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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
About the author
Caitlin Starling
12 books2,515 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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September 13, 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.
Read
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."
September 9, 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 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.
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
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
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.
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.
June 16, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!
4.25 ⭐️
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.
4.25 ⭐️
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.
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.
August 16, 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🖤
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
✨✨Finally a truly unique new vampire story!! ✨✨
Milkteeth is such a unique take on vampires. As soon as I saw this was about a vampire broodmother, I was like SAY LESS!!!!!
I really enjoyed Beatrice’s character and it’s great how as a mother there is actually some things I can relate to in this story. There is some body horror in this one so just FYI if you’re squeamish. The world building left a lot unknown, but also at the same time it was done really well! This story has a lot to say about motherhood and how it’s perceived as well. Love that!
THE ENDING!!! 👩🍳 😘 So good!!! A new favorite read for me!
I LOVED The Graceview Patient by Caitlin Starling when I read it last year (it became a new favorite for me) and I see that she has written some other books. I need to check those out also!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released October 20, 2026 .
Milkteeth is such a unique take on vampires. As soon as I saw this was about a vampire broodmother, I was like SAY LESS!!!!!
I really enjoyed Beatrice’s character and it’s great how as a mother there is actually some things I can relate to in this story. There is some body horror in this one so just FYI if you’re squeamish. The world building left a lot unknown, but also at the same time it was done really well! This story has a lot to say about motherhood and how it’s perceived as well. Love that!
THE ENDING!!! 👩🍳 😘 So good!!! A new favorite read for me!
I LOVED The Graceview Patient by Caitlin Starling when I read it last year (it became a new favorite for me) and I see that she has written some other books. I need to check those out also!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released October 20, 2026 .
July 2, 2026
time to read everything that caitlin starling has written 🫡
August 22, 2026
Copy from NetGalley
I don’t really know how to describe this book. It’s so unique and different and weird. In a good way of course. It’s the story of a vampire who feds fledglings and raised them until they’re able to live on their own. But she takes on one too many and things begin to spiral.
I understood this story as a way to describe being a mother pre and post birthing. The way that everything revolves around the children. That the main character loses her sense of self and her power to control her own life. As the main character received another ‘child’ is a bit more complicated, she starts to venture out further from her brood. She starts to see people and the things around her. She breaks out of this ‘mother’ role thats been placed on her. As she does this, the people around her vire her as monstrous. As some sort of villain. Just because she whats to be more and seen as more than just a caretaker. She is her own person, as well ad a mother, but its not her entire identity.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a quick read and really weird. I loved every second of it. It just wasn’t a 5 star feeling sadly.
I don’t really know how to describe this book. It’s so unique and different and weird. In a good way of course. It’s the story of a vampire who feds fledglings and raised them until they’re able to live on their own. But she takes on one too many and things begin to spiral.
I understood this story as a way to describe being a mother pre and post birthing. The way that everything revolves around the children. That the main character loses her sense of self and her power to control her own life. As the main character received another ‘child’ is a bit more complicated, she starts to venture out further from her brood. She starts to see people and the things around her. She breaks out of this ‘mother’ role thats been placed on her. As she does this, the people around her vire her as monstrous. As some sort of villain. Just because she whats to be more and seen as more than just a caretaker. She is her own person, as well ad a mother, but its not her entire identity.
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a quick read and really weird. I loved every second of it. It just wasn’t a 5 star feeling sadly.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Reading for review in a future issue of Booklist
Three Words That Describe This Book: Slow Burn, Storyteller Narration, Maternal Macabre
This is not your mother's vampire novel, actually maybe that is exactly what it is. Beatrice is a vampire brood mother whose job is to raise and feed new vampires. In this world-- and the world building is fairly strong here-- newly turned vampires cannot eat human blood yet. Otherwise it will turn them into monsters. Beatrice works for a rich female vampire and raises her specific vampire while other vampire's go through this patron to have Beatrice raise theirs.
The metaphor that Beatrice is like a human mother of a newborn, over tired, unthanked, spending all her energy making the sustenance her nurslings need, no one to turn to for help or advice.....all of it is not thinly veiled by Starling, it is right in your face on purpose because Beatrice -- early in the book-- goes to a human lactation evening support group. To ask for advice about nursing multiple babies. And there she meets a doctor who she works with.
The entire story is told to the reader as if Beatrice is talking to her newest nursling. It has an interview with the Vampire feel in how the story unfolds. There are times Beatrice foreshadows the story herself referring to the person she is telling it to who is asking questions who knows the answers.
This story has a slow burn. But when you get to the coma at the end....everything changes.
It was an original vampire story and not just because of the breasfeeding. There is medical/anatomy discussions here, new things to add to the vampire storytelling lore, and a fascinating world with interesting characters. Even some body horror.
This all starts off uneasy, but Beatrice slowly ropes the reader in, lulling them with the storytelling narration, like a bedtime story, slowly ratcheting up the unease to unsettling to discomfort to fear and finally terror. You will feel sympathy for Beatrice and be terrified of her.
For fans of Interview with the Vampire for sure. Also visceral and terrifying maternal horror written by women who understand what is monstrous and horrific about motherhood like Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton. Also fans of Hailey Piper would love this story.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Slow Burn, Storyteller Narration, Maternal Macabre
This is not your mother's vampire novel, actually maybe that is exactly what it is. Beatrice is a vampire brood mother whose job is to raise and feed new vampires. In this world-- and the world building is fairly strong here-- newly turned vampires cannot eat human blood yet. Otherwise it will turn them into monsters. Beatrice works for a rich female vampire and raises her specific vampire while other vampire's go through this patron to have Beatrice raise theirs.
The metaphor that Beatrice is like a human mother of a newborn, over tired, unthanked, spending all her energy making the sustenance her nurslings need, no one to turn to for help or advice.....all of it is not thinly veiled by Starling, it is right in your face on purpose because Beatrice -- early in the book-- goes to a human lactation evening support group. To ask for advice about nursing multiple babies. And there she meets a doctor who she works with.
The entire story is told to the reader as if Beatrice is talking to her newest nursling. It has an interview with the Vampire feel in how the story unfolds. There are times Beatrice foreshadows the story herself referring to the person she is telling it to who is asking questions who knows the answers.
This story has a slow burn. But when you get to the coma at the end....everything changes.
It was an original vampire story and not just because of the breasfeeding. There is medical/anatomy discussions here, new things to add to the vampire storytelling lore, and a fascinating world with interesting characters. Even some body horror.
This all starts off uneasy, but Beatrice slowly ropes the reader in, lulling them with the storytelling narration, like a bedtime story, slowly ratcheting up the unease to unsettling to discomfort to fear and finally terror. You will feel sympathy for Beatrice and be terrified of her.
For fans of Interview with the Vampire for sure. Also visceral and terrifying maternal horror written by women who understand what is monstrous and horrific about motherhood like Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moulton. Also fans of Hailey Piper would love this story.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What if vampires could breastfeed?
With a simple question such as this, Starling takes the reader down a strange and twisted path and creates a unique take on the vampire legend, even while referencing the classic “Dracula.” In “Milkteeth,” creating new vampires is not as simple as it used to be. Instead, it requires a years-long process of transformation, during which the infant vampire must re-learn skills and controls they may have had as a mortal, but now have lost. Skills such as impulse control, proper feeding techniques, and hunting. Eating flesh is forbidden, lest a fledgling vampire turn into a mindless ghoul that preys on the dead and not the living. Above all else, a newly turned vampire must be nursed by a broodmother, another vampire who is capable of transforming human blood in their body into a substance that the infant vampire can consume. Human blood is poisonous to fledglings, and broodmothers are both necessary and rare creatures.
Beatrice is such a vampire, with a lair under an office building and a brood of two fledglings. The story is told from Beatrice’s point of view, speaking to an unnamed vampire child who is not yet in the story. Hers is a strong personality, and in it the reader gets a deeper picture of the conflicting emotions brought on by motherhood, the pride and love of one’s child but also the resentment and anger at the imposition. Beatrice is responsible not only for the physical upbringing of the new vampires, but also their emotional progress as well. And when Beatrice agrees to accept a third charge, a “special needs” vampire who has eaten human flesh and may turn ghoulish, the stress upon her brood and nest soon begins to show cracks.
Beatrice soon begins to search for ways to improve her lactation in the mortal world. Her continued forays into the outside world, through a hidden exit away from the prying eyes of her Mistress vampire, will ultimately lead to even more complications, ones that are delicious and bloody, and also meaty.
Ultimately I really loved this book, although I can suppose that some readers will be turned off by the constant mothering and latching on and feeding of infants, vampires though they be. However, for this reader, an older mother who once felt the guilt of failed breast feeding, the tinge of resentment at the loss of her prior life, and the pride and joy in the achievements of two precious, and now grown children, I can say that I really latched on to this book. (Heheh.) Caitlin Starling has become one of my favorite authors of late, especially after the bloody glory that was “The Starving Saints.” This book seals the deal for me.
My thanks to the Powers That Be (NetGalley, Publisher, Author) for this awesome opportunity. Kudos to you all!
With a simple question such as this, Starling takes the reader down a strange and twisted path and creates a unique take on the vampire legend, even while referencing the classic “Dracula.” In “Milkteeth,” creating new vampires is not as simple as it used to be. Instead, it requires a years-long process of transformation, during which the infant vampire must re-learn skills and controls they may have had as a mortal, but now have lost. Skills such as impulse control, proper feeding techniques, and hunting. Eating flesh is forbidden, lest a fledgling vampire turn into a mindless ghoul that preys on the dead and not the living. Above all else, a newly turned vampire must be nursed by a broodmother, another vampire who is capable of transforming human blood in their body into a substance that the infant vampire can consume. Human blood is poisonous to fledglings, and broodmothers are both necessary and rare creatures.
Beatrice is such a vampire, with a lair under an office building and a brood of two fledglings. The story is told from Beatrice’s point of view, speaking to an unnamed vampire child who is not yet in the story. Hers is a strong personality, and in it the reader gets a deeper picture of the conflicting emotions brought on by motherhood, the pride and love of one’s child but also the resentment and anger at the imposition. Beatrice is responsible not only for the physical upbringing of the new vampires, but also their emotional progress as well. And when Beatrice agrees to accept a third charge, a “special needs” vampire who has eaten human flesh and may turn ghoulish, the stress upon her brood and nest soon begins to show cracks.
Beatrice soon begins to search for ways to improve her lactation in the mortal world. Her continued forays into the outside world, through a hidden exit away from the prying eyes of her Mistress vampire, will ultimately lead to even more complications, ones that are delicious and bloody, and also meaty.
Ultimately I really loved this book, although I can suppose that some readers will be turned off by the constant mothering and latching on and feeding of infants, vampires though they be. However, for this reader, an older mother who once felt the guilt of failed breast feeding, the tinge of resentment at the loss of her prior life, and the pride and joy in the achievements of two precious, and now grown children, I can say that I really latched on to this book. (Heheh.) Caitlin Starling has become one of my favorite authors of late, especially after the bloody glory that was “The Starving Saints.” This book seals the deal for me.
My thanks to the Powers That Be (NetGalley, Publisher, Author) for this awesome opportunity. Kudos to you all!
July 12, 2026
ARC received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
i was a little scared to pick up this one because i feel like all vampire books are somewhat repetitive, as it's a pretty popular trope - so how unique can a vampire book truly be? turns out, Caitlin Starling has ideas! good ideas! the book follows the idea of a broodmother - a vampire that's sort of a mother to the newly turned ones, because they aren't mature enough to be able to feed on human blood, so they have to consume vampire blood - Beatrice's. i think the idea of motherhood was wonderfully explored in this one, and i loved the juxtaposition of something that's supposed to be "pure" be tainted by gore and horror.
the writing style was really good; the author is definitely skilled at writing horror and gore scenes, especially the body-horror ones, which were chilling. we're inside Beatrice's mind as she's slowly losing it and i think that made for a very intriguing read. she's curious about the changes related to motherhood, in both humans and vampires, but she's also slowly getting closer to being more of a monster than a human. her relationships with her fledglings suffer as her relationship with the doctor moves along. the other vampires also get a whiff of what's going on with Beatrice, who, even though broodmothers are rare, is being looked down upon.
i think the book is more character-driven than plot-driven, and it gets a little slow towards the middle because of it, but it's definitely worth the read, in my opinion. i can see why people might not enjoy this one as much because of its pace.
overall, "milkteeth" is a thought-provoking read with a really unique plot. i'm definitely going to pick up the author's other novels, as i really enjoyed her writing style.
i was a little scared to pick up this one because i feel like all vampire books are somewhat repetitive, as it's a pretty popular trope - so how unique can a vampire book truly be? turns out, Caitlin Starling has ideas! good ideas! the book follows the idea of a broodmother - a vampire that's sort of a mother to the newly turned ones, because they aren't mature enough to be able to feed on human blood, so they have to consume vampire blood - Beatrice's. i think the idea of motherhood was wonderfully explored in this one, and i loved the juxtaposition of something that's supposed to be "pure" be tainted by gore and horror.
the writing style was really good; the author is definitely skilled at writing horror and gore scenes, especially the body-horror ones, which were chilling. we're inside Beatrice's mind as she's slowly losing it and i think that made for a very intriguing read. she's curious about the changes related to motherhood, in both humans and vampires, but she's also slowly getting closer to being more of a monster than a human. her relationships with her fledglings suffer as her relationship with the doctor moves along. the other vampires also get a whiff of what's going on with Beatrice, who, even though broodmothers are rare, is being looked down upon.
i think the book is more character-driven than plot-driven, and it gets a little slow towards the middle because of it, but it's definitely worth the read, in my opinion. i can see why people might not enjoy this one as much because of its pace.
overall, "milkteeth" is a thought-provoking read with a really unique plot. i'm definitely going to pick up the author's other novels, as i really enjoyed her writing style.
July 4, 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 a book by Caitlin Starling 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
July 24, 2026
"But what if breastfeeding vampires"
This horror novel follows a vampire brood mother who raises other vampires. When she bites off more than she can chew (literally) she mixes with human medicine and develops into a new vampire. A true brood mother
This was quite an entertaining concept! Finally delving into the breeding and child rearing for vampire mythology. I'm counting this as factual vampire lore.
The middle just got so repetitive I just couldn't bring myself to pick this up at one point. I wish there was more horror and gore honestly. Like there was scenes but I was excepting worse!
This horror novel follows a vampire brood mother who raises other vampires. When she bites off more than she can chew (literally) she mixes with human medicine and develops into a new vampire. A true brood mother
This was quite an entertaining concept! Finally delving into the breeding and child rearing for vampire mythology. I'm counting this as factual vampire lore.
The middle just got so repetitive I just couldn't bring myself to pick this up at one point. I wish there was more horror and gore honestly. Like there was scenes but I was excepting worse!
August 28, 2026
If you like vampires, this is for you! If you like queer stories, this is for you! If you like gore and medical horror, this is definitely for you!
My expectations of this book were far surpassed, it was so much more than I could have imagined. We follow a brood mother vampire, who cares for young fledgling vampires by feeding them her blood before they can metabolize human blood on their own. What unfolds is an exploration of motherhood, maintaining a sense of self as a caregiver, and exploring new attractions.
My favorite thing about this book is that it manages to be the bloodiest vampire book I’ve ever read by far- which feels like a huge feat. Not only do we get blood and gore in this book, we get an extremely medical and biological view of these things including mentions of medical tools, procedures, and medications. If you, like me, are squeamish about medical details, this book will disgust you in the best way possible.
My expectations of this book were far surpassed, it was so much more than I could have imagined. We follow a brood mother vampire, who cares for young fledgling vampires by feeding them her blood before they can metabolize human blood on their own. What unfolds is an exploration of motherhood, maintaining a sense of self as a caregiver, and exploring new attractions.
My favorite thing about this book is that it manages to be the bloodiest vampire book I’ve ever read by far- which feels like a huge feat. Not only do we get blood and gore in this book, we get an extremely medical and biological view of these things including mentions of medical tools, procedures, and medications. If you, like me, are squeamish about medical details, this book will disgust you in the best way possible.
Want to Read
June 10, 2026i have been in such a reading slump but i got approved for the arc! this is so exciting, and caitlin starling is one of my favourite authors ❤️
May 22, 2026
4.75/5
this book was a big WOW. what a unique interpretation on vampirism, and one i certainly have never seen done before. it was so refreshing to see the gruesome and grisly viewpoint of the broodmother, the one who nurtures and feeds the young freshly turned vampires in their first couple years. it was so interesting how similarly it mirrored the emotional bond formed raising young from the womb and how the care of a mother (verging on the line of obsession in this case) can so deeply impact the development of the young in both the good and the bad. i loved the constant parallels being made in that regard, and how our fmc beatrice actually goes out of her way to turn to medical professionals to see how she can enhance her nurturing even knowing it was a massive risk. this book was told in what felt like an out loud storytelling/conversational format really doubling down on the infatuation beatrise had with her charges and the fine line between that and the intimacy of lovers. and especially so with the repetitive terms of endearment and obsessive love bombing, you really get the fixation at full force. not only that, but i loved the theme highlighting the lengths a woman/mother will go through to ensure their loved ones are cared for, including bodily mutilation and putting themselves in high risk/higher reward situations. it just so perfectly encapsulates womanhood.
most of the vampire books i’ve read in the past have felt so sexy and seductive, really riding on the fantastical side of things. in true horror fashion, we got the stripped down raw and gritty version, in what i could imagine would be how vampires would function in actuality. it gets you to stop thinking about the beautiful twilight-esque immortals and start seeing them as the blood and flesh devouring revenants that they are. really well done, i have high hopes this one will be a massive release later this year, especially coming out around halloween!
this book was a big WOW. what a unique interpretation on vampirism, and one i certainly have never seen done before. it was so refreshing to see the gruesome and grisly viewpoint of the broodmother, the one who nurtures and feeds the young freshly turned vampires in their first couple years. it was so interesting how similarly it mirrored the emotional bond formed raising young from the womb and how the care of a mother (verging on the line of obsession in this case) can so deeply impact the development of the young in both the good and the bad. i loved the constant parallels being made in that regard, and how our fmc beatrice actually goes out of her way to turn to medical professionals to see how she can enhance her nurturing even knowing it was a massive risk. this book was told in what felt like an out loud storytelling/conversational format really doubling down on the infatuation beatrise had with her charges and the fine line between that and the intimacy of lovers. and especially so with the repetitive terms of endearment and obsessive love bombing, you really get the fixation at full force. not only that, but i loved the theme highlighting the lengths a woman/mother will go through to ensure their loved ones are cared for, including bodily mutilation and putting themselves in high risk/higher reward situations. it just so perfectly encapsulates womanhood.
most of the vampire books i’ve read in the past have felt so sexy and seductive, really riding on the fantastical side of things. in true horror fashion, we got the stripped down raw and gritty version, in what i could imagine would be how vampires would function in actuality. it gets you to stop thinking about the beautiful twilight-esque immortals and start seeing them as the blood and flesh devouring revenants that they are. really well done, i have high hopes this one will be a massive release later this year, especially coming out around halloween!
June 22, 2026
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Milk Teeth was my first Caitlin Starling novel, but it absolutely will not be my last.
This book was weird, gross, fascinating, and I loved every minute of it.
The premise alone was fascinating - a vampire broodmother responsible for raising newly turned vampires - but the execution was what truly sold me.
Starling’s writing is immersive, unsettling, and impossible to look away from.
The pacing was perfectly balanced, steadily building tension while revealing increasingly disturbing truths.
What starts as a unique vampire story evolves into something much stranger, darker, and deeply compelling.
The body horror elements were unsettling in all the best ways, and I found myself completely invested in Beatrice’s unraveling journey.
If you enjoy horror that leans into
🕯️ the bizarre
🕯️ explores themes of motherhood
🕯️ leaves you feeling deliciously uncomfortable
Milk Teeth is one to add to your TBR.
Thank you to Caitlin Starling, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for early access to Milk Teeth. I’m grateful for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts.
#bookreview #arcread #readmorebooks #books
Milk Teeth was my first Caitlin Starling novel, but it absolutely will not be my last.
This book was weird, gross, fascinating, and I loved every minute of it.
The premise alone was fascinating - a vampire broodmother responsible for raising newly turned vampires - but the execution was what truly sold me.
Starling’s writing is immersive, unsettling, and impossible to look away from.
The pacing was perfectly balanced, steadily building tension while revealing increasingly disturbing truths.
What starts as a unique vampire story evolves into something much stranger, darker, and deeply compelling.
The body horror elements were unsettling in all the best ways, and I found myself completely invested in Beatrice’s unraveling journey.
If you enjoy horror that leans into
🕯️ the bizarre
🕯️ explores themes of motherhood
🕯️ leaves you feeling deliciously uncomfortable
Milk Teeth is one to add to your TBR.
Thank you to Caitlin Starling, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for early access to Milk Teeth. I’m grateful for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts.
#bookreview #arcread #readmorebooks #books
May 8, 2026
Thanks to Netgalley and Caitlin Starling for the ARC!! I read this in one sitting, I was immersed from the very beginning. Obviously this is commentary on motherhood, but I found things regarding gender and class as well. The concept of vampire nursing was so fascinating, and I really enjoyed the character study of Beatrice as well. If you’re looking for an action packed and adventurous plot, I would keep moving. However, if you want a look into the sacrifices of motherhood and how it can turn someone monstrous if pushed far enough through the lens of vampirism, look no further! I rounded down from 4.5 for the pacing, but this was fantastic <3
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.
July 23, 2026
This is my second Caitlin Starling novel, and I enjoyed this one so much more than The Graceview Patient.
Milkteeth festers in a rotten, backrooms-like underworld that’s hidden just beneath the surface of our own. Beatrice is a brood mother, tasked with feeding newly turned vampires until they’re mature enough to leave the nest. Everyone in this story is teetering on the edge of losing control to their most primal needs while Beatrice tries her best to hold together a brood that she’s loosing control over.
Moody, eerie, and gory, this book just worked for me. Starling builds a creeping sense of dread that never lets up. It plays with themes of motherhood and selfhood that I thought perfectly aided the story. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a vampire story that feels genuinely different!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Milkteeth festers in a rotten, backrooms-like underworld that’s hidden just beneath the surface of our own. Beatrice is a brood mother, tasked with feeding newly turned vampires until they’re mature enough to leave the nest. Everyone in this story is teetering on the edge of losing control to their most primal needs while Beatrice tries her best to hold together a brood that she’s loosing control over.
Moody, eerie, and gory, this book just worked for me. Starling builds a creeping sense of dread that never lets up. It plays with themes of motherhood and selfhood that I thought perfectly aided the story. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a vampire story that feels genuinely different!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 29, 2026
Milkteeth is a fascinating horror novel centred around vampires. Starling creates a unique concept where infant vampires must feed from broodmothers before being able to drink blood from humans.
Beatrice is a broodmother who is responsible for feeding three vampires. But once she starts feeding for the third, she becomes much more violent and uncontrollable.
Beatrice dates a human doctor to attempt to find out what might be happening with her body, which ends up disrupting her vampire society.
I usually don’t read horror, but I found the concept of Milkteeth very intriguing. I did think it was confusing, with the explanation of the vampire system a bit underdeveloped. If you do like horror and books anout vampires, you will probably find this interesting and entertaining, but it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publishing date: 20 October 2026
Beatrice is a broodmother who is responsible for feeding three vampires. But once she starts feeding for the third, she becomes much more violent and uncontrollable.
Beatrice dates a human doctor to attempt to find out what might be happening with her body, which ends up disrupting her vampire society.
I usually don’t read horror, but I found the concept of Milkteeth very intriguing. I did think it was confusing, with the explanation of the vampire system a bit underdeveloped. If you do like horror and books anout vampires, you will probably find this interesting and entertaining, but it just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publishing date: 20 October 2026
July 6, 2026
4.5*
Hey so this was absolutely fucked up, and I loved it? Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.
I’m not a horror person in the slightest, but the plot of this book drew me in from the synopsis. This is a book about motherhood in its most corrupted form. It’s vampires like I’ve never seen them before. I’ve never read or watched or even thought of anything like this, which made it all the better. The gore and body horror were certainly there but they led credence to the story instead of being there for the heck of it.
Beatrice may be a monster, but man did I feel for her at so many points in this story. She loves the fledglings despite her inability to admit it. She’s trying to do her best when she’s spread herself too thin, which is exactly what motherhood is at its core.
So yes, this was insane, but in a good way, and I ate it up (pun intended).
Hey so this was absolutely fucked up, and I loved it? Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy.
I’m not a horror person in the slightest, but the plot of this book drew me in from the synopsis. This is a book about motherhood in its most corrupted form. It’s vampires like I’ve never seen them before. I’ve never read or watched or even thought of anything like this, which made it all the better. The gore and body horror were certainly there but they led credence to the story instead of being there for the heck of it.
Beatrice may be a monster, but man did I feel for her at so many points in this story. She loves the fledglings despite her inability to admit it. She’s trying to do her best when she’s spread herself too thin, which is exactly what motherhood is at its core.
So yes, this was insane, but in a good way, and I ate it up (pun intended).
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