Hungerstone has been on my TBR for ages now! I recently got a physical copy and decided to take the dive! And this Gothic fantasy is such a fun experience to read! Keep reading this book review of Hungerstone for my full thoughts.
Summary
For what do you hunger, Lenore?
Lenore is the wife of steel magnate Henry, but ten years into their marriage, the relationship has soured and no child has arrived to fill the distance growing between them. Henry’s ambitions take them out of London and to the imposing Nethershaw manor in the countryside, where Henry aims to host a hunt with society’s finest. Lenore keeps a terrible secret from the last time her husband hunted, and though they never speak of it, it haunts their marriage to this day.
The preparations for the event take a turn when a carriage accident near their remote home brings the mysterious Carmilla into Lenore’s life. Carmilla who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night; Carmilla who stirs up a hunger deep within Lenore. Soon girls from local villages begin to fall sick before being consumed by a bloody hunger.
Torn between regaining her husband’s affection and Carmilla’s ever-growing presence, Lenore begins to unravel her past and in doing so, uncovers a darkness in her household that will place her at terrible risk.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Hungerstone is inspired by the queer novella, Carmella which inspired Dracula. And this retelling is an intriguing and fascinating look at the hunger of women. The ways in which society represses, diminishes, and forces containment. And how it’s this revolutionary joy to hunger, to want, to desire. To awaken the parts of ourselves that ‘polite society’ tries to keep behind closed doors. All the ways in which we want. It’s a speculative story which explores how the past always rears its head, the ways in which love sours, and how we can only keep denying ourselves for so long. At times it’s overwhelming and unexplainable.
The Gothic vibes are truly serving in Hungerstone. Society can convince us that wanting is selfish. To see ambition in men as something to be admired and the double standards. Is it ever too late to live? To hunger? Hungerstone is this fabulous story about the framing of desire and madness. Thematically, Hungerstone is fabulous and is such a gorgeous conversation partner with the Gothic genre. While there were some pieces that were a bit thin, as a whole, this book is one that really awakened my literary soul.
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Find Hungerstone on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.