A review by minimicropup
Hungerstone by Kat Dunn

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this, especially the audio. If you like quiet horror, introspective psychological suspense, or have ever felt trapped or taken advantage of, check this out. Just know that the vampire elements are subtle.  
 
Energy: Persevering. Charged. Haunting. 
 
🐩 Tail Wags: The audio narration. The atmosphere. The subtle dread. Exploring Lenora’s internal struggles, childhood trauma, shaky relationship, and how she gradually realizes who she is and what she’s capable of. The slow but natural pacing (especially for the romantic elements). Beautiful, meaningful writing with lines that hit. The thoughtful exploration of trauma and abuse. 
 
Scene: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Sheffield and the Peak District, England
Perspective: Our main character is in their 30s, without children, and in a strained marriage. They invest all their efforts into supporting their spouse’s business endeavours. After purchasing a rundown estate, our MC works tirelessly to restore it in time for a shooting party their spouse wants to host, while also caring for an injured stranger they met along the way and navigating an unexpected visit from a friend. 
Timeline: 1888. Linear. 
🔥 Fuel: Our main character’s backstory. How was she orphaned? Why is her husband being distant, snappy, and secretive? Who is Carmilla and where are her people? Why are the villagers nearby acting strangely? What does our main character hunger for? 
📖 Cred: Historical supernatural realism
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Kedgeree and strong tea. Metallic taste. Bristling moorland. Heather and gorse. Dark wood panelling. Tin of pastilles. Guts cramping. Coal smoke. Hunger. 
  • Tagging along, character kind of speaking to us and filling us in (first person). 
  • Cathartic, reflective, atmospheric writing style
  • Morally good, likeable, morally ambiguous, and villainous characters
  • Transactional relationship
  • My How The Tables Have Turned & good-for-her justice
  • Quiet psychological horror
  • Life and death poetic justice
  • Sapphic gamma hero romance
  • Estranged, loveless relationship
  • Rage against the selfish and self-absorbed
 
Content Heads-Up: Animal attack (dog). Animal death (chicken, hunting birds; brief on page). Blood (menstruation). Cannibalism (brief on page). Childless (wanting child). Gun violence. Infertility. Loss of parent (as preteen, orphaned). Murder. Narcissism, gaslighting. Patriarchy. Poisoning. Sexual content (on page, descriptive; “duty”; consenting; desire). Sexism (from spouse; internalized). Sleep paralysis. Toxic relationship. Vehicle crash (fatal; blood; descriptive). Vomit, diarrhea.
 
Rep: English. Cis. Lesbian. Hetero. Spilt cream, milk pale, ashen, pale, mottled, washed gray, pink, fair, and freckled skin tones. 
 
📚 Format: Audible + Library Digital
 
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