Hungerstone

By: Kat Dunn

Narrated by: Perdita Weeks

A Rolling Stone 10 Most Anticipated Books of the Year • A Town & Country Must Read Book of the Winter • A Goodreads Readers’ Most Anticipated Horror Novel of the Year • A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of the Year • A Book Riot Most Anticipated Book of the Year • A Them 10 Most Anticipated Books of the Year • A Polygon Most Exciting Fantasy Book of the Year • A Scary Mommy 11 Most Anticipated Books of the Year

A compulsive feminist reworking of Carmilla, the queer novella that inspired Dracula.

“Hungerstone is a delicious tribute to the inherent horrors of womanhood and the desperate and exquisite vulgarity of desire. This is everything I dream of in a novel.” Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth

It’s the height of the industrial revolution and ten years into Lenore’s marriage to steel magnate Henry, their relationship has soured. When Henry’s ambitions take them from London to the remote British moorlands to host a hunting party, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into their lives. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night. Carmilla, who stirs up something deep within Lenore. And before long, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger . . .

As the day of the hunt draws closer, Lenore begins to unravel, questioning the role she has been playing all these years. Torn between regaining her husband’s affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, soon Lenore will uncover a darkness in her household that will place her at terrible risk.

©2025 Kat Dunn (P)2025 Zando, LLC

I love when women

Superb storytelling and atmosphere all around! I was hooked all the way through to the end.

Layered story about so much more than vampires.

I loved how this story honed in on the struggles women have to truly express their wants. Bravo. Kat Dunn is an automatic purchase author for me now.

Loved it

Great writing, & a good unique story. If you like historical 'horror,' (it's not necessarily scary) with a whisper of magical realism you'll enjoy it

Beautiful

Quite a lovely story of hunger and women. I loved the raw emotion of the narrator.

writing style

this book was a true nod to Carmilla and I absolutely fell in love with the main protagonist

ICONIC & DELICIOUS CARMILLA REVAMP

As a goth girl who grew up reading lots of Victorian gothics and classics, I am always on the hunt for modern fiction that replicates that time period with accuracy and retrospective raw horror appropriate to the time period/world as built in the story instead of a lot of the half-assed anachronistic Victorian/Regency mishmash romance fiction that breaks the historical setting by shoving in poorly implemented modern feminist takes, and this baby did not disappoint!!! This is the kind of book I picture when people say they want to do a modern feminist re-telling of a classic— PURE EXCELLENCE, thank you Dunn 💕💕🥰💕💕 This is a deliciously miserable ride through MC Lenore’s tragic and pain-filled life, which finally begins to take a better turn after meeting Carmilla, although it takes a while to see why anything is getting better as her current life falls to pieces. The suspense, horror, self-actualization, and sapphic sensuality of this book was just what I’ve been craving. And I’ve been so terribly hungry…

Blood and Hunger

A slow and brooding tale of the ways women train ourselves to be calm and controlled, to not take up space, to reject our own desires to support those of the other people in our lives, and of what happens when the resentment and outrage from being taken for granted our entire lives finally comes to a head… oh and I guess there’s a vampire, too.

Yes!

Such a rewarding read. The characters are believable and intriguing. I love it more than the original.

Well written, captivating

I chose this novel because I am a huge fan of the narrator Perdita Weeks. But I loved Lenore’s journey of self-awareness. As the story unravels it’s was hard to put the book down!

Mesmerizing

Wow, this was incredible!!! The story was so vivid and the author really brought all the characters to life. There was so much depth to each person and the story expanded far beyond the horrors of the vampire tale packaged in the center. Really brilliant overall and fantastic narration. I couldn’t put this one down!