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A review by pewterwolf
Hungerstone by Kat Dunn
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
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…
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…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Confinement, Infertility, Vomit
Minor: Miscarriage