I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

What a compelling and disturbing story. It’s so utterly beautiful and yet there’s a strange and constant undercurrent of the macabre throughout. The novel is so insidious, with the main character constantly at risk, even where she herself doesn’t know it. We see a grasping, cruel desire to use her from multiple characters. Her deceased husband disregarding anything that matters to her, a well-meaning friend that still has an agenda, and others who seek to fulfil their own desires. I felt so nervous for the main character. That tension never let up, only grew worse throughout the book.

This novel blends botany and academia seamlessly and saturates itself in gothic themes. A core focus of this book is a secret and forbidden garden, set against a backdrop of academic experimentation. What I found particularly insidious was the main character’s obliviousness to slow and creeping changes around her.

There was so much conflict in this novel, beauty and danger. It was quite thought-provoking as we seek to understand the perspectives of the different characters and the actions they take that perhaps aren’t entirely ethical.

This was a compelling read that was hard to put down. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This Vicious Hunger is a mix of gothic horror, sapphic romance and obsession. I wanted to love it, but ultimately I was disappointed. Although the setting was richly imagined, I found it confusing, hovering ambiguously between a fantasy world and something like 19th century Italy. The story drags at times, taking too long to reach its climax and lingering on atmosphere at the expense of momentum..I also found the vampiric element underdeveloped, it had so much potential but never quite delivered the danger I was hoping for. However, May’s prose is atmospheric and the characters are somewhat compelling, even if their actions are often frustrating. Overall, it’s an entertaining, if uneven, read for fans of queer dark fantasy. and gothic horror.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

After the sudden death of her husband, Thora finds herself with the unexpected and much longed for opportunity of studying botany at university.

However, Thora quickly becomes embroiled not only in the dark experiments of Professor Petaccia but also with the mysterious girl who lives in the poison garden.

Her crammed schedule of lectures and her friendship with Leo quickly fall in second place to Olea and the garden. The more time Thora spends in the garden, the more famished and lightheaded she becomes when she is away from it.

Driven by hunger, desire and curiosity, and manipulated by Petaccia, Thora and Olea begin to realise the true consequences of the garden.

An imaginative, queer gothic tale of death and desire.

This novel turns the traditional ideas of vampires into a science inspired by nature. Further to this, it highlights both the triumphs and tribulations of love and hiding who we truly are.

I felt for Thea as a character, her desperation to find an identity for herself that wasn’t solely presented or shaped by the hands of men was a change of pace. My only complaint is that (in my opinion) she didn’t ever actually come into her own. Thea’s actions and reactions were still done in reference to other characters, I didn’t feel that this idea of freedom and true self-reflection and realisation actually reached our heroine, leaving a number of unanswered questions.

Having said all of this, I did finish it in one day, so that has to say something!

Toxic, obsessive lesbian botanists who turn into vampires all set in a poison garden. Great premise but the execution was a bit lacking for me. 3.5 stars

Thank you to Little Brown, the author and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of This Vicious Hunger to review.

This Vicious Hunger follows Thora, an undertaker's daughter who has grown up surrounded by death. When her husband dies after thirteen weeks of marriage, she doesn't know what to do next. Until a letter arrives from a botany professor at a prestigious school, accepting her to the university to study botany under her, which has been Thora's dream since she was a child. Once there she notices a young woman enclosed in a walled garden of poisonous plants, and is immediately drawn to both the garden and the girl. Under the spell of both, Thora falls into a world of obsession and poison; will she be able to break free?

I'm very unsure about this one! I really liked the gothic atmosphere here; it felt almost thick and moody, which is different from the tone of books that I usually read, so that definitely gripped me. This is definitely a slow-paced book, more driven by descriptions and character interactions than plot, but it was still engaging to read. The descriptions of the walled garden and its plants were so rich and imaginative; I could see the garden in my head as I was reading it. And the mystery of what's going on with Olea and the garden had me very intrigued to keep going to find answers. It felt almost claustrophobic to be in this story, with it mainly taking place in one area with no real way out, and that was super interesting to sink into.

The romance side of this has me in two minds; I did love the yearning and forbidden romance aspect between Thora and Olea. One being outside the walls and the other trapped in the garden made for a great, angsty dynamic, however as the book progresses the relationship changes and becomes more toxic, which seemed a little fast of a change for Thora. Her descent into hunger and obsession seemed a little quick; I would have preferred to see it happen more gradually I think. I also didn't connect with her character very much; she was quite brash and impulsive and would disregard any opinion or wish other characters had just to get her own way, which I didn't vibe with. I especially feel sorry for poor Leo, her friend at the university. Olea was intriguing but she ended up feeling a little immature for me, which does make sense considering her sheltered upbringing, but I just didn't enjoy her character by the end, nor Thora's.

The worldbuilding let the book down for me. We know that this is set in a fantasy world with different traditions and rituals, however we truly don't explore any of that. As it's an isolated setting, we stay in the university, but it would have been nice to at least hear more about the wider world and other customs as Thora is a scholar, but I can see why it was kept quite zoomed in on the university setting. It's just a little nitpick of mine really.

Overall if you love gothic fantasy and toxic lesbians then you'll enjoy this one! It has a very rich, imaginative atmosphere, and an interesting storyline, but just didn't grip me with the characters as much as I wanted.

The synopsis doesn't do enough justice to the story. I honestly do not know what I was expecting going into this book but It was way more than I had anticipated. Every character in this book surprised me in more ways than one. I don't know if this is the finalised version of the book or if there will be more, but I absolutely loved every second. Olea surprised me as well. Her complexity and aversion to change was really a shock to me. As much as I predicted a different ending, this was perfect. I consider this book a love story (not aromance) because the relationship between all the characters goes beyond matters of the heart. That being said, the perfect description of this book is; a sapphic love story fueled by obsession, Curiosity, manipulation and fight for purpose. It is a heartwrenching tale of how Science shuts the door of morality with the excuse of progress.
5⭐️ read

This was a really enjoyable read that I found myself finishing over a couple of days. It is definitely a slow burner which I am not always the biggest fan of, but for this it worked.

This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May is a dark, atmospheric tale of longing, obsession, and the dangerous allure of forbidden desires. Thora Grieve’s world has fallen apart following the sudden death of her husband, leaving her isolated and searching for meaning. When she takes up the opportunity to study botany under a renowned professor, her life takes an unexpected turn.

The novel’s heart lies in the haunting relationship between Thora and Olea, a mysterious woman tending to a secret garden. Their connection is intense and intoxicating, beautifully captured in Francesca May’s lyrical prose. The garden itself becomes a powerful symbol—of growth, decay, and the intoxicating pull of the unknown.

Thora’s descent into obsession, fueled by her desire to heal Olea, adds a compelling edge to the story. The novel expertly blends elements of gothic romance and psychological thriller, weaving themes of beauty, poison, and the price of freedom.

This Vicious Hunger is a beguiling read for those who appreciate slow-burning tension and complex emotional landscapes. It’s a story about the cost of desire and the lengths we will go to for connection—even if it means surrendering ourselves.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

This was such an incredible read. The mix of dark academia and hints of the supernatural. I adored the build of tension between Olea and Thora, it reminded me in a lot of places of Carmilla in the BEST way. The way Thora's hunger built and built at the same time was so well done. The lines of love, addiction, and hunger blurring so much for her.

I loved how it explored women in academia and the competition even between them. The ending has me dying to know what will happen next. Such an interesting take on the vampire genre.

A dark and gothic read with a mysterious and thrilling queer romance at it's heart. The atmosphere and intrigue have you turning pages like there's no tomorrow!

Thank you Netgalley for the Arc!

Doctrina est vita aeterna, learning is life eternal.

This Vicious Ginger follows Thora, an recently orphaned and widowed woman who, at the behest of her mother in law, was offered a place to study botany at St Elianto under the esteemed Dr Petaccia. Being a woman in academia is challenge enough, but the research that Dr Petaccia is involved with reveals its own challenges and mystery.

I enjoyed the first half of this book quite a lot. The academia vibes were pretty immaculate and the sapphic yearning was wonderful. I enjoy the language that May uses and how evocative it can be. The focus on poisons and most of the story taking place on the moonlight set a wonderful atmosphere as well.

However the pace ebbed and flowed a lot over the course of the book and certain parts became quite repetitive. I found that the repetition of some of Thora's inner monologue (around being both a woman and a widow) became quickly irritating and the tone of the book shifted greatly in the latter half. In honesty, I'm unsure if this is the first in a series but I was left wanting for more conclusion by the end of the book.

The romance was probably the highlight of the book for the most part, but became a little too focussed on the physical. Their discussions and disagreements felt like they could have been resolved or ended within half the time and didn't read as realistic.

4 🌟
A claustrophobic, dark Gothic tale with sapphic longing and horror vibes. Slow paced but deliberately so. Think Wuthering Heights, toxic relationships, yearning.

Story: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Spice 🌶️
Pacing: 3/5
Plot twists: 4/5

This story follows Thora struggling against society’s norms as a widow with no prospects. An unexpected invitation to study botany at the nearby university leads her down a path that will open her eyes to a dark and complex world of science, lies and passion.

I struggled with the pacing, but I knew this was necessary as it facilitated the feeling of closeness, isolation. It just wasn’t to my liking and it did frustrate me at times.
I’m used to stories that take place across whole words, but I enjoyed the challenge of being enveloped by a story that was set in only a handful of locations.

The mystery and intrigue kept me guessing and reading, I never really knew where the story was going. And I loved that chaotic energy, it felt like anything could happen and at times it did.

The ending genuinely made me flick back and forward to see if there was more, surely!?

I took a star off purely because I think the narrative ran into obscure at times, and some of the characters felt a little one dimensional. I think the author was really invested in developing specific character relationships and as a result some of the others fell flat.
But overall I really enjoyed it. A really interesting narrative and a compelling, if a little frustrating, story.

Thank you so much to the publisher, author and NetGalley for this ARC, all views and opinions are my own ✨

This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May is such a good story. I loved the experience of reading it and I couldn't be more grateful to have read this book. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can.

This is dark, atmospheric and intriguing read. It begins with a character and then the book delves deeper into darkness. Some things felt dreamy and some things felt like waking up after a nightmare. Filled with ritual, obsession, loss, and sapphic romance. When obsession and desire brims over the edge, they lead to secrets, longing, truth, magic, and perils.

Thanks to the Publisher

The Vicious Hunger by Francesca May is a dark gothic fantasy of sapphic obsession, poisonous love and hunger for knowledge.

This story accomplished gothic aesthetic very well and I enjoyed the features of lust, hunger and ambition. The exploration of obsession is the story's strongest element. The poisonous plants and botany were also excellent, I just wish there was more of it.

The prose was lovely, evocative and captivating, but the pacing throughout the book was off. The book starts off REALLY SLOW, with us readers being introduced to the main character Thora, who had just finished her 13 days of mourning for her dead husband.
The book begins with Thora's earliest memories and experiences with death/mourning rituals. Throughout the first half of the book, she continues to recollect these past memories. To a reader, this would suggest a partial worldbuilding around that area, but by the end of the book, it never really amounted to anything. On top of that, the university, the botany lectures, a character name Leo who she befriends, all felt like filler in this story. The plot begins to get interesting halfway through the book when Thora and Olea begin to interact with each other, but then the pacing begins to slow down again. I was under the impression that this book was a standalone, so imagine my surprise by that abrupt ending.

I am all up for sapphic intoxication and forbidden romance, but Thora's descent into hunger and obsession happens way too quickly, and it completely robbed her of the potential character development. I had no interest in Thora by the end of the book.
I wanted to love this book, I really did, but unfortunately it was not entirely it for me.

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group and Netgalley for this ARC.

This Vicious Hunger by Francesca May is a dark, gothic fantasy about obsession, beauty, and the cost of chasing knowledge. Thora Grieve, left destitute after her husband’s sudden death, seizes a chance to study botany and becomes captivated by Olea, a mysterious woman who tends to a garden outside her window. As their relationship intensifies, Thora spirals into obsession, driven by a desire to cure Olea’s ailment.

The atmosphere is haunting and immersive, pulling you deep into a world of strange plants and creeping dread. The first half of the book moves slowly, and I almost put it down, but the second half really picks up and makes the journey worth it. Thora’s character development is solid, but Olea felt a bit underdeveloped at times. I wanted more depth from her.

The story’s exploration of obsession is its strongest point. May captures the consuming nature of desire and how it can cloud judgment, leaving you questioning what’s worth the cost. If you’re into dark fantasy with a touch of romance and madness, this is a read you’ll want to stick with.

'This Vicious Hunger' is a darkly gothic, romantic, suspenseful, visceral tale of obsession and love, dangerous ambition, dark secrets, female oppression, and poisonous plants! *phew* This book certainly packs it in!
I was gripped by Francesca May's dark, delicious prose from page one. Thora is a young woman who achieves her dream of becoming a scholar of botany at a prestigious university. She begins working for a reclusive and rather sinister Doctor, a fellow woman, but one whom Thora soon discovers is more dangerous than any of her male rivals. When Thora discovers a hidden, secret garden of deadly plants on campus, and a woman called Olea who is trapped within its walls, the danger turns lethal, Thora must question all she holds precious, and risk her life, if she hopes to save herself, and the woman she has come to love.

In This Vicious Hunger, Francesca May offers readers a darkly intoxicating tale of obsession, desire, and the perilous beauty of forbidden knowledge.

Thora Grieve, daughter of a mortician and a woman long denied the hallowed halls of academia, finds herself at a crossroads after the untimely deaths of both her father and husband. Fate intervenes when a family friend extends an invitation to study botany under her guidance at the university—a seemingly golden opportunity that soon reveals a far more dangerous allure.

Drawn into the dark, seductive world of poisonous flora, Thora becomes ensnared not only by the mysteries of her mentor’s groundbreaking experiments but also by the enigmatic and captivating Olea. As the tendrils of obsession wind ever tighter around her heart, Thora descends into a fevered intoxication from which there may be no escape.

..: A Blend of Shadows and Scented Poison :..
From the very first page, I was utterly entranced. The prologue’s sumptuous prose and haunting depiction of death rites left me breathless, eager to tumble headlong into the shadowed corridors of May’s imagination.

This novel shines most brilliantly when it embraces its gothic roots, and three elements stand as shining (or perhaps shadowed) examples:
- The Setting: From sepulchral chambers heavy with incense to a midnight garden blooming with poisonous beauty, every location is rendered in prose as rich and heady as the scent of oleander on a summer’s night. The settings took my breath away, each scene a darkened painting brought vividly to life.
- Thora’s Descent into Obsession: In true gothic tradition, Thora’s pursuit of both knowledge and forbidden romance spirals into near-madness. Her hunger—both literal and metaphorical—is exquisitely portrayed, her withdrawal from her “fix” of botanical intoxication as raw and desperate as that of an addict. These moments are described with aching beauty, a slow unraveling of sanity drenched in longing.
- Toxic Relationships: Every bond Thora forms is steeped in poison. A life spent in isolation has left her ill-equipped for healthy connections, and her yearning for belonging manifests in relationships as beautiful and deadly as the plants she studies. This thread of hunger—be it for love, knowledge, or freedom—runs through the novel like the poison in our veins, gleaming and dangerous.

Francesca May clearly knows her gothic canon. Echoes of Rappaccini’s Daughter (the most obvious inspiration, with its deadly garden), Carmilla, and even Frankenstein whisper through the pages, but never so loudly as to feel derivative. Instead, May offers a refined, sapphic reimagining of the genre, steeped in poisonous blooms and the bittersweet ache of forbidden desire.

..: The Bitter Draught :..
Yet, for all its beauty, This Vicious Hunger is not without its flaws. Where it revels in atmosphere and longing, it stumbles in other, equally important areas:
- Underdeveloped Characters: While Thora begins as a fascinating and layered protagonist, her rapid descent into primal obsession robs her of growth. For much of the novel, she feels trapped in a single emotional state, and I longed for a deeper connection to her evolving thoughts and inner conflicts.
- A World Half-Glimpsed: It is clear May has done painstaking research—particularly in her richly detailed death rites and botanical lore—but I yearned for the curtain to be drawn back further. The wider world remains tantalizingly out of reach, leaving the novel feeling, at times, frustratingly narrow in scope.
- Uneven Pacing: Thora’s fall into obsession happens almost too quickly, and just as the plot seems poised to crescendo into madness and liberation, the story draws to a sudden, jarring close. A more deliberate pacing—allowing the tension to rise slowly and inexorably—would have better served the novel’s gothic ambitions.

..: A Lingering Taste of Beauty and Ruin :..
Despite these missteps, I remain deeply impressed by Francesca May’s ability to craft a lush, venomous world and a protagonist who aches with longing—both for knowledge and for a life beyond society’s cruel confines. Fans of Kat Dunn, Johanna van Veen, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and the gothic classics (Rappaccini’s Daughter, Carmilla) will find much to savor here. That is why I'm rating this 3,75 stars rounded up to 4.

This Vicious Hunger is a seductive, haunting tale—a heady draught of beauty and poison that lingers long after the final page is turned.

..: Full Disclaimer :..
I received an Advance Reader Copy of This Vicious Hunger from Orbit via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks to Orbit for their trust. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Hm. Mixed feelings.

This book starts out really slow, with Thora, our main character, fresh out of mourning for her dead husband (whom she didn't really love. or even like, tbh). The mourning rituals that start the book suggest an amount of worldbuilding that never really comes to anything, a gun with a big-ass "CHEKOV" written on it that never does go off. Anyway, the death of her husband provides a catalyst for Thora to go to university and study botany, in a plot point that really doesn't make sense to me (as in, how did "husband dying" equal "go to uni, where women are barely allowed to be"). Her mentor is this lady I can never remember the name of, despite having read it hundreds of times during the course of this novel. Obviously, it is immediately clear to even ME, the stupidest of readers, that the professor is the big bad evil guy. Or girl, I guess.

The beginning of this book is extremely boring. Thora goes to endless botany lectures and makes friends with a guy named Leo, who seems to be put into the story to basically show how uninterested Thora is in men. Of course, we receive our needed dose of misogyny at this university, which apparently even permeates the botany students, because boys will be boys and all. I mean, I guess? It just felt really clumsy. As in, the author seemingly only included these scenes to show how different Thora is from literally. every. other. woman. She is so special! She likes LEARNING, and she is a WOMAN??? MIND BLOWN.
I admit I zoned out during the whole botany stuff. I am notorious in my family for having the exact opposite of a green thumb, and plants never did interest me. But still, the amount of latin plant names was excessive.

After some time, Thora meets Olea, who tends to a garden of poisonous and rare plants. At first, she only wants to go into the garden, but then ... she wants Olea, too! PLOT TWIST (not really.)

The relationship between Thora and Olea was really strange. Maybe because they only talk through a gate, or because Olea never had contact with the real world outside of her strange garden, or maybe it's because Thora has no personality at all except being a woman scholar. Olea is a really strange character, and this is where the book started getting good for me. I wanted to figure out what was going on with her. I didn't give a damn about Thora, and I still don't, because she really is such a blank slate before. It's only when she meets Olea and starts trying to find a cure for Olea's curse, that she becomes stranger. She's still rude as fuck to everyone, but her character makes a big shift towards what I like to call the Hungry Woman stereotype. Essentially, all main characters in novels like these are the same and undergo the same transformation. First, they're normal, and then something happens that makes them capital-H Hungry, culminating in either literal or symbolic cannibalism. At this point, I feel almost tired of this type of character development. It was fun during the first few times I read it, but by now, it's lost its appeal. This Vicious Hunger brings nothing new to the table (wait, that was unintentional, I swear), except maybe the botany angle. I was so eager to get to the bottom of the mystery that when I found it out, I went like "wait, that's it?" Yes, that was indeed it. And it's a shame.

One thing this book does well is the ... well, the vibes. I'd say athmosphere, but that's not really the word - it's vibes, it brings amazing vibes. A lush, poisonous garden paradise. The moonlit maiden tending to her plants, and the plants caring for her in return and protecting her from those who mean to harm her. The evil professor, tenderly stroking a sentient vine. The crazed couple lusting for human blood, surrounded only by plants, forced to eat those to still the ravenous hunger and desire for blood and flesh (which is a weird description, but it's a "good" vibe - I just can't find the words to adequately describe it). This was the best part. I could basically smell those plants, even though they would have killed me instantly.

In the end, I just wish the plot had risen to the level of those vibes, or that this book has done something ... new.