If you like sapphic vampires, gothic settings, and historical romance then this is one for you!

This is a standalone retelling of the original vampire story Carmilla, set in the industrial revolution. The story follows Lenore, the unhappily married wife of a steel magnate, as she and her husband go north to begin renovating their manor house, when they discover an overturned carriage with a woman inside. As Carmilla recuperates at their house, Lenore grows closer with their strange house guest and starts to discover a hunger inside of herself, but strange events start to haunt the manor.

The atmosphere was really well done - Kat Dunn is a master of the gothic romantic fantasy. There are strong feminist themes and I enjoyed Lenore's character development. I did find the book a bit slow paced, and I did want more from Lenore and Carmilla's relationship and Carmilla as a character needed more fleshing out to really make their romance come alive but overall it was a very enjoyable read.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was not what I expected, but nevertheless I enjoyed it greatly! The female rage and the building up of it was amazing, and I liked how Lenore was able to use her role as a 'feeble woman' to manipulate others. I wish we saw more of Carmilla, but unclear character added to mistery.

4.5 stars

Supporting women’s rights and their wrongs 🫶🏼

Ah I loved this book. I think reading this right off the back of watching Nosferatu was a good idea as this was kind of perfect following that film.

Lenore was kind of awful but also kind of great. I liked her character arc and that she wasn’t necessarily portrayed as someone you had to like as a main character but could relate to. Sometimes you kind of want to shake her just to see who she really is underneath (that definitely happens by the end of the book).

The end was just perfect for this book and I was supporting her the whole way…

The only thing I didn’t like was the pacing. The first part kind of dragged a bit and sometimes I found it hard to read or be in Lenores head but I also totally understand why the author did it.

Overall I gave it 4 ⭐️. I enjoyed this book but I didn’t necessarily love it which is why it wasn’t more than 4 stars.

Thank you to Bonnier Books and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my last read of 2024 and what a book to finish the year on. I absolutely loved this book. It gripped me right from the beginning and I pretty much inhaled it.

This story was delightfully eerie and beautifully horrifying all at once. There were parts I didn’t necessarily want to see but I couldn’t look away despite that. I loved seeing Lenore come into her own as the story went on and her growth into her power was great to read. It was so engrossing.

I also need to mention how vividly depicted the moors were. They were a character in their own right in a way and the atmosphere created by them just jumped off the page. The same can also be said in the care taken in fleshing out the era involved. I could really visualise Industrial Revolution era Sheffield and as someone who isn’t a visual reader that’s really saying something.

One of my favourite reads of the year!!

I went into Hungerstone not knowing a thing other than liking the front cover so as I began to pick up the pieces that it is a harrowing retelling of Carmilla, I knew I would like this.
I particularly liked the constant references to hunger and not being satisfied throughout and the little hints at what Carmilla is.

“Come, my dear. You must be so terribly hungry.”

The female rage had me rooting for Lenore the whole way through, yes she had her delusions but boy did she get exactly what she deserved, revenge and freedom.

I would definitely recommend this if you enjoy Bram Stokers Dracula as Carmilla is the inspiration behind it.

ANOTHER BANGER!!!! A MASTERPIECE NO LESS!!! ROBERT EGGERS GET ON THE PHONE NOW!!!!

This book is stifling and claustrophic and frenetic. I felt a bit insane reading it. The house being a metaphor for Lenore was so good, and I couldn't put this book down as the characters unravelled. As someone who discovered her queerness later in life after years of repression, this was a very cathartic read. Like what if you just feasted?

If you're after a gothic historical horror about repressed hunger, this is the book for you.

Light on the classic vampire but deliciously heavy on the female rage, Hungerstone is a treat of a retelling. The novel is distinct enough in plot and style from Le Fanu's Carmilla to justify itself and its meandering, atmospheric pace. Hungerstone builds tension on the edge of a knife, wobbling till the last third which is staggeringly fast-paced in comparison. I enjoyed the strong perspective voice of the novel's protagonist, Lenore, though I found myself slightly underwhelmed by her relationships throughout, including with (devastatingly!) Carmilla. Many of the secondary characters of Hungerstone feel less developed and multifaceted than I personally tend to like, but I don't consider their singularity a huge failing, especially as we only ever see them from a biased perspective. At it's heart, this is a story about Lenore, and she shines. The novel - and the character of Carmilla, herself - feels less of a seductive, tentative romance than it does a call to action for suppressed voices. The vampire-figure of the novel, then, signifies appetite, and I think Hungerstone portrays this wonderfully.

Different than what I had expected, but no less enjoyable!

This sapphic retelling of Carmela is everything I wanted and more. Kat Dunn is the master of gothic vibes as far as I’m concerned.

I fell in love with her writing after reading Bitterthorn and this completely lived up to that. She is an auto buy author for me now.

A beautifully written, dark and gothic tale that is perfect for these darker months.

Hungerstone is a dark, atmospheric and gripping sapphic retelling of Camilla that I thoroughly enjoyed. As the tension continued to build, I found myself unable to put this book down.

Kat Dunn is one of my favourite authors. Her writing is captivating and I honestly love the gothic vibes of this one. You can tell a lot of work and research went in to this book, especially when it came to female oppression, the steel industry and workers rights in Victorian England. The characters are also written so well and I really enjoyed Lenore's character development. I liked seeing her start to take more control of her life.

I definitely recommend picking this one up if you're looking for a mysterious and poetic story of female rage and reworkings of Camilla!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to read this absolute masterpiece as an ARC from @netgalley @bonnierbooks_uk and I can say with absolute confidence that this is going to be HUGE. Already know its going to be a contender for my top books of the year, and it's going to occupy my thoughts for a while.

Kat Dunn has taken Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla and reworked it into a gorgeous sapphic tale of yearning, compulsion and, of course, hunger. Lenore's life centres around her husband's ambitions and needs until Carmilla crashes into her crumbling new home in the Peak District, unravelling all Lenore thought she knew about her life and role in the world.

This book delivered everything I wanted- sickening unease, heady romance, a classic Gothic setting and stunning prose. 5/5 stars I want to inject this book into my soul x

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc!

hungerstone follows the story of lenore - an impeccable upper class housewife as she battles with her desires: for autonomy, for passion, for love and, surprisingly, for her mysterious new house guest carmilla. the book moulds itself as a retelling of the classic vampiric novel, with a modern righteously feminist twist.

i wanted to love this book. with queer feminist themes and angry female characters, it has all the elements i love in a book and there is no denying that dunn is a talented author. however, this book just didn't appeal to me - largely due to the lack of character depth. to me, carmilla wasn't nearly as fleshed out as she should have been and i feel as though her and lenore's heady relationship could have been explored further. additionally, the writing, whilst very compelling in some parts, felt as though it's main purpose was to try and explicitly tell you that this is a 'feminist' book, instead of showing its feminism through the actions of the characters. the parts i enjoyed the most were the descriptions of the hunger that spreads through sheffield - they were delightfully twisted and sickening. overall, this book didn't deliver for me.

This book was beautiful in every way. Dunn’s writing immerses you into the story and doesn’t let you go. The characters were extremely compelling and though this is a reimagining of Carmilla, I still found the plot and characters to be original and surprising. I didn’t want to stop reading but also want to story to end.

This book is hungry, sensual, and will leave you on your knees craving more.

The vibes DELIVERED. Spooky? Sapphic? Creepy to the point of stomach-turning? The sheer levels of female rage? YES.

For me, this was a book of three parts. The first section, where we meet Lenore and Carmilla and are introduced to their world, was all the right levels of eerie. All of the exposition was so atmospheric, and while it helps that I do have a deep love for the Peak District myself, I felt transported there instantly.

The middle section was the best bit. Things became so creepy, so far removed from normality, and under it all I could feel that current of the hunger. Carmilla featured much more prominently in this middle section, and she really felt like the driving force behind the plot.

The story lost some momentum towards the end, but still had a satisfying conclusion that embraced the darkness that had been peeking in at the edge the whole time. While I would have liked a slightly more robust backstory for Lenore, the ending still felt utterly right for her. I would have loved to have even more Carmilla in this last section, but the effects of her character were still there even if she herself wasn’t.

While it wasn’t a totally even read, this was still an effective and toe-curling horror, that really does ask: what do you hunger for?

I received a free copy for an honest review.

HUNGERSTONE is a gothic horror about hunger and loneliness and rage.

Gothic horror is definitely my favourite flavour of horror. It's so atmospheric, a creeping dread running fingers through your mind as the tale builds and builds to a frenetic, deadly climax. HUNGERSTONE absolutely drips atmosphere in a decaying house near Sheffield set in the untamed "wilds", but also the steel mills of Sheffield and all their danger. It's starkly empty, a nice way of mirroring the situation Lenore finds herself trapped in.

I really liked how this book explored the exhaustion and loneliness of rage. Lenore's marriage is falling apart, full of facades on both sides, with the weight of expectations and demands being placed upon her. It's exhausting and so she doesn't have the energy to rage in the ways we're more used to seeing in fiction. Her anger has turned inwardly, mutating into apathy and despair because those take less energy - and also don't require her to admit the truth to herself. When she does, the book snaps into a much more overtly violent frenzy. It's very freeing to see all that rage go outwards.

The book is inspired by CARMILLA, one of the original "vampire novels" (predating DRACULA), though it is not a retelling as the exact circumstances and plot are different. I also liked that it looked more at the unusual hungers side of vampires and gothic fiction in general. There are no explicit vampires in this, but a lot of very strange appetites for flesh and blood. It's gruesome but, due to the lack of recognisable vampires, unpredictable in the best way.

Dark and delicious, a truly captivating read! I loved the gothic setting, the enigmatic characters and the way this story unfolded.

As a student I studied Gothic literature and this is certainly in the genre with location, time and atmosphere. There's a lot to enjoy in Hungerstone, and it has a modern day slant to it that I enjoyed but found a little anachronistic at times (the language especially). That doesn't spoil the book however, and it's rich in places with themes and echoes of writers and stories from the era that can be identified throughout. I suspect most people would hugely enjoy this book.

4.75

#ad I received this book as an arc but the opinions are my own
This book is a gothic horror that makes you question the reality of the main character. Everyone questions her sanity and at some points so do you. She is gaslit by a society of misogyny and corruption. I loved the power of Carmilla and everything she represented. The gore was raw and unnerving but so satisfying. The prose was engaging and during internal monologues felt like it was written in verse. My only real complaint is that you do have to suspend disbelief at the journey times if you are familiar with Sheffield and the surrounding area as the author did take creative liberties with the setting.

disclaimer: I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

content warnings: sexual assault, rape, abuse, domestic abuse, violence, blood, gore, murder, attempted murder, suicide mentions, poisoning, manipulation

rep: sapphic characters

Hungerstone draws inspiration from the well known story of Carmilla. It is a violent, sensual, intense & intoxicating novel about women's fear, anger, desire & freedom. It takes place in sheffield and the peak district during the industrial revolution. The atmosphere is really well done too - very haunting, especially against the victorian backdrop. The plot moves forward incredibly fast, amping up & up for a very cathartic ending. I loved Lenore as a character - a wild and untamed woman being forced into a demure & quiet wife and I loved seeing her fighting her way free from that. Highly recommend - especially if you're a fan of gothic sapphic novels.

Kat Dunn has crafted an atmospheric, Gothic masterpiece. It takes inspiration not only from Carmilla, but also draws on Wuthering Heights, The Woman in White, set in Sheffield in the height of the Industrial age: a time of iron and blood.

It is not a comfortable read. Thrumming with tension, Dunn explores both greed and hunger, repression and desire, winding the threads deftly and tightly as you spiral along with the heroine…

Lenore seems to have it all: beauty, a handsome husband, wealthy with the profits of his steel-making business, and an estate with the promise of being counted amongst the best of society. But the estate is wild and crumbling, and Lenore struggles to control it - and herself.

As her husband keeps secrets, Lenore begins to have some of her own; beginning with Carmilla, a woman they rescue from apparent tragedy on the moor. As the dance around the truth continues, Lenore must confront what she really wants.

Vampire stories have always been about forbidden desires and repression, deeply carnal; but this is about desire of the spirit, as well. Carmilla is not only a taboo sexuality but a woman wrong and wronged, out of place, repellent and yet attractive at the same time. Similarly, this novel is both horror and delight, gore splattered over exquisitely beautiful writing. As the revelations break free, so might Lenore, if she has the courage to confront the truth and herself…

Hungerstone was a beautiful nightmare of a book. It was simply exquisite.

I have long enjoyed Kat Dunn’s work, particularly her strength in character work and gripping plot lines. I was ravenous for her adult debut - a sapphic reworking of Camilla in the Industrial Age sounds just like what I needed. This was everything I could have wanted and more. It is lavish and lascivious, dripping with sensuality and suspense in equal measure.

I love Gothic literature and this really felt like a love letter to the genre. Dunn has a masterful ability to create such creeping dread, especially through atmospheric that feels like it is weighing down upon you. It all feels claustrophobic and like the walls are closing in on Lenore. The setting is a classic Gothic mansion, in a state of disrepair behind its gilded exterior. It encapsulates the increasingly desperate situation Lenore finds herself in - a opulent cage. Dunn also explores societal themes around the oppression of women and the capitalist violence of the Industrial Age. Men’s appetites are free to be satiated as they wish - sexuality, money, power, violence. We see how capitalism and patriarchy work together and a throughline about class exploitation.

In general, I am really enjoying this trend within fiction of exploring womens’ appetites, hunger and the various forms of this. It feels like an evolution of feminine rage - still encompassing that anger at patriarchal systems and oppression, but exploring other facets. Hungerstone examines that sense of hunger that leaves a pit in your stomach, the desire for something more out of your life, an all-consuming feeling that slowly overcomes you. It is a celebration of appetites that are finally indulged. This is explored richly with some excellent plot threads. Camilla is woven into the story perfectly, giving both new readers and those familiar with the tale plenty to sink their teeth into.

Hungerstone is a fantastically warped Gothic tale of hunger. This is not a book to miss.