Loved this book anything sapphic with a side of vampire. I miss the dark gothic vibes of October so this Made everything better. I can’t wait for this book to come out I’m ready to have this on my physical bookshelf.

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

I read Carmilla for the first time last month, and this retelling was fantastic. Kat Dunn, you did it absolute justice! This is a sapphic tale of yearning, compulsion, and hunger. I would not describe this as a story about romance at all. If you love books that are gothic, suspenseful and utter beautiful then this is your story.
Dunn writing is incredible and damn stunning!

"What is a monster but a creature of agency?"


Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC!

DNF at 29%

Was prepared to love this book, I feel like I've really been in the mood for vampire and gothic stuff lately between Nosferatu and revisiting Buffy lately, but I really waited for a fourth of the book for this to really grab me, and it never did. The main character was a little to aware how weak, victimized, lonely, and miserable she was, and every other page was her talking about how alone in the world she was and it was off-putting. She was in a terrible situation, I'm going to give that to her, and I'm sure Carmilla would have saved the day eventually. Just didn't care enough to get there. This is going to be someone else's cup of tea, for sure, it just wasn't mine!

i must admit, i did expect more lesbians and vampires in this. i know that vampirism is a metaphor for hunger and desire but frankly i would’ve liked some more literal vampiric actions in this instead of metaphors. very satisfying in the end tho and it WAS gay, and the writing WAS very pretty, and i DID enjoy it, so still 5 stars. but more lesbian vampires would've absolutely kicked it up to 5

What isn't to love about Carmilla retellings and vampires in general??

I loved this new tale of queer vampiric desire so much. Despite this being based on the classic, Carmilla, it brought an original twist and perspective that made it wholly its own.

One thing that I really enjoyed about this novel was the feminist perspectives that reigned supreme throughout this novel. There was some very clear commentary about the "role of a wife" in a marriage and the consequences of challenging that role, especially when the challenges are coming from other women who have their best interests in mind.

I will definitely be posting about this on socials, as it's required reading for anyone into vampire lore and feminism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for this ARC!

Hungerstone is a well crafted sapphic vampire story that I really enjoyed reading. I appreciate the historical accuracy that Kat added as well and how immersed you feel in this story. I haven't read Carmilla (it's sitting on my TBR right now), but I plan to after reading this book.

I love any stories with vampires, especially when there is plenty of female rage included! Dunn's writing is wonderful and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

I will absolutely never say no to lesbian vampires. Obsessed with the tension, the desire, the yearning!!

I seem to be in the minority here, but I didn't quite enjoy this book. It was fun (or, rather, the last third was fun) but when I think about it, I am underwhelmed and quite bothered by some elements of the book.

First of all I would like to say that if you can't get enough of unhinged women and you enjoy historical settings, slow to medium pacing and a gothic atmosphere, then this book is for you! And I do think this book is enjoyable, it just didn't work for me.

So, I went into this story expecting a heavy queer element paired with horror, but that's not what I've got. Yes, there is a tiny little bit of queerness, but I felt it was instrumental rather than genuine (which bothered me). Disappointing, honestly. The horror element was a bit more present, though it was still marginal.

Once I realized that this story was not about queerness but rather about womanhood and freedom of thought, then I enjoyed this story more. Plus, the pacing got better in the second half of the book and the plot became more interesting and gripping. However, the ending was too abrupt and in my opinion ruined my enjoyment of the latter part of the book.

Moreover, Carmilla to me was just not convincing. She wasn't charismatic, she wasn't seductive. And she was too direct, she seemed to read out of a modern book on feminism, she hammered the point into the reader and I dislike when this happens in a book. I preferred her in the second part, she was more subtle. Also, I could just not believe that her and Lenore were attracted to each other. I feel there was a lot of telling but little showing, and when they interacted I was mostly confused.

Now, I clearly did not enjoy this read, but as I said I believe other people will enjoy it. To me, it was a 2.5, but I've rounded it up to a 3 stars because a 2 would be too harsh.

I enjoyed the book Carmilla and this was a retelling of that book. I thought the author did a great job on this book and I loved it. There were some really great quotes from this book and I can now understand why people highlight in their books. I would definitely recommend reading this especially if you like vampires or had read the book Carmilla and enjoyed it.

I was so excited to read this. Historical sapphic romance? Vampires? Horror? Sign me up. Hungerstone is a retelling of Carmilla - a book I read a few years ago and didn’t absolutely love but did appreciate - and tells the story of Lenore, a high-society woman whose husband owns a steel works company, and how her eyes are opened to the reality of her life when she takes in an unexpected guest, Carmilla, who’s carriage has crashed near their estate on a stormy night.
Hungerstone is fantastic at establishing its setting and creating a creepy atmosphere. I think where this struggled was with its characterization. Nearly all characters read as quite flat and one-dimensional. This works for the character of Carmilla, who is not a character in her own right but rather a reflection of what Lenore desires and what Lenore has suppressed as a result of her place in society and her marriage. It does not, however, work as well for the husband, Henry, who is just a bog-standard evil villain archetype, nor for Cora who is a self-absorbed “friend”. The only other named characters were servants or other workers who have very few lines, which works to establish Lenore’s isolation at this remote estate, but it means that the characters who do make up the rest of the story need to do the heavy lifting, and I didn’t find that was achieved. Even Lenore felt at times a little underdeveloped or unexplored.
The romance aspect of this also felt somewhat lacking. I expected more discussion of desire, specifically forbidden desire, but the moments that were present felt rushed and they weren’t allowed to linger. Despite that, I don’t think the queerness of this book is entirely about the relationship, but rather about, self discovery and learning to live outside of the bounds and expectations of society, and I enjoyed the parts that delved into this. The other thing is that I’m not entirely sure what this retelling adds to the original Carmilla, other than making many of the themes more explicit. Overall, if you’re looking for a historical sapphic vampire story that examines the oppressiveness of womanhood and traditionality, this may be for you. Although it didn’t live up to all of my expectations, it was enjoyable and very gripping once the story found its footing.

I enjoyed every second with this book and experiencing the story unfold. The attention to detail was immaculate, the dread, the atmosphere, all of it was great, just as I had anticipated.

I don’t need to explain a single reason you should read this book beside the exceptional atmosphere. Every word in the book feels critical and intentional. Every detail about the world or secondary characters was artfully crafted and limited to what the protagonist would like to share with the audience. From page one, it’s eery, dark and intense. Actually a masterpiece retelling.

ᨳ ᨳ᭬ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑.25࿐ྂ

„To be a woman is a horror I can little comprehend.“

I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, but i liked this one quite a lot. Every time i read this i would devour many pages because i wanted to know what would happen next.

Did i absolutely love this?
No, but i do recommend it because the story is quite interesting and the writing style is so beautiful.

- thank you Netgalley for arc in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars
"I am so terribly hunger"
I received this arc for an honest review.

I’m a sucker for a beautiful cover, and the painting style artwork here is absolutely stunning!

I was instantly captivated by this story. Kat’s writing hit all the notes I love—romantic, cunning, and haunting. Lady Lenore Crowther’s emotional journey is raw; she feels only pain, yet it’s through her physical suffering that the emotional toll of her past becomes clear. The lack of life she’s truly lived is both heartbreaking and compelling. Things take a darker turn when a mysterious woman enters the scene...

Kat’s reimagining of Carmilla is a fresh take on the classic vampire tale. It explores not only social and gender norms but also delves deep into the complexities of women’s desires and, perhaps most powerfully, female rage—one of my favourite themes.

What really stands out in this story is its message: you’ve been wronged in countless ways throughout your life—now, what will you do about it? It’s a striking, empowering, and utterly captivating read.

This is my first book by Kat Dunn, and I’m definitely eager to read more!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Lenore's marriage begins to sour, her husband brings her to Nethershaw Manor in the hope of elevating their social status. It is within their new home that Lenore meets Carmilla, a mysterious woman who takes up residence at Nethershaw Manor to recover following a carriage accident. As Lenore and Carmilla grow closer, Lenore becomes conscious of a rising hunger within the local women and within herself. And she is unsure whether she can satiate this hunger.

When I heard that Hungerstone was a retelling of Carmilla, I knew that I HAD to get my hands on an ARC. However it is so much more than just a retelling. Kat Dunn has reworked Carmilla into a sapphic feminist tale that is as thought provoking as it is haunting. Since I had enjoyed Carmilla, I knew that it was likely I would enjoy Hungerstone but it was Kat Dunn's clever weaving of feminist ideals into this classic tale that has made Hungerstone my most anticipated release this year. I was lucky enough to be given an ARC on Netgalley a few months ago, and it was officially my favourite ARC of 2024.

Hungerstone is officially out on the 6th of February! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Will you be reading Hungerstone?

As nosferatu once said “i am nothing but an appetite” and i felt that in this book. It scratched such an itch for me. I love when any type of vampiric media uses hunger as the main motivation. Watching her claw her way out of this senseless oppression that society has forced upon her was so rewarding. Watching her realize her wants, her dreams… coming to know herself through this hunger that has always been there at her core that she has always just ignored for the betterment of other, but has now come to fully embrace this hunger as herself and not just an entity outside of her was absolutely stunning. I loved this book so much!

"There are perhaps some graces to being un-mothered. My body is as unused as a dress not yet worn, and so remains as crisp and as fresh as the day it was bought."

DNF @ pg 36 (~11%)

I love me some vampires, but I hate me some Historical Fiction. So it's always tough to tell from just the synopsis and reviews how much a book will lean into the Fantasy elements, and how much they'll be tacked on or used as metaphor. I believe this is mostly the latter (aka I am very much not the right audience).

To start, Lenore is one of the most unlikable characters I've met in a long time. Her POV is of a long-suffering, upper class White lady. Unaware of her privilege and whiny about her womanhood. But simultaneously, it gives strong 'not like other girls' vibes. As I didn't finish the book I can't speak to how much her character growth might change her from this lackluster beginning to the conclusion of the book. I just know this isn't a perspective nor storyline that I tend to enjoy or find well-executed.

The writing is very ornate in an old-fashioned sort of way, and definitely prefers not to use modern conventions and slang or even just contractions, but it's also quite dry? Like potpourri, I guess. Flowery and also flat.

Absolute banger of a cover, though. I'm sure I'll be excited to spot it once it hits the shelves of my local bookstore.

4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I screamed when I saw I received this ARC. This is one of my most highly anticipated reads for 2025. I loved the original Carmilla and this felt like not just a retelling of Carmilla but an extension of the original story.

My few gripes were that pacing issues made some parts feel underwhelming and that other than Lenore, most of the characters were somewhat one-dimensional, including Carmilla.

Other than those two issues, god I needed another gothic sapphic vampire story. The atmosphere was unbelievable well maintained, the stuffiness of Lenore's life felt pervasive throughout. Dunn did a fantastic job with description, and her prose was so beautiful. I know that it can come off as overly contrived sometimes (cough cough Rachel Harrison) but I think the feminist, female rage aspect felt well done and came across wonderfully. I loved hunger as a metaphor for desire, desire for a life outside of her husband, desire for another woman, it was just 10/10 well done. I felt tense and unsettled throughout the story and I will be buying the physical copy for my collection once it's released.

Ok ok ok…..sign me up for any and all sapphic vampire novels. This was to die for. I loved Carmilla so I came into this with high hopes & i do think they were met.

Overall, this was less overtly vampiric than I expected it would be and delved more into Lenore’s dynamic with her husband than I anticipated, both especially in comparison to Le Fanu’s original but i think it works. It does a great job tackling what it’s like when you grow up needing to prioritize someone’s needs over your own.

Hungerstone is a story of desire, control, discovery, womanhood, and excruciating loneliness. With engaging prose and told in a narrative voice that felt authentic and vulnerable, Dunn has crafted a delicious story.

Evocative, stunning and sexy, hunger stone is story of desire, repression and rebirth set amongst the desolate Yorkshire moors