Beatrice is a broodmother, a vampire who raises newly turned vampires into fully fledged monsters. She already has 2 younglings in her nest, when another charge is given to her and pushes her to breaking point. She is curious about what exactly she is, how her blood nourishes her charges and how she can improve it, while bringing up her charges and preventing them from becoming a dreaded ghoul. This is a very different take on a vampire story. It’s visceral, fascinating and heavy on the body horror. After reading Caitlin Starling’s last novel, The Starving Saints, I was really excited to read this one. If you are a fan of horror, the grotesque, this new twist on a classic vampire tale might just be the thing for you. Expect graphic descriptions of blood, body horror and lactation/ingestion of blood. This book is medium paced and gives a real feeling of claustrophobia with tension building throughout. This is definitely a book firmly in the weird girl camp- which I do really enjoy as a genre. Many thanks to NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Caitlin Starling for giving me the opportunity to read and review this eARC.

“What we consume defines us” I wasn’t sure what to expect as I didnt read too much about this story before starting as I wanted to go in fairly blind but now I can’t get it out of my head, this book is so weird it’s brilliant. If you love anything strange, unsettling, gory and of course featuring vampires then this is a must read! brilliantly written and captivating and in true vampire style I ate this up! Many thanks to #Netgalley, #Milkteeth #CaitlinStarling for allowing me the pleasure of reading an e-copy of this ARC

Ever wondered what would happen if baby vampires needed breastfeeding? Well, Caitlin Starling has you covered! A fresh and gory take on the modern vampire story, Milkteeth is a fresh morsel ready for you to bite. If you’re looking for beautiful vampires thriving in elegant castles, you are in the wrong place. Milkteeth is a blood drenched journey of macabre motherhood!

3.5 stars As someone who's read a lot of vampire books over the years, this felt like a totally new concept and one I was excited to explore. We follow Beatrice, a 'broodmother', essentially a wet nurse for newly turned vampires, as she nurses her three charges in an underground lair. Shortly after the arrival of her third fledgling, she begins to experience strange changes in her biology/ behaviour and seeks answers. Loved the premise and atmosphere. Gross, body horror galore and very visceral, I wanted to have a bath after reading. I enjoyed Starling's exploration of breastfeeding/motherhood and how it's intertwined with the vampiric lore she's created. However, I found the pacing a bit too slow for me and repetitive. Certain aspects of the vampire's appearance I struggled to grasp, too. Such as the size, one minute I'm imagining a bat-sized creature suckling and feeding, and in the next sentence, we find out she's actually 50 years old and newly turned. I'm glad I've read it and will continue to follow Caitlin Starling's career, but I didn't devour this as I'd hoped. That being said, if you're a horror girlie who loves vampirism, this will be a great read for spooky season! Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph's Penguin Random House for allowing me to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.