Everyone is talking about Hungerstone and the hype isn’t wrong. I love a deranged wee book, and this didn’t disappoint. Best to go into this book without even reading the blurb for a true wild ride.

This book was so good. Having not read Carmilla (though I really want to) I was coming to it with fresh eyes. I think it was nice not having anything to compare it to. Though it has made me really want to read the original, which I think is the mark of a good retelling to be honest.

I really liked the way Carmilla focused on Lenore’s wants, teaching her how to exist in the world for herself instead of for other people. I think it’s an important message of feminism for women to put their needs first and especially at the time you can see how girls would have been taught not to do that.

The horror elements were scattered through the book. It wasn’t a tense tale especially but it had little pieces of horror in it to remind you that this isn’t a Sapphic love story but a gothic horror that may not have a happy ending…

Overall, exactly my sort of book.

An eerie and atmospheric read that had me hooked! The writing is mesmerizing, the overall theme is horror and almost grotesque at times, Lenore was an absolutely magnetic main character

Mannered retelling of Carmilla
—
In 1888, Lady Lenore Crowther and her cold husband Henry arrive at their new Derbyshire estate, only to witness the rescue of a lone woman in white from an overturned carriage; but when Lenore finally meets the woman, Lenore is shocked to realise that the woman is the spitting image of one who came to her in a dream, a dream where she could not move even as the dream woman bit her on the neck…

Some historical novels wear their periods well, the language and the speech of the day part of their charm. Others, like this book, feel mannered, attempting to reach a naturalism, a nativism for the period but instead adding a distorting gloss to the characters, scenes and plot. This should, by all rights, be absolutely within my sights, but Leonore’s first person narration is too self-aware, the prose too writerly, the tone too knowing—nudge, nudge, wink, wink, I know something you don’t know. I was tired out by suspending my disbelief on this facet too, on top of suspending it in the act of reading and casting myself into the story. There have been some masterpieces of period gothic horror novels recently but this was, at most, a valiant attempt: three stars.

Backstory time. Book blogger pal Luna’s Little Library has been pestering me to read the vampire novella, Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu for YEARS! I’m not joking, YEARS! And though I wanted to, I’ve always held off or put it further down my reading list for a mix of reasons: vampire burnout, it’s a classic and I never feel smart enough to read classics, you get the idea. I think they’ve given up on me ever reading it.

Why is that important, I hear you ask? Well, this book is inspired by Carmilla. Look, Luna, I’m one step closer to actually reading/audiobooking it!

Anyway, my thoughts: I really, really liked this. Far more than I was expecting. I think it’s because I went into this thinking I was going to get a sapphic vampire story and while I got that, I also got a story of a woman unravelling, finding her empowerment and female rage.

I really liked the writing and, because I listened to the audiobook, I liked how it was read by Perdita Weeks.

I am going to admit there are one or two things I wasn’t a fan of. I found that there were certain words and phrases that were very repetitive and, after a period of time, it got irritating. How many times can the word “blood” be used in a paragraph where blood is nowhere near this scene is a good example.

Also, in the audiobook, there was no pause between present day events and Lenore’s history (the first time the timeline switched, it took me a good few moments to realise what was going on). I think in the book, the time difference would have been easier to stop but in the audiobook, not so much.

But I found this this slow burn gothic read really compelling, so much so I think this might be one of my top reads of 2025 (I will need to write a post at the end of year now, don’t I?). and yes I am planning to audiobook Carmilla in the near future. Maybe the Audible adaptation…

A Kat Dunn’s latest novel, Hungerstone, is a captivating reimagining of the classic vampire tale Carmilla, set against a richly atmospheric Victorian backdrop. The story follows Lenore, trapped in a loveless marriage, whose encounter with the enigmatic Carmilla awakens desires and a hunger for freedom she never knew she possessed. Dunn masterfully weaves themes of feminine rage and self-discovery, delivering a dark, seductive narrative that lingers long after the final page. Fans of gothic horror and sapphic romance will find Hungerstone an utterly compelling read. 

Kat Dunn's first foray into adult fiction takes us to Sheffield in 1888 with a Gothic horror novel inspired by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's 'Carmilla' - a sapphic vampire tale predating 'Dracula'.

I love Gothic fiction and I adore 'Carmilla', but I often struggle with historical fiction and as I expected, it took me a while to settle into 'Hungerstone' even though I loved the atmosphere and the writing. The historical trips me up without fail, until I got about halfway through the novel and everything takes a turn. The horror of this Gothic horror kicked in and I was IN.

Dunn's writing is absolutely spellbinding and her character work matches that. I'll be reading Kat Dunn's books again, historical fiction or not.

A full episode about 'Hungerstone' is coming soon on my podcast, The Dark Academicals!

This book! I want to yell from the rooftops about how much I loved this book. But since I don’t have any rooftops easily accessible to me, this review will have to do.

Are you looking for a gothic, lesbian, female rage/revenge story, with added vampires, lust, and horror? Well, you’re in the right place. If you’re not looking for those things? I don’t care, you should read it anyway. Seriously. Do yourself a favour and pick up this book.

I don’t want to delve too deeply into the story, as it unfurls so perfectly within the book, and I want you (yes, you) to read it. On the surface, it is a retelling of Carmilla, by Sheridan Le Fanu, but there is so much more to it, and you can tell that the author has drawn inspiration from many other gothic novels of that time, and created something that’s beautifully her own.

The setting of this book is perfect - a crumbling Manor House, sat in the moors on the outskirts of Sheffield, that Lady Lenore Crowther is tasked with fixing up before hosting her husbands hunting party, with only a fortnight to do so. He’s busy with his steel factory, and dodging journalists who are hounding him about reports that his factory is unsafe.

The story feels tense and coiled, much like Lenore herself is, fighting to keep the life that she has painstakingly carved out for herself, and the horror she feels when she starts to feel it slipping away. She’s in survival mode, and only starts to properly question things about her life when their strange, and sensual, guest, Carmilla (who they invited to stay with them, after coming across her in an overturned carriage) starts to push her to do so.

This book is so visceral in its imagery, and cloying in its story telling. Its splashes of horror, both from gory scenes and abusive men, leap from the page. The dusty, mold filled, house feels just as claustrophobic as the situation Lenore has found herself in, and you’re constantly rooting for to manage to break free, to escape from the confines of her life.

I thought the writing was beautiful and evocative and I could not get enough of it. Simply such a brilliant book. Get him, sister.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

3.5 (rounded up) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Bonnier Books and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book

This was a really interesting read, something different to other books being published right now.

The characterisation was really compelling. I wasn’t familiar with the book this is a retelling of, so I found it interesting to look into that further after having read the book.

Carmilla reborn!!

This was a deliciously dark gothic novel that provided an excellent commentary on womanhood. Dunn expertly used the story of Carmilla and made it her own. The use of female vampirism as a metaphor for female desire (in any kind) was genius and I simply cannot stop thinking about it.

The first person POV allowed the reader to see the shift in Lenore’s mindset as she came undone at the hands of Carmilla. It felt incredibly freeing to see this unfold as the story developed.

Dunn is a master of her craft and Hungerstone was a triumph.

A beautifully written reimagining of Carmilla which questions the nature of ‘hunger’ and need. If our needs are not met, do we try to meet them by satisfying – at least temporarily – other hungers? Lenore, having survived a traumatic accident, the loss of her parents and a loveless upbringing, has managed her life and the security of her situation carefully. The relationship between her and her steel magnate husband carefully unfolds until we see the full scope of it. Enter the rescued Carmilla, whose presence prompts Lenore to ask herself whether she wants more and just what she ha settled for. It examines the precarious position of women as owned and represented by their husbands, as well as offering a steamy sapphic romance. Really enjoyed this.

Hungerstone is a dark and addictive gothic tale from Dangerous Remedy author Kat Dunn. The story follows a woman named Lenore – married ten years to her husband Henry, their relationship has since become strained as they have been unable to produce a child. When Henry buys a crumbling mansion in a remote part of Sheffield, Lenore is tasked with bringing the house to life in time for the arrival of a hunting party. When Lenore and Henry stumble upon a carriage accident, they invite the young woman involved to stay with them, but Carmilla is not all she seems to be and when strange things begin happening in the house Lenore begins to wonder what they really know about their mysterious house guest.

This is my fifth book from Kat Dunn and given that I’ve given all her previous books five stars, I was very excited to dive into this one. I have to say I was completely captivated by this tale and I could not put it down. Dunn has a beautiful, vivid writing style and the descriptions of the wild countryside and the old house practically leaped off the page. Hungerstone is very much a book that sticks with you long after reading and I still find myself thinking about this book after finishing it several weeks ago.

All the characters in this story are keeping secrets and I loved seeing the different dynamics play out between Lenore, Henry, Carmilla and Clara. Dunn does an absolutely magnificent job of creating this tense, uneasy atmosphere and I really felt that tension build as the story progresses. This is a dark story full of feminist rage and it will completely suck you in. This is definitely going to be one of my favourite reads of 2025 and I can’t wait to see what Dunn does next. If you’re looking for a Carmilla retelling that will have you turning pages long into the night, Hungerstone is a book you absolutely do not want to miss.

I felt bone deep satisfaction after finishing this book. The setting was vividly drawn and Lenore is a fascinating heroine.

‘“Do you know what a hungerstone is?” [...] “In times of drought, there are stones that are only exposed when the river runs so low. People mark them so that next time, they will know when they are to starve. [...] It is a death marker.”

‘Hungerstone’ is not exactly the ‘thrillingly seductive Sapphic romance’ that the blurb promises. It’s a lyrical portrait of a woman’s inner conflicts, cravings, torments and distress. The author herself says that Lenore isn’t a good person (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6778277664), but what she is, is delicately rendered by Kat Dunn. The novel, as progeny of ‘Carmilla’, is also – of course – sopping with blood and butchery. The Sapphic relationship between the two women is rendered with subtlety, but this is definitely more Kiersten White than Casey McQuisten.

‘I have been dead for so many years.’

Dead as a wife, dead as a mother, dead as a woman: Lenore – set against a grotesque set of circumstances that are slowly revealed to have smothered her – blinks into life through Kat Dunn’s superlative use of first-person present-tense to articulate her perspective.

Through this, Dunn slyly (stealthily?) renders our heroine as monster. Sloughing off layers of naïveté, passivity; de-griming her of bashfulness, reservedness (‘I am endlessly crouched outside doors, squirming into corners, picking at scraps’), the author flaunts Lenore as a savage reclamation of The Monstrous Feminine, conferring agency through exposure to Carmilla:

‘What is a monster but a creature of agency?’

We can read all of Barbara Creed’s ‘faces’ of The Monstrous Feminine in the bloodlusty duo of Lenore and Carmilla. Dunn gives us a particularly sophisticated portrayal of the effect of motherlessness when considering Lenore as the ‘monstrous womb’ (‘So much acute loneliness; so much want, starvation’). Like chemistry, Carmilla’s the reactant that collides with Lenore’s old life and causes it to be consumed:

‘It was not until Carmilla came that I could see clearly.’

It seems an odd thing to say that the most striking thing about a novel is its pacing; it sounds as though you didn’t enjoy the book and are grappling for something good to say about it. But that’s not the case. The pacing in ‘Hungerstone’ is precisely what makes all the other elements thrum and purr and throb; it’s the base upon which all other techniques rest.
And it’s the platform for Dunn’s glorious first-person present-tense voice as Lenore:

‘I will starve myself no longer.’

We get less of Carmilla’s character and her origins as a consequence of using this voice (in comparison with le Fanu), but – for me – the justification is that the reader resides inside Lenore’s intellect and senses, in a manner not dissimilar to ‘Briefly, a Delicious Life’ by Nell Stevens. Ultimately, the gratification in Dunn’s reweaving of the narrative is that we the readers unravel with Lenore:

‘I grieve so deeply for myself.’

This was a female rage narrative done brilliantly well. I absolutely loved this reimagining (because I’m reluctant to call it a retelling - there are some similarities but Hungerstone is quite different) of the classic gothic tale ‘Carmilla’. Hungerstone is a vampire novel where the vampires aren’t actually really quite there - Carmilla has this otherworldly, sinister presence within the novel but she’s never called a vampire or really takes centre stage - instead the novel focuses on Lenore’s steadily building and consuming anger and it is so well done I wish I could go back and read it again.

A beautiful, sapphic Carmilla retelling. This book ticked every box of what I enjoy about this genre. I would highly recommend this to fans of A Dowry of Blood and An Education In Malice.

IT STARTS WITH BLOOD.

A sapphic Carmilla retelling that will leave you hungry for more (bisexuals will have panic attacks) or completely full. Set in the Peak District, the Moors themselves became a character. I loved the brief yet compelling descriptions of Sheffield that made me nostalgic for my young years spent in Yorkshire.
Desire and female rage are core themes of the book, as well as female autonomy, claustrophobia within the traditional heteronormative marriage and class injustice. It was disturbingly eerie.

WHAT IS A MONSTER BUT A CREATURE OF AGENCY?

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

As somebody who loved getting introduced to Carmilla years ago, this actually landed really well for me. The darkness that starts to come out in Lenore is executed with such a great build. She's a woman who's trapped in a bad marriage and meets the mysterious Carmilla at just the right (or wrong) time. It does gothic horror justice. We have the big house full of mystery and multiple women and a husband who are keeping secrets. Really enjoyed this, I think it'll work for people who like the gothic horror world.

What an absolutely GORGEOUS book. Quick disclaimer - I’m not a huge vampire reader - but when it’s a reimagining of a classic, when it’s gothic and sumptuous and sapphic, AND when it’s written by Kat Dunn, I am seated. Needless to say, Hungerstone didn’t disappoint. The themes around repression and hunger were visceral on every page, alongside the tense obsession and the subtle sapphic romance. I may absolutely loved it.

Rage-filled lesbian vampires inspired by the story of Carmilla (and absolute favourite of mine).

What more do you need?

This is the first time reading Dunn's work and I will definitely be on the look out for the future