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.

Thank you to Zando for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Hungerstone by Kat Dunne is a genre-defying story of a Victorian era woman who’s struggles with the pressures of being the perfect society wife and hostess are further complicated by the unexpected appearance of a mysterious stranger. With a high level of detail to historically accurate expectations and morés and a gory element that will please the darkest of horror levels, this is a great take on the vampire trope.

While still definitely a “sexy vampire,” Carmilla is never explicitly described as such. She definitely gives hints of her supernatural status, but there’s no overt statement that she’s a vampire. Further departing from the trope, she doesn’t come to Lenore, our main character to take from her but rather to give. She’s a dark, inspiring guardian Angel with a touch of bloodlust. (I also imagined her as sounding like Nadja from WWDITS.)

The story, at its heart, is about desire and want. What happens when you suppress everything you want in order to fit in? What happens when you give in to your every desire? While the metaphor can be a little heavy-handed in places, it’s still a very satisfying discussion and creates some great imagery.

Something that I liked after the fact was that in the acknowledgments the author did a wonderful job of listing the references and inspirations behind some of the places and characters in the book. I love a commitment to having a setting in realty, even if the book literally involves supernatural elements.

I really thoroughly enjoyed this one, and it had some very satisfying moments. A very well deserved 4/5 stars!

(Trigger warning: infidelity, blood, gore, murder, mentions of workplace violence)

It starts with blood.
It ends with blood.
Feminism and vampires collide in this novel of feminine rage, taking back power, finding strength in oneself, and playing the patriarchy set to take a woman down. The role of Carmilla was almost that of a sort of fairy godmother to inspire change within the MC Lenore, and in doing so showed her freedom in her sexuality and thinking for herself. The ending hits quite fast with everything unraveling in the last 10% of the novel and it makes for a truly exquisite ending. The push and pull of husband and wife, societal expectations and being oneself comfortably, and power plays between Lord and businessman made for interesting commentary with a lot packed in, all drawn together with the metaphor of the hungerstone.
Highly recommended for anyone wanting something they can sink their teeth into for a fast, thought-provoking, yet surprisingly easy read, and very little interest in historical fiction in my opinion. Also, I absol tely ate up the crumbling, gothic setting.
The only downside was the very slow burn and unfortunately little part Carmilla played in the novel, however it urged the mysterious guise Carmilla embodies and I personally thought her parts were well worth her as a sort of B Character.

I really enjoyed this book. It's the fisrt I read of Kat Dunn and I can say I will be cheking her other works.

The first thing that stood out for me was the narration, I'm not a big fan of first person narrative, but in this case I don't have any complaint. Reading from Lenore's point of view was quite satisfying, seeing her becoming more sure of herself, and all the changes she goes through the book.

I liked her dynamic with Carmilla, I won't say much because spoilers, but I flew through the scenes where they were both present. And honestly, Carmilla said all the things I thought about the characters, so it was entertaining seeing on page someone telling the things that to me were obvious, and causing a little drama, of coures.

Which leads me to say that this book was predictable, but in this case it isn't something bad, the author made a good job excecuiting the plot points and the metaphores throughout the book, so that compensates a lot, besides the fact that the ending was satisfactory.

The only thing that fell short for me is that I would've liked the ending to be developed a little bit more. All in all, it was a good book and I'd totally recommend it.

Hungerstone pulled me in from page one. Set during the Industrial Revolution, it follows Lenore, whose marriage to Henry is strained by a terrible secret from one of his hunts—a secret that hangs over them like a dark cloud. Things only get more complicated when the mysterious Carmilla shows up, pale by day and strangely alive at night. She awakens a desire in Lenore that makes her question everything she thought she wanted, even as she tries to mend her fractured relationship with Henry.

What I loved most is how this book flips the classic vampire trope on its head in a truly atmospheric way. The gothic setting, the growing tension between Lenore and Carmilla, and the unearthed secrets all combine to create a haunting, sensual story that digs into themes of identity, longing, and the hunger we sometimes fear acknowledging. If you’re after a moody read steeped in the eerie shadows of the past, Hungerstone is absolutely worth picking up.

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn will fulfill your hunger for sapphic vampire stories. Although the story started off quite slow, it did not take long for me to be fully engulfed by the characters. I would say it is more character driven than story driven, but who cares when it's SAPPHIC ! VAMPIRES ! Will not forget about this one for quite some time... Thank you so much NetGalley for providing an E-Arc!

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn is a retelling of carmilla set in the back-drop of the British Industrial Revolution. The tale follows Lenore as she travels to Sheffield with her husband and on the way they encounter a woman who has been in a terrible carriage accident.

Hungerstone has incredible potential to be a really strong carmilla-inspired story. The inclusion of the Industrial Revolution is an excellent background and is rich with history and stories that can be used to propel the classic story of Carmilla even further.

However, Dunn falls short in every aspect.

The plot for this book was weak and the characters had no substance. The backdrop of the Industrial Revolution is not used to its fullest and realistically the time period did not need to be changed. I was incredibly disappointed by this book as I was super excited to read it.

The one thing that Dunn does do well, however, is the way she captures the feminine rage. The anger and injustice of women throughout history and how women are viewed as hysterical.

Arguably, if you’re looking for a book about feminine rage which has a mild undercurrent of industrial history and sapphics then this book is for you. However, if you want a book with strong characters, relationship, and plot, I would look elsewhere.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC for this book!

This was very good albeit a little slow in parts. I wanted more Carmilla and I felt it was more character driven than plot driven. The prose was exquisite. Several "wtf???" moments that were delicious.

If sapphic vampires and female rage are your thing, definitely give this one a go.

Thank you to the publisher, Zando, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is a story of hunger. Of making yourself small, ignoring your wants and needs to only please someone else, and then finding out that they do not appreciate you and your sacrifices. This is a story of the anger that arises from that and a hunger that feels like starving when you have ignored your own wants for so long. This is also a story about misogyny, both internal and external. It is also a story, as with Dunn's last book, Bitterthorn, of loneliness and how debilitating it can be, how desperate it can make you.

This story is not a faithful retelling of Carmilla. It is more of a complete reimagining that has taken inspiration from other gothic books of the time. It is also not that well-paced. It takes a long time for things to happen, and it's also somewhat repetitive in the middle.

This is also not a traditional vampire story. There's one scene where Carmilla possibly drinks blood from Lenore and another where she refuses to walk on sacred ground, but the vampire aspect is left for the reader to interpret. So if you want "explicit" vampire content, this is most likely not a book for you. Carmilla is more about hunger and desire. She awakens that in women, often in grotesque and gruesome ways. She is perhaps a manifestation of what vampires truly represent in literature.

She is both entrancing and repulsive, and her relationship with Lenore goes from disgust to want in rapid succession. I personally wanted more scenes with them, and more relationship development, although I realise it was not really the focus of this book. This book is more about Lenore, herself.

The setting is very typical of gothic literature. A crumbling mansion in the middle of the moors, isolated and resistant to being fixed.

Beyond Lenore's relationship with Carmilla, there is no other representation.

Four stars due to the slow pacing, otherwise the rating would perhaps be higher.

I loved everything about this book. A little "Crimson Peak" with a little "Nosferatu" fueled by female rage and sapphic vampire desires. The writing was so vivid and colorful that I could place myself in Lenore's life.

Hungerstone is a feminist retelling of Carmilla with a very morally grey protagnist. The novel's central focus is contemplating women's desire and hunger.

It took me a second to get into the tone/style of this book because in the early pages, it feels a bit put on. Once I acclimated, I found myself really vibing with it and curious to see what would happen.

It was a fun, thrilling read, but I wished the novel was structured a little differently. (The flashbacks feel like they were interspersed within the story a bit too randomly. The first half feels slow.) I also wished we got more of Carmilla.

“To be a woman is a horror I can little comprehend.”
“Disappointment tells us what we truly wanted. And to want is to be alive.”
Quick synopsis: A retelling story of Carmilla. Lenore is a 30 year old married woman in the 1880s when a carriage crashes and an injured Carmilla needs to be nurses back to health. Carmilla helps Lenore unleash a hunger she didn’t know she had (female rage).
Review: I wanted to like this more than I did and I will admit some parts were really good, but there was a lot of boring parts too. I liked that in this version Carmilla and Lenore are older and not young teens. The first 50% of this book was quite boring and the setup was exactly as the original Carmilla essentially so I felt like I was reading a story I have already loved and read. However about 50% way into the story it started getting more interesting and the pacing picked up… but then it fell again. I felt like there were many unnecessary flashbacks and the pacing was just too slow. It took too long to capture my attention and once it was it was very easily lost again. I enjoyed the ending, it was abrupt but it was definitely a good for her moment. Another problem I had was there was not enough delving into the relationship of Carmilla and Lenore. I wanted more toxic relationship but somehow Carmilla kept disappearing and I was a little dissatisfied with that. I wanted lesbian vampires, there was one very good scene though wink wink but otherwise fell flat.

Only giving this a 4 stars because the first half of the book was rough to get into haha. The writing itself is very different from what I usually read, and it felt like it dragged initially. But Kat Dunn came through in the second half of the book and all I can say is GET HIM 😂

This book also lead me to research a bit more into the Carmilla lore and I am very intrigued/shocked that I didn’t know a female vampire storyline was actually written well before Dracula (sigh patriarchy) l love her, I loved this. Thank you as always to NetGalley for the ARC of this!

Thank you NetGalley and Zando for an ARC of this book!

“Hungerstone” follows Lenore, a woman whose marriage to a man named Henry has gone downhill. The couple moves to the countryside of London, where they meet Carmilla. As the couple become more captivated with their new friend, and the town around them they begin to realize something sinister is going on. The novel essentially tracks Lenore’s balance between the revitalization of her marriage and the distraction of Carmilla and her new surroundings.

Ultimately this book kind of fell flat for me. I had a fine reading experience, but in no ways will this book stick with me after reading it. I found the characters very hard to access and empathize with, which made the reading process feel very transactional.

This book has been frequently compared to a “Dowry of Blood” by St Gibson, while the books both venture to tell a vampire origin story, “Hungerstone” lacked the originality of a “Dowry of Blood”. I could see myself appreciating “Hungerstone” more if I hadn’t read “A Dowry of Blood” first.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is seeking a plot-driven book and enjoys vampire fiction.

5-STAR READ

Hungerstone is a thrillingly seductive sapphic romance for fans of S.T. Gibson’s A Dowry of Blood and Emilia Hart’s Weyward.

For what do you hunger, Lenore?

Set against the violent wilderness of the moors and the uncontrolled appetite of the industrial revolution, Hungerstone is a compulsive feminist reworking of Carmilla, the book that inspired Dracula: a captivating story of appetite and desire.


I truly love when female rage is explored in books. It is complex : it isn’t just a response to anger or frustration, but a form of resistance, empowerment, and a direct confrontation with the societal structures that have long tried to silence women’s voices, especially Lenore’s. I find myself rooting for her the whole book.

From one witch to another, good job Kat Dunn! I am now a fan of yours!!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Zando for gifting me with an eARC in exchange for a review which is one of my favorite book of the year!