3.75 stars.

Sapphic, gothic, Carmilla retelling had me immediately sold! I felt that this book was very well done and had some really beautiful writing. I would have loved to give it 4 or 5 stars but I felt that it was perhaps a little bit slow in the middle which made it hard to rate it higher. I also felt the twist was fairly obvious and I wish that it was a bit more subtle. I still really enjoyed this story overall and definitely had a lot of highlights, so I know the writing and prose was good if I am highlighting!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one is so deliciously devious! In a nutshell this book:

🗡️ gothic horror
🩸lesbian vampire
🗡️ historical fiction
🩸 inspired by Carmilla 🧛‍♀️
🗡️ female rage
🩸 atmospheric language


This is Crimson Peak meets The Yellow Wallpaper. It’s bloody, it’s living in a decrepit, moldy estate, and it’s HUNGRY

If you’re a fan of women devolving into madness and rage, this one’s for you! I loved reading this. Dunn’s prose is so lush and beautiful.

The story follows Lenore, the wife of a wealthy steel magnate, while she prepares their new, grand (and decaying) estate for a hunting party. On their way to the new place, they rescue a mysterious woman (Carmilla) from a carriage accident and now she won’t leave! What’s worse is, Lenore, like the mansion, is starting to unravel, unable to cope with her husband’s distance, the strange estate, and an unwelcome house guest that wonders the moors at night.

This story is violent, intoxicating, and wild. It’s also about shedding your fabricated layers of politeness and respectability. Lenore’s world comes crumbling down at the idea that the cage she’s put herself in is entirely a facade. What would happen once you stop living within the confines of a man’s world?

I hope you’re hungry, because this book releases February 18, 2025 and you need to preorder this STAT

"For what do you hunger, Lenore?"

"I am a woman woken from thirty years slumber, and I would eat the world should it satisfy this empty, keening void where my heart should be."

"If I am mad, it is only because they have made me so."

“What is a monster but a creature of agency?”

"I am a drowning woman clinging to a wreckage, but I will sing so loud as I go down."

-

well shiiiiittttt i really didn’t expect to love this book as much as i did. i'm usually not that into vampire stories, but this was honestly one of the most beautifully written books i've ever read. some lines were making me blush and giddy i had to stop and reread them just to take them in again lmao. disclaimer: this is a queer, feminist take on Carmilla, the 1872 sapphic gothic classic. while Carmilla herself remains, the rest of the cast is new, making it feel like both books in 1.

the premise: Lenore’s marriage to her steel magnate husband, Henry (f you Henry), is falling apart, and his solution is dragging them both to a crumbling country estate. on the way, they pick up Carmilla, stranded on the road, and bring her into their world. as Lenore throws herself into planning an over-the-top party, she finds herself drawn to Carmilla—oblivious to the creeping danger closing in.

OKAY so this book thrives on its eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere—the decaying house practically breathes and Carmilla still nails that perfect balance of seductive and sinister. the final stretch is especially wild, leaning into grotesque, “good for her” energy in the best way that i caught myself screaming GET IT GIRL YESSSSSS. that said, some of the book’s added themes, like its critique of capitalism and Lenore’s awful husband, feel a little flat compared to the rich, unsettling horror at its core that's why i only gave 4 star.

still AMAZINGLY WRITTEN. thank you thank you Zando Projects for an early copy!!

i'm gonna leave you with,

It starts with blood. It ends with blood. 🩸

I was sold at lesbian vampires. It is both more and less than that, but thankfully it worked for me. I enjoyed the pacing and the writing immensely, the Kindle highlights are abundant. This is definitely a story for the girlys filled with rage. The ones who have been oppressed and twisted and forced into boxes at the hands of a man, of family, of society. I will be returning to some of these quotes again and again.

"A compulsive feminist reworking of Carmilla, the queer novella that inspired Dracula.

It's the height of the industrial revolution and ten years into Lenore's marriage to steel magnate Henry, their relationship has soured. When Henry's ambitions take them from London to the remote British moorlands to host a hunting party, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into their lives. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night. Carmilla, who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger...

As the day of the hunt draws closer, Lenore begins to unravel, questioning the role she has been playing all these years. Torn between regaining her husband's affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, soon Lenore will uncover a darkness in her household that will place her at terrible risk."

Perhaps they'll have a different kind of hunt? Am I right?

3/5 ⭐

Loved the mood and how Dunn created such a vibrant settings. Usually books set in present time are more my vibe but I feel Dunn painted such a great picture that this book held my interest. The content felt dramatic but didn't fall into the melodramatic side of things. I really liked the main character and how she grew throughout the book!

There was a portion of the book at almost the halfway mark where I felt I needed to slog my way through and lost a bit of interest. But it really picked up at the 75% mark and the ended was perfect! I am interested to read the books Dunn writes in the future!

Lenore’s marriage to her steel magnate husband Henry has soured, and he’s moved the two of them to a ramshackle country estate. En route there, Lenore and Henry rescue Carmilla from the road. As Lenore frantically prepares the manor for an extravagant party and grows closer to the mysterious Carmilla, she begins to see the danger surrounding her.

This is a lesbian, feminist quasi-retelling of the already sapphic, proto-feminist 1872 novella Carmilla. The characters with the exception of Carmilla herself are different, so it could be viewed as a sort of sequel or prequel.

In my opinion, the book’s growing dread and claustrophobic feel of the crumbling house are its best features– very Gothic. I also like how this take retains the simultaneous repulsion and appeal of Carmilla herself. I particularly enjoyed the last 10-20%, which goes off the rails with delightfully grotesque “good for her” vibes. However, I found a number of the added elements, like the critique of capitalism and the terrible husband, disappointingly one-dimensional.

To begin with, thank you very much to both NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book.
It took me a while to get into this book and at first I was not quite sure it would be something I might enjoy, but by the 100 page mark I was invested into the story. The way the story is written is very raw and Lenore, who is the main character and through whom the story is told as it is in the first person point of view, might seem overwhelmingly controlling, mostly of herself, but as the story unfolds, it seems like her words reach to something in the reader that makes her relatable in a way that could justify anything. The rich language and the setting of the novel made this a wonderful read. I give it 4.5, because the beginning was dragged a little further than it should have been, in my opinion. I definitely recommend this book to anyone. who is interested in literary horror and stories who explore topics like female rage, hunger and women who choose to want.

Really loved this modern gothic joy! Engrossing, suspenseful, emotional and harrowing, it really emphasises the lack of power that women have experienced for centuries. The characters are intense, as are my feelings for each of them. The story leaves you with a feeling of sorrow and heartbreak, but also a feeling of justice served and a small sliver of hope for a life reclaimed. The story focuses on the pleasures and freedoms that come from living life for yourself instead of for others, while also managing to focus on the horrors and downsides that can come from such all-consuming hedonism.
A must read for lovers of gothic fiction, vampire fiction, horror and anyone looking for a fantastic feminist retelling of a great classic!

An enjoyable gothic romance. This is an excellent retelling of Carmilla for the modern reader. I appreciate the homages to Dickens and other Victorian writers. The symbolism is heavy handed but because it reads like a penny dreadful, it does not diminish the experience.

this is such a marvelous treatise on women's appetite. i am so in love with Lenore's transition from "i cannot want" to "i want i want i want." and that brief sentence about defining a monster as a thing with agency (':
who else am i in love with hmmm oh Carmilla of course. despite all the things that led Lenore up to this point, she is a lucky lucky woman ;)


thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

I REALLY enjoyed this once I started reading it as a standalone, original story rather than the Carmilla retelling it was billed as. The names are the same and there are lesbian vampires, but that's about the end of the similarities. That being said, this was a phenomenal woman-tells-society-to-fuck-off-and-learns-to-live-authentically story with some excellent body horror. Dunn really captured the essence of the sensation novel, from the language to the wild plot twists.

As a fan of the original Carmilla, this retelling was fantastic! It had a great sapphic love story, mixed with feminine rage that truly makes you root for the fmc in destroying those who’ve wronged her. 10/10 would definitely recommend!

My first Carmilla reworking and I’m pleasantly surprised! Hungerstone follows a married couple who are on their way from their London house to their new countryside manor. Classically they come across a carriage crash with the mysterious Carmilla. Too ill and with no contacts, the couple take Carmilla, and her insatiable hunger, with them to their new home.
My only real struggle with this book was getting through the flashback segments. I found I just didn't care about what happened to Lenor during her childhood, mainly because what's happening to her now is so much more interesting. It felt like the flashbacks had no real plot or intrigue.
The book did feel slow at times and I didn’t find myself fully sucked in until the 50% mark. But once I was in I was in! I can only describe the events that happen in Hungerstone as scandalous. Lenor’s life and how she views the world lulls you into a false sense of properness and decorum. Because of this, I was truly horrified by the moments of this book.
Henry is awful, and so are most of the characters in this book if we’re being honest, but I loved hating him. The dynamic between Henry and Lenor was fascinating. I found I wasn’t too interested in what their shared secret was, usually because I find myself underwhelmed when these things are finally revealed. Their secret was expected but the turn the couple takes in the last half of the book as their masks begin to drop was brilliant. I was here for Carmilla and vampires, but I ended up enthralled by Lenor and Henry. I’d actually go as far as saying I would have enjoyed this equally if there were no vampire stuff at all.
That said, Hungerstone is very light on the supernatural. The book is grounded and you could almost argue the events that happen aren’t supernatural at all and only in the characters' minds. I loved it!
I’d definitely recommend this book for fans of historical fiction who like a bit of horror on the side.

"Hungerstone" was simply a treat, in my opinion. I have to admit, I never read the novella "Carmilla", upon which this story is based, but I have known of it for years as its significance in the queer literary community is notable.

The story centres around Lenore, the aristocratic wife of wealthy steel magnate Henry. She believes she's achieved all in life - except giving birth to an heir for Henry, of course. She's the perfect sophisticated wife, all smiles, attentive to guests and impeccable in her social ways. However, her marriage has been crumbling for years now, and Henry has decided to purchase an estate in the countryside that she is in charge of managing. The estate is damp, barely usable, but Lenore is determined to prove herself to everyone around her.
As they're riding there, a terrible accident brings a young woman to their carriage door, and they take her in. Carmilla is their guest now, but she's strange, and more visibly, she is stirring something violent within Lenore.
Soon enough, Lenore goes through irredeemable changes that cannot make her go back to the submissive wife she was before.

I read somewhere that gothic horror is meant to balance desire and violence almost equally, that the characters long for something so deeply that it evokes violent feelings, almost. "Hungerstone" is no different. Lenore's condition as a woman in the 1800s is longing for more, but repressing it: she doesn't deserve it - she thinks, she is nobody and nobody will care about what she believes. Until Carmilla. Carmilla is almost a mirror of sorts, less a character, in my opinion. She's there to hold up a mirror to Lenore's wants, needs and to shine a light on the oppressive fantasy she's created, or she was drawn into.

I highly enjoyed this, despite a few really gory scenes I was not expecting!

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Projects for an ARC of Hungerstone in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3/5

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it was filled with incredibly immersive and meaningful moments that truly captivated me. However, there were times when the story seemed to explore too many directions at once, making it a bit challenging to fully engage with and invest in the narrative. Overall, though, it was a worthwhile read! If you're looking for a sapphic historical romance, I believe this could be a great choice for you.

After reading Kat Dunn's Bitterthorn I was absolutely obsessed with the author's writing style and storytelling, so I had really high hopes for Hungerstone. In the first part of the book I felt rather bored but later the pace picked up, the characters unravelled and I simply couldn't put the book down.

The dark, gloomy gothic setting is something that I began to love after reading Dunn's previous book and I was happy to discover that, quite like Bitterthorn, Hungerstone had similar traits. The darkish mood is all-consuming and perfectly created the atmosphere, grew with Lenore's evolvement.

Lenore is such an amazing character. From perfect wife, who does everything for her husband, to her breaking point, Lenore's story was something I absolutely adored. And the female rage? Perfect!

Carmilla, on the other hand, felt more like a "uuu I'm so myterious and only talk in riddles" type of character. I wish that, as a reader, I knew more about her because even at the end, she remained a secret.

Something that I personally enjoyed was the description of the old house, its surroundings and all the renovation work. I absolutely adore history and old buildings, so it was easy for me to imagine a 500 year old house that was falling apart. I don't think that any other place setting would have felt as powerful for this story. I felt like I was walking through the house and its grounds with Lenore.

Hungerstone is a dark, intriguing read that offers insights into a repressed woman's feelings and mind and shows what it feels like to finally discover the raw hunger of a female.

Thanks for the ARC of this book!

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn explores a fascinating theme: hunger as a metaphor for desire, frustration, and discontent in women’s lives. That exploration — the idea of wanting something so deeply it consumes you — is where the novel shines.

However, while the themes resonated, the execution didn't fully satisfy. The concept of the vampire felt underdeveloped. I kept waiting for a deeper dive into Carmilla’s nature and role, but she remained more of a vague presence than a compelling figure. The sapphic romantic element had potential for far greater impact, especially considering how many readers have long craved a Carmilla retelling that does it justice. Unfortunately, it fell short, lacking the emotional depth and tension needed to truly deliver.

More often than not, I found myself bored, feeling “stuck” in a static emotional state for much of the narrative. While some might argue that this is characteristic of literary fiction, there's merit in crafting a story that overcomes that inertia. Unfortunately, Hungerstone didn't achieve that for me.

I don't think a vampire exploration was ever really "the point" in this story, so perhaps it was just my expectations being projected. I love however that it stands out for its exploration of women’s desires and frustrations, even if it stumbles in its delivery. A story with compelling ideas that didn’t quite satisfy my own “hunger” for more depth.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

4.5 stars

before i jump into my review, i want to note that the fortmatting of the arc was not the best and made my reading experience a bit frustrating.

female rage is so back, this time with sapphic yearning and vampires🤞🏼 i had a blast reading hungerstone, and despite never enjoying dracula/reading carmilla, i’ve always loved retellings — ESPECIALLY queer ones.

i do wish there were more creepy, gothic vibes in hungerstone to add to the mystery/thriller aspect, but the vibes were immaculate nonetheless.

i enjoyed the character growth of our fmc lenore, and how she goes from an orphan trying to carve a place in the world through an advantageous marriage to a woman with desires and identity freed from that very same marriage she once thought would save her.

i do also wish we had more scenes with lenore and carmilla together, instead of lenore’s confusion about yearning for carmilla, but well who doesn’t love sapphic yearning??

overall this was a bloody (pun intended) fantastic read and i will be sure to check out kat dunn’s backlist!

I am in love with this (very bloody) book.

I hadn't read Carmilla before starting this book. It was so brilliant that I figured I should see how much came from the original. I listened to the audiobook of Carmilla in a day while reading Hungerstone and it just made me even more in awe of the writing and storytelling Kat Dunn has displayed here.

Our protagonist, Lenore, is an orphan with an immense amount of trauma to carry. She marries Henry as a promise of a stable life, and at 10 years into their marriage, things are less than ideal. On their way to a home that she is to build for a grand hunting party Henry is throwing, they come across Carmilla, seemingly a victim of a carriage accident, and who comes to stay with them. As strange hunger seems to plague girls in the local villages, Lenore's hunger for Carmilla grows.

The amount and quality of the symbolism in this story is amazing. I wish I could speak more to it without giving spoilers. It is badass, it is brilliant, it is satiating. And on top of that, Dunn's prose is incredible.