This book had such a strong foundation of gothic atmosphere, eerie pacing, and an emotionally layered approach to horror, but it ultimately didn’t land for me in the way I hoped. I loved the moodiness, the slow burn, and the ghost-drenched tone of it all. Kat Dunn is clearly talented when it comes to building tension and crafting a haunting backdrop. The writing is evocative, and the setting feels like it’s constantly shifting under your feet.

That said, Hungerstone ends up feeling like a beautiful frame with a muddled image inside. For one, it’s yet another retelling of Carmilla, and while this version gives her a sharp, magnetic energy that I really enjoyed, but we’ve all seen this story before— just dressed differently. The retelling angle didn’t feel like it added anything new thematically until halfway in; though Carmilla herself is handled with nuance.

And then there’s the title. The “Hungerstone” itself is arguably the biggest missed opportunity of the entire book. It’s introduced far too late, barely developed, and left me questioning its entire relevance to the story. For a book named after it, the hungerstone ends up feeling like more of a haunting aesthetic than an anchoring concept. It creates more plot holes than it fills.

I’ll also say that the author’s note at the end did a lot of heavy lifting in terms of giving context that wasn’t entirely clear in the narrative itself. Without it, I would’ve walked away feeling more confused than anything.

There are things to love here, and it’s beautifully written in parts, but the structural issues, lack of payoff, and sense of narrative imbalance bring it down for me.