Hungerstone by Kat Dunn is a gorgeously dark, sapphic twist on Carmilla that delivers all the gothic vibes—crumbling mansions, creeping tension, and forbidden desire. The slow-burn romance is full of angst and obsession in the best way. Moody, haunting, and impossible to put down.

The Vibes:

—Carmilla, of course

—"oh no, I'm into girls"

—seems like a great time to get revenge upon men as a whole :)

Heat Index: 6/10

The Basics:

Taken to a remote estate with a husband she's come to loathe, prim and proper Lenore finds herself drawn to Carmilla, the mysterious stranger they find themselves taking into their home.

The Review:

Vampires are back, baby! And I'm always down for a reexamination of Carmilla, one of the most influential vampire stories. I mean, one of the most influential sapphic stories, if we're being real. This one does fall under the category of "romance", to me, but it's definitely on the Gothic horror side of things. You get what you want as a romance fan, but not without a few bumps along the way, right?

And you want these bumps, because this is a true vampire story. It centers heavily on Lenore's hunger (and, on a broader scale, the hunger that was the Industrial Revolution and all it would lead to), vampires aside. Because, like. Yeah. There's the hunger for blood...

But there's also the hunger for sex, and what you truly are. Lenore is held back by her frankly vile husband. She's held back by society. Carmilla represents not only romantic and sexual desire, but the capacity for Lenore to be who she truly is. And what she truly is.

She's angry.

Although, again, I think this works as a romance, it's definitely more so Lenore's story. Carmilla is there to serve Lenore's journey, and that's a good thing. If you're feeling angry at men; angry at where women are right now and where we have been; and a little pumped about Nosferatu... this is for you.

The Sex:

Although there is explicit sex here, it's more erotically—and a little creepily—described. It falls perfectly in line with the lyrical, sometimes grotesque writing style, and it's very well done.

This reminded me a bit of Rose Sutherland's A Sweet Sting of Salt, similarly a romantic sapphic retold tale of folkloric longing. This does have a bit more, well.... bite.

Thanks to Zando and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book made me feel. I felt her hopelessness, I felt her desperation but most importantly, I felt her R A G E.

This was such a great read. Thank you to Kat Dunn and Netgalley for the ARC.

Sapphic historical fiction that centers women's hunger and desires using vampirism as a metaphor??? SIGN ME UP.

This book absolutely blew me away. I knew I would love the book based on the summary alone, but historical fiction usually takes me longer to read because of the writing. I did not have that issue with Hungerstone. I binge read this book as much as possible considering I did have to go to work. If my boss is reading this, I'm sorry but you really can't blame me.

For the record, vampires are never explicitly mentioned, but it is heavily implied. Plus this book is inspired by a book that inspired Dracula so believe what you want. Either way, women's desires and autonomy really drive the story, making it a thrilling and thought-provoking read.

I recommend this for fans of Milk Fed, Piglet, and Thirst. Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
This Carmilla retelling feels very true to the original but smartly different in certain places, something which leaves our protagonist space to evolve as a character and makes the story… fuller, somehow.
The way in which Carmilla inserts herself in the life of poor Lenore, her excentric way of behaving and all the sharp knives that come out of her mouth are just the perfect juxtaposition to the oppressive atmosphere so well depicted in the novel. The husband is there, the roles in society are there… but so is she, always ready to make an impact.
I thought, however, that Lenore’s story, her past, could have been told in a different, more compelling way, because all I wanted was to come back to the present, to Carmilla. Something that says a lot about the character and her power, by the way.

I think fans of the original Carmilla, as well as those looking for something new, dark, and twisted, will find this slow-burn an amazing read. And, if I may, a very interesting companion to Robert Eggers’ latest film, Nosferatu (2024).

This is an incredible retelling. It stayed true to the original story but developed in the key areas which showed this was an entirely new entity.

I thoroughly enjoyed the journey Lenore had throughout this book. It wasn’t rushed and it didn’t feel too slow. It was the perfect balance of the difficult to navigate journey of self-liberation.

All you have to do is say lesbian vampires and I’m there. I love the Carmilla story and am always down to read any iteration of it and this one did not disappoint. The setting was its own character in the way it was so richly described. In fact, there are only four characters in this entire story so they are all very realized and fleshed out, which makes it a much more compelling read as they all feel like real people you know. Normally, I’m not a fan of first person, but I think it was imperative for this story as so much happens within her inner monologue as she progresses throughout the novel. I think it does get a little dry and repetitive at some points, particularly towards the middle. I think it would have benefited from a quicker change within the main character in order to keep driving the plot forward. We understand her husband is awful and Carmilla is weird and is making her rethink things, so we only need so many chapters developing this before it starts to become a little dry. But the last third certainly made up for these dry spells and I left overall feeling satisfied with this read. The only major gripe I have is there is one phrase uttered so many times in this novel that it begins to lose all meaning. It becomes a sort of ham fisted metaphor if you have to repeat it so many times; just trust your readers a bit more. Odds are if they picked up a book about lesbian vampires they probably know a thing or two about oppression and yearning. I think this will make a great addition to the “She Is Not Feeling Well at All” list on Goodreads which automatically means it’s a certified Crista Classic™. I recommend!

This is a fun, deliciously dark book about the rage of not being taken seriously, using vampires as a path to freedom. I am going through a real vampire phase at the moment and the supernatural plays a smaller role in this book than in other horror books I've read lately. Not scary, but has a wonderfully oppressive and gothic atmosphere. A historical counterpart to "So Thirsty" by Rachel Harrison.

Dark, suspenseful, and oddly romantic. I was unsure of what I was expecting besides lesbian vampires, but I was pleasantly surprised by a tale of female rage woven like a story of a sleepwalker who has awoken. I think Carmilla is in part a lover, but is more importantly a supernatural force similar to Dracula or Nosferatu (in fact I predict fans of Le Fanu's Carmilla and the 2024 adaptation of Nosferatu will love this story). This story is infuriating in the best way (Victorian gender roles, awful husband, etc.), but then grows to be a suspenseful read where I became unsure of the ending. I appreciated Dunn's commitment to a sense of realism in gender roles, even if they infuriated me, though I did feel as though Lenore's present and past felt a bit unrealistic based purely off the sheer amount of misfortune. Her backstory could have been written by Lemony Snicket I swear. I will say that this book is much more than a gay vampire love story, it is a novel of female rage, female want, and hunger explored through the frightening and freeing presence of a seemingly primordial vampiric woman. Dunn has a love and understanding for her characters and settings that is impressive. I loved her note on geography and her use of textual sources. They come together to create a beautiful and gothic fictional Victorian Sheffield. Perfect for literary vampire lovers, historical fiction enjoyers, and those who enjoy explorations of womanhood.

Wow. What a book. A stunning tale of hunger, desire, and freedom (or lack of) taking place in a rotting manor in Yorkshire. A pull and push for power by a woman who has it and yet has none.

This book is like a love letter to those people who love the darkest most disturbing elements of Wuthering Heights, can’t get enough of vampires, maybe had/have a Romantic poets obsession, resonate too deeply with the monster in Frankenstein, and recently loved Nosferatu.

And those people are me! Definitely recommend. Carmilla fans eat your heart out…

a very fast paced and suspenseful , dramatic read for sure. I will highly be recommending this one this year.

Hungerstone is a slow burn that grows on you with each chapter. It took me time to really get into this story. The first half is very slow, taking its time to set the mood and build a slow but steady tension. It can be underwhelming at first, but when things start to pick up, it makes it all worth it.

Once you cross the halfway point the story picks up in a way that’s utterly compelling. The stakes rise, the tension becomes almost unbearable, and suddenly it’s impossible to put down. Kat Dunn’s prose is lyrical and immersive with an immaculate gothic atmosphere.

Though it takes its time to fully hook you, once it does, Hungerstone is a gripping and atmospheric read that will stay with you long after the final page. Highly recommended for fans of gothic thrillers who appreciate a slow burn that leads to a satisfying climax.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I think someone will like this, I'm just not one of them. It is historical (which I like), but like too dark and moody and artsy for me. The writing is flowery and atmospheric and so not really what I vibe with at all to be honest.

I really liked this! It was a fun way to do a vampire book and I enjoyed the sapphic element. Historical books aren’t usually my thing and I often find them difficult to read, but that wasn’t the case with this one

I'll never say no to a Carmilla retelling!. I'll admit that the first half seems a bit on the slow side, but it's worth it to just go with the flow and savor the prose until you get to the second half. I also didn't enjoy the way our fmc's backstory is told slowly over time. Perhaps this didn't need to be so long. Overall decent pacing, good characters and plot. The gothic atmosphere is fantastic.

I DEVOURED this (pun completely intended). I think this benefitted from me being slightly vampire-obsessed at the moment but alas. I did like Carmilla when I read it a few years ago but this fills the gap that the original novella leaves behind in such a juicy, delectable way I literally couldn't put this down. To be a woman is to be hungry!!

I'm a huge fan of gothic horror and books about female rage so this essentially checked every box for me! Its very character driven and quite slow to start but once you get into it - you can't put it down! In a market that is saturated with vampire books I think that this one stands on its own and was very enjoyable to read.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Kat Dunn and Zando for gifting me with this opportunity to read Hungerstone! This book was my first read of 2025, I started it on Jan 1st and finished it within the day. I WAS GRIPPED!
What an exquisite book, the imagery was vivid and immersive! I couldn't have wished for a better start to my reading year. Dunn did an amazing job at telling Lenore's story and her female angst! The references to other Gothic tales were exciting to ponder on and it really did add a level of richness to the overall plot.
I can't wait for this book to be out in the world!

Lenore, for me, was a sympathetic protagonist. She is a woman whom I would support through any wrong. The use of Carmilla, and vampirism, was creative. Dunn's writing style is beautiful and arresting. A little bit speechless!

Slay.

Dunn captured this story, the setting, beautifully with her writing. It’s unsettling, mysterious and totally encompasses these gothic vibes that I love in a vampire novel. I would have loved a bit more character exposition though, because some parts of our MC’s backstory and the supporting cast felt a bit too vague. I absolutely loved the ending though. You gotta love a feral lady.