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A review by kaitie_reads
Hungerstone by Kat Dunn
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
🩸 Female Rage & Retribution
🤍 Slow Burn Sapphic Romance
🩸 Carmilla Retelling/Reworking
🤍 Atmospheric + Horror Vibes
🩸 Victorian Setting
This is a book that you can really sink your teeth into.
If, like me, you hunger for female rage and retribution, this book delivers. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I put it down, and (it feels early to say this BUT) I think it will be a top contender for my favourite reads of 2025.
Now, I actually haven't read Carmilla, and the vampire *thing* played a more minor role than I had anticipated, but I think that this feminist and queer reworking was brilliant.
This book is going to speak to the people-pleasers of the world, and it will speak to the women who feel like they've had to reduce themselves to fill a role. It will speak to the women who have ever felt like they're playing a part because they feel that who they are at the core isn't worthy of being loved.
I could go on. I could describe the poetic prose. I could talk about the perfectly built atmospheric setting. I could tell you about the slow-burn romantic tension and the perfectly structured yearning between Lenore (FMC) and Carmilla. I could reminisce about the horror elements and mysteries intertwined with the story itself. I could rave about all of the metaphors used therein. I could probably write a novel about this book if I tried... but I think that you should just read it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Zando for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
🤍 Slow Burn Sapphic Romance
🩸 Carmilla Retelling/Reworking
🤍 Atmospheric + Horror Vibes
🩸 Victorian Setting
This is a book that you can really sink your teeth into.
If, like me, you hunger for female rage and retribution, this book delivers. I haven't stopped thinking about it since I put it down, and (it feels early to say this BUT) I think it will be a top contender for my favourite reads of 2025.
Now, I actually haven't read Carmilla, and the vampire *thing* played a more minor role than I had anticipated, but I think that this feminist and queer reworking was brilliant.
This book is going to speak to the people-pleasers of the world, and it will speak to the women who feel like they've had to reduce themselves to fill a role. It will speak to the women who have ever felt like they're playing a part because they feel that who they are at the core isn't worthy of being loved.
I could go on. I could describe the poetic prose. I could talk about the perfectly built atmospheric setting. I could tell you about the slow-burn romantic tension and the perfectly structured yearning between Lenore (FMC) and Carmilla. I could reminisce about the horror elements and mysteries intertwined with the story itself. I could rave about all of the metaphors used therein. I could probably write a novel about this book if I tried... but I think that you should just read it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Zando for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.