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    Rottenheart

    Author Kat Dunn
    Ebook (EPUB)
    Zando
    On sale Oct 13, 2026 | 320 Pages | 9781638934660
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    “Feed this directly into my veins.” —Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author
    From the bestselling author of Hungerstone, an intoxicating and chilling gothic horror novel that reimagines Hamlet with a seductive sapphic twist—and where the only thing more dangerous than a family secret is a mother's revenge.
    Revenge me. For I am murdered . . .

    Odette and her best friend, Cecilia, grow up between two grand homes, one in Hampstead and one in Suffolk, the ancient and imposing Herne House. Odette’s mother, Lydia, is almost parasitic in her neediness, but despite her, Odette and Cecilia come of age together—free to roam, to learn, and to love. When Lydia inexplicably sickens and dies, a dark veil falls. Odette’s father retreats to his study, while her aunt—the cold and cruel Claudine—increasingly takes charge of the household. Lost in grief and spiraling into madness, Odette disappears into the shadows, leaving Cecilia alone and with her affections tested. As Claudine is announced as Odette’s new stepmother, the girls reckon with this final betrayal, and a sinister presence awakens. To her horror, Odette realizes that her mother never truly left. She now haunts the manor, ready to drag long- held secrets into the light and exact revenge against those who thought her dead and gone. A visceral tale of grief and madness, Rottenheart exhumes the heart of Hamlet to tell a fearless queer love story laced with an unforgettable haunting, asking whether we can truly outrun our suffering, or if we are forever indebted to the vengeful dead.
    Praise for Rottenheart

    “Feed this directly into my veins.” —Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author

    “Rottenheart will transport you. It’s a darkly intoxicating and fierce sapphic retelling of Hamlet, filled with longing, rage, and grief. Kat Dunn has crafted something haunting, beguiling, and mesmerizing, and I’m certain it’s her most extraordinary novel yet.” —Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

    Praise for Hungerstone

    NPR Best Book of the Year • Goodreads Choice Award Finalist

    “The lesbian vampire novel we need.” —Them

    “A rich and daring reimagining that brings the beating heart of Carmilla to life again. Hungerstone is a delicious tribute to the inherent horrors of womanhood and the desperate and exquisite vulgarity of desire. This is everything I dream of in a novel.” —Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth

    “While sapphics everywhere thank Sheridan Le Fanu for his service, Kat Dunn’s juicy Hungerstone expertly recasts Carmilla’s story from a much-needed female perspective.” —Elle

    “An atmospheric, blood-drenched, feminist twist on classic vampire tropes, a sapphic delight and industrial horror story.” —Shelf Awareness

    “It’s everything you love about the original, but, like, even queerer.” —Book Riot

    “Extraordinary…. A dark, sensuous, gothic story of female appetite, ravenous desire and insatiable rage. A blood-drenched, glittering, jewel of a novel.” —Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Atalanta

    “Gives Carmilla a bold, feminist retelling.” —Town & Country

    “An intoxicating and vivid take on the gothic novel. Sensual and vicious, Lenore’s devastating story of self-discovery, betrayal and power feels like one for the ages.” —Hannah Kaner, author of Godkiller
    Kat Dunn is the nationally bestselling author of Hungerstone. She has a BA in Japanese from SOAS and an MA in English from Warwick, has written about mental health for Mind, and worked as a translator for Japanese television. Kat grew up in London and has lived in Japan, Australia, and France.
    Kat Dunn View titles by Kat Dunn

    About

    “Feed this directly into my veins.” —Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author
    From the bestselling author of Hungerstone, an intoxicating and chilling gothic horror novel that reimagines Hamlet with a seductive sapphic twist—and where the only thing more dangerous than a family secret is a mother's revenge.
    Revenge me. For I am murdered . . .

    Odette and her best friend, Cecilia, grow up between two grand homes, one in Hampstead and one in Suffolk, the ancient and imposing Herne House. Odette’s mother, Lydia, is almost parasitic in her neediness, but despite her, Odette and Cecilia come of age together—free to roam, to learn, and to love. When Lydia inexplicably sickens and dies, a dark veil falls. Odette’s father retreats to his study, while her aunt—the cold and cruel Claudine—increasingly takes charge of the household. Lost in grief and spiraling into madness, Odette disappears into the shadows, leaving Cecilia alone and with her affections tested. As Claudine is announced as Odette’s new stepmother, the girls reckon with this final betrayal, and a sinister presence awakens. To her horror, Odette realizes that her mother never truly left. She now haunts the manor, ready to drag long- held secrets into the light and exact revenge against those who thought her dead and gone. A visceral tale of grief and madness, Rottenheart exhumes the heart of Hamlet to tell a fearless queer love story laced with an unforgettable haunting, asking whether we can truly outrun our suffering, or if we are forever indebted to the vengeful dead.

    Reviews

    Praise for Rottenheart

    “Feed this directly into my veins.” —Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author

    “Rottenheart will transport you. It’s a darkly intoxicating and fierce sapphic retelling of Hamlet, filled with longing, rage, and grief. Kat Dunn has crafted something haunting, beguiling, and mesmerizing, and I’m certain it’s her most extraordinary novel yet.” —Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb

    Praise for Hungerstone

    NPR Best Book of the Year • Goodreads Choice Award Finalist

    “The lesbian vampire novel we need.” —Them

    “A rich and daring reimagining that brings the beating heart of Carmilla to life again. Hungerstone is a delicious tribute to the inherent horrors of womanhood and the desperate and exquisite vulgarity of desire. This is everything I dream of in a novel.” —Ava Reid, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth

    “While sapphics everywhere thank Sheridan Le Fanu for his service, Kat Dunn’s juicy Hungerstone expertly recasts Carmilla’s story from a much-needed female perspective.” —Elle

    “An atmospheric, blood-drenched, feminist twist on classic vampire tropes, a sapphic delight and industrial horror story.” —Shelf Awareness

    “It’s everything you love about the original, but, like, even queerer.” —Book Riot

    “Extraordinary…. A dark, sensuous, gothic story of female appetite, ravenous desire and insatiable rage. A blood-drenched, glittering, jewel of a novel.” —Jennifer Saint, author of Ariadne and Atalanta

    “Gives Carmilla a bold, feminist retelling.” —Town & Country

    “An intoxicating and vivid take on the gothic novel. Sensual and vicious, Lenore’s devastating story of self-discovery, betrayal and power feels like one for the ages.” —Hannah Kaner, author of Godkiller

    Author

    Kat Dunn is the nationally bestselling author of Hungerstone. She has a BA in Japanese from SOAS and an MA in English from Warwick, has written about mental health for Mind, and worked as a translator for Japanese television. Kat grew up in London and has lived in Japan, Australia, and France.
    Kat Dunn View titles by Kat Dunn

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