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Milkteeth
Not yet published
Expected 20 Oct 26From the bestselling author of The Death of Jane Lawrence comes a new, genre-bending supernatural horror about a vampire broodmother fighting against her own monstrous descent.
Beatrice is a a vampire responsible for nursing newly made fledglings through the first years of their unlife. She nests in an abandoned, isolated warren of office space beneath her patron's skyscraper, raising two fractious Gorgeous—once a heartthrob, now to all appearances a living corpse—who longs for the return of the lover who made him immortal with all the fervor of a rebellious teen, and Fortunata, the scion of Beatrice's mistress, alien and ambitious in her desires.
But when Beatrice decides to take on a third fledgling, the product of an attempted siring gone wrong, teetering between vampiric purity and ghoulish depravity, Beatrice finds herself strained to breaking between the societal and physical demands of her position, her own ravenous hunger, and an obsessive need to discover what’s happening to her—because her body is changing too, transforming her into something even more monstrous. She begins to crave the taste of flesh, something anathema to all vampires, and to swing between desperate hunger and vicious power.
Desperate to master herself once more, Beatrice courts a mortal OBGYN who might be able to unravel the secrets of her unnatural anatomy. But soon their connection threatens the secrecy of her vampiric coven as well as the safety and development of her dependent nurslings… and the humans they stand to slaughter if left to their own devices.
Beatrice is a a vampire responsible for nursing newly made fledglings through the first years of their unlife. She nests in an abandoned, isolated warren of office space beneath her patron's skyscraper, raising two fractious Gorgeous—once a heartthrob, now to all appearances a living corpse—who longs for the return of the lover who made him immortal with all the fervor of a rebellious teen, and Fortunata, the scion of Beatrice's mistress, alien and ambitious in her desires.
But when Beatrice decides to take on a third fledgling, the product of an attempted siring gone wrong, teetering between vampiric purity and ghoulish depravity, Beatrice finds herself strained to breaking between the societal and physical demands of her position, her own ravenous hunger, and an obsessive need to discover what’s happening to her—because her body is changing too, transforming her into something even more monstrous. She begins to crave the taste of flesh, something anathema to all vampires, and to swing between desperate hunger and vicious power.
Desperate to master herself once more, Beatrice courts a mortal OBGYN who might be able to unravel the secrets of her unnatural anatomy. But soon their connection threatens the secrecy of her vampiric coven as well as the safety and development of her dependent nurslings… and the humans they stand to slaughter if left to their own devices.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 20, 2026
8535 people want to read
About the author
Caitlin Starling
12 books2,234 followersCaitlin Starling is the nationally bestselling author of The Death of Jane Lawrence, the Bram Stoker-nominated The Luminous Dead, and Last To Leave The Room. Her upcoming novels The Starving Saints and The Graceview Patient epitomize her love of genre-hopping horror; her bibliography spans besieged castles, alien caves, and haunted hospitals. Her short fiction has been published by GrimDark Magazine and Neon Hemlock, and her nonfiction has appeared in Nightmare, Uncanny, and Nightfire. Caitlin also works in narrative design, and has been paid to invent body parts. She’s always on the lookout for new ways to inflict insomnia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
April 12, 2026
Well, I guess I cancel my plans if becoming a vampire really is that stressful for everyone involved. You see, a simple bite is not enough to turn a mortal into an immortal being in Caitlin Starling's Milkteeth. Instead it's a long-winding process of feeding and being-fed-on that takes a sheer endless amount of blood. A new vampire is ever hungry but can't yet digest human blood or meat. If they do anyway they turn into brainless, violent creatures only driven by their hunger and not into the sophisticated beings of immortality and strength that are desired. It's the task of a broodmother to ensure the correct development of the young nurslings, to keep them safe and fed until they have matured. It's the whole life's purpose of the protagonist Beatrice. She spends her immortality in the dark and labyrinthine basement of an office building, always nursing one or two young vampires at a time. But things change when she decides to take on a third nursling, already half ghoulish by the time they meet for the first time. From that point on Beatrice is concerned about the nutrition of her blood and about how she can change her own body to give more. The depicted parallels between motherhood and vampirism were so intriguing to me and I think it quite the unique approach to a supernatural creature that is part of infinite other stories. There is also a very medical side to the plot. Before it's revealed that Beatrice is a vampire herself, we meet her as a normal young mother at a lactation group asking about physical and hormonal changes during the time of breastfeeding. She also kinda gets obsessed with the doctor who answers her questions and I was all ready for a bit of sapphic love, but this relationship really took turns I didn't expect. Apart from that it's more of a calm story. Yes, it's very bloody and violent, but Beatrice is such a steady character that her voice truly shaped the feeling of the story. Her mind is mostly focused on blood and on her nurslings and I can imagine how other readers would be bored by this, but it really made her character special for me. She was such a no-nonsense person. I really liked to read about her, even if her days were monotonous. I also simply love a protagonist who is unapologetically monstrous. She's killing people? Well, that's just what she does, deal with it. I must admit that I was a little confused near the end and I also must admit that I never read a Caitlin Starling book where I wasn't. Maybe it's just her thing. I can totally see why her books are never really that popular, but by now I know that I will always get something unusual with her books. I'm very excited to read more from her.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
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April 12, 2026I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for blurbing purposes; here's my blurb:
“In 2026, it may seem impossible for any writer to pen a truly unique vampire tale, but Caitlin Starling manages just that with Milkteeth. With its compelling plot, deft writing, and original premise, this novel will quickly seduce you, but be careful: it has teeth."
“In 2026, it may seem impossible for any writer to pen a truly unique vampire tale, but Caitlin Starling manages just that with Milkteeth. With its compelling plot, deft writing, and original premise, this novel will quickly seduce you, but be careful: it has teeth."
Want to Read
March 30, 2026New Caitlin Starling book on NetGalley??? Scooped that up SO FAST. Let's get weird!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3,5/5 ⭐️
when i first started the book i was a little wary because aren’t all vampire stories kind of done to death at this point? but no. caitlin starling made such an interesting and intriguing take on the whole topic that i was instantly sucked into the story. this is truly unlike everything i’ve ever read before (and i’ve read my fair share of vampire stories ever since twilight haha). it had just the right amount of plot, gore, and body horror for me, and it felt really well balanced overall. i also loved the emotional beats throughout the story and the way you could somehow always connect to our narrator. the parallels between vampires and motherhood were also extremely well done and really thought-provoking. it was my first of her novels but definitely not the last, and the characters and story will stay with me for a while. my only critique is that the pacing felt a little off at times and the middle dragged a little.
when i first started the book i was a little wary because aren’t all vampire stories kind of done to death at this point? but no. caitlin starling made such an interesting and intriguing take on the whole topic that i was instantly sucked into the story. this is truly unlike everything i’ve ever read before (and i’ve read my fair share of vampire stories ever since twilight haha). it had just the right amount of plot, gore, and body horror for me, and it felt really well balanced overall. i also loved the emotional beats throughout the story and the way you could somehow always connect to our narrator. the parallels between vampires and motherhood were also extremely well done and really thought-provoking. it was my first of her novels but definitely not the last, and the characters and story will stay with me for a while. my only critique is that the pacing felt a little off at times and the middle dragged a little.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I can’t explain how this wasn’t that long and yet it still felt too long. The plot felt stretched a little thin and was kind of repetitive. This may have been more successful as a novella?
This is has a great concept and the theme is spot on; being a woman and a mother is a hard and thankless job. And it’s a cool twist that the wet nurse is feeding little vampires. But aside from that not really a lot happens. This is very character forward. Every interaction that happens is more reinforcement of those ideas. There’s very minimal world building and plot. The vampire part of the story does really shine and there’s some mild body horror to accompany it so I do feel it’s worth a read.
Thank you to Netgalley and SMP for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is has a great concept and the theme is spot on; being a woman and a mother is a hard and thankless job. And it’s a cool twist that the wet nurse is feeding little vampires. But aside from that not really a lot happens. This is very character forward. Every interaction that happens is more reinforcement of those ideas. There’s very minimal world building and plot. The vampire part of the story does really shine and there’s some mild body horror to accompany it so I do feel it’s worth a read.
Thank you to Netgalley and SMP for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 4, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
If you’re looking for new and interesting vampires, look no further. Gory and addicting, this new novel has some of weird twisty feelings from The Starving Saints while also being completely fresh and new. None of the characters are completely innocent, and are all compelling as they deal with the changes innate to their lives. 11/10, will be recommending to everyone.
If you’re looking for new and interesting vampires, look no further. Gory and addicting, this new novel has some of weird twisty feelings from The Starving Saints while also being completely fresh and new. None of the characters are completely innocent, and are all compelling as they deal with the changes innate to their lives. 11/10, will be recommending to everyone.
April 14, 2026
Let me start this review with the dedication:
‘𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝—𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭.’
So who is going to psychoanalyze me for always gravitating towards books that are just one long allegory on the world depending way too much on mothers/women and not giving them everything that they deserve? or will I just continue reading weird girl lit?
‘𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.’
One of the biggest feat of Caitlin Starling is the fact that she wrote a vampire book in 2026 that is completely new and fresh. In this world vampires cannot feed on human blood during their years-long transition or they run the risk of becoming unwanted monsters that do not fit in the world. Instead they have to feed on vampire blood, but most vampires cannot sustain to feed their ‘fledglings.’ And not only did they not feed on human blood during their transition, but they regressed into being almost like ‘babies’ they couldn’t really take care of themselves and didn’t remember much of anything. But Beatrice not only can sustain this, but she can feed multiple fledglings at once, as she is a broodmother. Vampires trust her with their sired and will come collect them when they can finally feed on humans. And here comes the never ending metaphors/allegories. Women for 100s of years now have been made to feel shameful if they could not breastfeed their children. As if formula is something that would somehow make kids grow up to be this unwanted, not normal, functional human being in society. It’s such a silly thing that society deemed to put shame onto. And before formula existed, and even when women could breastfeed, it was deemed ‘poor’ to breastfeed their own babies. Families would get wet nurses instead, and make these women form bonds, put way too much pressure on them and not give them nearly enough of the right resources to feed babies that were not their own.
‘𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬? 𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐝.’
Beatrice did the best she could in her situation. She never felt like she could truly love the fledglings, but she cared for them fiercely. She was not in charge of the situation in which fledglings came to her nor the environment that they had to live in together. I think that it was difficult for her to reconcile this intimacy that she formed while feeding with the fact that they would grow up and move on from her. They would go into the world and see how other people might live (people, who were their family, were much richer and could give them way more). The fledglings would always have that memory of being fed, taken care of, safe, but what else really?
‘𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚, 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.’
As much as this story was focused on feeding someone else’s ‘baby’ this story read to me as how difficult it is to be not only be a mother, but a woman. How in this world we are ignored, not heard and even when we complain loudly we get pushed to the side. Oh it’s just ‘anxiety’ ‘are you sure you’re not on your period?’ ‘did you drink enough water?’ Or worse yet, we just keep it to ourselves because we couldn’t dare let anyone know we failed. Beatrice always knew something felt wrong, but she didn’t want anyone to know. She didn’t want to admit that maybe she couldn’t do her job anymore, or she took too much on at once or even have anyone else know what she felt. She was afraid of someone and coming to pick her apart and make it her problem instead of helping. I think today women, and especially mothers, are afraid to ask for help because we think we won’t get it and even worse we will get criticized for failing.
‘“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐭? 𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨. 𝐓𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐮𝐬.”’
We put way too much pressure on new mothers. If anything were to happen, society immediately says ‘well what did the mother do?’ If we see a new mother out enjoying herself, society asks ‘who is home with the baby?’ It’s always, always on the mother. And if you have someone who even just a ‘mother figure’ like Beatrice who is these fledglings’ broodmother they still look at her at fault if anything were to happen. Not to their sire who left them in this dirty, unknown environment. Women of the world are always placed as guardians of the new generation, but are never coveted as such treasures. Men truly have the power, but if anything were to happen why aren’t they blamed?
‘“𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝—𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞,”…𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐭, 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐚��𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲, 𝐧𝐨, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝.’
Again, even when women/mothers are spread way too thin, tired, tied down by other people’s responsibility, and can’t even have time to themselves we look to them for the answers. After reading the author’s notes at the end of this book and her saying she thought of this idea from the history of wet nurses, truly nothing could make more sense. This was so well written, I couldn’t stop reading it. Caitlin Starling does speculative fiction like no one else. She knows how to write in such a way where you’re always on the cusp of ‘oh I know what this means’ or ‘I know where she is going with this’ and you never are right until all of the sudden you read one single line and it hits you like a rock. The prose was beautiful and weird, and one of my favorite ways of reading a story- it was a personal love letter, a personal retelling.
‘𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 . . . 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥.’
Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this ARC, I’m so unbelievably happy to have received this book🖤
‘𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝—𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭.’
So who is going to psychoanalyze me for always gravitating towards books that are just one long allegory on the world depending way too much on mothers/women and not giving them everything that they deserve? or will I just continue reading weird girl lit?
‘𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.’
One of the biggest feat of Caitlin Starling is the fact that she wrote a vampire book in 2026 that is completely new and fresh. In this world vampires cannot feed on human blood during their years-long transition or they run the risk of becoming unwanted monsters that do not fit in the world. Instead they have to feed on vampire blood, but most vampires cannot sustain to feed their ‘fledglings.’ And not only did they not feed on human blood during their transition, but they regressed into being almost like ‘babies’ they couldn’t really take care of themselves and didn’t remember much of anything. But Beatrice not only can sustain this, but she can feed multiple fledglings at once, as she is a broodmother. Vampires trust her with their sired and will come collect them when they can finally feed on humans. And here comes the never ending metaphors/allegories. Women for 100s of years now have been made to feel shameful if they could not breastfeed their children. As if formula is something that would somehow make kids grow up to be this unwanted, not normal, functional human being in society. It’s such a silly thing that society deemed to put shame onto. And before formula existed, and even when women could breastfeed, it was deemed ‘poor’ to breastfeed their own babies. Families would get wet nurses instead, and make these women form bonds, put way too much pressure on them and not give them nearly enough of the right resources to feed babies that were not their own.
‘𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬? 𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐞. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐝.’
Beatrice did the best she could in her situation. She never felt like she could truly love the fledglings, but she cared for them fiercely. She was not in charge of the situation in which fledglings came to her nor the environment that they had to live in together. I think that it was difficult for her to reconcile this intimacy that she formed while feeding with the fact that they would grow up and move on from her. They would go into the world and see how other people might live (people, who were their family, were much richer and could give them way more). The fledglings would always have that memory of being fed, taken care of, safe, but what else really?
‘𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐝. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚, 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.’
As much as this story was focused on feeding someone else’s ‘baby’ this story read to me as how difficult it is to be not only be a mother, but a woman. How in this world we are ignored, not heard and even when we complain loudly we get pushed to the side. Oh it’s just ‘anxiety’ ‘are you sure you’re not on your period?’ ‘did you drink enough water?’ Or worse yet, we just keep it to ourselves because we couldn’t dare let anyone know we failed. Beatrice always knew something felt wrong, but she didn’t want anyone to know. She didn’t want to admit that maybe she couldn’t do her job anymore, or she took too much on at once or even have anyone else know what she felt. She was afraid of someone and coming to pick her apart and make it her problem instead of helping. I think today women, and especially mothers, are afraid to ask for help because we think we won’t get it and even worse we will get criticized for failing.
‘“𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐢𝐭? 𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨. 𝐓𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐮𝐬.”’
We put way too much pressure on new mothers. If anything were to happen, society immediately says ‘well what did the mother do?’ If we see a new mother out enjoying herself, society asks ‘who is home with the baby?’ It’s always, always on the mother. And if you have someone who even just a ‘mother figure’ like Beatrice who is these fledglings’ broodmother they still look at her at fault if anything were to happen. Not to their sire who left them in this dirty, unknown environment. Women of the world are always placed as guardians of the new generation, but are never coveted as such treasures. Men truly have the power, but if anything were to happen why aren’t they blamed?
‘“𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝—𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞,”…𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐭, 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐝𝐚��𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲, 𝐧𝐨, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝.’
Again, even when women/mothers are spread way too thin, tired, tied down by other people’s responsibility, and can’t even have time to themselves we look to them for the answers. After reading the author’s notes at the end of this book and her saying she thought of this idea from the history of wet nurses, truly nothing could make more sense. This was so well written, I couldn’t stop reading it. Caitlin Starling does speculative fiction like no one else. She knows how to write in such a way where you’re always on the cusp of ‘oh I know what this means’ or ‘I know where she is going with this’ and you never are right until all of the sudden you read one single line and it hits you like a rock. The prose was beautiful and weird, and one of my favorite ways of reading a story- it was a personal love letter, a personal retelling.
‘𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥, 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲. 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐩, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 . . . 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥.’
Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin Press for this ARC, I’m so unbelievably happy to have received this book🖤
April 12, 2026
Grabbed this on read now on netgalley, I was so excited by the premise it sounded amazing. Unfortunately this one did not work for me. This was my first time reading from this author after hearing so many good things about their other novels. This book follows a vampire who is almost like a “wet nurse” to freshly turned vampire’s. They drink from her until they are ready to start feeding on their own. I just did not enjoy this; the pacing was extremely slow and I never felt invested in the characters enough to care about them. I was bored to death for the last 50% of this book and would have DNF’d, but I was still curious enough to want to see how it ends. I can see why a lot of people will enjoy this book, as it has a lot of commentary on breastfeeding and motherhood, even some dracula references. I would still recommend this for people who enjoy slow, vampire character focused books.
Read
February 27, 2026After The Starving Saints and now this, Starling is becoming one of my faves
I'm very impressed that someone can still make the vampire genre feel this fresh
I'm very impressed that someone can still make the vampire genre feel this fresh
April 28, 2026
ARC copy from St. Martin’s Publishing Group.
This book was very character centric. Beatrice is a vampiric wet nurse who slowly transitions into a monster as her taste and hunger for flesh increases. Her development from a soft spoken creature into a powerful being was intriguing. If you are looking for an action filled plot, this is not for you.
If you like a psychological look into the main character, definitely pick this up. Beatrice tells her story to her love from when she picks up a third fledgling. Who is her love? It remains a mystery and keeps you guessing until the very end.
Want to Read
April 2, 2026more vampires pls
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I saw this on NetGalley on a whim and decided to branch out of my normal genres, and I am so glad that I did! however, I am also absolutely horrified, and I'm still processing what I just finished.
This was the sort of book that you can't put down, I finished it in about 2 hours! Horrific and graphic with so many twists and turns, I know I'm going to have nightmares tonight but it was absolutely worth it because the plot was so unique! I mean, most vampire books are very derivative and follow the same few lines, and I was very happy that this was different. Also, I totally saw the twist that was on the last page coming, and it was very well executed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an unbiased review! 4.75 stars.
This was the sort of book that you can't put down, I finished it in about 2 hours! Horrific and graphic with so many twists and turns, I know I'm going to have nightmares tonight but it was absolutely worth it because the plot was so unique! I mean, most vampire books are very derivative and follow the same few lines, and I was very happy that this was different. Also, I totally saw the twist that was on the last page coming, and it was very well executed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an unbiased review! 4.75 stars.
April 10, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this ARC to read and review.
Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling is more than a vampire story. It's a story about the struggles of motherhood, and how the system set in place for mothers and their children lets them down over and over again.
Beatrice is a broodmother, or a vampire who feeds their blood to newly-turned vampires so they can properly grow into a fully-formed vampire. She has been a broodmother for a long time, and takes great pride in it and her nurslings. Her brood contains Gorgeous, who's strong-willed and melodramatic, and Fortunata, who's systematic and inquisitive. When Beatrice is presented with a third nursling who is on the verge of turning into a ghoul - a former vampire who feeds on human flesh and has no coherent thoughts - she is pushed to her limits. She must juggle caring for three hungry vampire nurslings, while also embark on a journey of her own self-discovery.
Beatrice is kept in place in a dirty labyrinth below the all-powerful Manon's corporate building. Manon exerts her power over Beatrice, trying to control her every move, but Beatrice is at a breaking point...
This story captures how motherhood is perceived in the real world. How systems of power tell women they are nothing more than breeding machines, and that they should be ashamed if they ever needed help because that is what they're made for. It's powerful and gut-wrenching while satiating the vampiric thirst we all crave 🧛
Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling is more than a vampire story. It's a story about the struggles of motherhood, and how the system set in place for mothers and their children lets them down over and over again.
Beatrice is a broodmother, or a vampire who feeds their blood to newly-turned vampires so they can properly grow into a fully-formed vampire. She has been a broodmother for a long time, and takes great pride in it and her nurslings. Her brood contains Gorgeous, who's strong-willed and melodramatic, and Fortunata, who's systematic and inquisitive. When Beatrice is presented with a third nursling who is on the verge of turning into a ghoul - a former vampire who feeds on human flesh and has no coherent thoughts - she is pushed to her limits. She must juggle caring for three hungry vampire nurslings, while also embark on a journey of her own self-discovery.
Beatrice is kept in place in a dirty labyrinth below the all-powerful Manon's corporate building. Manon exerts her power over Beatrice, trying to control her every move, but Beatrice is at a breaking point...
This story captures how motherhood is perceived in the real world. How systems of power tell women they are nothing more than breeding machines, and that they should be ashamed if they ever needed help because that is what they're made for. It's powerful and gut-wrenching while satiating the vampiric thirst we all crave 🧛
April 12, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this arc in return for an honest review. Caitlin Starling is one of my favorite authors because of the utter hallucinatory effect of all of her books I’ve read. The Starving Saints and The Graceview Patient and Now Milkteeth all have this aura of WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON??? Did I really just read that???? How did this come from your brain?????? I am in love and also horribly disgusted by you. Starling’s death scenes are amongst my favorite because she gives incredibly anatomically correct descriptions of what’s occurring and that makes my little autopsy tech brain scream in pleasure. Starling produces such vivid illustrative scenes that compose beautifully into a cinematic masterpiece. I can absolutely devour anything Starling writes because it is just perfectly out of pocket and bonkers enough yet still grounded in reality that provides a glimmer of reality and possibility. I can’t even think of anything this is possibly close to because it is truly unique!
May 2, 2026
3.25 - A vampire that is a wetnurse to newborn vampires?! FANTASTIC idea. I loved the gothic vibes in a contemporary setting, and the unapologetic gore and sexuality that naturally comes with vampiric lore. Some very nicely written prose too! I thought the relationship between Beatrice and Dr B, and actually would’ve liked to see it developed a bit further before the big event. I also struggled a bit with the names of characters, but need to accept that’s just how the vampire subgenre rolls. It was a little bit all over the place near to the end, but I still mostly enjoyed the book. My main complaints are pacing issues and repetitiveness, but these are things that could be fixed fairly easily. Will be recommending to the horror girlies, but will be emphasising that I think was dragged out quite a bit.
April 12, 2026
A fascinating read… It took me a little time to get into the writing style, I found it confusing at times but it all pulled through with the ending. I was back and forth on how I felt about the pacing. Overall, the gore filled depictions and personalities of the vampires were interesting and memorable. All of the characters were very well detailed and easy to imagine.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing this advanced reader copy for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing this advanced reader copy for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Weird book girls, our speculative fiction patron saint Caitlin Starling has yet again blessed us. Milkteeth is a surreal, gory, and yet strangely empowering read that I flew through in one day because I literally could not put the book down; from the very first page, it sank its teeth into me and wouldn’t let me go. This story is vampires like you’ve never seen them before, both more monstrous and more human, and 100% more nasty (complimentary). I think Milkteeth is going to find its way to the genre-defining vampire fiction shelf when it publishes this fall; it’s that good.
In a world where newly changed vampires cannot feed themselves on human blood and have a years-long period of “infancy”, Beatrice is a rare being: a broodmother, a vampire capable of sustaining infant vampires with her blood until they are old enough to fledge and begin hunting mortals. Most broodmothers can only raise one infant at a time, but Beatrice is exceptional: she is raising two. Her life is limited to her nest hidden away by her patron, and the other vampires tend to avoid her; but she finds purpose in raising her infants. When an accident happens with another broodmother, Beatrice takes that infant as well, and the increased physical demands on her body drive her to experiment with new ways to feed and cope. At the same time, she begins to chafe at the limited confines of her life; she’s not a prisoner, not exactly, but like any mother, she’s an unappreciated necessity. As her children begin to creep towards strange, vampiric adulthood and Beatrices’ experimentation starts to change her on a fundamental level, she will eventually begin to consider: why is she powerless, when the ability to give and sustain life is the greatest power of all?
I loved this book so much, and for many reasons. First of all, I loved that the author somehow introduced an entirely new concept into vampire lore, which is wildly impressive about any mythical being that has been widely adapted in pop culture but especially for vampires; there are literally millions of stories about vampires, so creating something brand new is quite an accomplishment. I also loved that the main character is not only a woman, but a mother-figure; not actually a mother herself, but tasked with all the difficult, sacrificial, sometimes nasty parts of motherhood, and much of the story explores her internal struggle between her maternal feelings for the infants in her care and her desire to be free of them and have agency over herself and her body. Starling weaves so much commentary between the lines of this book, and it feels incredibly relevant to our current day. I also loved the pacing; this book reads like a supernatural thriller, and it kept me constantly turning pages till the very end. And finally, I loved the vibes of the story; it is creepy and strange and surreal. Beatrice’s nest is in an empty, winding warren of offices, where she and her infants hunt and feed and creep. The setting feels backrooms-esqe, if most of the rooms and hallways were in the dark; and this added so much to the story in terms of atmosphere. With Milkteeth, Starling invites readers into a new world of dark eeriness and monsters, and I didn’t want it to end.
I would recommend Milkteeth to fans of Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, as well as to readers who love unique vampires, horror that leans towards the weird, womanhood and motherhood as central themes, and creepy, eerie story settings.
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the digital arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.
In a world where newly changed vampires cannot feed themselves on human blood and have a years-long period of “infancy”, Beatrice is a rare being: a broodmother, a vampire capable of sustaining infant vampires with her blood until they are old enough to fledge and begin hunting mortals. Most broodmothers can only raise one infant at a time, but Beatrice is exceptional: she is raising two. Her life is limited to her nest hidden away by her patron, and the other vampires tend to avoid her; but she finds purpose in raising her infants. When an accident happens with another broodmother, Beatrice takes that infant as well, and the increased physical demands on her body drive her to experiment with new ways to feed and cope. At the same time, she begins to chafe at the limited confines of her life; she’s not a prisoner, not exactly, but like any mother, she’s an unappreciated necessity. As her children begin to creep towards strange, vampiric adulthood and Beatrices’ experimentation starts to change her on a fundamental level, she will eventually begin to consider: why is she powerless, when the ability to give and sustain life is the greatest power of all?
I loved this book so much, and for many reasons. First of all, I loved that the author somehow introduced an entirely new concept into vampire lore, which is wildly impressive about any mythical being that has been widely adapted in pop culture but especially for vampires; there are literally millions of stories about vampires, so creating something brand new is quite an accomplishment. I also loved that the main character is not only a woman, but a mother-figure; not actually a mother herself, but tasked with all the difficult, sacrificial, sometimes nasty parts of motherhood, and much of the story explores her internal struggle between her maternal feelings for the infants in her care and her desire to be free of them and have agency over herself and her body. Starling weaves so much commentary between the lines of this book, and it feels incredibly relevant to our current day. I also loved the pacing; this book reads like a supernatural thriller, and it kept me constantly turning pages till the very end. And finally, I loved the vibes of the story; it is creepy and strange and surreal. Beatrice’s nest is in an empty, winding warren of offices, where she and her infants hunt and feed and creep. The setting feels backrooms-esqe, if most of the rooms and hallways were in the dark; and this added so much to the story in terms of atmosphere. With Milkteeth, Starling invites readers into a new world of dark eeriness and monsters, and I didn’t want it to end.
I would recommend Milkteeth to fans of Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, as well as to readers who love unique vampires, horror that leans towards the weird, womanhood and motherhood as central themes, and creepy, eerie story settings.
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for the digital arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The first three years of a vampire's unlife are hardly romantic--memory loss from their time alive, compulsive counting, needle-thin teeth, and the inability to digest blood from a human without it having been neutralized by another vampire. This is where a broodmother comes in, a full grown vampire who helps the nurselings acclimate to their immortality and keeps them fed until they are ready to fledge. Beatrice is one such broodmother, raising two fledglings in the basement of an office building. She agrees to take on a third charge who is in danger of becoming a ghoul, but as the duty of caring for three young vampires begins weighing on her, she seeks the help of a human OBGYN to understand the limits of her immortal body.
From the author of last year's 'The Starving Saints' and 'The Graceview Patient', Caitlin Starling is back with another claustrophobic horror novel, and she's certainly taken lessons from her previous offerings to refining her craft. 'Milkteeth' is uncomfortable and cramped, with its central setting being a dilapidated basement with crusted blood on its walls and floors and its only known exit being a freight elevator. Beatrice's brood is about as charming as the location, with the angst-ridden Gorgeous going through his 'rebellious teen' phrase of maturing, the enigmatic Fortunata, the spawn of Beatrice's patron, and Lu, the feral woman on the edge of ghouldom who needs to be restrained with silver for the safety of the other vampires. Having an understandable case of cabin fever, Beatrice's excursions to the surface are not only for a change of scenery, but in search of answers for her struggles. Even when she does wrong outside or is at risk of being stranded when the sun rises, it's impossible to blame her for wanting to get out of there.
I don't like saying this in a book stacked with great female characters, but Gorgeous was by far my favorite. Vacillating between a bratty teen who is tired of being dependent on his 'mother' and a tragic man whose immortality ruined his appearance and whose sire is avoiding him since he's no longer the beautiful man he turned makes for a character who is both funny and understandable. Lu's growth as a character was also enjoyable to read, and I got a healthy chuckle out of Fortunata's compulsion for counting being a thing that vampires grow out of once they're old enough. The lore that Starling gives her vampires is both disgusting and fascinating, which helps Beatrice and her brood to be compelling characters.
'Milkteeth' is a book that I didn't want to put down, and one that had me completely enthralled with its premise and characters. It's uncomfortable and animalistic, and it's my favorite work by Caitlin Starling yet! I never thought I'd find a book about breastfeeding vampires so enjoyable.
From the author of last year's 'The Starving Saints' and 'The Graceview Patient', Caitlin Starling is back with another claustrophobic horror novel, and she's certainly taken lessons from her previous offerings to refining her craft. 'Milkteeth' is uncomfortable and cramped, with its central setting being a dilapidated basement with crusted blood on its walls and floors and its only known exit being a freight elevator. Beatrice's brood is about as charming as the location, with the angst-ridden Gorgeous going through his 'rebellious teen' phrase of maturing, the enigmatic Fortunata, the spawn of Beatrice's patron, and Lu, the feral woman on the edge of ghouldom who needs to be restrained with silver for the safety of the other vampires. Having an understandable case of cabin fever, Beatrice's excursions to the surface are not only for a change of scenery, but in search of answers for her struggles. Even when she does wrong outside or is at risk of being stranded when the sun rises, it's impossible to blame her for wanting to get out of there.
I don't like saying this in a book stacked with great female characters, but Gorgeous was by far my favorite. Vacillating between a bratty teen who is tired of being dependent on his 'mother' and a tragic man whose immortality ruined his appearance and whose sire is avoiding him since he's no longer the beautiful man he turned makes for a character who is both funny and understandable. Lu's growth as a character was also enjoyable to read, and I got a healthy chuckle out of Fortunata's compulsion for counting being a thing that vampires grow out of once they're old enough. The lore that Starling gives her vampires is both disgusting and fascinating, which helps Beatrice and her brood to be compelling characters.
'Milkteeth' is a book that I didn't want to put down, and one that had me completely enthralled with its premise and characters. It's uncomfortable and animalistic, and it's my favorite work by Caitlin Starling yet! I never thought I'd find a book about breastfeeding vampires so enjoyable.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC provided via NetGalley — thank you to the publisher for the early copy!
Rating: Ashamed at how fast I devoured this; faster than those vampires devoured blood 🩸!
(4.5⭐ rounded up to 5 — half a star deducted purely because I’m embarrassed by how much I enjoyed the gore, but the writing and metaphor? Top-tier.)
Non-spoiler review:
Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling is not my usual lane, but apparently I live here now.
This follows an overworked, overlooked mother struggling to care for her sickly newborn on top of her other children – except this is horror, so “newborn” comes with fangs. Instead of becoming a monster, she already occupies a role known as a brood mother: a figure who sustains newly turned vampires who cannot yet consume human blood, feeding them from herself while guiding them through their earliest, hungriest stage.
So yes. Motherhood, but make it undead, blood-fed, and quietly terrifying.
The horror here is visceral. The gore is not shy, not subtle, and definitely not skippable, but it never feels gratuitous. It serves the story, amplifying the central metaphor of motherhood as something consuming, transformative, and at times… predatory.
And the metaphor? Executed so well. The brood mother dynamic reframes caregiving into something almost parasitic, blurring the line between nurture and depletion. It taps into themes of womanhood, maternal expectation, and the quiet erosion of self in a way that feels deliberate and deeply unsettling.
The whole “maternal power” arc could have easily tipped into cliché, but instead it feels raw, feral, and earned. It’s not about soft, glowing motherhood. It’s about hunger, sacrifice, and the terrifying elasticity of what a mother becomes when pushed too far (and what the world expects her to give).
The pacing absolutely flew. I read this in under 24 hours (with a comic break in between, because apparently I needed emotional palate cleanser cartoons), and I never felt dragged or disconnected. It grips early and just does not let you go.
No major issues on my end. The story knew exactly what it wanted to be and committed.
Also, I will absolutely be picking up Starving Saints next and hunting down that preorder incentive pin like it personally wronged me.
Who this works for:
- Readers dipping their toes into horror but ready for body horror with purpose
- Fans of motherhood-as-horror narratives
- Anyone who enjoys strong metaphor driving the entire story
- People who don’t mind gore
Final thoughts:
Yes, I deducted half a star out of sheer personal denial, but let the record show this is easily a 5⭐ reading experience. The writing is sharp, the metaphor lands, and the horror lingers.
I came in curious. I left slightly disturbed, deeply impressed, and questioning my own taste.
Would recommend with caution!
Rating: Ashamed at how fast I devoured this; faster than those vampires devoured blood 🩸!
(4.5⭐ rounded up to 5 — half a star deducted purely because I’m embarrassed by how much I enjoyed the gore, but the writing and metaphor? Top-tier.)
Non-spoiler review:
Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling is not my usual lane, but apparently I live here now.
This follows an overworked, overlooked mother struggling to care for her sickly newborn on top of her other children – except this is horror, so “newborn” comes with fangs. Instead of becoming a monster, she already occupies a role known as a brood mother: a figure who sustains newly turned vampires who cannot yet consume human blood, feeding them from herself while guiding them through their earliest, hungriest stage.
So yes. Motherhood, but make it undead, blood-fed, and quietly terrifying.
The horror here is visceral. The gore is not shy, not subtle, and definitely not skippable, but it never feels gratuitous. It serves the story, amplifying the central metaphor of motherhood as something consuming, transformative, and at times… predatory.
And the metaphor? Executed so well. The brood mother dynamic reframes caregiving into something almost parasitic, blurring the line between nurture and depletion. It taps into themes of womanhood, maternal expectation, and the quiet erosion of self in a way that feels deliberate and deeply unsettling.
The whole “maternal power” arc could have easily tipped into cliché, but instead it feels raw, feral, and earned. It’s not about soft, glowing motherhood. It’s about hunger, sacrifice, and the terrifying elasticity of what a mother becomes when pushed too far (and what the world expects her to give).
The pacing absolutely flew. I read this in under 24 hours (with a comic break in between, because apparently I needed emotional palate cleanser cartoons), and I never felt dragged or disconnected. It grips early and just does not let you go.
No major issues on my end. The story knew exactly what it wanted to be and committed.
Also, I will absolutely be picking up Starving Saints next and hunting down that preorder incentive pin like it personally wronged me.
Who this works for:
- Readers dipping their toes into horror but ready for body horror with purpose
- Fans of motherhood-as-horror narratives
- Anyone who enjoys strong metaphor driving the entire story
- People who don’t mind gore
Final thoughts:
Yes, I deducted half a star out of sheer personal denial, but let the record show this is easily a 5⭐ reading experience. The writing is sharp, the metaphor lands, and the horror lingers.
I came in curious. I left slightly disturbed, deeply impressed, and questioning my own taste.
Would recommend with caution!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you so much to the publisher for an advanced copy! All thoughts are my own.
Milkteeth features one of the most unique takes on vampires that I have seen in a long time. These vampires are not glamorous and the process of their creation is messy, ugly, and complicated. New vampires cannot move straight to human blood after being turned; they have a period where they need to be fed by a brood mother vampire that must care for them and guide them as they mature into a more refined creature that can blend in with humans. Milkteeth follows Beatrice, a brood mother who has accepted a third fledgeling while having concerns that having that many charges is doing damage to her physicality and sense of self. We see her struggle to balance her responsibility to the helpless, but dangerous, new vampires under her care and her desire for agency, freedom, and understanding of her own nature.
Like the other books by Starling that I’ve read (The Luminous Dead, The Starving Saints), Milkteeth is both parts propulsive and confusing. Beatrice is a fascinating protagonist that I was excited to follow. Starling doesn’t let you get too close to her thought process to get comfortable with what she would do next, which created tension throughout. I did occasionally feel that the pacing was bogged down by repetitive feeding scenes and descriptions of gore and hunger. Some of these could have been paired down and replaced by more varied character interactions. I would have liked to have gotten closer to Fortunata and Lu in the way that we got to learn about and empathize with Gorgeous. He was really the only other character, aside from Beatrice, that I felt like I understood and connected with.
There are obvious themes here of motherhood, shame, responsibility, transformation, and family relationships. Starling continues to prove herself as a fantasy/horror writer who imbues her work with meaningful commentary and unforgettable monsters. Her books are definitely not for everyone but if you can live with being confused and grossed out for the majority of a book - Milkteeth is worth sticking with.
Milkteeth features one of the most unique takes on vampires that I have seen in a long time. These vampires are not glamorous and the process of their creation is messy, ugly, and complicated. New vampires cannot move straight to human blood after being turned; they have a period where they need to be fed by a brood mother vampire that must care for them and guide them as they mature into a more refined creature that can blend in with humans. Milkteeth follows Beatrice, a brood mother who has accepted a third fledgeling while having concerns that having that many charges is doing damage to her physicality and sense of self. We see her struggle to balance her responsibility to the helpless, but dangerous, new vampires under her care and her desire for agency, freedom, and understanding of her own nature.
Like the other books by Starling that I’ve read (The Luminous Dead, The Starving Saints), Milkteeth is both parts propulsive and confusing. Beatrice is a fascinating protagonist that I was excited to follow. Starling doesn’t let you get too close to her thought process to get comfortable with what she would do next, which created tension throughout. I did occasionally feel that the pacing was bogged down by repetitive feeding scenes and descriptions of gore and hunger. Some of these could have been paired down and replaced by more varied character interactions. I would have liked to have gotten closer to Fortunata and Lu in the way that we got to learn about and empathize with Gorgeous. He was really the only other character, aside from Beatrice, that I felt like I understood and connected with.
There are obvious themes here of motherhood, shame, responsibility, transformation, and family relationships. Starling continues to prove herself as a fantasy/horror writer who imbues her work with meaningful commentary and unforgettable monsters. Her books are definitely not for everyone but if you can live with being confused and grossed out for the majority of a book - Milkteeth is worth sticking with.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Milkteeth follows Beatrice, a vampire tasked with nursing newly turned fledglings through the fragile early years of their unlife. She is raising two charges, Gorgeous and Fortunata, when she takes on a third, Lu, who is an unstable fledgling whose transformation has gone horribly wrong. As Beatrice’s own body starts to change, awakening a forbidden craving for flesh, she seeks answers from a mortal doctor, risking exposure of her coven while struggling to control her hunger and protect both her nurslings and the humans around them.
What I loved most about this book was its comparison between vampirism and motherhood. The brood mother is protective, caring, and constantly trying to meet the needs of her fledglings. The medical angle added such a unique layer: trying to understand “supply,” how to increase and make the supply better, and grappling with the logistics of sustaining life as a vampire were fascinating.
The feeding scenes, the blood, the act of consumption, and the unsettling shift toward flesh, absolutely delivered. The descriptions were vivid and gory, it really created a memorable reading experience.
This is very much a character-driven story, and I found myself deeply invested in the central four, the brood mother and her three fledglings. Their relationships evolve in subtle but meaningful ways, and watching that growth unfold was one of the strongest aspects of the book. I do wish we had gotten a bit more time with Lu and Fortunata, as their presence felt slightly under-explored compared to Gorgeous.
The only thing that held this back from a full five stars for me was the pacing in the middle. The repetition of huntings and feedings slowed the book down a bit and I think they could have been shortened or something else could have been explored instead.
Overall, Milkteeth is a character-focused horror that blends gore with emotional depth in a way that feels fresh and memorable. If you enjoy body horror with strong themes, this one is definitely worth picking up.
Milkteeth follows Beatrice, a vampire tasked with nursing newly turned fledglings through the fragile early years of their unlife. She is raising two charges, Gorgeous and Fortunata, when she takes on a third, Lu, who is an unstable fledgling whose transformation has gone horribly wrong. As Beatrice’s own body starts to change, awakening a forbidden craving for flesh, she seeks answers from a mortal doctor, risking exposure of her coven while struggling to control her hunger and protect both her nurslings and the humans around them.
What I loved most about this book was its comparison between vampirism and motherhood. The brood mother is protective, caring, and constantly trying to meet the needs of her fledglings. The medical angle added such a unique layer: trying to understand “supply,” how to increase and make the supply better, and grappling with the logistics of sustaining life as a vampire were fascinating.
The feeding scenes, the blood, the act of consumption, and the unsettling shift toward flesh, absolutely delivered. The descriptions were vivid and gory, it really created a memorable reading experience.
This is very much a character-driven story, and I found myself deeply invested in the central four, the brood mother and her three fledglings. Their relationships evolve in subtle but meaningful ways, and watching that growth unfold was one of the strongest aspects of the book. I do wish we had gotten a bit more time with Lu and Fortunata, as their presence felt slightly under-explored compared to Gorgeous.
The only thing that held this back from a full five stars for me was the pacing in the middle. The repetition of huntings and feedings slowed the book down a bit and I think they could have been shortened or something else could have been explored instead.
Overall, Milkteeth is a character-focused horror that blends gore with emotional depth in a way that feels fresh and memorable. If you enjoy body horror with strong themes, this one is definitely worth picking up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy of Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling in exchange for an honest review, of which these thoughts are all my own.
4/5 ★’s –
A vampire story done in a completely different way– dark, gritty, gory and downright disturbing. Vampire stories are typically set up in the ethereal gothic, long dress, majestic being type, everything they do is for love. They live rich lifestyles, one of the decadent decorations of high-living. This story is about a different kind of love, something I haven’t seen in a long while. Caitlin Starling delves into the dark side of a vampire's world, one where not everything is done for love. Specifically, of Beatrice, the broodmother who strives for more after taking on a third being to raise after their transformation into vampirehood. Nesting in a basement of an office building, where lack of clothes is the norm, a blood-soaked carpet, minimal decoration and furniture, bodies are fed to them through the elevator.
As this if my first read by Starling, I was going in blind for her writing style and prose. This prose was deeply unsettling in the best way possible, many quotes catching and holding my attention. Some gave me genuine goosebumps. The switch to addressing the reader as “you” was bone-chilling. The mystery of who “you” is, riveting and kept me reading. I want to check out more of her works because of this book. Gorgeous was my favorite of these characters, feeling the need to illustrate him!
Connections of being a broodmother to these newfound vampires, and a breastfeeding mother were phenomenal. It is grueling and exhausting, but also has an everlasting connection. For these vampires, it wasn’t quite love, but it was obsessive and overbearing.
I adored this book, finishing it in practically one sitting. The only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating is that I felt the story to be a little repetitive in some aspects, but that in turn goes in tandem with vampires and their obsessive qualities. So it does make sense!
A great read for someone who wants a different spin on vampires.
4/5 ★’s –
A vampire story done in a completely different way– dark, gritty, gory and downright disturbing. Vampire stories are typically set up in the ethereal gothic, long dress, majestic being type, everything they do is for love. They live rich lifestyles, one of the decadent decorations of high-living. This story is about a different kind of love, something I haven’t seen in a long while. Caitlin Starling delves into the dark side of a vampire's world, one where not everything is done for love. Specifically, of Beatrice, the broodmother who strives for more after taking on a third being to raise after their transformation into vampirehood. Nesting in a basement of an office building, where lack of clothes is the norm, a blood-soaked carpet, minimal decoration and furniture, bodies are fed to them through the elevator.
As this if my first read by Starling, I was going in blind for her writing style and prose. This prose was deeply unsettling in the best way possible, many quotes catching and holding my attention. Some gave me genuine goosebumps. The switch to addressing the reader as “you” was bone-chilling. The mystery of who “you” is, riveting and kept me reading. I want to check out more of her works because of this book. Gorgeous was my favorite of these characters, feeling the need to illustrate him!
Connections of being a broodmother to these newfound vampires, and a breastfeeding mother were phenomenal. It is grueling and exhausting, but also has an everlasting connection. For these vampires, it wasn’t quite love, but it was obsessive and overbearing.
I adored this book, finishing it in practically one sitting. The only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating is that I felt the story to be a little repetitive in some aspects, but that in turn goes in tandem with vampires and their obsessive qualities. So it does make sense!
A great read for someone who wants a different spin on vampires.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review of advanced copy from Netgalley
Milkteeth is a story about vampires; They're overcome with a desire to feed, can't go out during the day and must not draw attention to who they are (though not sure what their opinion on garlic is.) But it's also a story about motherhood and what it does to mind, body and soul.
Beatrice is a broodmother, tasked with feeding these suckling, mewling creatures on behalf of those who created them. At the start of this story she has taken on an additional charge, an especially challenging baby vamp, and, like many mothers before her, she's drained in more ways than one.
This was a challenging read. In the typical vampire story (save Carmilla) our vampires are predominantly male, siring heirs for their own enjoyment. But Milkteeth is far less glossy and glamorous. Here we have a woman struggling to play wet nurse to these mewling, suckling bloody bundles of joy (on behalf of rich patrons), with little to no gratitude received. Her body is spent, she feels guilty about the time spent away from them/ favouring one/ taking on a new charge, she doesn't know when to let one go and bring another closer.
Reading Milkteeth felt raw and stressful; it evoked thoughts about feminism, social hierarchy and wealth now and in the past. But even just on a character level, the story is told through Beatrice's inner monologue, she is a complex, sympathetic but fairly detached and somewhat unlikeable character. However those are definitely my favourite, and I think if she were entirely without blame this would be a very tragic tale.
I enjoyed Caitlin's writing, and take on the genre, but do think that the middle section was a little longer than necessary and one of the sub plots could potentially have been dropped.
I would simultaneously recommend this to fans of the vampire genre but also to those who enjoy novels exploring the various ways female bodies are used such as The Handmaid's Tale, Annie-Bot and Tender is the Flesh.
Thanks again to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for this ARC.
Milkteeth is a story about vampires; They're overcome with a desire to feed, can't go out during the day and must not draw attention to who they are (though not sure what their opinion on garlic is.) But it's also a story about motherhood and what it does to mind, body and soul.
Beatrice is a broodmother, tasked with feeding these suckling, mewling creatures on behalf of those who created them. At the start of this story she has taken on an additional charge, an especially challenging baby vamp, and, like many mothers before her, she's drained in more ways than one.
This was a challenging read. In the typical vampire story (save Carmilla) our vampires are predominantly male, siring heirs for their own enjoyment. But Milkteeth is far less glossy and glamorous. Here we have a woman struggling to play wet nurse to these mewling, suckling bloody bundles of joy (on behalf of rich patrons), with little to no gratitude received. Her body is spent, she feels guilty about the time spent away from them/ favouring one/ taking on a new charge, she doesn't know when to let one go and bring another closer.
Reading Milkteeth felt raw and stressful; it evoked thoughts about feminism, social hierarchy and wealth now and in the past. But even just on a character level, the story is told through Beatrice's inner monologue, she is a complex, sympathetic but fairly detached and somewhat unlikeable character. However those are definitely my favourite, and I think if she were entirely without blame this would be a very tragic tale.
I enjoyed Caitlin's writing, and take on the genre, but do think that the middle section was a little longer than necessary and one of the sub plots could potentially have been dropped.
I would simultaneously recommend this to fans of the vampire genre but also to those who enjoy novels exploring the various ways female bodies are used such as The Handmaid's Tale, Annie-Bot and Tender is the Flesh.
Thanks again to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
this was my first from Caitlin Starling & i often hear her associated with "weird girl" fiction/horror. while i am one to like the dark, disturbing, & weird, Milkteeth left much to be desired.
on one hand i feel like maybe reading this straight after Coffin Moon was a bit of a disservice, i might have immediately set Milkteeth up to be a bit disappointing in comparison, on the other i was not the biggest fan of the writing style so i'm not convinced that it would have made much of a difference anyway.
in theory i like the different themes woven together throughout the story...womanhood, motherhood, vampirism, some obsession & the gore was done well but the execution was lacking for me. part of it is i like to be able to visualize when i read...visualize people, places or just the overall events taking place. it's not a necessity BUT it does take my reading experiences to the next level, it helps me connect more to the story & the characters, helps me engage more etc. i was not able to visualize MOST of Milkteeth, which resulted in me forgetting chunks of the story, often having to reread sentences & ultimately being bored outside of the gory bits.
the characters all felt distinct but i just didn't connect to any of them enough to care about anyone. i also felt like some of this was repetitive. but maybe i'm just dramatic
i can see why some might enjoy Milkteeth & i can appreciate what the author was trying to do with putting a twist on the lore of vampirism by intertwining it with motherhood, but this has also been done before maybe not exactly the same but still to a degree, so to me there's nothing exciting or new enough happening for this to standout amongst other vampirism books i've read(or even movies i've seen).
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
on one hand i feel like maybe reading this straight after Coffin Moon was a bit of a disservice, i might have immediately set Milkteeth up to be a bit disappointing in comparison, on the other i was not the biggest fan of the writing style so i'm not convinced that it would have made much of a difference anyway.
in theory i like the different themes woven together throughout the story...womanhood, motherhood, vampirism, some obsession & the gore was done well but the execution was lacking for me. part of it is i like to be able to visualize when i read...visualize people, places or just the overall events taking place. it's not a necessity BUT it does take my reading experiences to the next level, it helps me connect more to the story & the characters, helps me engage more etc. i was not able to visualize MOST of Milkteeth, which resulted in me forgetting chunks of the story, often having to reread sentences & ultimately being bored outside of the gory bits.
the characters all felt distinct but i just didn't connect to any of them enough to care about anyone. i also felt like some of this was repetitive. but maybe i'm just dramatic
i can see why some might enjoy Milkteeth & i can appreciate what the author was trying to do with putting a twist on the lore of vampirism by intertwining it with motherhood, but this has also been done before maybe not exactly the same but still to a degree, so to me there's nothing exciting or new enough happening for this to standout amongst other vampirism books i've read(or even movies i've seen).
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
ms. starling thought what if vampires breastfed? and gifted us this feeding frenzy.
a newborn absolutely cannot drink the poisonous blood of humans
”she’s eaten mortal flesh,” i said, stressing the word eaten.
“to eat is to be a beast; to drink is to be something more refined. or, at least, more intelligible. a vampire drinks, a ghoul devours.”
milkteeth delves well into embodiment of immortal vampirism, womanhood, motherhood & breastfeeding!
the magnificent broodmother beatrice, a bloodsucker wet nurse responsible for nursing two fledglings with its central background in a dirty basement she’s given a third fledgling. she begins to desperately crave flesh straining between her ravenous hunger & maternal feelings for the infants.
sustaining newborn vampires in their earliest most helpless stage of life and the numerous lengths she would go to feed & guard them. they need an “inbetween” source of blood to help them transition into a mature bloodsucker.
i kinda got backrooms vibes.
the empowering, visceral body horror had me locked in by the end.
this was quite a different take in comparison to any other vampire stories i’ve read. this one in particular has many modern parallels to motherhood & maternal expectation.
the beautiful framing dynamics of being a freshly made immortal. it’s not normal bites oh noo think more monstrous bites!
i’m excited to read more from caitlin starling’s unique brain.
she introduced an entirely new concept to vampire lore and i will be adding her other books to my tbr
”i would prefer you grow up to be more like me. able to accept what we are. to inhabit it fully. we do not need fine things. we do not need respectability. we can take joy in the darkness, in the blood, in the death and resurrection of our bodies day after day.”
thank you netgalley & st. martin’s press for providing the arc in exchange for my honest review!~
a newborn absolutely cannot drink the poisonous blood of humans
”she’s eaten mortal flesh,” i said, stressing the word eaten.
“to eat is to be a beast; to drink is to be something more refined. or, at least, more intelligible. a vampire drinks, a ghoul devours.”
milkteeth delves well into embodiment of immortal vampirism, womanhood, motherhood & breastfeeding!
the magnificent broodmother beatrice, a bloodsucker wet nurse responsible for nursing two fledglings with its central background in a dirty basement she’s given a third fledgling. she begins to desperately crave flesh straining between her ravenous hunger & maternal feelings for the infants.
sustaining newborn vampires in their earliest most helpless stage of life and the numerous lengths she would go to feed & guard them. they need an “inbetween” source of blood to help them transition into a mature bloodsucker.
i kinda got backrooms vibes.
the empowering, visceral body horror had me locked in by the end.
this was quite a different take in comparison to any other vampire stories i’ve read. this one in particular has many modern parallels to motherhood & maternal expectation.
the beautiful framing dynamics of being a freshly made immortal. it’s not normal bites oh noo think more monstrous bites!
i’m excited to read more from caitlin starling’s unique brain.
she introduced an entirely new concept to vampire lore and i will be adding her other books to my tbr
”i would prefer you grow up to be more like me. able to accept what we are. to inhabit it fully. we do not need fine things. we do not need respectability. we can take joy in the darkness, in the blood, in the death and resurrection of our bodies day after day.”
thank you netgalley & st. martin’s press for providing the arc in exchange for my honest review!~
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💀💀
Love can be such a complicated thing. In Milkteeth, love is overbearing, relentless, bloody, and sacrificial. What an amazing concept weaved into the lore of vampires. Milkteeth is such a unique vampire book - a fresh perspective on the relationship between sire and fledgling, but also the dynamics of being a freshly made vampire. Beatrice is a broodmother, which in this world means she is both mother and not. She raises other sire's fledglings to maturity and is a maternal figure in her coven, but not respected. She is used, looked upon with disgust, and is left to care for children that are not hers simply because she has the maternal instinct to love despite the children not being hers. There are so many parallels to modern motherhood and maternal love to this story about a broodmother who is just trying to be a better mother. I loved Beatrice's character; she is who she is and doesn't apologize for it. She forces the reader to accept her, and in the end, I find myself understanding her nature. It's gives the story a sort of eerie monotone prose that I think works so well for this type of story. It's almost clinical in a way. The world feels lived in, and I could vividly see it as I read along. I loved the bloody body horror aspect and how just overall, it's weird, eerie, and bit bitter. Love is sacrificial. It's complicated and even a bit weird. What an amazing idea brought to life. I don't think I've ever read about breast-feeding vampires, but I'm glad it came from Starling because I don't see how anyone else could have pulled off such a cool concept and made impact like she did. As a fan of previous works, I honestly think this is my favorite and one story that will stick with me for a while.
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for honest opinions.
💀💀
Love can be such a complicated thing. In Milkteeth, love is overbearing, relentless, bloody, and sacrificial. What an amazing concept weaved into the lore of vampires. Milkteeth is such a unique vampire book - a fresh perspective on the relationship between sire and fledgling, but also the dynamics of being a freshly made vampire. Beatrice is a broodmother, which in this world means she is both mother and not. She raises other sire's fledglings to maturity and is a maternal figure in her coven, but not respected. She is used, looked upon with disgust, and is left to care for children that are not hers simply because she has the maternal instinct to love despite the children not being hers. There are so many parallels to modern motherhood and maternal love to this story about a broodmother who is just trying to be a better mother. I loved Beatrice's character; she is who she is and doesn't apologize for it. She forces the reader to accept her, and in the end, I find myself understanding her nature. It's gives the story a sort of eerie monotone prose that I think works so well for this type of story. It's almost clinical in a way. The world feels lived in, and I could vividly see it as I read along. I loved the bloody body horror aspect and how just overall, it's weird, eerie, and bit bitter. Love is sacrificial. It's complicated and even a bit weird. What an amazing idea brought to life. I don't think I've ever read about breast-feeding vampires, but I'm glad it came from Starling because I don't see how anyone else could have pulled off such a cool concept and made impact like she did. As a fan of previous works, I honestly think this is my favorite and one story that will stick with me for a while.
Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for honest opinions.
April 8, 2026
I would like to thank the publisher and author for this ARC. Whilst I don’t put any direct spoilers into this review, I do discuss elements of the plot that could give things away, so only read on if that’s something you don’t mind.
There aren’t any original vampire stories anymore, right? Wrong! With Milk Teeth Caitlin Starling has done something really remarkable, crafted a vampire story that is like no other I’ve read. I love vampire fiction, Dracula is one of my favorite novels so I went in with some expectations and I was very pleasantly surprised. The concept of a vampire wet nurse raising fledglings to maturity is something new to me, and it was done with real style.
I always look for well developed characters in books and the characters here are indeed well fleshed out. This is essentially a transformation story all told from Beatrice the main characters perspective. We see Beatrice overcoming her limitations and becoming something more, and it’s enthralling to read because not only is the concept new I also felt like I really understood her inner workings, emotionally and physically. I also loved that each of her fledglings are well constructed characters that have their own personalities and story arcs.
It’s a well written book with a world that feels very real. It’s suitably gloomy and dark and you can almost feel the grime and filth. As one would hope for in a vampire novel It’s also very bloody with some interesting body horror. I genuinely couldn’t put this book down and found myself going to bed late because I needed to know what happened next.
If you’re looking for a fresh take on the vampire genre with rich characters and a satisfying pay off then this is definitely for you. I’m genuinely interested to read more of this authors work.
There aren’t any original vampire stories anymore, right? Wrong! With Milk Teeth Caitlin Starling has done something really remarkable, crafted a vampire story that is like no other I’ve read. I love vampire fiction, Dracula is one of my favorite novels so I went in with some expectations and I was very pleasantly surprised. The concept of a vampire wet nurse raising fledglings to maturity is something new to me, and it was done with real style.
I always look for well developed characters in books and the characters here are indeed well fleshed out. This is essentially a transformation story all told from Beatrice the main characters perspective. We see Beatrice overcoming her limitations and becoming something more, and it’s enthralling to read because not only is the concept new I also felt like I really understood her inner workings, emotionally and physically. I also loved that each of her fledglings are well constructed characters that have their own personalities and story arcs.
It’s a well written book with a world that feels very real. It’s suitably gloomy and dark and you can almost feel the grime and filth. As one would hope for in a vampire novel It’s also very bloody with some interesting body horror. I genuinely couldn’t put this book down and found myself going to bed late because I needed to know what happened next.
If you’re looking for a fresh take on the vampire genre with rich characters and a satisfying pay off then this is definitely for you. I’m genuinely interested to read more of this authors work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Caitlin Starling for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.
I fell in love with Starling’s writing styles earlier in the year when I read The Starving Saints, and was equally pleased with the writing here. While not the same style, as the novel is a different era and a different feel, Starling maintains her penchant for lush, ponderous, evocative prose even in the midst of carnage.
In Milkteeth, the audience is directly addressed by the protagonist Beatrice, a broodmother who feeds fledgling vampires not of her own making. The introduction of a third for her to feed sends her on a journey of exploration as she questions her capacity, her feelings, her place in the world, her connections to others and forces her to increasingly step outside the confines of her den located in the basement of an office building. I enjoyed Beatrice’s innermost thoughts and reflections of motherhood and think I would have connected even more if I were a mother myself. (Additional note that this was inspired by the history of wet nurses, a rarely explored position that is done very well.)
I felt myself actually being most intrigued by one of her charges, an almost at maturity boy named Gorgeous. I doubt there will be a follow up to this novel but I would absolutely read one about him.
A very unique take on vampires, that I was glad I read. There were a few moments of likely intentional repetitiveness that reflected the position our characters found themselves in that led me to taking some long pauses before continuing but for the most part I consumed this book very quickly.
TW: Gore, as can be expected of vampire stories. Blood and bodies consumed. Detailed body horror.
3.75 stars rounded up
I fell in love with Starling’s writing styles earlier in the year when I read The Starving Saints, and was equally pleased with the writing here. While not the same style, as the novel is a different era and a different feel, Starling maintains her penchant for lush, ponderous, evocative prose even in the midst of carnage.
In Milkteeth, the audience is directly addressed by the protagonist Beatrice, a broodmother who feeds fledgling vampires not of her own making. The introduction of a third for her to feed sends her on a journey of exploration as she questions her capacity, her feelings, her place in the world, her connections to others and forces her to increasingly step outside the confines of her den located in the basement of an office building. I enjoyed Beatrice’s innermost thoughts and reflections of motherhood and think I would have connected even more if I were a mother myself. (Additional note that this was inspired by the history of wet nurses, a rarely explored position that is done very well.)
I felt myself actually being most intrigued by one of her charges, an almost at maturity boy named Gorgeous. I doubt there will be a follow up to this novel but I would absolutely read one about him.
A very unique take on vampires, that I was glad I read. There were a few moments of likely intentional repetitiveness that reflected the position our characters found themselves in that led me to taking some long pauses before continuing but for the most part I consumed this book very quickly.
TW: Gore, as can be expected of vampire stories. Blood and bodies consumed. Detailed body horror.
3.75 stars rounded up
April 11, 2026
𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒚
“For a mortal, to nurse is ultimately temporary. Eventually, the hormones recalibrate, the young grow up, and the phase closes out. But for me… for me it’s definitional. It isn’t inertia. It isn’t conditioning. It is slavery. It is an imperative”
“Transition is a painful thing. There is no way around it; you must rip out what once was in order for the new beast to form”
WHEW! This book was wild! I absolutely adored this take on vampires— I loved the adult infancy aspect to siring a new addition to the brood.
Beatrice is married to her job as broodmother, feeding the young & making sure she sets them out having good lives. She takes great pride in weaning them appropriately and being their “safety” as they mature into young vampires. But as Bea steals away into society, possibly even finds love, she realizes that her commitment to “the children” is one that needs to evolve… or else she will succumb to the physical exertion and overall pain of always putting herself second.
I think the horror aspects to this book are incredible; I mean, the snapping of bones and the sucking of marrow?! Being splayed open for doctoral observation. Disgustingly graphic and grotesquely weird in the best ways possible!!
This book is going to resonate with mothers, especially those breastfeeding mothers struggling with their identity and autonomy, and the mom-guilt that is paralyzing in the fugue of doing what’s right for an infant. An allegory that motherhood is ever-evolving, and still riddled with failures.
Thank you to Caitlin Starling, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for a digital copy of Milkteeth in exchange for an honest review.
“For a mortal, to nurse is ultimately temporary. Eventually, the hormones recalibrate, the young grow up, and the phase closes out. But for me… for me it’s definitional. It isn’t inertia. It isn’t conditioning. It is slavery. It is an imperative”
“Transition is a painful thing. There is no way around it; you must rip out what once was in order for the new beast to form”
WHEW! This book was wild! I absolutely adored this take on vampires— I loved the adult infancy aspect to siring a new addition to the brood.
Beatrice is married to her job as broodmother, feeding the young & making sure she sets them out having good lives. She takes great pride in weaning them appropriately and being their “safety” as they mature into young vampires. But as Bea steals away into society, possibly even finds love, she realizes that her commitment to “the children” is one that needs to evolve… or else she will succumb to the physical exertion and overall pain of always putting herself second.
I think the horror aspects to this book are incredible; I mean, the snapping of bones and the sucking of marrow?! Being splayed open for doctoral observation. Disgustingly graphic and grotesquely weird in the best ways possible!!
This book is going to resonate with mothers, especially those breastfeeding mothers struggling with their identity and autonomy, and the mom-guilt that is paralyzing in the fugue of doing what’s right for an infant. An allegory that motherhood is ever-evolving, and still riddled with failures.
Thank you to Caitlin Starling, NetGalley, and St. Martin’s Press for a digital copy of Milkteeth in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A “broodmother” vampire tasked with raising newly turned fledglings in a hidden, decaying corporate space beneath a skyscraper—feeding them, stabilizing their volatility, and managing their hunger and dependence, all while struggling to contain her own increasingly erratic urges.
Milkteeth offers a genuinely fresh spin on vampire fiction. By framing vampirism through caregiving, dependency, and bodily obligation, it reshapes the genre into something that feels strikingly new. As someone familiar with vampire stories, this approach feels especially invigorating. This is body horror with intent, not about seduction or immortality, but about the physical and psychological cost of sustaining others. It plays directly to Caitlin Starling’s strength: making the body feel alien, unreliable, even hostile.
Another standout element is the suffocating atmosphere. The decaying, hidden corporate setting reinforces a sense of isolation and entrapment, mirroring the protagonist’s inescapable role. The space itself feels complicit—closing in, rotting alongside her.
That said, this is very much a mood-driven, introspective story. Starling leans into theme and atmosphere over tidy narrative resolution, leaving certain threads ambiguous or emotionally unsettled. The horror is visceral, intimate, and deeply uncomfortable, but readers looking for fast-paced, action-heavy scares may find it lacking in momentum.
Overall, Milkteeth is bold, strange, and memorable horror. It’s less about vampires as monsters and more about what it means to be responsible for something you can’t control while slowly becoming unrecognizable yourself.
Milkteeth offers a genuinely fresh spin on vampire fiction. By framing vampirism through caregiving, dependency, and bodily obligation, it reshapes the genre into something that feels strikingly new. As someone familiar with vampire stories, this approach feels especially invigorating. This is body horror with intent, not about seduction or immortality, but about the physical and psychological cost of sustaining others. It plays directly to Caitlin Starling’s strength: making the body feel alien, unreliable, even hostile.
Another standout element is the suffocating atmosphere. The decaying, hidden corporate setting reinforces a sense of isolation and entrapment, mirroring the protagonist’s inescapable role. The space itself feels complicit—closing in, rotting alongside her.
That said, this is very much a mood-driven, introspective story. Starling leans into theme and atmosphere over tidy narrative resolution, leaving certain threads ambiguous or emotionally unsettled. The horror is visceral, intimate, and deeply uncomfortable, but readers looking for fast-paced, action-heavy scares may find it lacking in momentum.
Overall, Milkteeth is bold, strange, and memorable horror. It’s less about vampires as monsters and more about what it means to be responsible for something you can’t control while slowly becoming unrecognizable yourself.
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