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Milkteeth
Not yet published
Expected 10 Nov 26A dark, seductive tale of hunger, love, and transformation from the bestselling author of The Death of Jane Lawrence.
The only thing more terrifying than a brood's hunger . . . is its mothers.
Beatrice is a broodmother: 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, where she raises her fledglings—two difficult, hungry children of the night.
But when she takes on a third, the balance ruptures. Her hunger swells beyond control. Her body alters, betraying its purpose, transforming her into something even more monstrous.
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 in a world governed by secrecy, even the smallest revelation could prove fatal.
The only thing more terrifying than a brood's hunger . . . is its mothers.
Beatrice is a broodmother: 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, where she raises her fledglings—two difficult, hungry children of the night.
But when she takes on a third, the balance ruptures. Her hunger swells beyond control. Her body alters, betraying its purpose, transforming her into something even more monstrous.
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 in a world governed by secrecy, even the smallest revelation could prove fatal.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2026
About the author
Caitlin Starling
12 books2,619 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 825 reviews
April 10, 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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"Hey, are you okay?"
::Sigh:: As a reader, you will inevitably come across a book you simply do not enjoy. For me, this is that book.
Milkteeth is due for release on October 20, 2026.
This was 304 pages of a vampire broodmother feeding her fledglings/nurslings. Yup, pretty much it. Sure, there are variations of the feedings, and throw in different situations, emotions, positions, and the like, but that's basically it, the whole book. To be honest, it was torture to try to get through. Don't like the title or the cover art either. Why did I request it then you ask? I love vampire stories. And because I have seen Caitlin Starling books all over Goodreads, I have a few on my TBR. I thought, what a great way to try the author out for the first time. Ugh. I was teetering on one or two stars. I'm feeling gracious tonight, so we'll go with two.
Regardless, I still gotta throw out a Thank You to Caitlin Starling, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for gifting me this complimentary copy.
::Sigh:: As a reader, you will inevitably come across a book you simply do not enjoy. For me, this is that book.
Milkteeth is due for release on October 20, 2026.
This was 304 pages of a vampire broodmother feeding her fledglings/nurslings. Yup, pretty much it. Sure, there are variations of the feedings, and throw in different situations, emotions, positions, and the like, but that's basically it, the whole book. To be honest, it was torture to try to get through. Don't like the title or the cover art either. Why did I request it then you ask? I love vampire stories. And because I have seen Caitlin Starling books all over Goodreads, I have a few on my TBR. I thought, what a great way to try the author out for the first time. Ugh. I was teetering on one or two stars. I'm feeling gracious tonight, so we'll go with two.
Regardless, I still gotta throw out a Thank You to Caitlin Starling, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for gifting me this complimentary copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
MOTHER. A vessel. The caretaker. A monster. Valued but dispensable. Is this what motherhood is like? The author created a strong and impressive parallel between vampirism and parenthood. This is a novel not to be missed.
Milkteeth is a vampire horror novel that focuses on motherhood, bodily transformation and disturbing relationship between a caretaker and the creatures she raises. In this story, our protagonist Beatrice is a vampire known as a broodmother. She is expected to raise and nurse newly created vampires called fledglings during the first year of their life. She starts off with two and volunteers to take on a third.
Gorgeous: is a fledging who is living in a corpse. He wants his maker to return to him.
Fortuna: is a fledging, a daughter of Beatrice's vampire mistress. She is alien and ambitious.
The third fledging is quite different than the first two and is between a vampire and a ghoul.
But something strange is growing inside of Beatrice. The breastfeedings make Beatrice act and feel different.
Beatrice begins transforming... she becomes hungry. She starts craving flesh.
What is happening to Beatrice and who is she becoming??
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW!
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author, Caitlin Starling for an early ARC!
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for an early ALC!
Narrator: Stevi Incremona
Duration: 9 hours 40 minutes
Speed: 1.75-2.25x
Publication: October 20, 2026
Milkteeth is a vampire horror novel that focuses on motherhood, bodily transformation and disturbing relationship between a caretaker and the creatures she raises. In this story, our protagonist Beatrice is a vampire known as a broodmother. She is expected to raise and nurse newly created vampires called fledglings during the first year of their life. She starts off with two and volunteers to take on a third.
Gorgeous: is a fledging who is living in a corpse. He wants his maker to return to him.
Fortuna: is a fledging, a daughter of Beatrice's vampire mistress. She is alien and ambitious.
The third fledging is quite different than the first two and is between a vampire and a ghoul.
But something strange is growing inside of Beatrice. The breastfeedings make Beatrice act and feel different.
Beatrice begins transforming... she becomes hungry. She starts craving flesh.
What is happening to Beatrice and who is she becoming??
FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW!
Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and the author, Caitlin Starling for an early ARC!
Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for an early ALC!
Narrator: Stevi Incremona
Duration: 9 hours 40 minutes
Speed: 1.75-2.25x
Publication: October 20, 2026
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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."
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
"Surely you have had a sense that love is a load-bearing word that contains within it a whole universe of nuance?”
This will be my fifth book by Caitlin Starling, if you also count her novella. She is by far my favorite horror writer, and still I haven’t found the writing to be getting stale. Other than her decision to make every one of her FMCs a default-lesbian, truly every story is unique. And on that topic: I wish so badly I could pick her brain. Why are they always lesbians? Why are the relationships always toxic, and why is there always a twisted power dynamic? The more of her books I read, the more questions I have.
But on to this book in particular. This book focuses on Beatrice, a broodmother, a wet nurse of sorts to fledgling vampires. The concept introduced in this book of how vampires are made and come to be was one I’ve never seen before, which is always fun. Nothing about the way Beatrice lives is glamorous, and as needed as she is by other vampires, she is also considered beneath them.
This book is such an obvious allegory for the struggles of being a young mother that it almost can’t even be called an allegory. I don’t believe Starling wanted her meaning hidden in any way. It was as if she were saying, “here, this is what we live with, and if you find it disgusting, troubling, sad, painful, then ask yourselves why you can confront it here but not in your everyday lives.” And it is! I will be truthful and say I have never been a mother and never will be. But the complicated wealth of feelings shown in this quite twisted novel jumps out of the pages at you, begs you to understand so forcefully that you simply just have no choice.
Outside of the motherhood aspects, and more to the horror aspects: I have seen in the last 3 of Starling’s novels that she is exploring body horror more and more, and now has had two books with at home surgery gone awry. This is not a book for anyone prone to squeamishness, or ghastly descriptions of the insides of the human body.
The book does have a twist that I predicted nearly immediately, and I was annoyed that it was so obvious. However, when it was deployed it was done in such a way that I was still caught off guard and enjoyed the ending. I still think The Luminous Dead carries the title of my favorite in her bibliography, but I enjoyed this book a lot regardless. I think either you’re a fan of her books or you’re not, they’re very weird, but they continue to be my kind of weird.
Much thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for inviting me to read this book and write a review free from any influence outside my own opinions!
This will be my fifth book by Caitlin Starling, if you also count her novella. She is by far my favorite horror writer, and still I haven’t found the writing to be getting stale. Other than her decision to make every one of her FMCs a default-lesbian, truly every story is unique. And on that topic: I wish so badly I could pick her brain. Why are they always lesbians? Why are the relationships always toxic, and why is there always a twisted power dynamic? The more of her books I read, the more questions I have.
But on to this book in particular. This book focuses on Beatrice, a broodmother, a wet nurse of sorts to fledgling vampires. The concept introduced in this book of how vampires are made and come to be was one I’ve never seen before, which is always fun. Nothing about the way Beatrice lives is glamorous, and as needed as she is by other vampires, she is also considered beneath them.
This book is such an obvious allegory for the struggles of being a young mother that it almost can’t even be called an allegory. I don’t believe Starling wanted her meaning hidden in any way. It was as if she were saying, “here, this is what we live with, and if you find it disgusting, troubling, sad, painful, then ask yourselves why you can confront it here but not in your everyday lives.” And it is! I will be truthful and say I have never been a mother and never will be. But the complicated wealth of feelings shown in this quite twisted novel jumps out of the pages at you, begs you to understand so forcefully that you simply just have no choice.
Outside of the motherhood aspects, and more to the horror aspects: I have seen in the last 3 of Starling’s novels that she is exploring body horror more and more, and now has had two books with at home surgery gone awry. This is not a book for anyone prone to squeamishness, or ghastly descriptions of the insides of the human body.
The book does have a twist that I predicted nearly immediately, and I was annoyed that it was so obvious. However, when it was deployed it was done in such a way that I was still caught off guard and enjoyed the ending. I still think The Luminous Dead carries the title of my favorite in her bibliography, but I enjoyed this book a lot regardless. I think either you’re a fan of her books or you’re not, they’re very weird, but they continue to be my kind of weird.
Much thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for inviting me to read this book and write a review free from any influence outside my own opinions!
September 7, 2026
Received early via the publisher.
____
Milkteeth is a sort of perverse temptation - a vampiric and cannibalistic tale wrapped in a maternal guise, making for an unsettling read. This story is stark in its violence, the blood and gore so normalised it’s easy to understand the spiralling of events, for what consequences would deter when you’re already so used to pain?
This is my first foray into Caitlin Starling’s work, and the praise for her writing seems apt. This book held a strange allure that comes with being unable to look away from the horrific. Beatrice’s voice proved one you could sympathise with, her maternal instinct one we naturally deem positive. And yet…how twisted that nature can become. And how readily Caitlin Starling dove into the complicated mess of that contrast.
Admittedly this became a touch repetitive, which I go back and forth on how I feel on this. On the one hand, the mundane, languid routine of the basement was emphasised - on the other, the point was made early on. Still, I found myself wanting to return to the story and see when that routine would break, and what the cause of said breaking would be.
I’m certainly eager to try more of Starling’s work - her ideas seem uniquely jarring and I can feel the pull of that uneasy intrigue calling. Milkteeth, at least, is a fantastically dark read.
____
Milkteeth is a sort of perverse temptation - a vampiric and cannibalistic tale wrapped in a maternal guise, making for an unsettling read. This story is stark in its violence, the blood and gore so normalised it’s easy to understand the spiralling of events, for what consequences would deter when you’re already so used to pain?
This is my first foray into Caitlin Starling’s work, and the praise for her writing seems apt. This book held a strange allure that comes with being unable to look away from the horrific. Beatrice’s voice proved one you could sympathise with, her maternal instinct one we naturally deem positive. And yet…how twisted that nature can become. And how readily Caitlin Starling dove into the complicated mess of that contrast.
Admittedly this became a touch repetitive, which I go back and forth on how I feel on this. On the one hand, the mundane, languid routine of the basement was emphasised - on the other, the point was made early on. Still, I found myself wanting to return to the story and see when that routine would break, and what the cause of said breaking would be.
I’m certainly eager to try more of Starling’s work - her ideas seem uniquely jarring and I can feel the pull of that uneasy intrigue calling. Milkteeth, at least, is a fantastically dark read.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Dark, gory vampire lore from a new perspective: motherhood. A slow-burn that sucked me in.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Vampires, blood, breastfeeding and a whole lot of grotesque horror. Definitely not the combination I would have come up with, but somehow Caitlin Starling makes it work!
Beatrice is a broodmother, responsible for nursing newly turned vampires until they can survive on their own. She already has two fledglings to care for when a third arrives, pushing her well beyond her limits. What follows is a grim, unsettling exploration of vampirism, motherhood, bodily changes and the sacrifices that come with putting everyone else first.
I loved how different this take on vampires was. The connection between breastfeeding and vampirism is bizarre and clever with plenty of disturbing moments to keep things interesting. And trust me, there is NO shortage of blood or gore here! The writing is beautiful, the atmosphere is grimy and claustrophobic, and I found myself completely caught up in Beatrice's world. The ending didn't quite deliver the impact I was hoping for, but I still couldn't put it down.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this ARC.
Beatrice is a broodmother, responsible for nursing newly turned vampires until they can survive on their own. She already has two fledglings to care for when a third arrives, pushing her well beyond her limits. What follows is a grim, unsettling exploration of vampirism, motherhood, bodily changes and the sacrifices that come with putting everyone else first.
I loved how different this take on vampires was. The connection between breastfeeding and vampirism is bizarre and clever with plenty of disturbing moments to keep things interesting. And trust me, there is NO shortage of blood or gore here! The writing is beautiful, the atmosphere is grimy and claustrophobic, and I found myself completely caught up in Beatrice's world. The ending didn't quite deliver the impact I was hoping for, but I still couldn't put it down.
Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really wanted to love this one, especially given the promise of vampires mixed with a touch of medicine and the medical world, but unfortunately, the overall execution lacked the allure I was hoping for.
That said, I quite enjoyed the narrator’s performance. The story features rich, atmospheric detail and opens with the main character waking up in the deep basement halls of a deserted office building—knowing only hunger, sensing her nest, and unable to remember her own name.
Our lead, Beatrice, frames the narrative as an origin story addressed directly to 'my love' throughout the book, keeping the recipient's exact identity a mystery until the end. Wanting to better understand her body so she can be a better mother/sire, she turns to a doctor for answers.
“I am a thing of nightmares made flesh, but you say I'm beautiful.”
While the concept and lush imagery had strong potential, the pacing and overall plot didn't completely do it for me. Still worth a look if you're drawn to atmospheric, non-traditional vampire tales!
That said, I quite enjoyed the narrator’s performance. The story features rich, atmospheric detail and opens with the main character waking up in the deep basement halls of a deserted office building—knowing only hunger, sensing her nest, and unable to remember her own name.
Our lead, Beatrice, frames the narrative as an origin story addressed directly to 'my love' throughout the book, keeping the recipient's exact identity a mystery until the end. Wanting to better understand her body so she can be a better mother/sire, she turns to a doctor for answers.
“I am a thing of nightmares made flesh, but you say I'm beautiful.”
While the concept and lush imagery had strong potential, the pacing and overall plot didn't completely do it for me. Still worth a look if you're drawn to atmospheric, non-traditional vampire tales!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
🎧Audio/ Book Review📚
Dear gawd, this story was extremely brutal but in an elegant way. Starling’s writing is so exquisite that it was delivered so well. Still terrifying though.
This is a vampire novel that is really original and I loved that. Trying to explain the premise is hard so I am just going to give you a little breadcrumb.
Beatrice is a vampire who is a “brood mother” who can only be the one to feed new vampires for the first few years of their lives. If they consume mortal blood, it could kill them. It is up to her to hunt and then go back to her lair and feed her brood.
I started reading with the arc and then halfway through, I was approved for the ALC and switched over. The narrator‘s voice was so comforting even during the vicious parts. She did an excellent job.
Let me be clear, this is one of the most brutal books I’ve read this year. It’s ferocious and unrelenting and I absolutely devoured it.
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Out 10/20
Thank you to SMP, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted copies.
Dear gawd, this story was extremely brutal but in an elegant way. Starling’s writing is so exquisite that it was delivered so well. Still terrifying though.
This is a vampire novel that is really original and I loved that. Trying to explain the premise is hard so I am just going to give you a little breadcrumb.
Beatrice is a vampire who is a “brood mother” who can only be the one to feed new vampires for the first few years of their lives. If they consume mortal blood, it could kill them. It is up to her to hunt and then go back to her lair and feed her brood.
I started reading with the arc and then halfway through, I was approved for the ALC and switched over. The narrator‘s voice was so comforting even during the vicious parts. She did an excellent job.
Let me be clear, this is one of the most brutal books I’ve read this year. It’s ferocious and unrelenting and I absolutely devoured it.
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Out 10/20
Thank you to SMP, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted copies.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is such an unusual and unique spin on vampirism.
Beatrice is a brood mother that takes in newly turned vampires and nurses them until they are ready to go out on their own. She currently cares for two fledglings but when a third is brought to her she worries she won't be able to sustain all three. She decides to attend a lactation class to learn more about the process. Surely breastfeeding a baby is no more different than that of feeding a fledgling. There she meets an OBGYN, Dr. Bajracharya, and the two instantly connect and begin a relationship of sorts. Dr. Bajracharya senses there is something unusual with her latest patient and her curiosity will either lead to her salvation or destruction.
I found Beatrice absolutely fascinating and I loved that she embraced the monster within herself.
Starling's writing is exquisite. She can describe scenes of brutality and horror in the most eloquent of ways. This is a woman that was born to write.
However....
Uniqueness and excellent writing aside, this book lacks any kind of urgency. The plot stagnates. Most of the book is just Beatrice feeding her fledglings in different ways and in different positions. I'll admit that from 50% - 80% this book crawled at such a slow pace I even considered setting it aside. I prefer my vampire novels to be more action forward where you're on the edge of your seat in anticipation.
In the end I am glad I stuck with this because the finale was well done and satisfying.
If the slow pace doesn't scare you off then you'll find plenty to sink your teeth into here. 3 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.
Beatrice is a brood mother that takes in newly turned vampires and nurses them until they are ready to go out on their own. She currently cares for two fledglings but when a third is brought to her she worries she won't be able to sustain all three. She decides to attend a lactation class to learn more about the process. Surely breastfeeding a baby is no more different than that of feeding a fledgling. There she meets an OBGYN, Dr. Bajracharya, and the two instantly connect and begin a relationship of sorts. Dr. Bajracharya senses there is something unusual with her latest patient and her curiosity will either lead to her salvation or destruction.
I found Beatrice absolutely fascinating and I loved that she embraced the monster within herself.
Starling's writing is exquisite. She can describe scenes of brutality and horror in the most eloquent of ways. This is a woman that was born to write.
However....
Uniqueness and excellent writing aside, this book lacks any kind of urgency. The plot stagnates. Most of the book is just Beatrice feeding her fledglings in different ways and in different positions. I'll admit that from 50% - 80% this book crawled at such a slow pace I even considered setting it aside. I prefer my vampire novels to be more action forward where you're on the edge of your seat in anticipation.
In the end I am glad I stuck with this because the finale was well done and satisfying.
If the slow pace doesn't scare you off then you'll find plenty to sink your teeth into here. 3 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.
October 14, 2026
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Thank you to all involved.
I rated this book 4/5 stars ⭐️
Things I liked about this book:
🩸 I love a vampire book and this was a fresh take on it that brought it into the modern world.
🩸this was soooo atmospheric- like underground ,”back room”, dark,filthy, down to the blood soaked carpet. It was so easy to to visualize and so creepy. I loved it.
🩸 The characters- while not necessarily “likeable “ were still interesting and I liked them.
🩸The new (at least to me) vampire lore in the book was cool and easy to follow
This book was fun. I feel at parts it could get a little repetitive but I still was excited to read it. I would recommend it if you’re looking for a modern (or any) vampire tale!
I rated this book 4/5 stars ⭐️
Things I liked about this book:
🩸 I love a vampire book and this was a fresh take on it that brought it into the modern world.
🩸this was soooo atmospheric- like underground ,”back room”, dark,filthy, down to the blood soaked carpet. It was so easy to to visualize and so creepy. I loved it.
🩸 The characters- while not necessarily “likeable “ were still interesting and I liked them.
🩸The new (at least to me) vampire lore in the book was cool and easy to follow
This book was fun. I feel at parts it could get a little repetitive but I still was excited to read it. I would recommend it if you’re looking for a modern (or any) vampire tale!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
In MILKTEETH, Caitlin Starling has come up with a fascinating take on vampire mythology where newborn vampires are essentially in a painful state of transition after they are made. Deformed and helpless, they must feed from a vampire-- known as a broodmother-- before they can manage to hunt and feed on human blood. Beatrice, our narrator, is the broodmother of two vampires, soon to be three, but with the third, she starts to behave more erratically, and take more risks. What starts as motherhood-made-monstrous turns into a slow descent of madness that can only be sated by blood.
This story is relatively short but packs a mean punch. I loved the inevitability of the narration, the depression (is this an allegory for post-partum depression and the lack of support given to new mothers? I did wonder), and the toxic sapphic love story that feels a lot like Frankenstein and his monster, especially with all the anatomical and philosophical elements. I also really loved Beatrice's brood, Gorgeous, Fortunata, and Lu, and how they all had distinct personalities.
If you enjoy queer gothic horror and were an especially big fan of Guillermo del Toro's take on Frankenstein, I think you'll love MILKTEETH. Violence-wise, I will say that this was on the cliff-sharp edge of what I personally can tolerate, and there are big triggers for blood, viscera, and body/medical horror, but it's woven into the story in such a way that it felt more poetic than done for shock-value, which made it easier to stomach. This felt like one of those old vampire stories from the 70s and 80s, when vampires were dangerous and kind of mean, and I loved that.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy!
4.5 stars
This story is relatively short but packs a mean punch. I loved the inevitability of the narration, the depression (is this an allegory for post-partum depression and the lack of support given to new mothers? I did wonder), and the toxic sapphic love story that feels a lot like Frankenstein and his monster, especially with all the anatomical and philosophical elements. I also really loved Beatrice's brood, Gorgeous, Fortunata, and Lu, and how they all had distinct personalities.
If you enjoy queer gothic horror and were an especially big fan of Guillermo del Toro's take on Frankenstein, I think you'll love MILKTEETH. Violence-wise, I will say that this was on the cliff-sharp edge of what I personally can tolerate, and there are big triggers for blood, viscera, and body/medical horror, but it's woven into the story in such a way that it felt more poetic than done for shock-value, which made it easier to stomach. This felt like one of those old vampire stories from the 70s and 80s, when vampires were dangerous and kind of mean, and I loved that.
Thanks to the publisher for the review copy!
4.5 stars
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A vampire motherhood story that asks: will this postpartum be survivable?
Premise: Beatrice is a vampire broodmother, responsible for nursing new vampires through their first few years after turning. After she takes a third new charge, her body changes and her own hunger swells monstrously. Desperate to regain control, she consults a human Obgyn for help, but this threatens the secrecy her kind depend on, with potentially fatal results.
This felt like NIGHTBITCH x BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL, which is so fun. I loved the atmosphere and the way the characters were painted. Gorgeous was the most compelling character to me and his arc broke my heart (in a very hopeful, real-love-beats-limerence way). The pacing didn't always work for me, but overall I quite enjoyed this and think fans of Starling's earlier works, especially THE STARVING SAINTS, should absolutely check it out.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Stevi Incremona. She's a new-to-me narrator and did a great job both with general narration and dialogue. I enjoyed!
Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Premise: Beatrice is a vampire broodmother, responsible for nursing new vampires through their first few years after turning. After she takes a third new charge, her body changes and her own hunger swells monstrously. Desperate to regain control, she consults a human Obgyn for help, but this threatens the secrecy her kind depend on, with potentially fatal results.
This felt like NIGHTBITCH x BURY OUR BONES IN THE MIDNIGHT SOIL, which is so fun. I loved the atmosphere and the way the characters were painted. Gorgeous was the most compelling character to me and his arc broke my heart (in a very hopeful, real-love-beats-limerence way). The pacing didn't always work for me, but overall I quite enjoyed this and think fans of Starling's earlier works, especially THE STARVING SAINTS, should absolutely check it out.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Stevi Incremona. She's a new-to-me narrator and did a great job both with general narration and dialogue. I enjoyed!
Thanks, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 22, 2026
4.5 stars!
The concept of this book is fascinating, and it completely lived up to my expectations. This story is absolutely worth your time, and after I finished it… I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Milkteeth is the perfect amount of unsettling, and thought provoking.
The author did a great job setting up our main character because I really imagined myself in her position. So when all of the changes started to happen to her — the connection made it feel like the mysterious changes were happening to me. And I could really feel her thirst/ hunger and need
The level of detail was perfect for being able to see the settings and character interactions. For example the carpet and the basement setting. But at the same time I struggled to picture the ages for most of the brood (I’m unsure it that’s because I missed a detail, or if it’s supposed to be ambiguous)
This is the first time I’ve really enjoyed something that was written like a letter or a story being told specifically to me (second person-ish) and also the first story with body horror that felt like it was happening to me.
This would be an amazing book club book, because I REALLY want to discuss it
Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC through NetGalley
The concept of this book is fascinating, and it completely lived up to my expectations. This story is absolutely worth your time, and after I finished it… I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Milkteeth is the perfect amount of unsettling, and thought provoking.
The author did a great job setting up our main character because I really imagined myself in her position. So when all of the changes started to happen to her — the connection made it feel like the mysterious changes were happening to me. And I could really feel her thirst/ hunger and need
The level of detail was perfect for being able to see the settings and character interactions. For example the carpet and the basement setting. But at the same time I struggled to picture the ages for most of the brood (I’m unsure it that’s because I missed a detail, or if it’s supposed to be ambiguous)
This is the first time I’ve really enjoyed something that was written like a letter or a story being told specifically to me (second person-ish) and also the first story with body horror that felt like it was happening to me.
This would be an amazing book club book, because I REALLY want to discuss it
Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC through NetGalley
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 cannot explain how viscerally I loved this book. Strange, chilling and just so fucking captivating, i had to drag it out so slowly to get every last drop of pleasure from the story. I am a massive fan of Caitlin Starling and how she writes, it's truly so compelling. The characters are just so FUCKED!! The whole story is FUCKED!
I cannot express how obsessed I am with this book. To write such a strange and truly truly unique take on vampires in the year of our dark lord 2026...i am in AWE. This truly was just deliciously gory and certainly has teeth!! I've never ever seen anything like this and I'd be hard pressed to find something to capture pure female rage, motherhood and the vampire ethos how this did...wow!
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Review to come but this was ABSOLUTELY MY JAM!!!!
I cannot express how obsessed I am with this book. To write such a strange and truly truly unique take on vampires in the year of our dark lord 2026...i am in AWE. This truly was just deliciously gory and certainly has teeth!! I've never ever seen anything like this and I'd be hard pressed to find something to capture pure female rage, motherhood and the vampire ethos how this did...wow!
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Review to come but this was ABSOLUTELY MY JAM!!!!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I never thought about how vampirism could become an allegory for motherhood, and this book is committed to every gory and disturbing detail about it. holy mama
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Audiobook Read.
🩸 Vampirism + Motherhood
🦷 Female Agency
🩸 Body Horror
🦷 Sapphic Undertones
🩸 Monstrous Women
Honestly, this is one of the weirdest books I've ever read (complimentary), and it's not even my first Caitlin Starling. I love the concept of parasitic motherhood: the almost feral nature of mothering and providing sustenance to an entire human. I feel like, as a mother, this book really freaking goes there—but you don't have to be interested in parenthood to appreciate the caretaking metaphors.
•
Beatrice is a broodmother; she provides sustenance to newly turned vampires (fledglings) as they gain maturity in their unalived state. She has a special bond with each one of her charges and does the impossible by taking on a third charge. However, she soon finds that three is a crowd, and she undergoes extreme changes due to insatiability—causing her monstrous nature to shift and grow.
•
If it sounds weird, that's because it is, in fact, weird. It's a trip. As a mother myself, I found a lot of the parallels Starling draws in this story between nursing fledglings via blood and raising biological children to be sharp-witted. It's not pretty. Beatrice has to grapple with the loss of autonomy and the simultaneous urge to do the absolute best for her charges, while raising them in squalor. The story opens with her attending a breastfeeding group in hopes of understanding more about her own role, alongside memories of a previous life in which she, in fact, mothered a biological child.
It's a very odd, unique, and kind of bonkers concept. There's a lot of visceral gore, and the horror kind of stems from Beatrice being trapped in this role while still wanting to do the best for her charges, who are learning to interpret and interact with the world in a new way. She is basically monitored by a governing authority of vampires, who refuse to provide her with all that she requires while simultaneously expecting her to fulfil her role perfectly—again, with the motherhood metaphors.
I listened to the audiobook, and Stevi Incremona does a fantastic job of capturing all of Beatrice's vulnerability, emotions, and rage.
Honestly, this one will stick with me for a long time. I felt a lot of empathy for Beatrice's situation, and this character-driven story is poignant and clever in its delivery.
•
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book, and thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and feedback contained within this review are my own.
🩸 Vampirism + Motherhood
🦷 Female Agency
🩸 Body Horror
🦷 Sapphic Undertones
🩸 Monstrous Women
Honestly, this is one of the weirdest books I've ever read (complimentary), and it's not even my first Caitlin Starling. I love the concept of parasitic motherhood: the almost feral nature of mothering and providing sustenance to an entire human. I feel like, as a mother, this book really freaking goes there—but you don't have to be interested in parenthood to appreciate the caretaking metaphors.
•
Beatrice is a broodmother; she provides sustenance to newly turned vampires (fledglings) as they gain maturity in their unalived state. She has a special bond with each one of her charges and does the impossible by taking on a third charge. However, she soon finds that three is a crowd, and she undergoes extreme changes due to insatiability—causing her monstrous nature to shift and grow.
•
If it sounds weird, that's because it is, in fact, weird. It's a trip. As a mother myself, I found a lot of the parallels Starling draws in this story between nursing fledglings via blood and raising biological children to be sharp-witted. It's not pretty. Beatrice has to grapple with the loss of autonomy and the simultaneous urge to do the absolute best for her charges, while raising them in squalor. The story opens with her attending a breastfeeding group in hopes of understanding more about her own role, alongside memories of a previous life in which she, in fact, mothered a biological child.
It's a very odd, unique, and kind of bonkers concept. There's a lot of visceral gore, and the horror kind of stems from Beatrice being trapped in this role while still wanting to do the best for her charges, who are learning to interpret and interact with the world in a new way. She is basically monitored by a governing authority of vampires, who refuse to provide her with all that she requires while simultaneously expecting her to fulfil her role perfectly—again, with the motherhood metaphors.
I listened to the audiobook, and Stevi Incremona does a fantastic job of capturing all of Beatrice's vulnerability, emotions, and rage.
Honestly, this one will stick with me for a long time. I felt a lot of empathy for Beatrice's situation, and this character-driven story is poignant and clever in its delivery.
•
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book, and thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC. All thoughts and feedback contained within this review are my own.
September 16, 2026
I’m not usually a big vampire girly, but Caitlin Starling nailed it and the narrator was absolutely DIVINE😍 This was such an intriguing and unique vampiric story and I lowkey LOVED the breastfeeding aspect of it 👀 This was also my first book by Starling and I just cannot believe I haven’t read something by her before! I’m OBSESSED with her writing style because it genuinely had me hooked IMMEDIATELY. This book felt like I was reading a classic and felt somewhat poetic in a sense and I loved the little sprinkle of sapphic infatuation that Beatrice was feeling towards Bajracharya. What would come of them was a mystery through the whole story but kept me FULLY invested!
Lastly, I would like to give a HUGE thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for my copies of Milkteeth!
Lastly, I would like to give a HUGE thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for my copies of Milkteeth!
October 16, 2026
(ARC) 4.5⭐️ ummmm wow? This was as if Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil and A Dowry of Blood had a baby. I seriously enjoyed this. If you like your vampire books a little more serious and true to vampire lore…add this to your TBR immediately. It was creepy, gory, emotional and unsettling. “You’re gonna suffer, but you’re going to be happy about it.” Signing off. Read this.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected pub date: Nov. 10, 2026
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: Beatrice is a broodmother: 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, where she raises her fledglings—two difficult, hungry children of the night.But when she takes on a third, the balance ruptures. 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 in a world governed by secrecy, even the smallest revelation could prove fatal.
Overall: "Milkteeth" gave me Anne Rice vibes right from the start, with its terrifyingly detailed depictions of life as a vampire, told from the broodmother's point of view. Starling's novel is dark, gritty and immersive, detailing the power of a mother's love- even if she's an immortal one. The language is beautiful and gripping and Beatrice is a badass, but the plotline stagnated in parts. Beatrice's relationship with her "children" was detailed throughout most of the story, but the action didn't come until the final chapters although the ending itself definitely made up for the slow pace throughout. "Milkteeth" is ideal for true vampire fans- the gory, vicious kind of vampires- and is definitely an unsettling, spooky season read.
Expected pub date: Nov. 10, 2026
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: Beatrice is a broodmother: 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, where she raises her fledglings—two difficult, hungry children of the night.But when she takes on a third, the balance ruptures. 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 in a world governed by secrecy, even the smallest revelation could prove fatal.
Overall: "Milkteeth" gave me Anne Rice vibes right from the start, with its terrifyingly detailed depictions of life as a vampire, told from the broodmother's point of view. Starling's novel is dark, gritty and immersive, detailing the power of a mother's love- even if she's an immortal one. The language is beautiful and gripping and Beatrice is a badass, but the plotline stagnated in parts. Beatrice's relationship with her "children" was detailed throughout most of the story, but the action didn't come until the final chapters although the ending itself definitely made up for the slow pace throughout. "Milkteeth" is ideal for true vampire fans- the gory, vicious kind of vampires- and is definitely an unsettling, spooky season read.
July 2, 2026
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling is a unique take on the vampire cannon, in which the main character serves as a broodmother, or a wet nurse for newly changed vampires. Sequestered to a dingy subterranean basement, Beatrice rears new vampires, feeding them her own blood. When a third vampire is added to her responsibility she finds herself struggling to keep up with the grueling need to produce of herself for others.
Caitlin Starling is nothing if not inventive. Her books usually find a way to twist the well known horror tropes in unique ways. I really enjoyed that the portrayal of vampirism was no-nonsense and completely divorced from the romantic, seductive portrayal that’s all too common. Her world is dingy, subterranean, and often makes references to filth and crusted, dried blood. It’s always nice to explore the topic in a way that subverts the common interpretation.
While not overly gory in my opinion there are nearly constant mentions of vampirism and blood drinking. It is not for someone who wasn’t a a completely sanitized vampire story, where consumption and violence are background elements. Beatrice feeds and consumes frequently and it is described in great detail.
The author makes a pretty obvious, but very elegant metaphor for breastfeeding and motherhood. I don’t think there’s actually any attempt to bury or disguise that the book has a lot of allegories for motherhood. There is a thanklessness to Beatrice’s efforts, an unceasing need that never rests. Manon, another vampire who is dominant in the area relies on Beatrice, depends on her abilities and willingness, but looks down on her and her contributions.
The thing that keeps Milkteeth from being something that I could recommend without reservation is that it is very, very slow. Beatrice is a wordy narrator, and the plot moves very slowly. There are many descriptions of her feeding her brood or contemplating her existence, and the plot action is very spaced out. This book creeps and crawls towards the climax, and this is not a book for the impatient. This is a slow, vampiric metaphor and reflection, not a thriller. At times I did feel as if the wheels of the book were spinning but that nothing was advancing.
In general I really enjoyed this book, but I can definitely caution readers who need constant plot action. I am giving this book a 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4/5 stars where applicable.
Milkteeth by Caitlin Starling is a unique take on the vampire cannon, in which the main character serves as a broodmother, or a wet nurse for newly changed vampires. Sequestered to a dingy subterranean basement, Beatrice rears new vampires, feeding them her own blood. When a third vampire is added to her responsibility she finds herself struggling to keep up with the grueling need to produce of herself for others.
Caitlin Starling is nothing if not inventive. Her books usually find a way to twist the well known horror tropes in unique ways. I really enjoyed that the portrayal of vampirism was no-nonsense and completely divorced from the romantic, seductive portrayal that’s all too common. Her world is dingy, subterranean, and often makes references to filth and crusted, dried blood. It’s always nice to explore the topic in a way that subverts the common interpretation.
While not overly gory in my opinion there are nearly constant mentions of vampirism and blood drinking. It is not for someone who wasn’t a a completely sanitized vampire story, where consumption and violence are background elements. Beatrice feeds and consumes frequently and it is described in great detail.
The author makes a pretty obvious, but very elegant metaphor for breastfeeding and motherhood. I don’t think there’s actually any attempt to bury or disguise that the book has a lot of allegories for motherhood. There is a thanklessness to Beatrice’s efforts, an unceasing need that never rests. Manon, another vampire who is dominant in the area relies on Beatrice, depends on her abilities and willingness, but looks down on her and her contributions.
The thing that keeps Milkteeth from being something that I could recommend without reservation is that it is very, very slow. Beatrice is a wordy narrator, and the plot moves very slowly. There are many descriptions of her feeding her brood or contemplating her existence, and the plot action is very spaced out. This book creeps and crawls towards the climax, and this is not a book for the impatient. This is a slow, vampiric metaphor and reflection, not a thriller. At times I did feel as if the wheels of the book were spinning but that nothing was advancing.
In general I really enjoyed this book, but I can definitely caution readers who need constant plot action. I am giving this book a 3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4/5 stars where applicable.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5/5 stars.
Milkteeth is yet another book by Caitlin Starling that is filled with beautiful prose. I consistently love and appreciate her prose and the themes found within her writing. At the same time, I also have noticed that I find her books to be a bit slow for my personal liking. Milkteeth was heavily character focused with less emphasis on plot development. I found myself battling with the balance that was chosen. While I find her prose captivating, I'm not sure that I feel the same about the overall story. I was left feeling underwhelmed and slightly unsatisfied. I think I have come to the conclusion that this author's storytelling is simply not aligned with what I'm looking for as a reader.
I find it conflicting to review Milkteeth because although it wasn't what I was hoping for, I do see a lot of expertise within her books in terms of her writing skills. But I typically gravitate towards fast-paced, and plot focused books. I think this is what's leading me to choose 3.5/5 stars. While I did find this book to be well-written, I just couldn't enjoy it as much as I was wishing to.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
Milkteeth is yet another book by Caitlin Starling that is filled with beautiful prose. I consistently love and appreciate her prose and the themes found within her writing. At the same time, I also have noticed that I find her books to be a bit slow for my personal liking. Milkteeth was heavily character focused with less emphasis on plot development. I found myself battling with the balance that was chosen. While I find her prose captivating, I'm not sure that I feel the same about the overall story. I was left feeling underwhelmed and slightly unsatisfied. I think I have come to the conclusion that this author's storytelling is simply not aligned with what I'm looking for as a reader.
I find it conflicting to review Milkteeth because although it wasn't what I was hoping for, I do see a lot of expertise within her books in terms of her writing skills. But I typically gravitate towards fast-paced, and plot focused books. I think this is what's leading me to choose 3.5/5 stars. While I did find this book to be well-written, I just couldn't enjoy it as much as I was wishing to.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
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 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, 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 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, 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 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🖤
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
In Milkteeth, Starling does away with the romantic notion of vampires changing their true love so they will never need to be apart, then coaching them through their fledgling time. Here, fledglings can only drink from other vampires for the first three years, and for some reason most vampires can’t handle the demand on their body/their blood gives no benefit. They often don’t remember the vampire that turned them when it’s over, & if they do often said vampire has moved on.
Enter, Beatrice; broodmother extraordinaire, who can handle raising two fledglings at once. But an extra child and a change in appetite brings on a kind of existential crisis: how does her feeding convert to blood that’s safe for fledglings to drink? Will feeding three mean her blood is weaker, less nutrient-dense? Why does she suddenly want to eat the flesh of her kills? She makes parallels to breast-feeding and recruits a doctor to help her find some answers, but is she becoming a little too obsessed?
This is a very cool concept, & I’m glad I don’t read blurbs as I’m not sure I’d have wanted to read about thankless motherhood, vampire edition - but I’m so glad I did. Beatrice has been underground raising fledglings for decades, and beginning to question what she is/why, alongside a doctor with a little too much desire to experiment, triggers this new hunger that she can’t place. And she wants to keep her 3 children safe but becomes more & more reckless.
She gets weirder with it than I expected from the early build up! The writing is lovely, some great & grotesque imagery. I really enjoyed & couldn’t put down; finished in one evening.
Enter, Beatrice; broodmother extraordinaire, who can handle raising two fledglings at once. But an extra child and a change in appetite brings on a kind of existential crisis: how does her feeding convert to blood that’s safe for fledglings to drink? Will feeding three mean her blood is weaker, less nutrient-dense? Why does she suddenly want to eat the flesh of her kills? She makes parallels to breast-feeding and recruits a doctor to help her find some answers, but is she becoming a little too obsessed?
This is a very cool concept, & I’m glad I don’t read blurbs as I’m not sure I’d have wanted to read about thankless motherhood, vampire edition - but I’m so glad I did. Beatrice has been underground raising fledglings for decades, and beginning to question what she is/why, alongside a doctor with a little too much desire to experiment, triggers this new hunger that she can’t place. And she wants to keep her 3 children safe but becomes more & more reckless.
She gets weirder with it than I expected from the early build up! The writing is lovely, some great & grotesque imagery. I really enjoyed & couldn’t put down; finished in one evening.
October 20, 2026
I absolutely loved reading Caitlin Starling’s previous novel Graceview Patient, and I was super excited to read her newest effort. In Milk Teeth, the author has taken the classic vampire lore and given her readers an entirely different approach to sink their teeth into. The story is a dark, sensual, mesmerizing gothic horror that I absolutely loved reading. I was totally captivated from the very beginning of the story and stayed up way too late into the night reading it. A huge thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the eARC and audio version of this book.
Young fledgling vampires are in a vulnerable state of transition after they are made. They are disfigured and helpless, these newborns are dependent upon their broodmother, a vampire who they must suckle and feed from - until they can actually hunt and feed on human blood. Beatrice, the broodmother, nests inside an abandoned office building where she is already nursing two difficult young vampires. Soon, she’ll have a third. But taken in another young vampire is a bit more than Beatrice has bargained for. Her sense of balance becomes fractured and she starts losing herself. The broodmother starts to transform. Her body changes, which abandons her sole purpose, she becomes something much darker and monstrous. Can Beatrice gain control of herself once again before the secrets of the vampiric coven are revealed and things become fatal?
Caitlin Starling has written a fascinating, highly compelling, poignant and yet very disturbing novel that had me devouring page after page until the satisfying ending. The intersection between motherhood and monstrous vampire is absolutely brilliant. A story that examines motherhood, bodily consumption, loss of bodily autonomy, isolation, sacrifice, transformation, the supernatural, and moral ambiguity. Milk Teeth is not your classic vampire mythology, this unique story has bite to it - a dark, atmospheric, compulsive read that you won’t be able to put down.
Young fledgling vampires are in a vulnerable state of transition after they are made. They are disfigured and helpless, these newborns are dependent upon their broodmother, a vampire who they must suckle and feed from - until they can actually hunt and feed on human blood. Beatrice, the broodmother, nests inside an abandoned office building where she is already nursing two difficult young vampires. Soon, she’ll have a third. But taken in another young vampire is a bit more than Beatrice has bargained for. Her sense of balance becomes fractured and she starts losing herself. The broodmother starts to transform. Her body changes, which abandons her sole purpose, she becomes something much darker and monstrous. Can Beatrice gain control of herself once again before the secrets of the vampiric coven are revealed and things become fatal?
Caitlin Starling has written a fascinating, highly compelling, poignant and yet very disturbing novel that had me devouring page after page until the satisfying ending. The intersection between motherhood and monstrous vampire is absolutely brilliant. A story that examines motherhood, bodily consumption, loss of bodily autonomy, isolation, sacrifice, transformation, the supernatural, and moral ambiguity. Milk Teeth is not your classic vampire mythology, this unique story has bite to it - a dark, atmospheric, compulsive read that you won’t be able to put down.
June 15, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!
Caitlin Starling, I love your brain.
There was zero chance I was waiting to read this closer to the publish date in October.
I absolutely devoured this book (pun intended). I highly recommend this for those that love vampires, female rage, exploring themes of motherhood (both good and bad), and are down to read a lot of gore.
***Please check trigger warning if you are squeamish!
I always love when a book takes existing, long-standing lore for something like vampires and flips it on its head. I've truly never seen vampires done like this!
While yes, this is a gross, bloody book about vampires, at its core this is about what it means to be a woman, a mother, and to have a body that exists to sustain the lives of others (even if those lives aren't of your making). The balance between the love and resentment you can feel while caring for others that heavily depend on you is depicted so well, that even I, someone who is and never will be a mother, could deeply empathized with Beatrice. This book really digs down into the rawness and anger that is being a woman and is not apologetic about it in the slightest.
Caitlin Starling, I love your brain.
There was zero chance I was waiting to read this closer to the publish date in October.
I absolutely devoured this book (pun intended). I highly recommend this for those that love vampires, female rage, exploring themes of motherhood (both good and bad), and are down to read a lot of gore.
***Please check trigger warning if you are squeamish!
I always love when a book takes existing, long-standing lore for something like vampires and flips it on its head. I've truly never seen vampires done like this!
While yes, this is a gross, bloody book about vampires, at its core this is about what it means to be a woman, a mother, and to have a body that exists to sustain the lives of others (even if those lives aren't of your making). The balance between the love and resentment you can feel while caring for others that heavily depend on you is depicted so well, that even I, someone who is and never will be a mother, could deeply empathized with Beatrice. This book really digs down into the rawness and anger that is being a woman and is not apologetic about it in the slightest.
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.
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