Hungerstone is a sumptuous gothic feast of a novel. Leonore is unhappily married to a steel magnate and channeling her frustration into being the perfect wife and hostess. When her husband buys a crumbling gothic pile near Sheffield, she welcomes the challenge of making it suitable for entertaining. But when the couple rescue the mysterious Carmilla and are obliged to host her until she recovers, the strange woman threatens to awaken resentments - and desires - that Leonore has long repressed.

I absolutely inhaled this beautifully gothic sapphic horror novel. I was captivated by Leonore and felt that she was a fully realised character with a distinct and memorable voice. Although I was originally drawn to the book because it was a Carmilla retelling, I found Leonore (who is an original character) more compelling. I've seen other reviewers comment that they didn't buy the chemistry between Carmilla and Leonore. Personally, I didn't experience Hungerstone as a love story, so much as an emancipation story. Carmilla was a kind of catalyst: a creature of want and hunger who was drawn to Leonore's repressed desire and half guiding half forcing her to bring them to the surface.

I also thought Hungerstone was the best feminist retelling I've read in that it explicitly gave agency and complexity to all the significant female characters, including the ones who were rivals to the protagonist. While Leonore's situation was probably not recognisable to the majority of modern women, her frustrations were relatable. Her story also showed the pressures on her as an upper class woman and the ways that wives exercised soft power in the social sphere to facilitate their husbands careers.

My main criticism isn't of the book itself but of its marketing: I would consider Hungerstone to be more inspired by Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla than a true retelling. Although the original premise is the same (a woman takes in a mysterious young woman named Carmilla after she is injured in a carriage accident) there are also significant differences: Lenore is a jaded woman in an unhappy marriage, unlike the teenage ingenue Laura; and Hungerstone's Carmilla does not so much cause the horror in the novel as reveal what is already there. I don't think this is a criticism of the book (adaptations can be too faithful: I don't want to essentially read the same book twice.) Hungerstone is similar to the Netflix adaptation of Haunting of Hill House: a good story that can stand on its own merits but unlikely to satisfy book purists.

Overall, Hungerstone was easily my favourite NetGalley read and perhaps my favourite read of 2024. Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Books Uk/Manilla Press for the ARC.

I loved the gothic world setting. It’s clear the amount of research has gone into every aspect of this book. However, for me personally, the pacing was too slow for me to full appreciate everything and I definitely struggled a little bit with Hungerstone. I did keep coming back to it over the past few months but I just unfortunately don’t think this one is for me.

I did enjoy Hungerstone, I just didn’t love it. I would recommend it to anyone who is a more avid reader of historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley, Manilla Press and author Kat Dunn for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hungerstone is an amazing take on the sapphic vampire tale carmilla, full of female rage - outrageous for its setting in the 1800’s.

From the scandals that may be outspoken women ahead of their time, to impropriety within marriage this book is full of drama from start to finish. For the most part it follows our lead character Lenore who is married to a businessman named Henry. Coming from broke aristocracy, lenores marriage to Henry was somewhat business in itself - to allow her a healthy life with money and for her name/ aristocratic background to bolster his reputation.

Heartbreakingly, Lenore’s inability to bear child is a large focus within this book and is a main factor in a rift that forms between her and Henrys marriage. When moving to their new residence by Sheffield they come across a crashed carriage , which is how they come to meet carmilla who comes to join them at their new property to recover from the wreckage they found her amongst.

Carmilla to me felt like a voice of reason, there to help Lenore uncover what she may have been too distracted to have seen before, both the hunger within and the treachery and lies she had been willingly complacent to through her own ignorance.

Overall, although it took me a while to get through I did truly love this book, from its gore and brutality, to the mystery of the underlying murderous subplots that poison this book I was engaged from start to finish as although it had the sapphic yearning that comes with most carmilla interpretations it took on its own life for the storyline as a whole.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing the PRIVILEGE of receiving this ARC for an honest review.

This book was perfect and I adored it.
I loved Bitterthorn so came into this with good expectations, but Hungerstone truly exceeding them. Kat Dunn, you are a wonder with words and I could feel how personal this was.

Some of my favourite quotes from the book:
"I have fought for this life when I could have so easily drowned beneath the waters of my misfortune. No one has loved me for so many a long year, I have done it all from spite. If the world offers me no kindness, then I will take from it armour and sword, create an unassailable fortress for myself and lock the door."

"I am not safe if I obey and reduce and control, just as I am not safe if I rebel and shout and anger."

"To be a woman is a horror I can little comprehend"

I was already sold when I saw that this book was a retelling/reimagining of Carmilla. What a classic.
Kat Dunn has given me Carmilla and more. The female rage was dripping from the pages: Lenore's need to shape herself into whatever is deemed appropriate, to curtsey, agree and be hospitable no matter the situation and the awakening of her to be her own person. And more importantly, to have vengeance.

This book was so beautifully done. It was dark, tense and dripping with desire. I was captivated by Carmilla, and the later by her and Lenore's relationship. Her acceptance of Lenore for who she was, not what the world and her husband were forcing her to be.

I cannot recommend this book enough. An actual masterpiece

This is a wonderful work of historical literary fiction that explores so many fascinating themes; the setting was magically moody and the characters were really interesting. It's not the easiest read but it's a brilliant book and touches on madness, relationships and solitude really well.

It's been a couple of years since I read Carmilla so I went into this book mostly blind and I was hooked from the first page. This book was atmospheric and gothic and so well written. All the characters were three-dimensional and fully fleshed out which I haven't read from a book in a while. There were twists and turns some I expected and some I didn't. The only thing I wished there was more of were scenes of Carmilla, while she was a fantastic character I don't think we saw enough of her especially towards the end of the book.

I think I’m going to love anything Kat Dunn writes, she’s an amazing author. I loved that the book is a reworking of Camilla. I loved the characters and development of the story. Kat Dunn is quickly becoming an author I will read any books by, no questions asked.

The build up in this novel was really satisfying, and many boxes were ticked in the list of things I like about period novels. Firstly, I was really into how Kat showed us the details of the class system at the time through Lenore and her household. She was totally fixated on presenting the perfect impression, obsessing about minor details in order to keep her (and more importantly her husbands) elevated status in society. The obsession with clothes and fashions of all kinds, from what to eat, to the carriage types and hat styles, who is allowed to sit next to who at dinner and so on . Lenore's daily life is running a large household, and by her own admission running it well. But she doesn't know anything about any of her staff, and doesn't care to either, she is totally isolated. The isolation is even more stark as we gradually learn about the state of her marriage, her family history and her facade of a friendship with Cora.

The second thing I loved, were the impeccable gothic vibes. The grand, rotting stately home in the moors. The moors themselves, which are haunting and vast and creepy. The mysterious dreams and ofc, Carmilla herself! I loved every interaction between Carmilla and Lenore, though it took me a while to realise that Carmilla was a mirror for Lenore's true feelings about her life.

The build up between both Lenore and Carmilla and Lenore and her life was gradual but excellent, the tension built up and exploded in a really satisfying manner in the last 30% or so of the book. I just wish overall, there had been more vampire extra curricular activities, especially when Carmilla took Lenore out for her little night -trip.

The secondary characters were a little hollow and flat, but because I liked Lenore so much I found myself hating Cora too. <spoiler> I still think she slept with him though , really who gives diamonds out casually like that</spoiler>

Thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier books UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I jumped at the chance to read this — a reimagining of the sapphic vampire classic Carmilla, set in Victorian England about a woman unhappily married to a steel magnate. And it did not disappoint! This succeeds in maintaining the gothic tension of the original story while fleshing it out beautifully and creating an original plot. It’s such an atmospheric book, creating a wonderfully evocative setting. The sense of dread, the repulsion and the attraction between the main character Lenore and Carmilla is so well-drawn. I loved this.

I was initially hesitant about how well I would receive a Carmilla reimagining but Dunn took the fiery Carmilla and made her much more than a vampire, transforming the affliction into a fiery and inexplicable sense of internal and domestic revolution. Set against the Industrial Revolution with the aristocracy in the end of its prevalence to make way for new money, Lenore, an orphaned and penniless aristocrat marries Henry a money hungry capitalist. Carmilla becomes an enigma to self discovery, independence, and female rage. I love what Dunn did with this reimagining.

I was blown away. My previous exposure to Carmilla was limited to the YouTube series from the 2010s and let me tell you… this was as far removed from that as possible. What an atmospheric, entrancing read! To write hunger and vampires in this way, so beautifully connected with the gruesome horrors and limitations of womanhood (in the late 1800s or today you choose!)… I am at a loss for words! Incredible.

Hungerstone is a seductive, gothic retelling of Carmilla set during the industrial revolution. The book centres on Lenore, a suffocated society wife and, following a carriage accident, Carmilla, the mysterious, enticing stranger she takes under her wing. The story begins when Lenore is given the task by her husband of renovating their crumbling family manor in the countryside, and preparing for an upcoming hunting party. However, strange occurrences in and about the house begin to make Lenore question if she is truly satisfied with her life, and if she will every satisfy her hunger for more. The book gives focus to the mundanity of the life of a woman who only serves to make herself small in the role that’s been assigned to her. This contrasts to the vivid moments of goriness as hunger prevails. The author succeeds in fully embracing the gothic, both in atmosphere and prose, and creating a story that explores themes of female oppression, the insatiable nature of rage, and what it means to finally give into desire. Hungerstone is a book you can sink your teeth into. I devoured it and my appetite was satisfied. Truly a book for hungry girls.

*Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review*

I had high hopes for this book, especially given its intriguing premise, but ultimately this didn’t quite deliver. While the historical setting and atmosphere are well done, I found it hard to connect with the story. Lenore’s motivations often felt unclear, and the pacing felt slow, making it difficult to stay engaged. The plot had potential but subsequently missed the mark for me and I was left wanting more surrounding Carmilla and her mysterious ways.

In the end, Hungerstone has some interesting moments and rich descriptions but the ending felt rushed and didn’t fully come together in a satisfying way.

As a result, I don’t think this book was for me but I would recommend it to those looking for a well researched, historically set novel with a melcancolic atmosphere.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

I thought this was a really interesting spin on a "vampire" retelling - it's been a long time since I read Carmilla so I don't recall how explicit the vampirism was in it but this book really intrigued me in how much it felt less paranormal and more psychological in the development of the protagonist and the story. Leonore's character development in the book is its focal point, and in many ways this book felt closer to Maggie O'Farrell's The Marriage Portrait than Dracula - it's primarily about a woman stifled by her position all her life finding autonomy. That being said, I really enjoyed it - I thought it worked and was very invested in Leonore's journey. I found the plot satisfying without becoming too predictable. I would have liked more of Carmilla - there's very little of who she is in this book and it made her feel a bit two-dimensional which made me less invested in the relationship between her and Leonore. Some lovely prose and the pacing worked for me too. A very solid 4 and a bit stars.

"Perhaps I am not the ghost I thought myself. Perhaps I have always had substance. If, then, I am allowed a story, perhaps I can become the author of it."

This is a Carmilla retelling with its own pulse.

We follow Lenore and Henry as they travel from London to The Peak District to host a hunting party in Henry's countryside estate- Nethershaw. While travelling they come across an overturned carriage, here we meet Carmilla whom Lenore and Henry bring back to Nethershaw to recover from her injuries.

Lenore spends her time preparing the house for the shooting party, while Henry is busy working at his steel factory. Over time we see how Carmilla's presence influences Lenore and she begins to question the sincerity of those around her, and her own thoughts and beliefs.

Everything in this book is perfectly crafted to create a hungry, gnarly, Sapphic retelling which will keep you hooked from start to finish. The characters are beautifully real and flawed, the surroundings are gothic and dark, and the storyline regenerates the story of Carmilla with its own generous sprinkle of female rage, revenge and cunning.

I absolutely adored this book, an easy 5 star, I did not want to put it down. Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and author for the e-ARC of this book.

“I am a woman woken from thirty years slumber, and I would eat the world should it satisfy this empty, keening void where my heart should be.”

Hungerstone was a fabulous way to end October! I absolutely loved this book and was barely able to put it down. Lenore Crowther is an absolutely fascinating character who you both admire and feel quite unnerved by. The backdrop of the Victorian period was truly perfect, alongside Dunn’s vivid descriptions— I appreciated the scene that made the title of this novel make perfect sense. I would have loved to have seen more of a vampire aspect to the novel, as it was a retelling of Carmilla, but I understand that the vampirism is merely a catalyst to the realisations Lenore has in the patriarchal nineteenth-century. If you enjoy feminist retelling that involves sapphics, blood and murder then you will enjoy this novel.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for an arc of Hungerstone in exchange for a review!

‘I do not need to contain my appetites. What is a monster but a creature of agency?’

There’s a lot to like with Hungerstone, I loved the direct parallels to Carmilla, as well as the older (30s) protagonist reckoning with how her life turned out. There’s an incredibly strong message throughout about embracing your desires and taking up space, unlearning the voices that tell you you’re not worthy of what you need and what you want.

It fell a bit flat for me because this messaging often felt way too on the nose. The voice of Carmilla came across like an affirmations podcast for people raised by narcissists. Like I can just picture her wriggling out from under the sofa, saying ‘you accept the love you think you deserve’ and then vanishing into the shadows lmao.

Lenore’s internal monologue is also super self-aware of why she behaves how she does and how her upbringing makes her put everyone else's needs before her own. Again it’s a super therapised narration. Like I don’t think people in that position actively think thoughts like ‘I deserve this because I am a bad person’, I imagine it’s a lot more subconscious? Again, it’s just too on the nose.

I appreciated how Lenore wasn’t a flawless character, we get to see her make some questionable decisions as she comes into herself which make the narrative less black and white.

I was also intrigued by the ‘hunger’ element, though I don’t feel like I fully understood it.

Unfortunately, this is also another ‘feminist’ retelling where the protagonist has less agency than the original character. Laura was fully a victim in Carmilla, but she had a doting father who cared about her wellbeing and she was able to ask for what she wanted/needed. I appreciate this is a different story, but I’m just a bit fed up with feminist retelling's main message being ‘look how hard it was to be a woman bc of misogyny, look at all this woman has suffered and overcome’ like it just doesn’t feel that compelling to me anymore, especially when the original stories are often already interesting and complex.

I do think this will appeal to a lot of people so I recommend it if it sounds compelling to you, but unfortunately just fell a bit flat to me.

4.5 ⭐ rounded up

I liked the imaginative verve with which the author, Kat Dunn, wove together paranormal elements and gothic Grand Guignol with the grittiness of the Industrial Revolution in the North of England. The writing is visceral and propulsive. I also thought the ending was great - it felt just right for the story. If I have a minor criticism, it's that I would have liked to have felt more emotionally invested - the story itself was emotional, but sometimes I felt on the outside looking in, if that makes sense.

The author's note was interesting, especially the list of classic novels which informed and inspired Hungerstone. I have to admit that I haven't read all of these - fans of 19th century literature will appreciate layers and references which passed me by. The book is a gripping read though, either way.

Both the covers are fabulous. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.

This is a story mostly about mental health abuse and trauma 

The beginning of the book is slow, and it took me a bit to get into it. And even though I was engaged enough to continue reading and not DNF it, I wasn't especially excited to come back to it every day. 


There is no chemistry between our two main characters. The romance comes from nothing, and the sex scenes seem random and have no meaning 

The story has no resolution. It just ends, and none of the questions get answered. Only the main character is deep and developed. The rest are plain with no depth to them. So despite being interesting to read all about our main character thoughts and the descent (or ascent) of her mental health, the book was mostly meh for me and I don't think I will remember much of it after I finish writing this review.

As it is, and even though I didn't hate it, I also can't really find good things to say about it other than, it is not terrible, and I know many people will enjoy it. I just wasn't one of them 

The themes of this book can be upsetting for many people, so check trigger warnings if you delecide to read it

Hungerstone follows Lenore who is married to Henry. He is a steel magnate and has ambitions which take them from London to the Nethershaw estate. Lenore and Henry don’t have the best relationship as no children have arrived after ten years. The couple end up meeting Carmilla who is pale in the day but vibrant at night. Lenore becomes torn between Henry and Carmilla and she will soon discover a terrible darkness.

This was okay but nothing special in the vampire genre. This was much more about Lenore’s journey discovering who she is away from Henry than anything else. It’s about her discovering she’s more than a wife or potential mother. It was okay but not to my taste.