Starling’s “The Starving Saints” is an insane, atmospheric descent into human depravity. I was immediately sucked in and couldn’t seem to look away from all of the horror laid out in front of me. Phosyne, Voyne, and Treila were all intriguing characters, and I appreciated that none of them were 100% likeable. I love when an author is unafraid to write about hungry, depraved, desperate, selfish, messed up women, and this story had that in spades. I loved the toxicity between the three of them, the inherent eroticism in their violent interactions, and despite said toxicity I really believed that they all cared about each other. This definitely wasn’t a sweet romance, so if you’re looking for that look elsewhere, but it was sapphic and intoxifying.
The imagery of the monsters, both the saints and the creepy voice in the wall, were so unsettling, and the descriptions of the meat were not for the weak. If you have a weak stomach, do not read this. I may not eat meat again for a while. But it was effective horror, and I was consumed (pun intended) by the dark, feverish vibes. I actually had a fever while reading this (unrelated to the book, probably), and I’m not sure if I recommend the experience lol. I thought the saints were gonna get me.
I do have a few things to complain about, though. For one, the ending was confusing, and far too abrupt. I feel like it didn’t satisfyingly wrap up the story (and that the solution was too neat for such a messed up tale), and honestly, I didn’t understand it. Obviously this could be user error, but I found a good amount of the plot confusing and not well explained. For the vast majority of the book I loved the confusing vibe, because I’m sure it was intentional. We’re confused right along with the characters, but by the end things should have been better explained, and I don’t think I’ll be alone in my confusion and frustration.
Despite this, I still heavily recommend the experience (because it is an experience more than a story), specifically to lovers of dark horror, toxic lesbians, and hungry women.

In the castle, the sapphics are STARVING. Boxed in, under siege, and running low on food stores, the unwilling residents of Aymar Castle await their death...until the mysterious Saints arrive with promises of salvation.

Weaving together three perspectives—Phosyne, sorceress under pressure to "magic" more rations, Ser Voyne, the king's righthand knight, and Trelia, a servant waiting for the moment to take revenge—The Starving Saints brings together a beautiful combination of gothic atmosphere, gore, magic, and, of course, cannibalism.

My advice? Give this book some patience as it gets going. It devolves in the best way possible.

What a twisted delight! I ate the Starving Saints up (yikes!) and didn’t want the odd little tale to end. The story starts normally enough - people trapped in a castle unders seige, one woman tasked with the impossible, a guard begrudgingly assigned to watch her, and a revenge-hungry girl watching the guard…And then in the course of one chapter everything is flipped on its head. I loved that I had no idea whether certain events were really happening or whether our characters were hallucinating. Time and space warps leaving the entire reading experience a little discombobulating but I loved it. I would have loved to learn more about the saints themselves but I think the mystery is part of the reason why this book will live in my head for quite some time. Thank you!

Until like 60% in, I thought this might be a 5-star book. Even considering my final rating, please note that I’m notoriously nitpicky and this book is still one hell of a vibe, so if the synopsis intrigues you, don’t let me scare you off.

Maybe it’s all the hours I spent playing Sunless Sea or the Catholic masses I’ve attended, but I have an insatiable appetite (heh) for creepy castles, whispering basements, and blood-soaked cannibalistic religious cults. Very specific, I know, but we don’t pick our kinks, literary or otherwise; these pages kept turning of their own accord and I was just along for the ride.

Every aesthetic choice made in the worldbuilding, especially the religion and its debased manifestation, had me by the throat. More of this medieval gothic hunger horror, please! I will drink it up without shame or remorse.

Now on to the plot and characters, which is where the cracks in the execution show themselves. I felt like Phosyne never got enough development for me to really believe the later events of the book. While the other two major players were more fleshed out, I still felt like they were being moved around by the author instead of making logical choices based on what we knew about them.

And although I know the lesbian drama is like catnip to reviewers, it wasn’t believable to me at all. There was very little buildup for one of the pairings, and for the other, it was incongruous with everything else we knew about the characters. The horny scenes just seemed like they were thrown in to make things messier, rather than being truly earned or important to the story. I often say this about romantic subplots so maybe it’s just me, but there was no chemistry and I wanted the real action to continue. There was also a bit of hetero seduction that I thought worked better, mostly because it wasn’t intended to be romantic. The author is fine at writing horniness but needs to work on writing relationships.

Similarly, the magic system was too soft for me. Some of the magical goings-on got an explanation, but some seemed to break established rules, and others were totally handwaved. I don’t mind soft magic generally, but this one actively confused me with its inconsistency at times. Even when I had ideas about what to do about the situation, the protagonists didn’t, and I thought the last 40% ish dragged as they ran around trying to figure out how to magically deus ex machina their way out of their predicament. A lot of the running around could have been cut in general, especially because these people are allegedly starving.

Anyway, this review is way longer than intended because the idea was fantastic and I wanted it to stay perfect, and I needed to autopsy my disappointment. Even though the execution ultimately wasn’t what I was hoping for, I commend the author for writing something incredibly unique and atmospheric, and I will definitely consider checking out more of her work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure if I was the target audience for this book. I finished it but if I’m honest it was because I wanted to see what was going to happen. I was confused more than I thought I would be. That probably was what made the book a bit hard for me to finish. Religion horror probably isn’t for me.

Well...I finished it. But only out of pure stubbornness. I was really excited about this book. The cover was awesome and the promise of creepy, cannibalistic saints had me intrigued. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. I found the book to be incredibly slow and confusing. I constantly felt like I missed something. I'm not sure if it was because it kept jumping from different characters (although that doesn't usually bother me) or if things actually were just glanced over but I kept saying "what is happening?" and not in a good way. Things weren't really explained.

I also found all the characters to be super one dimensional and they blended together for me, even though they were supposed to be quite different. I didn't really care about any of them.

I also felt like half of the book was them running around the castle without doing much of anything. And I'm not sure I'd classify this as horror.

2 stars for the cool cover and some decent cannibalistic scenes.

This book was a complete fever dream to me. I loved the blend of a medieval setting with horror. It was well done and so fun to read.

I think If I had to read this book again, I would but while listening to the Dance Fever album by Florence and the machine. The direction this book went was rather interesting to me. I have so many questions about some of the things that have happened but I think maybe keeping the mystery about it just makes it so much more appealing.

I can’t wait to read more from this author because this book was amazing and scary and dark. Everything I wanted it to be. Will have to recommend to like minded friends!

Been in a big of a reading slump this year, given the state of the world. This was a fun read that helped me break back into reading. Unique premise. Sapphic in nature. The exact kind of story to take me away from thoughts and worries.

This one is difficult for me to rate. On one hand it was very well written and I imagine it’ll be widely loved, on the other hand, it just wasn’t particularly for me. I’ve come to learn that religious horror isn’t necessarily something that I love. But I do think this book will be widely received by those who do love that particular sub genre.

Caitlin Starling's The Starving Saints is a masterfully atmospheric and haunting novel that blends dark fantasy with psychological tension. Set in a besieged castle, the story explores themes of power, temptation, and moral decay as the residents fall under the spell of divine figures offering salvation at a steep cost.

Starling’s writing is immersive and richly detailed, drawing readers into a world where faith, desperation, and hedonism collide. The characters, particularly the three central women Ser Voyne, Phosyne, and Treila are complex and multifaceted, navigating shifting alliances and personal demons with raw intensity. The slow unraveling of their morality and survival instincts adds layers of suspense to an already gripping narrative.

With its exploration of human nature under extreme pressure, The Starving Saints is a chilling, thought-provoking read that keeps you questioning where the line between salvation and damnation truly lies.

This would have made a better novella than a novel; there simply wasn’t any meat (pun absolutely intended) to it. We didn’t really understand Phosyne before the events of the story and even Ser Voyne is painted in such broad strokes that she fills a role more so than she is a person. So much of the magic and weirdness remains super vague and unexplained.

I liked the beginning quite a bit, when we were still mostly bound to the rules of our real world, but as soon as things changed, it felt like the pacing and intrigue dropped off.

Certainly not my favorite Starling book, but honestly still more put together than Jane Lawrence

A harrowing tale of a madwoman, knight, and serving girl who are trapped within a castle under siege. The food is running out, the keep is starving, and suddenly relief comes in the form of the saints the people worship. Bounties of food fill the halls, but these icons aren’t all that they seem. A sapphic medieval horror novel, The Starving Saints paints a unique premise for its readers. With a theme of how far one would be willing to go to sate more than one type of hunger, The Starving Saints takes its readers on a grueling journey into the morality of the human mind.

Starling’s writing was well crafted and had some haunting verses. Decent read from the author. Hope she decides to do some more medieval horror-type books. That, I could get behind.

The much awaited queer horror novel for 2025 is here. Fantastic representation of womanhood and interconnecting relationships, including things like polyamory. The cover is also a beauty and is sure to be swept off shelves.

(Currently crafting GR review, will update with appropriate link)

*The Starving Saints* immediately captivated me with its haunting cover and intriguing premise, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Set almost entirely in a besieged castle town, the story moves quickly, unfolding through the perspectives of Treila, Voyne, and Phosyne, each with her own complex background and distorted view of reality. The dynamics between these three women—exploring themes of revenge, loyalty, submission, and protection—are gripping, and fans of the toxic devotion seen in *Gideon the Ninth* will find similar intensity here. The sinister magic in the story is revealed gradually, adding mystery and tension, while the Saints themselves are beautifully eerie, providing a formidable challenge for the knight, serving girl, and disgraced nun at the center of the plot. Starling’s writing is lush and atmospheric, with vivid, unsettling imagery, particularly the recurring motif of honeycomb, which plays a subtle yet significant role in the story. Overall, *The Starving Saints* is a dark, compelling read that pulls you into its madness and keeps you hooked from start to finish.

Aymar Castle find themselves running low on food when being held under siege for 6 months until their saints they worship come brining hope of salvation, or maybe not salvation but madness.

I can’t lie the beginning of this book was slow and I was a tad bored. I kept wanting to put it down but, Caitlin Starling's writing is beautiful and I love books that take place in Medieval times AND it’s horror so I kept going.

I’m glad I did, once these “saints” appeared it got so unsettling, slightly fever dream-ish at times and then it led me to just wanting to figure out what these saints and other creatures are, not to mention I did find things I loved.

All of our main characters (Phosyne, Ser Voyne, & Treila) are so interesting to follow. They all feel a little unhinged in their own way. The author does a great job making you feel that hunger and dread these characters must feel. They do a great job making you feel helpless. These saints themselves feel so deeply unsettling and you long to figure out what they are but that knowledge feels so out of reach that it does make them in turn terrifying.

There were parts of this I loved. I do feel though that because at times things felt disjointed (which maybe I just missed something while I read?) it did take me out of the story and I still found myself wanting to put it down and wanting to read something else.

I do feel there’s a reader for every story and I’m sure this one could resonate with some of you. I’m still glad I read this. The writing I still find beautiful, it was atmospheric, and deeply unsettling. I’d still try more of this author's work. I’d like to believe there’s something of theirs I would resonate with.

I found this overall very unique and I for sure enjoyed the second half more than the first.

Thank you Netgalley, the publishers, and author for this ARC for my honest review!

Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months & is now descending into absolute madness within its walls. The story is told from the POV of 3 women who do not trust the four saints who have appeared to save the inhabitants of this doomed castle. This medieval horror fever dream is laced in cannibalism, debauchery, obsession and pure horror. This was utter craziness in all its glory. Thank you to Avon/Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the ARC. You can give this a read when it publishes May 20, 2025

Told from three alternating POVs, The Starving Saints takes place in a castle under siege where the food has run out, and the residents have begun to starve. Ser Voyne, a knight loyal to her king; Treila, the daughter of a Lord killed by Ser Voyne at the king's command; and Phosyne, a madwoman tasked with making food out of nothing is under Ser Voyne's watch. Once the food stores have diminished, and the king begins to consider feeding the castle's dead to its inhabitants, four Saints appear in the courtyard and bring with them a feast.
This book was like a medieval fever dream. The characters are well developed, and their interwoven backstories create an interesting dynamic between the three women. As the story progresses, the castle becomes more and more frenzied under the Saints' thrall, and I never truly knew what was reality.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy of The Starving Saints in exchange for my honest review. This is my first book by Caitlin Starling, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

The Starving Saints took me on an epic fantasy adventure. I love that this book by Caitlin Starling feels like a fresh new take on fantasy and magic. I couldn't put it down and the characters and world she has created will for sure be an amazing read for everyone on May 20th. I loved this book and will be recommending it every chance I get. I cant wait to see what she writes next.

This was such an inventive, unique premise and it was explored beautifully. This is a dark, bloody, intensely atmospheric gothic medieval horror. The multiple points of view were a great way to put readers into every angle of this wild story as it unfolds. The book started a bit slow but once we entered the unravelling, bacchanalian phase the story really picked up and grew in that sense of unease, driving the story to an intense and thought-provoking end.