Hungerstone by Kat Dunn
4.25 rounded down to 4 🔮🔮🔮🔮orbs
Zando Publishing
1870s, The Bridge in the Peak District…
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Orbs Prologue:
The sweltering heat of the nearby foundry has supplied the hardened steel needed to erect the old bridge. Connecting land like a suture closing a fresh, grotesque wound, it stands stable in a land of torrential chaos. Providing a pathway from poverty to wealth, from peasants to the aristocrats, the structure stands tall and resilient. However, this remains a facade to the naked eye. Skeletal hands chip away at the white arsenic enamel sprinkled upon the surface, rendering the bridge compromised to the harsh elements. Wind-swept clothing swirls around the legs of the woman peering down across the basin of the valley. Her porcelain face is in a trancelike state, fixated on the water, rocks, and debris that lie below. As the sun slowly descends behind the treeline, one thought comes to mind: whatever could she be thinking?
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Nuts & Bolts:
Author Kat Dunn sits daintily at the feast. A slice of deliciously cooked blood sausage appears on the tip of her fork, and small droplets of fatty grease drip onto the plate as Kat begins to tell a ghastly tale of Lenore Crowther. Oh, Lenore, we weep at how life has dealt you a wicked hand. Was this of your own doing? Were you blinded by a selfishness not yet realized? Parents long since perished, Lenore has gone to live with Aunt Daphne, a controlling, if not quirky, human being. As Lenore is part of an aristocratic family that has fallen on hard financial times, she requires a male suitor with sufficient wealth to match her family's status. Baiting the fishing hook, Lenore casts her secretive line towards the boastful Henry Crowther, owner of Ajax Works, a profitable steel company in Sheffield. Soon married, Henry begins to reveal his true nature, as his demeanor towards Lenore changes due to her inability to conceive a child. At an all-important gathering with those of the highest reputation, Henry makes a fatal mistake, one that Lenore bears witness to and promises to keep undisclosed. Ever the obedient wife, Lenore has promised to oversee the renovations of Nethershaw in time for Henry to entertain his own shooting party for the high-born in the area. Along the way to Nethershaw, an overturned carriage ejects Carmilla, an injured young woman who needs help tending to her ailments. Lenore and Henry agree to have Carmilla stay with them until she feels better. Once in the confines of Nethershaw, strange occurrences begin immediately; strange visions and activity cloud the environment. Carmilla has brought a sense of peculiarity and fervor to the mundane residence. Carmilla appeals to a plethora of Lenore’s senses, further diluting her sanity in an agonizing sequence of events that will have readers glued to the pages and Lenore asking, Who is telling the truth?
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Orbs Pros:
Gothically Atmospheric! I remained firmly planted within this renovated home, surrounded by the intoxicating smells of fine meats wafting from the kitchen and the elegant sounds of Chopin playing in the background. The fire crackled from the stone hearth as Dunn’s beautiful passages placed me within this Gothic tragedy, encapsulating the beauty and simultaneous horror of that time perfectly. Lenore’s character awakened every emotion. I felt suffocated, as if drowning in a large body of water, and in the following instance, I was the conqueror, wielding a weapon in retribution. Finally, this story had a fantastic conclusion, one that brought a wry smile to my face.
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Orbs Cons:
Nothing of significance. Carmilla’s backstory could have been fleshed out more, but those who have read Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla already have a solid understanding of her history.
Highly Recommended!
If you are a Gothic horror reader, this book is for you. However, this novel should appeal to a wide range of people. Extremely well-written! The solid pacing makes for an enjoyable reading experience.
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Orbs Epilogue:
Her long dark eyelashes flutter as emotions swell within her heart. She is broken, alone, and scarred. Peering over the edge of the bridge, the river below quickens in a swirling pace. Her mind is imploding with decrepit thoughts. Suddenly, the dark blue tint of the water begins to change color, as a dark red hue simmers to the top like molten lava. From a wound deep within, a ravenous hunger dwells in the woman. A hunger for love, passion, and truth permeates through her poisoned skin, like that of a cane toad. Does she possess the fortitude to live in this world, where evil lies behind the eyes of those closest? From a pool of darkness, a voice resonates clearly, speaking with veracity, and one that overwhelmingly persuades her to conquer those fears that haunt her reality. For you see, dear reader, there is one who understands, and her name is Carmilla.