This House Will Feed

By Maria Tureaud

Amidst the devastation of Ireland's Great Famine, a young woman is salvaged from certain death when offered a mysterious position at a remote manor house haunted by a strange power and the horror of her own memories in this chillingly evocative historical novel braided with gothic horror and supernatural suspense for readers of Katherine Arden's The Warm Hands of Ghosts and The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins.

County Clare, 1848 In the scant few years since the potato blight first cast its foul shadow over Ireland, Maggie O'Shaughnessy has lost everything--her entire family and the man she trusted with her heart. Toiling in the Ennis Workhouse for paltry rations, she can see no future either within or outside its walls--until the mysterious Lady Catherine arrives to whisk her away to an old mansion in the stark limestone landscape of the Burren.

Lady Catherine wants Maggie to impersonate her late daughter, Wilhelmina, and hoodwink solicitors into releasing Wilhelmina's widow pension so that Lady Catherine can continue to provide for the villagers in her care. In exchange, Maggie will receive freedom from the workhouse, land of her own, and the one thing she wants more than either: a chance to fulfill the promise she made to her brother on his deathbed--to live to spite them all.

Launching herself into the daunting task, Maggie plays the role of Wilhelmina as best she can while ignoring the villagers' tales of ghostly figures and curses. But more worrying are the whispers that come from within. Something in Lady Catherine's house is reawakening long-buried memories in Maggie--of a foe more terrifying than hunger or greed, of a power that calls for blood and vengeance, and of her own role in a nightmare that demands the darkest sacrifice . . .

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1496755413
• ISBN13: 9781496755414
• Release Date: January 2026
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.9" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Compelling tale!

This was a masterly woven tale of the horror of Ireland's Great Famine and one woman's journey to bring justice for her family and countless others destroyed and killed by the famine and the greediness of those that profited from all that death. I must say I was not very familiar about the details of the tragedy but this story really brings it home, with an added supernatural touch. I really liked the authors note at the end which provides more details too. And how it has lots of phrases and words from the Irish dialect which brought home how a lot details about the famine were real. It was easy to like Maggie O’Shaughnessy, a young woman who faced great tragedies, including the death of her child and that of her family to the famine but still never gave up. And while the bargain she made with Lady Catherine seemed so sus, I could understand why Maggie chose it as the path for her future and revenge. Yes, it does have a nice supernatural touch and witchy feel, it is mostly a tale of resilience and I definitely got emotional especially when Maggie begins to remember. And it also really drove home who is affected by the famine and tragedies, and who profited off it, causing many unnecessary deaths. This tale is full of those kind of characters but also those who were willing to open doors and help those afflicted by the famine. It was a good balance and really brought fullness to the story. So, yes, it is a dark tale with tragedy, heartache, revenge, but also love, kindness, charity, and righting old wrongs (with the help of something out of Irish folklore!). I am glad I got the chance to read this and learn a few more things while still being immersed in this great book!