What a gorgeous retelling of Carmilla! I was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The prose is vibrant and immersive, and the story itself has this perfect mix of mystery and tension. It’s the slow-burn sapphic vampiric romance that I didn’t even know I needed until now 😆 The journey of self-discovery and self-love is so beautifully portrayed and omg! the violence, death, and gore - oh my! As per usual, my advice is to Go In Blind.

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn comes out tomorrow February 18. Thanks to @netgalley and @zando

Thank you to author Kat Dunn, Zando, and NetGalley for this free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

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

Hungerstone begins as we follow Lenore (a woman in a loveless marriage) and her husband, Henry, as Henry plans an elaborate hunting party in their countryside home. Secluded from the bustling cities, the reluctant couple stumble upon a nearby carriage accident that brings the mysterious Carmilla into their lives and their home. What could go wrong?

Hungerstone, at its heart, is a story of, well, hunger. Of a hunger for what each character thinks they deserve. Through Camilla's urgings, (and as a parallel to the sapphic vampire trope of forbidden hunger) we follow Lenore as she begins to open her eyes to the world and the nature of the society that she exists in with her husband Henry. A retelling of Carmilla, while romance is a component of this story, it was more used as a means to an end--to push Lenore through a journey of self-discovery so that she can finally identify her self-worth.

I did quite enjoy following Lenore throughout the story, and uncovering the secrets of herself, her past, and her husband. I would definitely recommend this book to those who are fans of character-driven stories, as the book could be a bit slow moving at times. I highlighted quite a few passages, and I am happy to say that this author's writing is so lovely to read, and so so quotable. I love how she brought such an old story to the modern age with such modern themes in regards to female rage and female empowerment without taking the story itself out of the Industrial Revolutionary Era.

However, I will note that I do wish that there was more to the characters presented--at least, besides our heroine, Lenore. I found that the characters of Carmilla and Henry themselves did not have a lot of substance. It seemed more that they just fully embodied the tropes they meant to fulfill rather than being their own being. This is contradictory to how Lenore was portrayed; like she was breaking out of her poor obedient housewife trope.

Combine the bones of Le Fanu’s Carmilla and the veins of classic gothic works, with the heart of angry women throughout the ages and you get Hungerstone by Kat Dunn. Lenore is the ever-dutiful wife to an iron-works owner, Henry, whose life gets turned asunder after their move to a new, distant home in the moors. On the way to their new abode, they encounter an overturned carriage with one occupant, a mysterious woman who only tells them her name, Carmilla. As Carmilla entangles herself further and further into her life, Lenore finds herself questioning everything. A story of different kinds of hunger and how feeding the wrong one can be the death of you.

Lenore's growth of character throughout the story was extremely well done. I liked that we were able to get a peek at her life as a child growing up with her bristly aunt and how it showed the molding of her character into the person we meet in the beginning of the novel. Carmilla is fascinating as a character and I loved the way she was written. It was very like Le Fanu's Carmilla, but with her own little quirks and twists. Henry is an extremely frustrating character, but very well-written. I also liked that we get to see Lenore interact with her best friend, Cora, who is, at times, a foil for her. The atmosphere and setting were appropriately gothic and set the tone for the story.

This was such a delicious book. I absolutely loved it.

Hungerstone is what every vampire novel aspires to be; sensual, sexy, dark, and teetering on the edge of sinking its teeth into the reader. Kat Dunn has done an extraordinary job of building the tension needed in a book of this magnificent scope. The queerness of the horror genre is at its best when it is equally playful and alluring as it is dark, and this book is a modern masterclass in precisely that. A well deserved 5/5 stars.

Thank you to the Author, Zando, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

hungerstone by kat dunn *arc*
★★★★★
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“‘carmilla,’ i say, tasting the syllables in my mouth. a little harsh, but with long, languorous vowels lingering between the lips.”
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lenore’s marriage to henry is as cold and unyielding as the steel industry that built his empire. ten years have passed, no child has come, and the distance between them has hardened into something unspoken. when henry moves them to nethershaw manor for a grand hunt, the ghosts of their past settle in the rafters. then a carriage accident deposits carmilla—a woman too pale, too strange, too alive in the dark—onto lenore’s doorstep. with carmilla comes an unraveling. girls in the village grow sick. whispers of hunger, of blood, curl through the air like smoke. and lenore, starved for something she cannot name, finds herself drawn to the mysterious woman.
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“she is so hungry for so much.”
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hungerstone is gothic horror at its most exquisite—moody, violent, and overflowing with forbidden desire. the prose is stunning, each sentence drenched in longing. the setting is alive: the moors, untamed and watching; the manor, filled with secrets it cannot contain. the horror lingers, not just in the sickness spreading through the village or the shadows pooling in candlelit corridors, but in the very nature of hunger itself—who is allowed to want, to take, to consume. this is a novel of appetite and reckoning, of what happens when a woman dares to reach beyond the limits of what she’s been given. it is as intoxicating as carmilla’s gaze in the dark, as sharp as two fangs piercing your neck. sapphic, sinister, and wholly unrelenting. i devoured it.
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“and all i am left with is my raw, untrammeled hunger. 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.”
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Add this to the canon of iconic female rage novels.
I read this with the voracious hunger of a vampire. 🩸

“I did not marry happiness. I married the shape of something that could look like it. But I knew its bones: security, certainty, mastery. Whatever the cost.”

A Victorian-era thriller glittering with female want, hot lesbian passion, and a profound in investigation of agency and desire.

But also add the renovation an old manor and tablesfull of gorgeously detailed menus?

One of the best I’ve read in a long time. Left me feeling satiated, empowered, and a little deadly.

Thank you to #netgalley and #zando for the galley. Definitely buying this!

Do we really need another Carmilla retelling/reimagining? Absolutely. Of course we do. Kat Dunn's "Hungerstone" reimagines the classic vampire narrative through Lenore's eyes, transforming a familiar story into something entirely her own. Set against the violent backdrop of the industrial revolution, the novel follows Lenore, trapped in a loveless marriage and a suffocating social system, whose world shifts with the arrival of the mysterious Carmilla. The story is Lenore's through and through—her hunger, her awakening, her rage. While some might complain about the lack of extensive backstory for Carmilla, that misses the point entirely. Carmilla is a catalyst, a spark that ignites Lenore's transformation. The novel burns with a slow, deliberate intensity, building to a climax that leaves you wishing a certain character had met an even more devastating end. Dunn crafts a narrative that is part gothic horror, part feminist manifesto, exploring desire, oppression, and a woman's monstrous potential.

Readers, be prepared to RAGE. I'm assuming people are showing up for the lesbian vampires in victorian england (I know I did). But while there is a good deal of sapphic yearning this book is actually about wanting. About being denied so much as a woman in this era and wanting desperately to be seen, to have agency, to just be a goddamn person. The hunger, the appetite for MORE is what propels this book forwards from a pretty boring beginning through a slow burn build to an absolute snap of a climax.

So please, rage rage rage against the patriarchy, gender roles, steel magnates, worker exploitation, societal bullshit, fake bitches, and generally, men. And have a good scream at the end. Its a worthwhile ride.

Thank you to Zando and netgalley for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Kat Dunn for allowing me to read this book in advance in exchange for an honest review.. this book was incredible .. this is my first from this author and it definitely won’t be my last.

"For what do you hunger, Lenore?”

Hungerstone is a sapphic vampire retelling of Carmilla, following Lady Lenore Crowther, a woman trapped in a loveless marriage. A void lingers within her, and life has been nothing but unkind—yet she must endure it all to maintain the facade of a prim and proper lady in Victorian England. But when Lenore and her husband retreat to the countryside, everything begins to change.

Before diving into my review, I have to mention that the ARC’s formatting was frustrating and made reading difficult. That said, it doesn’t take away from the story itself. I also recently read an ARC of V.E. Schwab’s upcoming sapphic vampire novel, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, so I couldn’t help but draw comparisons. However, I’ll keep this review as objective as possible.

FEMALE RAGE IS SO BACK! I had a great time reading Hungerstone, though I wish I had read Carmilla beforehand—I think it would have deepened my appreciation for the story. While it features a sapphic romance, that’s not the main focus. Instead, it delves into themes of gender roles, patriarchy, and class.

At its core, this is a slow-burn revenge story. While I love a good slow burn, the middle section dragged a bit and felt repetitive at times.

As much as I enjoyed the book, I wanted more from Lenore and Carmilla’s dynamic. To me, their relationship lacked depth, and Carmilla herself felt underdeveloped—more of a plot device for Lenore’s self-discovery than a fully fleshed-out character. Additionally, the story and its characters leaned heavily on tropes, making it all quite predictable.

It’s a solid book, but I expected more longing, more angst, and, frankly, more of the promised lesbian vampire action. However, I still highly recommend it to readers who are looking for a sapphic vampire book that also deals with deep topics and self-discovery.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

What an incredible read that was ! I haven't read Carmilla, so i won't comment on the accuracy of the rewriting, but my god does it stand out on its own!!!!
We follow Lenore in her loveless mariage with Henry, moving out in her new summer home in the countryside. On their way, they encounter a mysterious woman injured in a carriage crash, and have no choice but to welcome her in while she recovers.
Lenore was a wonderfully complex character. She is incredibly smart and good at performing what others want her to be, and profoundly unhappy with her life. The whole book revolves around her finally fighting back and stopping to resist her desire, all that thanks to Carmilla's influence.
I adored the writing, and highlighted so many parts that were just so beautifully said. I think the whole metaphor around hunger and desire was really well done, and brought in the vampire side in a way that felt refreshing.
Only downside is that it could've been more sapphic, but i'll take what i can get!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Zando for the ARC <3

Enjoyed this book very much as a fan of Carmila. I was worried about the writing style being difficult to follow but it was actually not the case and I was completely intrigued reading this book and empathetic of Lenora. I will say, like other readers I found a lot of the characterizations to be a bit bland and predictable. Nonetheless, I did enjoy this book and would recommend.

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn is a gripping and atmospheric historical novel that seamlessly blends elements of gothic fiction with vivid character exploration. Set in a crumbling mansion amidst a remote, windswept landscape, we meet Lenore, wife of steel magnate Henry. Ten years into their marriage the relationship has soured, and no child has arrived to fill the distance growing between them. Henry's ambitions take them from London to the Peak District, to the remote, imposing Nethershaw estate, where he plans to host a hunting party. Lenore must work to restore the crumbling house and ready it for Henry's guests - their future depends on it.

A shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into Lenore's life. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night, Carmilla who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger…

Dunn's writing excels at creating a sense of claustrophobia and unease, drawing readers into a world where every corner seems shrouded in mystery. The pacing is methodical, building suspense slowly, and the vivid descriptions of both the characters and the setting heighten the eerie mood. Dunn's portrayal of the central characters is nuanced, often revealing the fragility of their psyches as they confront their own inner demons alongside the oppressive atmosphere of their surroundings.

Dunn’s exploration of human motivations and relationships is one of the strengths of Hungerstone, making the characters feel fully realized even as they navigate the novel's darker twists.

For those who enjoy atmospheric, character-driven mysteries with a touch of the supernatural, Hungerstone is a compelling and thought-provoking read. The slow-burn tension, combined with the rich, atmospheric setting, will keep readers captivated until the final, chilling pages. It is a novel that lingers in the mind, offering more to reflect on long after the last chapter.

I was given an ARC by NetGalley. I'm sorry but this was boring as hell. It was well written but I'm at 32% and not a damn thing is happening worth reading. I might try later but I fear if I continue I will be in a slump. So it's a no for me.

This was a vibes-only book for me. I'm a sucker for a gothic vampire tale - throw in some (one-sided) sapphic romance and I should have been a goner 🥵

It's a fun and fast listen - the narrators accent was perfect for the atmosphere and time period. Technically a Carmella (Dracula) retelling but pretty loosely. I wanted more out of Carmella's character because she was the best part. The beginning and end were pretty strong. You'll love to be annoyed by Lenore - she's slightly vengeful, mildly pathetic, and you can tell she's just waiting for her opportunity to do something big.

There's a lot of barging weirdly? I think that plot point went over my head.

Listen for the vibes. It's a slow burn. I might re read with my eyeballs because I have a feeling I missed a lot of the hidden meanings. Was expecting more blood I think 🩸

The authors note at the end was 👩‍🍳💋

Hungerstone creates moments entwined with writing that poetically details graphic horror scenes. Although at times I did not find it to be a horror book more of a coming into one's own. Lenore realizes the defaults in her marriage and ignites a passion she has not experienced with Carmilla. As Lenore reminisces on her past and how it coincides with her life. For instance why she married her husband and how she survives her situation. There were times when it was hard to follow and I had to go back and reread. The plot was rich as a woman of her time, yet I wanted more from the story. The end was well written, I enjoy an ending that leaves me to imagine how the characters will continue.

I have anticipated reading Hungerstone from the very start and am thankful to the publisher, author and netgalley for allowing me to read an early copy!!

As a fan of Carmilla, I enjoyed this book. It was full of female rage, tension and the perfect addition of vampiric tendencies. The characters' relationships felt genuine and were perfectly portrayed.

This book is a very atmospheric iteration or continuation of “Carmilla”. I enjoyed the descriptions of the moor and the house at the beginning, however the barely there plot got really repetitive very quickly and by the end I just wanted it to be over. Some interesting topics and issues are raised but not followed through in a way I enjoyed.

This is a brilliant twist on the vampire trope/fairy tale that combines thwarted female desire in Victorian England with vampiric appetites. This is a delicious horror novel where Lenore Crowther, a woman of high station and tragic past, lives perfectly within the constraints of the age, servicing the hopes and dreams of her husband, who turns out to be the kind of monster who destroys lives for profit in his steel mills. Then along comes a vampire (in the role of a very adult version of Cinderella's fairy godmother), who offers Lenore an alternative way of looking at her life and potentially solving her problems. As with all Disney fairy tales. the story works because you truly feel the tragedy of Lenore's life and her current situation, and you root for her happiness. Finding happiness turns out to be a tad more complicated and morally gray than in the typical fairy tale because the men in the story are portrayed realistically for the period. I love a good vampire story and I love Disney fairy tales, so this one works for me.

As a huge fan of Carmilla, I am so glad I enjoyed this book. I am always skeptical of retellings, but I feel this did a great job capturing the essence of the original, but really expanding on the story. I loved how gory and gruesome some aspects were, but also how loving the relationship between Carmilla and Lenore was. I love how in this version we shift from Carmilla being the villain but instead showcasing the true monsters in our society. I felt the build up to the final scene was well done and was a satisfying ending. I think all the sapphics and lovers of gothic horror are going to eat this up (pun intended).
Thank you to Net Galley, Zando, and Kat Dunn for allowing me to read this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.