4/5

Hungerstone is a dark reimagining of Carmilla set on the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution that seeks to answer the singular question: for what do we hunger? Ten years into her marriage to a powerful steel magnate, Lady Lenore Crowther has lost much of her former self to their union and left unable to contend why their relationship has soured. On the night the couple travel to their new home in Derbyshire they happen upon an overturned carriage in the road and meet Carmilla, the young woman caught in the accident, and an enigmatic and magnetic individual who will transform their lives forever. In her latest novel Hungerstone, Kat Dunn skillfully renders decadent gothic prose turned inwards by the insatiable appetites of a woman long since starved. This violent reimagining of a classic sees Carmilla as a figure who awakes in Lenore a hunger long buried; and Lenore is burdened in answering its knawing ache, a release she hungers for in turn but also fears. Hungerstone is a novel for the starved - those starved for power and control and those crushed under the stifling weight of possibility, industry, and a loveless marriage. Dunn explores all of these facets through Lenore's search for agency as she unroots the poison at the heart of her marriage and learns a truth that threatens to undo her. Lenore's fragile world is made manifest in the crumbling manor of Nethershaw which falls into further disrepair even as attempts to retrench its edifice are made. Hungerstone's main strength is in this overwhelming imagery which straddles the line between hauntingly beautiful and grotesque. The bloody scenes of the starved grasping at anything to slake the hunger to the twisted imagery of Lenore feasting upon food that does nothing to quell her appetite all served to build a disquiet beneath the narrative and Lenore's eventual undoing. Using Carmilla as a lens to explore hunger and women existing under patriarchy is a fascinating idea and one I reveled in while reading. I loved not knowing if Carmilla was someone real or imagined, or even a manifestation of Lenore's hunger and desire staking a claim. Hungerstone allows the reader to parse this meaning throughout the novel while striking a deadly blow upon its end. This is a bloody, grim view into wanting of all kinds but I thoroughly enjoyed where Dunn drew this abundant feast of a tale to a close. Very good for her.

It’s not often that a book makes me feel so seen. Carmilla is on that list, and I always go into a new book that mentions Carmilla as cautiously optimistic. Hungerstone is definitely one of the best.

Lenore is a character that I couldn’t help but fall in love with right away. She’s an unreliable narrator with a super tight POV, but the way she experiences and describes her world makes reading Hungerstone immersive and enjoyable. Despite some of the plot points being predictable, the overall story is still interesting because it’s interesting to Lenore.

And Carmilla! I found myself wishing we’d had more time with her at the end, but I wasn’t disappointed or felt like I was missing anything. The mystery of who/what she is and what happens next make the story feel complete.

Kat Dunn is an incredible writer and I’m eager to add Hungerstone to my shelf.

3.5 stars

Thank you Zando and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so haunting and atmospheric. The prose was beautiful, the pace slow but simmering with anticipation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one.

I’ve not read Carmilla, so I have no idea what’s been borrowed and what hasn’t, but this book really stands strong on its own. I love me some sapphic vampires, and I absolutely love a revenge story. The female rage was palpable by the end of this book and I was enraptured.

I struggled to really connect with the characters on any kind of emotional level, which is the only reason this isn’t rated higher. I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I definitely recommend for fans of historical horror and gothic classics.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Zando for providing me an eArc in exchange for my review!

Hungerstone by Kate Dunn follows Lenore, a woman choked by societal expectations, who moves to the crumbling Nethershaw estate with her iron magnate husband. On their rain soaked journey out to the mansion, they come across an overturned carriage. In that wreckage, they find the alluring Carmilla. So begins a slow descent into rage and madness.

This book is slow, it takes it's time building tension, but it never drags. This is an in-depth character study of our long suffering lead over an action packed ride. You feel every ounce of Lenore's loneliness and frustration, her desperation to cling onto her station in life. That only makes the finale that much more cathartic. Carmilla, our other main heroine, can be unpleasant at times. She is cruel and cold, but it serves a purpose, to break Lenore of her rigid upbringing. The eerie atmosphere suffocates you, Neathershaw is a rotting beast at the heart of this story, you can practically taste the wet earth of the moors. That's one of my biggest high points of this books, the writing. It's decedent and lush. Everything is described so well I could picture it all. That includes the more horrific aspects of this novel.

What a freaking delight to be in the midst of a vampire media renaissance. Kat Dunn’s Hungerstone takes J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s classic, Carmilla, and adapts its Sapphic narrative from implicit to taking center stage.

Thank you so much to Kat Dun and Zando for the e-ARC!

In this adaptation of Carmilla, we follow Lenore, a woman stagnant in a transactional marriage. Her life orbits around maintaining her husband’s society standing. With a backstory of familial tragedy, the perspective of her world is narrow and lonely.

When her husband, an aspiring captain of industry, whisks her away to repair his newly-purchased crumbling mansion and transform it ahead of a party for potential investors, Lenore glumly accepts her fate.

But when they happen upon a carriage accident and discover that the chillingly beautiful woman inside needs somewhere to stay while she convalesces, Lenore begins to discover that this stranger may be the key to her own awakening.

Overall, this was less overtly vampiric than I expected it would be and delved more into Lenore’s dynamic with her husband than I anticipated, both especially in comparison to Le Fanu’s original (or my beloved Carmilla YouTube series 🥲). That being said, this takes Carmilla’s conceit and draws it out into a domestic gothic.

I thought this worked really well, especially in tackling what it’s like when you grow up needing to prioritize someone’s needs over your own. I thought a lot about Count Orlok’s quote from Robert Eggars’s Nosferatu while reading: “I am an appetite, nothing more.”

As a femme person, I saw a lot of myself in Lenore, especially the voracity with which she faced her appetite nearly consuming *her* once she finally allowed herself to discover and embrace it.

Thank you for the ARC!

An expanded and reimagined version of the classic Carmilla, Hungerstone focuses on Lenore, a late 19th housewife of a wealthy factory owner and how her life changes when she and her husband get in an accident involving Carmilla. This is a vampiric, sapphic love story with a huge focus on female rage so it was very interesting.

5/5 stars. Absolutely amazing. I could not put this down. I had to eat dinner and I was reading the whole time.

Now that I devoured this, I understand why everyone is mentioning female rage in reference to this book. I was internally raging for Lenore!!

After ten years of marriage to Henry and no child on the way, Lenore feels the weight of burden strike their relationship. As Lenore and Henry prepare to host a special hunt, it brings up memories of the prior hunt and the secret that they've both been keeping since then.

Their lives get thrown for a twist when a carriage accident nearby brings a mysterious Carmilla to their home. As they offer Carmilla shelter to recover, they notice that she is sickly and weak during the day, but becomes much more lively during the night. Carmilla becomes a thorn in Henry's side as she works to help Lenore find herself. Lenore is hungry and needs to eat.

This is a beautiful retelling of Carmilla. The prose is stunning and makes you feel as though you're in the story yourself. There are so many amazing quotes from this book that I wish I could share. The story is atmospheric, mysterious, and tense. The characters were written extremely well. The characters that we're meant to love, I loved and the ones we're meant to hate, I certainly hated. While this is a slow-burn romance, the rest book certainly didn't feel slow to me. And the wait was well worth it. I love that this story dove into the problems with gender roles and expectations that are imposed on women. It was a beautiful story of Lenore's self-discovery and acceptance of herself, flaws all included.

The ending of this book was amazingly poetic. I left this story feeling overwhelming satisfaction and I can tell that this is a book that I will reread one day. This book isn't your typical horror novel, even though it is tagged as such. Please don't go into this book expecting scares. The horror comes more from the atmosphere and the depravity of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zando for sending me an eARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.
I immediately preordered this book upon finishing reading.

TW: Gore, death, blood, vomit, gaslighting, violence, infertility, cannibalism, misogyny, murder, toxic relationship, confinement, infidelity, sexual content, death of parent

This is a book I loved for its subtleties as much as for its loud elements. It's easy to focus on the rage, the blatant injustice, the hunger, but I really appreciated the ways in which this book portrayed the quiet horrors of being a woman, among other things.

I have read Carmilla a while ago and I can't remember anything so I can't make a direct comparison of the two, and I think I haven't read any of the other books the authors that Kat Dunn took inspiration from. But I loved this and I feel like it came from such a raw place that if you've ever experienced 1% of what the protagonist has lived through you can't help but immerse in the story as if you're in it yourself. The writing was also exquisit and I can't but recommend this.

Kat Dunn’s Hungerstone is a spellbinding gothic thriller—lush, eerie, and brimming with forbidden hunger. Lenore, trapped in a loveless marriage, finds her world upended when the enigmatic Carmilla arrives, awakening cravings she can no longer ignore. As the moors grow darker and village girls fall ill, Lenore’s desires tangle with danger, leading to an unshakable reckoning.

Dunn’s prose is rich and atmospheric, layering Victorian repression with queer longing and simmering rage. The novel pulses with themes of female autonomy and the terrifying cost of wanting more. Tense, intoxicating, and beautifully written, Hungerstone is a bold reimagining of Carmilla, reclaiming gothic horror with a voice both feral and exquisite. It lingers long after the last page—dark, defiant, and utterly consuming.

I’ve been very excited about this book ever since I heard of it because ‘Carmilla’ by Sheridan Le Fanu is one of my favourite works of 19th century literature, for very obvious reasons. I read it when I was too old to be considered a teenager but too young to be considered any kind of adult. It was very formative and I read it because I saw a review comparing it to Dracula, which also has a lot of homoerotic subtext. In ‘Hungerstone,’ the figure of Carmilla makes an appearance here as a grown woman and fleshed-out character.

Most interesting to me was the language used to describe Carmilla in the early weeks when Lenore gazes upon her—the language of eyes, teeth, lips, skin, heat, cold, states of undress, a hypnotic voice, tearing meat, pointed words arrowed across the dinner table—which shows how much every interaction with her guest whether big or small affects her. Two-thirds of this book is a slow-burn with liberation as its end-goal.

Lenore’s reciprocal and honest relationship with Carmilla is what sets her free from the chains that she has lived with all her life, first as a neglected child, then a neglected orphan, and more recently a neglected wife. The natural next step is: revenge. I liked best how Lenore carries out her plan alone with no help from the supernatural. When she comes into her power, she does so as a hot-blooded fully human woman for whom the last straw propels her towards taking matters into her own hands, very literally—men think women weak but they forget that women have nails and teeth aplenty. he final act of this book was delicious and I relished every page. It’s always so gratifying to see a woman’s rage honed into a sharp weapon, so precise and exacting in its moves.

Full review on Substack 🖤 https://tinycl0ud.substack.com/p/hungerstone

🥀 Carmilla retelling
🥀 Gothic horror
🥀 Slow burn, lesbian romance

The writing is gorgeous. I highlighted so many passages. Lenore’s feelings of inadequacy, and people pleasing tendencies, resonated deeply with me. I could feel Lenore’s loneliness in my bones. Her pain, was my pain. Her yearning, my yearning. The madness freedom and clarity brought her was heart wrenching and I wanted so badly for her to have everything she wanted, and more. I loved Lenore, and Carmilla for setting her free. I loved the lavish descriptions of food. I loved the ending. I loved this book.

All I have to say is GET WHAT YOU DESERVE GIRL!!! I support women’s wrongs 🫶🏻

No but this book was so good and so infuriating at times also. I just got progressively angrier until I was screaming at the FMC to stand up for herself and allow herself to want things. I do feel some of the negative self-talk got a bit repetitive. But that ending made up for the frustration IMO!

The character development was deep and complex. It actually made me sad how much I related to Lenore’s feelings or destructive patterns at times - they were described with such accuracy. I started feeling everything the FMC was feeling and felt so connected to her. The writing style was weirdly addictive to read, despite this not being a fast-paced book.

Also as a heads up, there were some random vampiric innuendos but this is not a vampire story! It’s very much a historical literary fiction book with a gothic estate mystery/romance. There’s some aspects of horror as well which I loved, but may gross some people out.

This makes me wanna grab my girl best friends and just be completely wild and free 💕

“Poor Lenore Crowther, so terribly sad about the inconvenience of her own murder.”
Ok so when is this/Carmilla in general getting the 2024 Nosferatu treatment?
This book is so tense, sexy, and dirty I’m obsessed. Literally a perfect example of gothic fiction - the tension between what Lenore wants and what she thinks she must do for her husband/society, the way Carmilla allows her to finally reach her most base desires… plus the class commentary!!! PERFECT for your vampire hang over plus lesbians so who doesn’t want that??
5 stars I need to read everything Kat Dunn has written

As an educator, a reader, and a student of English literature, I have a really deep connection with Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. I was a little bit hesitant going into this just because I love the original so much, and when I first started reading I was getting very very caught up on what the author decided to change versus didn’t, things like names and ages and further context. However, as I read on, I began to love this book in a very similar way to how I love the original Carmilla. I absolutely love that the author chose to keep Carmilla’s character essentially the same, and so many of the additional scenes have become so important to me, particularly the hunger stone and Lenore’s confrontation with Henry.

🩸 Female Rage & Retribution
🤍 Slow Burn Sapphic Romance
🩸 Carmilla Retelling/Reworking
🤍 Atmospheric + Horror Vibes
🩸 Victorian Setting

This is a book that you can really sink your teeth into.

If, like me, you hunger for female rage and retribution, this book delivers. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I put it down, and (it feels early to say this BUT) I think it will be a top contender for my favourite reads of 2025.

Now, I actually haven't read Carmilla, and the vampire *thing* played a more minor role than I had anticipated, but I think that this feminist and queer reworking was brilliant.

This book is going to speak to the people-pleasers of the world, and it will speak to the women who feel like they've had to reduce themselves to fill a role. It will speak to the women who have ever felt like they're playing a part because they feel that who they are at the core isn't worthy of being loved.

I could go on. I could describe the poetic prose. I could talk about the perfectly built atmospheric setting. I could tell you about the slow-burn romantic tension and the perfectly structured yearning between Lenore (FMC) and Carmilla. I could reminisce about the horror elements and mysteries intertwined with the story itself. I could rave about all of the metaphors used therein. I could probably write a novel about this book if I tried... but I think that you should just read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Zando for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sad, haunting, gothic, a beautiful exploration of character and trauma. This period piece feels timeless (there is never a bad time for vampires & lesbians)

Hungerstone is a gothic, slow-burn revenge story, following Lenore, a perfect wife. Well except for her childlessness and trauma of course. She begins to question everything as Carmilla enters her life. What she thought she desired is not where her hunger calls her.

This book was quite repetitive and slow for the first 65% of the book. Much of the flashbacks and build-up wasn't as affective as I would have hoped. While the atmosphere is there and the characters well developed, it wasn't enough to keep me engaged. Trauma patterns don't really work the way they were presented in the book. Lenore came off as too smart and too dumb at the same time, and it was frustrating to read.

When the plot climaxed it was quite exciting and satisfying to read, and I enjoyed the ending with the nuanced depictions of revenge.

As someone who read this for the lesbian vampirism, and not the historical gothic aspect, I have to say I am disappointed overall. Especially with how little there was of both the lesbianism and vampirism. The opening scene with the blood, was impactful in a way the book couldn't live up to.

Despite my critique and frustrations, I had fun and made me more curious to read Carmilla.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Zando for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Hungerstone is a dark, horror story with overtones of Carmilla and Bram Stoker's Dracula. The main character, Lenore was left in the care of a distant Aunt when her parents were tragically killed in a carriage accident which Lenore remarkably survived. A strict upbringing instilled in Lenore a very controlled way of behaving to be accepted in society and to secure a good match. She catches the eye of Henry who is a rich businessman and they are quickly married. It is not a love match, but one of understanding for rising through higher social circles and securing an heir. With no heir in sight, however, and a terrible secret between them, Lenore descends into anger at the life that has been robbed from her.

Enroute to their country home of Hethershaw, which is crumbling and decrepit, they are met with a carriage accident which brings Carmilla into their care. Carmilla proves to be what she wants to be and does what she wants to the utter shock of those she meets. Lenore is expected to be the lady of the house and oversee its restoration, staff, and various parties. Despite the scandalous behaviour of Carmilla, Lenore is attracted to her and what she represents. Lenore has been starved in all manner of ways: her needs, wants, desires, affection, love. She is trapped by everyone else's ideals of who she should be and the hunger that is awakened inside of her fuels a burning anger to gain control of her life.

She is made by the life she's been trapped into, trying to please her husband who has unethical business practices and sinister intentions. Lenore must take things into her own hands. This is a dark tale of anger, hunger and the demands on women that override their own needs and desires.

This is not a fast moving plot, but if you enjoy character development you'll like this one.

I didn't know what to expect when I began reading this book. It was a ride that I would take again! I thought this book was excellent.

Hungerstone is like A Dowry of Blood, Jane Eyre, and Rebecca all wrapped up in one perfect, slightly more gruesome novel. I absolutely adored it. I love NOTHING more than a good revenge plot, especially when it's about a woman scorned. I'll just devour it! I hunger for it like our sweet Lenore. I started 2024 with vampires, now 2025 with vampires, and maybe this is how I’ll kick off my reading year every year. This was a fabulous Carmilla retelling! Huge thanks to NetGalley and Zando for an ARC of Hungerstone. I’ll definitely be picking up a physical copy to add to my shelves. Best ARC I’ve read in a while!