3.5 stars. "hungerstone" by kat dunn offers a compelling reworking of the sapphic classic, "carmilla" with a narrative that explores themes of hunger—hunger for power, for agency, and for emotional fulfillment. set against the backdrop of the moors during the industrial era, it follows lenore, the wife of a steel magnate, who is preparing to host her husband's hunting party. in the midst of her preparations, a carriage accident near their remote home brings the mysterious carmilla into her life.

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

i loved the book, but what truly intrigued me was the heavy emphasis on the sapphic aspect (or lack thereof). carmilla's character is reimagined not just as a figure of queer desire but as a force of feminism, planting "impossible, maddening thoughts" in lenore's mind that challenged 'convention'. while the book contains elements of sapphic love, this particular retelling emphasizes the invocation of female rage, which I absolutely loved. don't get me wrong; it just wasn't what i was exactly expecting.

additionally, i found myself trying to find the purpose of certain flashbacks. they left me confused and, honestly, at times just feeling uninterested. overall though "hungerstone" is an engaging and interesting read. it may take some time to fully get engrossed in story, but once you do, the journey is rewarding!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

A darkly decadent retelling of a centuries old classic. A delicious tribute to the inherent horrors of womanhood and the unravelling that occurs when you’ve been silenced all your life.

A desperate and exquisite tale of vulgarity and desire that will not be for the faint of heart.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐙𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐊𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐮𝐧𝐧

This reimagining of the vampire classic Carmilla shifts focus from supernatural horror to themes of female rage, gender roles, patriarchy, and class struggles, with surprisingly few vampires. If the original left you wanting more explicit sapphic tension, this book delivers.

At its core, it’s a slow-burn revenge story set in a haunting Victorian world. While the atmospheric beginning is captivating, the slow pacing causes the middle to drag before an explosive conclusion.

Carmilla’s presence awakens a sensual darkness in Lenore, but she ultimately feels more like a plot device than a fully realized character. Her relationship with Lenore could have been explored more deeply, making her role in the story feel more substantial.

Despite these shortcomings, the novel offers a fresh, feminist take on the classic tale with a dark, brooding atmosphere and a compelling look at power and desire.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Zando for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

kat dunn i love you so much

this writing? fantastic. the atmosphere? haunting. immaculate. the vibes? eerie. the tension? mwah. the characters were so well written, particularly lenore, and she's bestie. that's my girl. sometimes you just gotta kiss a vamp or two to break out of your boredom.

the pacing felt a bit uneven at times, with some parts dragging a bit for me, but that's a minor thing.

I mistakenly did this to myself last year by reading a Frankenstein retelling - and wishing I had just read Frankenstein. I feel the same way now - I wish I had just read Carmilla instead.

That said, there are good ideas here and tackling women's autonomy in a gothic setting with sapphic hints seems like you should have all you need to get to dive into some great feminism commentary. But Lenore's husband (and even her "friend" Cora) are such villains, there's no real nuance to this story. It's a slow, slow build to get to the good stuff.

The end is a wild fun ride though. Might be worth the slow burn in the beginning.

A bit disappointed with this one - wanted waaaay more.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the ARC for this book!

With more storylines and a greater emphasis on female wrath, this book is a reinterpretation of the vampire classic Carmilla. Hungerstone satiated my hunger for a good sapphic vampire book, so to speak. I can't even put into words how much I enjoyed this book. A slow-burning tale of retribution set against a moody and eerie Victorian backdrop, Hungerstone shows that you cannot dictate the life of a woman who knows what she deserves and what she wants.

Lenore strives to be the perfect wife and is in the middle of planning a hunting party for societies finest when unfortunate events force her to accommodate the mysterious Carmilla, who is followed by absurd events.

Female rage is all the rage, and I am a sucker for any Carmilla retelling so I had very high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I did not feel it lived up to my high expectations.

I loved what this had to say about feminism, desire, appetite and even found myself interested in the industrial revolution. However, I was missing more of the vampire aspect of what I thought this would be. Maybe because this is marketed as a reworking of Carmilla, I expected more vampirism, whereas this story focused on the specific hunger of vampirism rather than other parts.

The atmosphere of this book is unmatched though, and I could not get enough of the gothic setting of the industrial revolution.

I’d recommend this story for lovers of female rage, and those who enjoy the rather unusual horror stories. But keep in mind that there is not as much vampirism as one would think!

Big thanks to Netgalley, Zando and the author Kat Dunn for allowing me to read an E-Arc of this story.

Lenore—wife of powerful steel magnate Henry—has left London for the English countryside, where she’s been tasked with preparing their new manor to host a hunting party. After ten years of marriage, things with Henry have started to sour, and Lenore finds herself desperately trying to hold on to his affection. But when a carriage accident brings a mysterious woman into their home, everything changes. Carmilla awakens something deep and unexpected in Lenore—a hunger she never knew existed. As strange occurrences begin in the nearby village, Lenore begins to uncover secrets about herself and her desires, unravelling the life she thought she knew.

Hungerstone is a sapphic, feminist reimagining of Carmilla, the classic vampire tale that inspired Dracula. Set in Victorian England, it’s beautifully crafted, blending gothic horror with elements of vampirism and female rage. While bloodlust plays a central role, Lenore’s true hunger is for freedom—respect, power, and the right to break free from expectations. This is a powerful story about a woman reclaiming her life, no longer content to be what others demand of her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. My only was with the pacing. The first half, though rich in gothic atmosphere, felt sluggish. I found myself waiting for the story to pick up, and by the halfway point I was underwhelmed by its direction. However, the latter half more than made up for it. The momentum, the feminist themes, and Lenore’s transformation were absolutely worth the wait—I just wish the pacing had been more consistent throughout.

If you’re a fan of S.T. Gibson’s A Dowry of Blood, sapphic vampire tales—or really, stories about female rage and empowerment in general—you’ll definitely find something to appreciate here. It’s worth the read.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for the eARC of Hungerstone in exchange for an honest review.

A woman trapped in a passive marriage finds her appetites awakened when a new house guest arrives... and now she hungers for more... and what a beautiful retelling of Carmilla this is. Lenore is content with her life... or at least she tells herself she is. She's ten years into a loveless marriage with a man who wants her to be nothing but his puppet. Lenore only goes more frustrated when her husband Henry's ambition for more takes them out from London and into the countryside Nethershaw manor where he plans to host a hunt. Yet when a carriage accident happens near there home and Lenore welcomes the beautiful injured woman into her life... something is awakened. Said woman is named Carmilla, she is odd and Henry takes an instant dislike to her.... yet she awakens something in Lenore. Torn between the controlled passive life Lenore has created for herself and the wild freedom that Carmilla offers... Lenore begins to unravel herself and discover the dark secrets in her own home as she considers which of her appetites she will give into. I love the classic story of Carmilla and I am a huge fan of female rage stories, and this one was such a fun twist. It's a historical sapphic story with touches of magic and touches of romance, but overall we get to see Lenore finally take the reigns in on her own life and reclaim herself from everything that has been tempered down and hidden. I loved the way the story ended and would absolutely recommend this! It's a novel that will have you frustrated for Lenore but cheering for her as she deals with doubt, pain, and most of all, finding the courage within herself to free herself.

Release Date: February 18, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Zando for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

40/100 or 2.0 stars

I wanted to like this so bad, and I kept reading in hopes that I would like the ending, but it still did not work for me. The entire story didn't hold my interest or make me care about what was happening. I would try to read something else from Dunn in the future, since the writing itself was fine. I was disappointed in this, since I thought I was going to love this.

Hungry. So hungry.

What a luxurious book. Only my second foray into the female vampire trope and not one I will soon forget. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me the advanced copy in exchange for this review! Now I am not familiar with Carmilla (the 19th century vampire novel this takes inspiration from), but I am looking forward to adding that to my reading list. Dunn takes you on an adventure in the Highlands speaking on societal issues of the late 1800s including the industrial complex and the status of women in society.

The hunger spoken of by so many women in the novel brought me to think about not just physical hunger, but the desires of women of all kinds from sex to power to other wants. What I love was that Hungerstone looks at female desire and hunger as both a blessing and a curse of the time. I found myself wondering how much of that hunger was a desire for equality and how much of it was villainous. And the murky layers in between.

A bit slow at the start, I DEVOURED the back half of this book. 4.5/5.

Female revenge and rage entwined within a sapphic vampire tale? Count me in.

I soaked up Hungerstone within a couple of sittings because it’s so devourable. The tale follows Lenore who has fallen into a loveless and lustless 10 year marriage with her husband Henry. Their lives are thrown upside down when they welcome the alluring Carmilla into their home after rescuing her from a carriage accident. As Lenore cannot help her fascination with Carmilla, Henry becomes more irritated with her presence and strange bloodthirsty behaviours begin to emerge from the women in town.

Hungerstone is a retelling of the vampire classic, Carmilla, which I haven’t yet read but I now absolutely will thanks to Hungerstone!

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.

Thank you to Zando Publishing and Kat Dunn for the EARC!

Publish date: Feb 18th 2025

This is spectacular! The main character’s arc is breathtaking and believable. The one element I’m thinking through is Carmella’s lack of character development, but it makes sense that the focus is more on Lenore.

It had a slow start, but the language was so poetic and elegant I didn’t mind. I love how Dunn was able to create a dark and seductive atmosphere that pulled me in. She has the most beautiful description, especially when it comes to the house. There were a few gory scenes that caught me off guard due to the picturesque vocabulary and setting. 

Lenore was such an interesting character, and I enjoyed the journey we went through with her. She had an amazing transition in her mindset of being ashamed of needing anything to desperately wanting everything and allowing herself to give in to her desires. Lenore was the perfect vessel to demonstrate the lack of power women have experienced for centuries. 

Carmilla was mysterious, and I often felt she talked in riddles. I had a hard time determining the true meaning of her words. She wasn’t as developed as Lenore; however, that could be because the book was mainly through her eyes.

I adore Carmilla retellings, and this one had Crimson Peak vibes as a bonus. I have been on a vampire kick lately, and this satiated that hunger.

I'm a huge fan of Carmillla and jumped at the chance to read this because they claimed it was a retelling. However I didn't really see that while reading. I got the movie Crimson Peak with some literary elements of Rebecca thrown into the mix. I love them both so I wasn't disappointed but I wanted my Carmilla retelling, because of this I would give it 3.75. I would recommend it but I would let the reader know it's not a retelling.

Hungerstone is the newest take on Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic vampire story, Carmilla, with plenty of gothic imagery, feminine rage, and some sapphic romance. If you love reading gothic and historical fiction, I think you will love this book because it is both gothic and historical! I am a big fan of gothic literature and Hungerstone delivered in this area! Set in the English moors, Hungerstone’s setting is atmospheric with many gothic elements that make you feel like you’re there with Lenore. The dilapidated mansion, house, or estate is a staple in gothic literature and Nethershaw fills that role so well and almost acts as another character. Throughout the novel, Lenore attempts to get the estate into proper shape for her husband Henry’s upcoming hunting party, but it’s as if Nethershaw has other ideas and is thwarting Lenore’s attempts.
My favorite aspect of Hungerstone is how steeped in feminism and feminine rage it is. Lenore as a main character is very relatable, especially to any woman who has felt at war with her own body and life. I really enjoyed following Lenore as her rage and frustration builds throughout the novel. At times, I wanted to reach through the screen of my e-reader and shake Lenore to implore her to stand up for herself and stop being so hard on herself. Thankfully, that isn’t necessary because thanks to the mysterious Carmilla, we get to witness Lenore’s character development as she goes from submissive, dutiful wife to a force to be reckoned with. Carmilla is there stoking the fires of Lenore’s emotions, awakening feelings that Lenore tries to bury deep. Honestly, I think this book could have used more of Carmilla as a character and the horror that often accompanies her. There’s plenty of fantastic gothic horror in Hungerstone, but I would have loved to see Dunn lean into that gothic horror mixed with feminine rage a bit more.
One thing I appreciate Kat Dunn for is her attention to detail and care for accuracy in the geographical and historical aspects of Hungerstone. Featured in the back of the book is an author’s note that goes into the research she did when writing this book on the location and customs of the time period and it’s clear that she cared very much about the details being accurate. On the topic of the historical themes of this book, that was one reason why this book isn’t a favorite for me. But, full disclosure, historical fiction is a genre that I tend to have difficulty getting into so it’s very possible that if you enjoy reading historical fiction, you may love this book! Personally, I think that Hungerstone was too long. For one, the book it’s retelling, Carmilla, is a very short book. Dunn created her own twists on the story and plot of Carmilla (which I enjoyed), but I think Hungerstone could have been a much shorter novel like its source material. The plot of Hungerstone is so intriguing, but unfortunately, I feel that it suffers from some repetitive passages and slight excess detail (again, if you love historical fiction, this may not be an issue for you).
Hungerstone overall was a solid three stars for me. While I enjoyed Dunn’s beautiful writing, the gothic setting, and feminist elements of the book, I just don’t think it was for me. I really wanted to love this book more. However, I would still recommend this book to anyone who loves reading historical fiction because I think that was what made it a miss for me. Hungerstone is perfect for fans of historical, gothic, and feminist fiction!

Having never read Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu, the homage paid by Kat Dunn is lost on me. However, Hungerstone stands on its own as a hyper-feminist rage anthem for anyone who has suppressed themselves to meet another's needs. Lady Lenore is a picture-perfect noble wife, but never allows any of her own needs or desires to be met, and never questions her husbands demands. When she finds herself the circumstantial warden of Carmilla Kernstein after discovering her carriage wreckage on the way to their new estate...that changes. The pacing is undeniably slow, even, in my opinion, for a gothic novel, but it picks up in the back half and quickly makes its way to a satisfying conclusion.

There are a lot of ways I can describe Hungerstone. Haunting, Sensual, romantic even to a degree. The writing in this is incredible and I look forward to recommending it to several people.

Thank you Zando and NetGalley for my e-arc of Hungerstone.

This is a perfect read for anybody seeking gothic literature. feminine rage, fans of Carmilla, or sapphic vampire tales in general.

Hungerstone follows the tale of Lenore, the childless wife of a wealthy steel industrialist Henry, tasked with raising a decrepit country estate in the lead up to her husband's planned hunting party. On their journey, they encounter Carmilla stranded and take her in. However they soon find their worlds unimaginably changed.

While Hungerstone is loosely a re-imagining of Camilla - Dunn instead focuses on Lenore's perspective - her loss of identity and agency within society and marriage, and her relationship with Henry. It brings a new spin to the story, and a new sense of dread and horror as everything unfolds.

"You see the river now, though. This stone is long drowned The water is free and powerful and raging"

Anyone seeking something new, who has found themselves at a loss after Nosferatu, but is still awaiting the release of the new Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein films - Hungerstone may just feed that hunger.