia as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sarah Bradford's Lucrezia Bogia: Life, Love and Death in Renaissance Italy is the first biography of Lucrezia Borgia for over sixty years

.Lucrezia Borgia - an infamous murderess or simply the victim of bad press? Lucrezia Borgia's name has echoed through history as a byword for evil - a poisoner who committed incest with her natural father, Pope Alexander VI, and with her brother, Cesare Borgia. Long considered the most ruthless of Italian Renaissance noblewomen, her tarnished reputation has prevailed long since her own lifetime. In this definitive biography, a work of huge scholarship and erudition, Sarah Bradford gives a…


Book cover of Gormenghast

Leigh Russell Author Of Fake Alibi

From my list on wanting to read about murder.

Why am I passionate about this?

An avid reader when young, I made the transition from reading to writing relatively late in life. It happened unexpectedly, but once I started writing I found it impossible to stop and have had twenty-eight novels published so far. Fortunately I found a publisher within weeks of completing my first novel, which was shortlisted for several major awards. Currently I am writing the 20th novel in my Geraldine Steel detective series, which has sold over a million copies in the UK alone. As well as writing detective novels, I also support up and coming crime writers as chair of judges for the Crime Writers Association’s Debut Dagger Award.

Leigh's book list on wanting to read about murder

Leigh Russell Why Leigh loves this book

Mervyn Peake’s writing is unusual. In Gormenghast he creates a bizarre world of weird hierarchical rituals, peopled by eccentric characters, each one singular in a different way. What really brings this novel to life is Peake’s wonderfully rich prose, as he describes the destruction of an ancient social structure.

By Mervyn Peake ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Gormenghast as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Enter the world of Gormenghast...the vast crumbling castle to which the seventy-seventh Earl, Titus Groan, is Lord and heir. Gothic labyrinth of roofs and turrets, cloisters and corridors, stairwells and dungeons, it is also the cobwebbed kingdom of Byzantine government and age-old rituals, a world primed to implode beneath the weight of centuries of intrigue, treachery, manipulation and murder.

Gormenghast is more than a sequel to Titus Groan - it is an enrichment and deepening of that book.The fertility of incident, character and rich atmosphere combine in a tour de force that ranks as one of the twentieth century's most…


Book cover of The Routledge Companion to Women and Monarchy in the Ancient Mediterranean World

Elena Woodacre Author Of Queens and Queenship

From my list on queens and queenship.

Why am I passionate about this?

Queens and queenship is a topic that has fascinated me since childhood when I first read about women like Cleopatra and Eleanor of Aquitaine. They ignited a passion to learn about the lives of royal women which led me from the ancient Mediterranean to medieval Europe, on into the early modern era, and has now gone truly global. I am particularly passionate to draw out the hidden histories of all the women who aren’t as well-known as their more famous counterparts and push for a fully global outlook in both queenship and royal studies in the works I write and the journal and two book series that I edit.

Elena's book list on queens and queenship

Elena Woodacre Why Elena loves this book

This is a weighty tome at well over 500 pages but well worth the investment as this edited collection is bursting with case studies of royal women from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to the end of Imperial Rome. The editors have brought together a large group of experts to offer chapters on groups of women, issues in an ancient monarchy such as Egyptian brother-sister marriages, and the representation of royal women in ancient sources, historiography, and modern popular culture. Cleopatra and the ancient world was my original gateway into queens and queenship—there are plenty of interesting women to inspire anyone to learn more about the pivotal role they played in the development of monarchy in the ancient world.

By Elizabeth Doyle Carey (editor) , Sabine Müeller (editor) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Routledge Companion to Women and Monarchy in the Ancient Mediterranean World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This volume offers the first comprehensive look at the role of women in the monarchies of the ancient Mediterranean. It consistently addresses certain issues across all dynasties: title; role in succession; the situation of mothers, wives, and daughters of kings; regnant and co-regnant women; role in cult and in dynastic image; and examines a sampling of the careers of individual women while placing them within broader contexts. Written by an international group of experts, this collection is based on the assumption that women played a fundamental role in ancient monarchy, that they were part of, not apart from it, and…


If you love Alexis Henderson...

Book cover of Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South

Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South by William D. Auman,

Award-winning novelist William Auman, author of If Trees Could Testify..., takes the reader on a time-traveling odyssey featuring 345 bodies of water in six states within the historical context through which they unfold.

Journey into remaining Colonial-era wilderness with stories of pirate treasure, epic frontiersmen, Indigenous Peoples, and Revolutionary…

Book cover of Titus Groan

Camilla Andrew Author Of When The Stars Alight

From my list on fantasy and cinematic experiences.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I was a maladaptive daydreamer. I could often be found crafting elaborate fantasies in my head featuring fully-fledged worlds and characters that I would actively interact with and speak to as if they were real. I was a strange child, and I kept that strangeness with me when I went into fiction. Since then, I’ve always wanted to encapsulate the feeling of giving a movie-like experience in book form. I want the people who read my work to feel like they’re experiencing something real.

Camilla's book list on fantasy and cinematic experiences

Camilla Andrew Why Camilla loves this book

Peake writes with the experience of someone who paints and that has a remarkable effect on his use of imagery. There are certain figurative turns of phrases he uses, such as “a face like scrunched up paper” or describing a cat purring as “the sound of an ocean inside a shell,” that click in my mind like—yes! You’ve put that into words! And Titus Groan is, once again, full of that amazing and immersive wordsmithery that elevates the text into something cinematic.

By Mervyn Peake ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Titus Groan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first volume of the GORMENGHAST trilogy of fantasy novels. Titus Groan is born the heir to Gormenghast castle, and finds himself in a world predetermined by complex rituals that have been made obscure by the passage of time. Along the corridors of the castle, the child encounters some of the dark characters who will shape his life.


Book cover of Natural Beauty
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Interested in nobility, vampires, and steampunk?

Nobility 89 books
Vampires 330 books
Steampunk 114 books