Review: Hunger

Title: Hunger
Author: Nihaarika Negi, Joe Bocaroda, José Villarrubia
Genre: Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction
Publisher: The Lab Press
Source: Bookinfluencers.com
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: October 28, 2025
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

In 1896 Bombay under British rule, famine-stricken mutant Izna embraces her monstrous nature to seek revenge against oppressive forces.

In 1896 Bombay, under British rule, a concentration camp holds IZNA, a plague-infected and famine-stricken being. Mutated through medical experiments, she, along with others, becomes a mutant. British officers invite famine photographer William Wallace Hooper to document the mutants, unaware he’s controlled by a shape-shifting vampire called Pisach. The Pisach infects prey with insatiable hunger, while Hooper bonds with Izna amidst rulers’ games with famine slaves.

Unbeknownst, Izna descends from women embracing monsters. Discovering Hooper’s role in her mother’s death, she wishes to become a monster herself. Transformed into a half-human, half-mutant, half-beast, she embraces her hunger, consuming oppressors and drenching her land in blood. This infinite hunger mirrors trauma’s generational and cultural impact, forging an inseparable link between oppressed and oppressor. The graphic novel blends True Blood, Kill Bill, and Spiral Into Horror, delving into hunger’s exploration of trauma’s pervasive influence.

Review:

This is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel. It’s about experiments that were performed in a concentration camp in India in 1896. The experiments turned many subjects into mutants who were further experimented on. The illustrations were at times gruesome, but that suited the horrific subject matter. This would be a great graphic novel for a book club or other literary discussions.

Hunger is a powerful graphic novel!

Thank you Bookinfluencers.com for providing a copy of this book as part of a sponsored campaign.

Content warnings: body horror, famine

Have you read Hunger? What did you think of it?

Author: jilljemmett

Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book. View all posts by jilljemmett