Unfortunately, not a book that worked for me. I struggled to correct to the lead character, and it couldn't really hold my interest and so it became something of a slog. I will say, though, that the prose itself was lovely and I would check this author out again in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for the ARC of Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this book by the exquisite cover and compelling premise, hinting of vampires, as well as gothic horror. I always love a good retelling, and Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, promised just that in her reworking of the classic, Carmilla.

Hungerstone, a genre mashup of historical fiction, gothic horror, and sapphic romance, features Lenore, a young, barren wife, who dutifully, but to her own detriment, follows the rules and social norms for women during the time of the industrial revolution. Lenore, who has hungers that cannot be satiated, but must be concealed, narrates her story for us, as she alternates between present and past timelines. When an unknown woman, Carmilla, is injured in a carriage crash near the newly acquisitioned summer home of Lenore and her husband Henry, Lenore’s carefully crafted, safe life begins to unravel.

What I loved about this book was the atmospheric writing. Dunn does a beautiful job immersing the reader into the hazy, summer heat of high society England during the industrial revolution. Likewise, the larger horror of greed in an industrial society juxtaposed with some possibly supernatural horrors is unsettling and eerie.

Lenore’s story of love, loss, abandonment, and grief, is central throughout, but sometimes gets a bit repetitive. Many of the most compelling parts of the book for me, involved the mysterious Carmilla, who also plays a role, not only in Lenore’s unravelling, but also her self-discovery.

Where Hungerstone fell short for me was the author’s choice to give the reader barely more than a whisper of Carmilla. A more flushed out Carmilla character study would have been a thoroughly satisfying read in my opinion.

Overall, Hungerstone, is a wild ride, and offers a solid reading experience for lovers of gothic horror with a side of feminine rage.

This book contains blood, gore, and body horror.

3.5 Stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this arc! This book is Jennifer’s Body meets Great Expectations and honestly I was here for it. It starts slow, but once you get into it, the story really takes off. Great quick read!

Hungerstone is a unique, new take on the Carmilla myth, wrapped in feminine rage, societal expectations, and hunger.

Overall—I really enjoyed Kat Dunn's novel. The splicing between the present and Lenore's past was the perfect balance of keeping readers interested and still maintaining a mystery. It's clear how much love and care went into Hungerstone and crafting this story. Her character's felt vibrant and haunting. Dunn also has an incredible handle on creating atmospheric settings—its easy to envision yourself exactly as she describes everything.

I dropped the rating to a 3.5 simply because I felt like the beginning of the novel dragged. It took me longer than I would have liked to get invested. Perhaps this was a stylistic choice to separate the pace before // after Lenore meets Carmilla, but I still struggled with it. But, the second half of the novel was so engaging that, when pressed, I am more than happy to round upwards to a full 4 stars.

4.5

“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. I would cry with grief over my life so unfulfilled and drink down the salty tears, eat my worthless tongue and impotent fingers, skin this carcass and pick the bones clean. Oh God. There is something wrong with me. I am so, so hungry.”

This is one of those books that I highlighted right and left and had the hardest time figuring out which quote to use for my review. The language was so emotive and visceral, especially when discussing longing and hunger, and I could have filled this entire space with gorgeous quotes.

And the story!

I love a lady vamp story. Vampire stories with male protagonists tend to be about domination and control, where lady vampires often want autonomy and revenge. This book is a reimagining of Carmilla, one of the first known vampire stories that even predates Dracula. While I quite enjoyed the original, this take on the story gripped me from the very first page and never let me go.

If you like stories of want and longing for more, visceral and vivid writing, and lady vampires out for revenge, you’ll want to pick this one up!

Thanks to Zando Projects and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

I absolutely devoured Hungerstone - pun absolutely intended. Kat Dunn crafts a deliciously gothic atmosphere in this Carmilla retelling, weaving together themes of feminine rage, desire, and liberation against the backdrop of Industrial Revolution-era England.

Dunn's prose is gorgeously atmospheric, though some might find the pacing a bit slow in the middle sections. However, the slow burn serves a purpose, really letting us feel Lenore's suffocation and gradual awakening to her own power. While I would've loved to see more development of Carmilla's character and her relationship with Lenore, the focus on Lenore's journey from dutiful wife to embracing her own dark desires makes for a compelling narrative. If you enjoy gothic horror with a feminist bite, queer themes, and atmospheric writing that makes you feel like you're wandering misty moors at midnight, this one's for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, this was by far one of the best thrilling, sapphic, vampiric historical fiction works that I have read in a long while. These elements combined into one story exceeded my expectations, and allowed me to transform into a world where I felt engrossed from start to finish. I highly recommend this book to someone who wants to enjoy a taste of hungry, sapphic indulgence and revenge within a historical setting.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Zando for an early-access copy in exchange for an honest review.

Orphaned as a child, Lenore is married to Henry, a cruel and greedy steelwork owner. On the way to their estate outside of Sheffield, they chance upon Carmilla, an outrageous and enigmatic stranger. With no children to care for, and trapped in a loveless marriage, Lenore longs for freedom.

Hungerstone is a bloody, feminist gothic novel. Lenore is anything but the Victorian wilting heroine. Alongside Carmilla, who brings a modern voice, the two women bring kick-ass energy. I love the mix of the classic 19th century setting, the modern feminist overtones and the twist of the gothic overtones. It was an addictive read.

I'm in my gothic fantasy era and this book was the perfect addition. Dark, twisted, weird. The prose was gorgeous and I loved the haunting feel of the narration. I've never read a Kat Dunn book before, but this inspired me to look into her backlist.

Most historical fictions have a little bit of a slow pick up, and that's true of Hungerstone as well. However, once we were in the thick of things, I went absolutely FERAL for this exquisitely crafted story of hunger, violence, power, and revenge.

I've been *very* here for the lesbian vampire retellings lately, and this version of Carmilla certainly delivered on that note. The tension between Lenore and Carmilla was so intertwined with violence and gore and hunger in a way that was darkly riveting and sensual.

I'm a firm believer that the difference between a good vampire novel and a bad one is whether or not they interrogate the original themes that vampire stories grew out of. The recent Nosferatu movie did this well in its exploration of female sexuality and desire - which we also see in Hungerstone through a more queer lens.

One aspect of vampire stories that can sometimes go unappreciated, but that Hungerstone does beautifully, is the *hunger* side of desire, of wanting, of craving and need. Dunn's writing is so visceral in its exploration of hunger, from food to sex to power to revenge. It sits in the pit of your stomach as you read, forcing you to confront the desire so eloquently communicated in its pages.

This was a stellar read. Thank you to Zando and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Lenore Crawther and her husband Henry Crowther, a steel magnate, move to their Nethershaw estate. On their way there, they encounter an accident where they find and take home a stranger by the name of Carmilla Kernstein. They know nothing about her but will take care of her until she recovers. Stranger things begin to happen at the estate, involving young girls and women acting out their desires and hunger. Lady Lenore begins to realize, thanks to Carmilla, that Henry isn't a good husband. He may also be plotting Lady Lenore's demise, even though she holds many of his evil secrets. But with the help of Carmilla, Lenore will wake up to a hunger she has never felt before. And this hunger will lead to her awakening but first she must surpass many trials,including staying alive because Henry has other plans for her.

Hungerstone will have you craving things you've always wanted but never allowed yourself to have. An entertaining and delicious story of a seductive femme fatale vampire and her naive protege.

Thank you Netgalley and Zando for this delectable read!

Thank you, NetGalley, Zando, and Kat Dunn!

This book is a master class in being able to *taste* the tension in writing. I often have problems reading historical fiction because of the violent disgust I feel for men, but whoa was it worth it for the feminine rage in this. The consistent tone of 'hunger' in this resonated so much.
The pacing was slower in this, but I kind of just expect that with atmospheric, gothic tales.
Definitely recommend!

I LOVED this!

From the start, Kat Dunn does an excellent job of creating a quiet, ominous atmosphere and later her scenery and symbolism wrap you up in Lenore's world when by all means they should be hitting you on the head.
The tension between everyone is palpable and I was near holding my breath waiting for dutiful Lenore to snap. I could feel her pain, her hunger, her disgust, her lust. I was discomforted by Carmilla but I wanted more, just like Lenore.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando Publishing for this ARC copy of Hungerstone.
My review is entirely my own and honest opinion.

Hungerstone promises a fast-paced story of female rage, survival in a patriarchal society, revenge, a "good for her" ending, and a bit of queerness.
This is the story of a woman who has endured more than she ever deserved, and realizes that she is owed so much more in life.

"To be a woman is a horror I can little comprehend."

It had me hooked from the first few lines and I ATE IT UP. Seriously, could not put this down and I know I will be thinking about this for the rest of my life. We see a woman, who has traded her happiness in exchange for what she thinks is security in life. Only ever acting within means of survival. Until she meets another woman who awakens a hunger within her: the ability and the freedom to simply want. Throughout the book, we get to see Lenore taking her life into her own hands and finally getting everything she is due.

Lenore was really in her "ultra despair girl" era, drowning in self pity, and I was right there absorbing all of it. Seeing MYSELF in it. I have never felt more connected to a character than I do to her. The message of this book, this reoccurring theme of hunger as a metaphor for want and yearning, is so special to me as I am sure many women can relate to feeling like they have a role in life they must play and CANNOT stray from. I loved getting to see a woman lift herself from the grips of perpetual loathing, break free from the shackles of fear of the unknown, and simply take her happiness.

5 stars. I would rate it 6 if I could, and I will be hearing no criticism thank you.

This was fine. To start with the good, the author was great at creating an atmospheric experience and making things feel super weird when they got super weird. She also created good and strange tension between Carmilla and Lenore, which was really fun. But overall, I just felt like the story lacked a whole lot of Carmilla for being a rework of Carmilla. She felt like background noise in this novel, and the magnitude of her influence over Lenore was both unclear and not as compelling as it needed to be for me to believe that it had affected Lenore in the way that it did. Also, I think the boundaries could have and should have been pushed further on the feminine rage aspect. We lived so much in Lenore’s head with her that we all suffered from the lack of action put forth. Not saying it needed to be gorier, but I think Lenore had every right to crash the hell out and I fear she really did not get to bask in the glory of that to its full extent.

This was sooooooo slow. I wanted all the vibes and all the lesbian vampires but could absolutely not get into this one. The gothic vibes were amazing and the writing was good. It just was too slow for me

I was not the biggest fan of the pacing of Hungerstone, finding that much of the book failed to keep my interest. Dunn's prose is quite nice, however, and I found the gothic atmosphere immersive enough to have at least enjoyed the vibes of the book. Unfortunately, I think I am just very underwhelmed and burnt out on vampire narratives, specifically the use of vampires as a metaphor for hunger and yearning. This is a trope that has been in so many books to have been released in the last two years or so. I think certain readers will find Hungerstone worth their time, but personally I have not really though about the book since finishing it.

Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy of this book! Hungerstone by Kat Dunn is a lusciously written work of fiction featuring everything I love: lesbians, vampires, and a moody setting. The inner workings of our main character, Lenore, are so fleshed out I felt connected to her in a way I haven’t found in a long time. Her everyday labours are tangible, despite predominately being the emotional and mental work demanded of women of her time (and today). I appreciated how thoroughly the author captured Lenore’s people pleasing nature, her fears, and her manufactured reality. I devoured the book in a matter of days, as the buildup of her slow revelations kept me chained to the narrative, hungry for an explosive and satisfying ending. However, the fifth star was unfortunately revoked due to the nature of that ending. It ultimately fell flat, where neither I nor Lenore seemed particularly satiated or even pleased with the anti-climatic resolution to her revenge. The relationship between her and Carmilla was not enough to conjure forgiveness in me, either, as I was definitely left wishing for more content in that regard. Despite this, I still believe it is worth the read.

If you enjoy atmospheric writing, vampires and female rage, you`ll love this!
Thank you to the publishers for the ARC for an honest review.

A decadent meal of a read.

HUNGERSTONE drags you deep into the peat and bog of its deliciously gothic setting. Haunting prose and the simmer of danger lurking in shadow make this a heart-pounding page turner. Readers will walk away FULLY sated.