Hungerstone by Kat Dunn is a deliciously dark and enticing retelling of Carmilla. Hungerstone follows Lenore, husband of steel magnate Henry. Years have turned their marriage sour, and Lenore begins to have strange dreams. Henry’s business takes them to the decaying manor of Nethershaw, but on the way, they happen upon a mysterious carriage accident. The sole survivor of the crash, Carmilla, is taken in by the couple as Lenore begins revitalizing the manor. The mysterious Carmilla unsettles and entices Lenore in equal parts, while Henry becomes more displeased with her continued presence. Lenore begins to dig through her past, torn between Carmilla’s mysterious allure and her husband’s affection.

My thoughts: Within the first 3 pages, I’m in love with the writing. This book has just enamored me. So far, this is one of my top books I’ve read this year. It’s somewhat hard to describe, but I found myself saying “just one more chapter” every time I picked this book up to read; this book is so hard to put down. Truly a piece of art from Kat Dunn.

This book is perfect for readers who loved “A Dowry of Blood” and readers who love gothic romance/thrillers. Thank you so very much to Netgalley and Zando for allowing me to read this book.

This sapphic vampire was a fresh new take on a classic. I was dark, gothic and sexy that kept you engaged and had you rooting for a satiating finish.

Thank you Netgalley and Kat Dunn for an ARC in exchange for honest review. I would give this 3.5 stars.

I was really excited to read this story, especially knowing it was a retelling of Carmilla and Dracula. I love narratives that explore female rage, and this book delivered on that front. However, I found myself wanting more from the vampire aspect, it felt like Carmilla existed more as an idea, a guiding voice to help Lenore reclaim herself and truly start living again. While the ending left me wanting a bit more, the story as a whole did a great job of showcasing female power and fury within a beautifully gothic setting.

I have not read Carmilla so I cannot make comparisons, but as soon as I started reading Hungerstone I was so terribly hungry for more! I couldn’t put it down even if I tried!

The writing style was very different to what I’m used to but that wasn’t an issue for me because I was quickly seduced! I felt the choice of language very much helped to create the haunting, gothic atmosphere and an underlying sense of fear and apprehension about what was going to happen next.

I loved the pacing, the building tension, the feminine rage and how all the secrets were finally laid bare.

Simply delicious and one of my favourite reads of 2025

Kat Dunn’s Hungerstone is the kind of book that lingers—both in its atmosphere and its prose. The writing is undeniably gorgeous, rich with a poetic, almost old-world quality that makes you want to slow down and savor it. But that same quality also makes the first half a bit of a challenge. It’s not that anything is done wrong, exactly—it just takes a while to really hook you.

Once it does, though? It really does. There are twists that catch you off guard, characters who feel fully realized, and a slow unraveling of secrets that keeps things tense. If anything, I wanted a little more, but what’s there is well done.

LOVED this. I sort of expected a bigger ending and I would've liked more Carmilla but still fabulous.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

A sapphic vampire romance! Say less!! Took a star off because characters felt a tad distant at some points but overall would recommend.

Thank you so much to Zando and NetGalley for the ARC!

Hungersrone was atmospheric and moody and dark and bloody and I enjoyed every bit of it! I love it when female characters realize just how much strength and power they hold.

While the build up felt a little slow sometimes, I did feel it was necessary for Lenore's arc. Change is not achieved overnight, and Lenore had a lot of issues to work through before finally accepting what she wanted and needed to do in the end.

Female rage will always be a top-tier trope for me.

A retelling of Carmilla that stays true to the historical, grounded aspect and isolated setting of a house paralleling the decay and rot throughout the story. Featuring with an ambitious main character grown docile by her life’s events, and the mysterious yet alluring Carmilla

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a great book. There were a few spots where it was a little slow, but this is to be expected with gothic ficiton. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and its horror elements. The atmosphere of the Moors was fantastic as well. Highly recommend this and I will definitely be picking up more from Kat Dunn.

I really like enjoy novels that are what I would call “quiet creepy,” and this book meets that description beautifully.

This is as much historical fiction as it is a vampire novel, and the subtle menace that pervades the slowly unfolding plot is really artfully done. It’s a slow burn for sure, but in the best possible way.

I don’t really care about romance so that part of the novel didn’t matter much to me one way or the other, and I appreciated that this component of the story was mostly about escape and obsession than moony, schlocky stuff.

The story is in some ways a tribute to LeFanu’s Carmilla and in other ways a rebuttal to it, and I was impressed by how successful it was on both fronts.

Obviously I won’t say much about the ending, but suffice it to say that it’s quite satisfying while still staying faithful to the book’s dark perspective.

5/5 Stars!!

I received Hungerstone as an advanced reader copy, and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Gothic vampire stories. This book completely immersed me in its dark and atmospheric world, with richly detailed settings and characters that felt true to the time period.

While some of the vocabulary was a lot (big words aplenty, lol) it never took away from my enjoyment. In fact, it added to the eerie, immersive feel of the story. The writing was captivating, the plot was compelling, and overall, this was an excellent read.

I’m thrilled to say Hungerstone is my first five-star book of 2025! If you love Gothic horror with a fresh twist, definitely pick this one up.

CARMILLA!!!! I finished La Fanu's original pretty recently, maybe in the last two years or so, and therefore this was so thrilling. The expansion we all needed.

Lenore is stunningly repressed, and Carmilla is the thorn in her side that has ignited the most beautiful undoing. In losing everything she finds a sliver of herself. The analysis of the themes of worker oppression and Industrial Revolution's impact was needed but fell short at times. Regardless, I had a blast and will pick up Kat Dunn again. Thank you Dunn and NetGalley for this ARC.

I really wish the vampire plot had more of an emphasis in this one. I found it really boring and it was hard for me to stay engaged.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Rating: 3.5 stars

I was incredibly excited to have this book in my hands, unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver as much as I had anticipated.

I guess my problem was that the vampire story was cut short by a lot of talk about the household our FMC has to do.
I totally understand what the author did here and I kinda liked it too, I think I just went in with the wrong expectations.
The vampire plot is definitely a side note and the female rage, unhinged women plot was the main focus. And that’s not at all a bad thing!
I really liked how Dunn took us on a journey of self discovery and descent to madness and she did well.
At some parts the book dragged on a bit too long though and I found myself bored a lot.
The last 20% saved the book for me and I still recommend it, it just won’t be my favourite of the year.

It gave me major My Year of Rest and Relaxation vibes so if you liked that book but wanted a sapphic vampire subplot it might just be the perfect book for you!

I really had such high hopes for this one. I mean, look at this cover, and a Carmilla retelling, yes please! But, ugh, the execution of it just didn't live up. It fell flat and I was somehow bored? I found Lenore to be a very frustrating character to follow, and I needed all the characters to be more fleshed out. I wanted (and for some reason expected) the prose to pack more of a punch, feel more literary, but instead it came off feeling basic. I wanted the horror aspects to really go there, and it didn't until the last few chapters. I wasn't at all feeling the tension or angst between the main characters. And it didn't quite give me the looming sense of dread and building tension I wanted either. I was never fully immersed in the gothic atmosphere. For me, it was like every part of the story was almost there but didn't quite achieve the desired affect. I still enjoyed it and would still recommend it, but it wasn't the new favorite read I was expecting.

LOVED THIS!!

The slow-burn development of Lenore's character might come across as frustrating at first, but once I properly sank into the novel, I was racing through the second half!

Things I liked: the atmosphere of Kat Dunn's writing; so tense, yet rooted in the sense of normalcy that added to the eerie plot. The setting was easy to picture and I loved the nature descriptions particularly when they were exploring the cliffs, etc. Lenore's character was such a fascinating one to read about as she really came alive after becoming an active player in her life. It made you sympathetic, angry and shocked all at once.

Things I wanted more of: Carmilla! I felt she dissolves into Lenore a little too much to actually know her character beyond the surface. I get her intentions but I wanted more of her emotions and past.

Grateful to NetGalley for this ARC.

This was Gothic and moody and wonderfully weird all at the same time. It was a fantastic commentary on women's desires and how often marriage and society repress them. I'm really glad to have read it.

I had such high expectations for this book, but it just didn't work for me. It was supposed to be a 'good for her' book, but since I never cared for 'her' OR--crucially--Carmilla, I didn't care to root for her. This was quite shocking, since it takes very little to have me rooting against the cis man antagonist, but with this book I didn't really like anyone. And as other reviewers have said, it wasn't all that sapphic for a sapphic novel!

I utterly adored this book. A fantastic take on the lesbian vampire trope with influence from classic texts such as *Carmilla*, *Dracula*, *Christabel*, and *Great Expecations.*

The Gothic/Victorian atmosphere was brilliantly constructed against a decaying grand house and the misty moors.

I loved the writing and clear extent of research that went into creating deep characters, setting and plot.

This was grotesque and feral and I could not put it down.

Women yearning, haunting, hungry, and full of desires. What more could I ask for?

My only critique was that the pace was a little slow at times and a bit too much time was spent with internal conflict for my liking.

Thank you for the netgalley proof!