perfect for anyone into weirdieval core (meee)!!!!
-religous in a disturbing way
-beautifully captures the brutality and grotesqueness of the time period
-weirdly and deliciously sapphic yumm!!
this book could be the love child of christopher buehlman and otessa moshfegh (my faves) and is definitely everything i’ve ever wanted in a book!! definitely recommending this for my book club! thank you so much for the earc netgalley! i loved it so much i can’t wait to add a physical copy to my collection!!!

What. a. ride. This is a queer medieval fever nightmare full of gore, magic, and heart. I loved the lush writing style and characterization of our three FMCs. In sum: very fucking metal.

Shout out Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This title is set to release May 20, 2025. i’m

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 — I was hooked as soon as I seen the book cover! Religion, Nuns, Horror, and Medieval times, COUNT ME IN. Definitely recommend if you are looking for something culty with a little bit of sapphic energy and horror mixed. The magic confused me a bit but other than that it was a fun time. Thanks NetGalley & Harper Voyager for the ARC in return for my honest review!

Fantastic, claustrophobic, terrible, and above all, thoroughly engrossing, The Starving Saints has the noteworthy distinction of being one of the few books I've ever read that I seriously couldn't put down. I would engage in other hobbies, go about my daily routine, go to work, and through it all, I was doing it with a pull to come back to this book and find out where it's all going.

It won't be much of a spoiler to state at the outset that cannibalism, starvation, and general disturbing imagery hangs over this whole novel like a warm, weird-smelling and unappealing blanket, so if that's a deal-breaker for you, I don't know why you even clicked on this review - the synopsis/marketing should have pushed you away easily. BUT I will say that I was surprised at how... "tasteful" doesn't seem like the right word (nor do I wish to invite any further puns), but... let us say "ungratuitous" those unsavory aspects (dammit, looks like I'm doing it anyway) really are. Do not be confused: people eat people in this, and there are more than a few other upsetting instances, but in my opinion the author, Starling, never goes further than is needed to convey the horror of the scenario. It would have been easy to indulge and relish in the monstrosity of acts committed with elaborate descriptions, but Starling allows the situation and character-driven pathos speak for itself.

And this is where Starving Saints truly shines: its characters. Three distinct voices, each with their own well-established histories, desires and fears delivered piecemeal over the course of the novel as necessary that explain why they do what they do and what it is that drives them in 340 pages. The only small criticism I would have is that Ser Voyne's narrative can get a bit bogged down in melodrama that felt overwrought - yes - even in this story about a siege devolving into cannibalism. Aside from that, I found all three protagonists to be at turns relatable, unlikable, deeply sympathetic, and in a word: compelling. I kept waiting for them to get locked arm in arm and skip down the yellow-brick road to the conclusion of the story, but that's not who the characters are: they have conflicting motivations and desires and criss-crossing backstories, that makes it all the more interesting when they are forced to work together and when they fail to see how much they need each other in equal measure.

Finally, there are supernatural elements, and I have to say they are an absolutely chef's kiss. This is horror, not fantasy, and to that end, the supernatural elements of the story are just specific enough to have real weight and lend an air of understanding to how things are unfolding, while being just vague enough to invite a genuine sense of wonder and fear of the unknown. I do think that Starling perhaps over-indulges a bit near the end and threatens to take the story to a cheesy place, but it largely sticks the landing. Add to that at least one instance I can recall (I shall not spoil it here) that didn't feel properly foreshadowed or "earned" and I can't say that the implementation was uniformly perfect throughout, but the ambience it creates, the rules it establishes, and its place in the story are used incredibly skillfully to produce a truly fascinating living world.

Despite its grisly synopsis and subject matter, The Starving Saints never feels gratuitous or gross for gross's sake. Its characters steal the show, its antagonists are compelling and more nuanced than might at first be apparent, and by the end of it all you're left with a sort of chill: an almost Lovecraftian sense that the world is so much more than you can know and that not knowing is nearly as terrible as knowing. Unless you are excessively squeamish, I recommend this very highly, and even if you are squeamish, I suggest you at least pick it up and see if Starling can't win you over anyway.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Voyager for advanced access to this ebook. Expected date of publication is May 20, 2025.

This was a bit of a slow burn, a bit confusing and a bit strange. It read like a fever dream, a horrifying nightmare. Macabre magic in a medieval setting, do I have any idea what the heck happened? No. Not even a little. But, was I invested and entertained? Absolutely.

Three, very different, fmcs come together in a whirlwind of blood, loyalty, magic and revenge. I enjoyed the sapphic edge this had. The theme of finding one’s weakness and power, and how tightly wound the two can be, was captivating and grotesque. This was a weird and wild ride, I really enjoyed it.

No spoiler review:
Darkly delicious! If you're looking for problematic lesbians and medieval themed horror then you've found the right book. As per Starling's style this book is tense, taking you down long twisting hallways and you'll never know where you'll end up, with complex characters and lots of mystery. I was enthralled the entire time and couldn't wait to see what horrors would happen next, I felt like I was stuck witnessing a terrible calamity and loving every moment of it. I found the story intriguing, the mysteries and plot twist were great, I liked the complexity of the characters and their flaws. This book touches all the scents, you can taste the horror on your tongue. 10/10 5-5 stars

Spoiler review:
I'm a big fan of Starling's work and writing style, so I was of course absolutely enchained by this book! I love the complexity of Starling's characters, they are both terrible and good people at the same time, going beyond a "black and white" thinking of morals, and this book is no exception. My favorite was Ser Von, loyal and fiercely brave (I was so scared when she died and didn't think she'd come back). All three women learn to take their own power, in which way works best for them, and embrace the terribleness of being a powerful force (the scene of Treila taking down the Loving Saint was so satisfying!). Also the very mysterious Saints, you can't help but want to know more about them. The horror is of course fantastic, watching the slow decent into madness, being unable to look away as things get worse and worse. There so much that happens and it keeps going, I felt like I had been reading for a long time and read a lot then realized I was barely a fourth of the way through. But it keeps a good pace, it doesn't feel to fast or to bogged down. I love the theme of bees, honey and religion, the metaphors were so fun.
There is one small downside. I found a few parts confusing, mostly near the end, I wasn't sure who was who or what exactly was going on. I had to reread a few sections for it to really sink in, it's not the worst thing ever but this book is definitely complex and dense. Absolutely worth a reread though. I was left with many questions and wondering about things that didn't get answered, but that's a theme in Starling's writing. Not explaining everything and leaving some things a mystery, not everything needs an answer but it didn't take away my enjoyment and I'm okay with still having questions leftover.
All in all I loved this book and will be reading it again several times.

3 POVs, cannibals, lesbians and medievalish time? Sign me up! This book and the plot is extremely captivating and the cover really sells it. In a world where the people in the kingdom have run out of food and are looking for some kind of hope. And hope arrives but at what cost.
This was a lot of world building a lot of back and forth between POVS which took a lot of focus. I found that the characters I wasn’t really drawn to all of them but Phosyne and Von. Once the world was established it was easier to follow along in some parts of the plot. I wish it was a little bit more simple. There were really juicy ideas in here that would have been so good if we got to focus on them more. I feel like the lead up to the saints was a bit drawn out.
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

5 STARS!!! the yearning, the longing, the absolute rotting atmosphere veiled with tension and depravity. this is my perfect book

If someone were to ask me what the most ORIGINAL story I have read this year was, a million percent—The Starving Saints. There is nothing else like it.

Aymar Castle is under siege. The occupants? Starving. One by one, people fall to hunger. Sooner or later, they’ll need to start consuming the fallen if they are to survive.

Then the Saints arrive. Great, bountiful feasts for the people of Aymar to gorge themselves on. But, of course, things are not always as they seem.

Throughout this book, we get to follow 3 amazing female characters. Experience their downfalls and their triumphs as they try to save the castle and themselves.

I laughed. I cried. I wheezed. I gasped. I told people off for interrupting me whilst in the middle of a chapter. I absolutely cannot wait for this book to release in May of next year. Everyone needs to experience this twisted, magical adventure!

*I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review.*

Phew, this was a crazy book!! It really feels like a fever dream - the writing was great, if convoluted and confusing at times - but it added to the atmosphere. It definitely takes a while to understand what’s going on, and I never fully understood it, but I was still intrigued reading it. I’m rarely a horror/thriller reader, and this book is primarily bodily horror rather than spooky horror. A good fall read!

🌈Queer rep: Bi female main character, queer female main characters. FF main relationships. Brief mention of a MMM pairing.

Wonderfully written, wildly imaginative, and stunningly grotesque. This book doesn’t shy away from ugliness and it’s all the better for it, because despite being set in an unfamiliar and fantastical world, it rings with such harsh realism. Starling understands that a good character is not necessarily a good person. They can be selfish, vengeful, or blinded by ambition. They can commit unholy atrocities and engage in cannibalism. They can run afoul of our own moral philosophies and we will still love to read about them because they are nuanced and compelling. Add onto that a setting that drips with anxiety and a truly unique plot and you’ve got one helluva book. If you’re a fan of horror, do yourself a favor and read this immediately.

If you think nothing could be worse than starving to death, trapped in a castle thats been under seige for six months, you'd be wrong.
Im trying to find the words to accurately describe this book and I'm struggling. It was a nightmare, both weird and terrible... There was never a moment when I could have guessed what would happen next and the multiple pov kept me on the edge of my seat. I feel like this is a book I will want to reread over and over and each time I do I'll find something new that I didn't see before.
If you like disturbing, weird horror with knights, and magic, and sapphic lust (because romance is definitely not the right word).. then read this book!

A bloody, sapphic fever dream set during a medieval siege where praying for a miracle, brings forth something far more dangerous.

For 6 months, Aymar has been under siege, and now food has nearly run out. When the divines figure of the Constant Lady, and her Saints arrived, it would seem they are saved. Except.

Except, they bring no stores but can feed the people.
Except, their feast sends people into a fervor that blinds them.
Except, their hunger goes deeper than the King or his people could ever imagine.

A wild feast begins and the wild madness of it soon infects almost everyone left within the walls. Only 3 women are able to fight against the deceptive call of the Constant Lady, and they are not immune to her charms...or each others.

3.5 rounded up!

A castle under siege, absolutely too many mouths to feed, a king looking for a miracle, an ex-nun locked in her tower, and deities coming to visit- what could go wrong? Many things, as it happens. If you decide to pick up this book (you should) you'll find that its full of despair, depravities, and delicious tension between all characters involved.

It reminded me a lot of The Green Knight, if the Green Knight was a lesbian in armor! You'll definitely want to be on the lookout for this one!

I have enjoyed every single one of this author's books and this one was no exception. The worldbuilding was flawless, the prose was gorgeous, the setting and atmosphere were fantastically claustrophobic. The connections between Voyne and Phosyne, Phosyne and Treila, and Treila and Voyne all had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how they would pan out. These three characters are so distinct from one another and that is SO important in books with multiple POVs, so I really appreciated that. And the Lady and the Saints were phenomenally creepy. The bees! The mind control food! The YEARNING!!!!!

That said, I was a bit lost in the second half and there were some parts I had trouble following. But as you can see, this did not detract from my rating of the book. Rather, it's made me want to reread it to figure out just what the heck was going on! Caitlin Starling's stories are some of the most unique works I have ever read and will devour every single thing she writes. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Caitlin Starling writes another dark, cthonic fantasy about magic and women in very stressful situations surrounded by stone! Starling is *excellent* at writing the creepy and the New Weird.

First of all, this book is highly confusing and disturbing. I had no idea what was happening for 99% of it.
And it was genuinely fantastic.

PLOT SUMMARY:

The people of Aymar have been suffering for six months, the victims of a siege that has forced them into hiding behind the walls of Aymar Castle. Inside, the people are starving. Ser Voyne knows this and begins putting pressure on the resident madwoman, Phosyne, to produce a miracle to save them all. But when a “miracle” does arrive, it is in the form of saints: Saints that Phosyne did not call on.
As the saints begin wreaking havoc on the residents of Aymar, Phosyne and Ser Voyne form an alliance to figure out who these guests are and what they want. Meanwhile, a servant girl named Treila is desperate to escape and exact vengeance on Voyne. As the saints grow in power, all three women are forced to reckon with their pasts and the future that they may never see.
Will they succeed in stopping the saints before the people of Aymar are lost forever? Or will the Starving Saints pull them into the increasing madness that is so tempting?

PLOT REVIEW:

I have no idea what to say. Nothing in this book made sense, yet it really made me think a lot about the things people will resort to in trying times. In the end, I think this is what this story is all about.
Desire and human nature.
And it all happens in a time of deep desperation, when men and women are eating rats and human flesh to survive.
Did I mention this book is disturbing?
In any case, the premise was highly engaging. From the very beginning, I was immersed in the world of Aymar. There is no actual world-building, as we are, quite literally, trapped behind the walls of a castle in this book. Yet everything still managed to seem so vast and unending, with such vivid descriptions that I could see everything clearly in my mind.
And the plot.
The plot is something highly unique. I’ve read books with dangerous “visitors” who wreak havoc, but I have never explored a story with such deep meaning to it.
Such graphic desperation.
This book, again, was very disturbing and dark, but I also can’t deny that it was beautiful in its horror and depravity.
I loved it.

CHARACTERS:


The great thing about having three POVs is that you get three unique experiences and thoughts within the same plotline. We see Ser Voyne grappling with loyalty, Phosyne grappling with her growing power, and Treila struggling to understand what it is she truly wants: Vengeance or an escape?
It truly was fascinating to be in three different headspaces, looking at the growing danger of the saints through three sets of eyes, all with their own opinions on the situation. All of our characters were also driven by very different things: Treila only values survival, Ser Voyne loyalty and bravery, while Phosyne seems to value literally nothing and everything all at once.
As a bonus, they’re all sapphic and caught in a web of history, betrayal, and lust. They’re messed up and cruel in their own ways, with prejudices that guide their decisions on every page.
But that’s what made me love them.
Characters that are just perfect from the get-go have no way to grow or change. But we see so much change in each of these characters and I LOVED that!
Even better, Voyne is a lady knight and Phosyne is a sorceress.
We love that here.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

Lady knights? Cannibals? A complicated lesbian throuple?
I’m in.

4.5*

I had no idea what to expect with the book, save for the fact that premise was dark and enticing.

Starling created a rich and tender world, fraught and terrible and balanced it against found family, found self, and striving to do what's right in the face of what feels good.

A perfect horror for anyone searching.

The description for The Starving Saints hooked me immediately, after initially being intrigued by the ominous book cover. I have been on a medieval fantasy kick lately, and was curious to try out something a little darker. The Starving Saints did not disappoint. In spite of taking place almost entirely within the confines of one besieged castle town, this story pulls you along at a sharp pace. Shifting between the points of view from Treila, Voyne, and Phosyne, we get a range of perspectives not only from each of their complicated backgrounds, but from their individual perceptions of reality, or lack thereof. I was absolutely eating up the dynamics between these three women. Revenge and loyalty, submission and command, violence and protection...those who enjoy the toxic devotion of Gideon and Harrow will not be disappointed by this book. I thought there was a good amount of detail on how the sinister magic plays out in this story without just giving it all away. Leaving some open to interpretation and mystery made it all the easier to be swept along in the madness, learning and adapting as the characters did. The Saints themselves are beautiful, shifting, creepy, and a very satisfying problem that the knight, serving girl, and disgraced nun must pitch themselves against. The imagery in Starling’s storytelling is unsettling and lush, and I particularly loved the descriptions of honeycomb and how it played a part in the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Starving Saints is a very entertaining novel set in the besieged Aymar Castle, where survival is becoming more difficult by the day—until the sudden arrival of the Constant Lady and her Saints. The Saints bring food, and in return, they demand devotion, blurring the line between salvation and control. It’s a must-read for anyone drawn to tales that explore the unsettling power of belief in times of crisis, I can’t recommend it enough!