I devoured this audiobook in one sitting. There was something mesmerizing about it.

Leonore had a childhood of feeling too much and too loud, and as an adult she agrees to a 'business marriage'. Trying to meet society's expectations, she becomes but a shadow. That is until mysterious Carmilla comes into her life.

This book is so much vibes. It's feminist, it's sapphic, it's secrets unraveling. The suspense is creeping up on you, and at the core it's all about Leonore's journey to her true self.

The narrator has a mesmerizing voice that suits the story very well. From quiet desperation to somewhat well-calculated rage, she brings this tale to life. And at the end of the audiobook the author tells us about how she came to write this story. I love that they included this.

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the eARC!

#Hungerstone #Netgalley #Bookstagram

The audiobook for Hungerstone by Kat Dunn is a gothic remining of the classic vampire tale "Carmilla". It was a fantastic audiobook and definitely enjoyed my time listening to it. The writing felt very lyrical and immersive. I enjoyed the themes of desire, repression and the societal constraints placed upon women during this time. Dunn did a fantastic job of creating a feeling of dread with an atmosphere that felt claustrophobic. Overall, a very enjoyable listening experience.

Ive been getting into the gothic historical / paranormal books lately and after loving “my darling dreadful thing” and “Blood on her tongue” by Johanna Van Veen, I thought the synopsis to “Hungerstone” seemed to have similar vibes, and after seeing the extremely interesting cover photo I knew I had to give it a try!

There’s something about the old english language that is so poetic and lyrical and really adds an edge to historical fiction books that absorbs you into the story telling, it kind of makes me wish people were still well spoken it adds such class to an everyday conversation.

This book delivers what it offers which is a seductive gothic story surrounding vampires, gore, lust, mystery, intrigue, there’s also themes of woman repression as common in this time period.

This is definitely a slow burn book and takes a while to pick up but if you push through the first 20% things do increase in intensity.

In terms of narrator I love audio books narrated by Perdita she has such a soothing voice to listen to!

Thank you to Dreamscape Select and Kat Dunn for the gifted audiobook

Publish date: Feb 18th 2025