While I was honestly pretty bored before the Saints showed up, afterward this definitely picked up, and I had a fun time reading it. The Luminous Dead definitely remains my favorite Caitlin Starling book though.

So extremely grateful to receive an arc for this book. I loved every single second of reading it. Whether it be due to my lack of knowledge or a lack of material being released, I believe that medieval horror is such an underrated gem and I’m very much looking forward to seeing what Caitlin Starling comes out with next.

After six months under siege, Aymar Castle is running out of food. The castle's sorceress is working on a plan to magically create sustenance (she was able to do it with their water supply, so there is hope!); a serving girl is doing her best to survive and create her own hidden rations supply; and then there's the knight, a woman sworn to serve the king, even if it means keeping track of the batty sorceress and her futile attempts at food. And then, just when all hope is lost, the castle stores are replenished and the sick are healed through the arrival of the Constant Lady, matriarch of the religion that rules Castle Aymar. But the three women at the center of this story aren't fully convinced that the ethereal saint and her companions are what they seem...and the same goes for the food the saints provide.

With a medieval setting and very realistic concerns about a long siege, it's not hard to tip the story into horror. And Starling delights in creating a constantly shifting backdrop of fear, where neither the readers nor the characters know what's real, what's trustworthy, and what might kill them. It's gory and gruesome, but excellently told. Just don't read it while you're eating.

wowowowowowow me 🤝🏻 knights apparently. rlly put the EVIL in my medieval summer.

at no point did i rlly know a single thing that was happening (vm giving ser voyne) but the grotesque descriptions and religious imagery kept me seated. there were times when i had to put the kindle down and just look at the wall and ask myself what i was doing w my free time.

rlly realizing i am DEVOURING horror fantasy books and smg ab a whole village being locked in the castle grounds slowly starving to death is the perfect setting of delusions and chainmail fashion.

would recommend to:
- readers of small favors who wanted more horror
- ppl who have ever realistically considered eating glass (those super thin wine glasses i’m calling u out specifically)
- if you liked the fever-dream-ness of bunny

ty to @netgalley for simultaneously scarring me and sustaining me <3

This... was a wild story. I did not expect it to be so... graphic... I'm not sure what I expected at all out of the novel honestly. It sounded interesting so I took a chance on it. I don't know if I really liked it or just feel indifferent about it. The characters were interesting and so were their backstories but I felt overall confused by the plot. what was the creature in the wall below the castle? Where did those "saints" actually come from? Was Phosyne some kind of magical being too? The "saints" said she was like them so does that mean she'd become corrupted like them too eventually? Ser Voyne's "death"?? Was also a confusing moment. I was glad she wasn't actually dead because I loved my big strong knight but I was still confused. Also, was Phosyne's little beasties ever explained? Did I miss that while I was reading? Overall, way more death and gruesome imagery than I imagined.

I really loved this book. It kept me wanting to find out what was going to happen next. The body horror wasn't over the top.

I really enjoyed this and was engaged the whole time. The ending dragged a bit but otherwise I found this to be classic fun fever dream weird girl horror. I am not a fantasy reader and found the fantasy aspects easy to understand and follow.

Wow. I have never read anything like this before. I am not sure if this book and writing is typical of Caitlin Starling (this is my first book by her), but she accomplished something very unique, horrifying, gruesome, and yet hopeful with this book.

I was transported to this castle under siege (sometimes I wished I wasn’t) through Caitlin’s descriptive writing and focus on atmosphere, vivid descriptions of what it looks like to be under site both physically and mentally.

I thought her characters were flawed and imperfect but you couldn’t help but root for them throughout. This book was a gruesome fever dream that I couldn’t put down.

Major trigger warnings for cannabalism and body horror.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I did really like this one, though the fantasy element often took away from the horror for me. I really loved the opening but wasn't entirely satisfied by the explanation, I feel like the no explanatory cosmic horrorness could have served it better. But overall, incredible book, very horrifying, the girls are EATING

The premise of this book sounded great. Unfortunately, the execution was not for me. The weird fever dream quality of the story is not something I enjoy.

This book is so weird, it’s so good! I really don’t know how to describe it other than twisted, trippy, and gayyyy – things I love. The pacing was great, and gosh I hope Sterling continues to write fun little stories like this (or more under water horror! – I won’t be picky ;) )

This book was interesting to say the least. Think Tender is the flesh meets the renaissance gone sci fi. It was a long read and I felt like the end wrapped up really fast. There needed to be a more in depth explanation about the saints.

Starting to think that Caitlin Starling loves to write out books that give the readers a fever dreams. This is my 3rd read of hers and boy was this a weird culty ride that has me questioning what I was reading,

Three words. Gay, medieval, cannibalism. SO good.

Starling has such a talent for atmosphere, and The Starving Saints is no exception. The creeping dread builds beautifully, with imagery that stuck with me long after I put the book down. I loved how she balanced body horror with emotional intensity — it never felt gratuitous, always purposeful. If you’re looking for gothic-tinged horror that really gets under your skin, this is a standout. Def check the trigger warnings if horror isn't your thing but it's a great story if you can handle the gore!

Really enjoyed the 1st part of this book but things got confusing during the 2nd half of the book. I still don't know what happened to the good saint.
Really loved the campfire part.
I would recommend!
Thank you NetGalley and thank you publisher for this ARC!

Thank you so much for the ARC, I had fun reading it and here is my quick and short review because I am still on the floor crying:

The book does feel like a fever dream, but it makes me craving for some more. Which is crazy to be honest.

Will re-read it again so I can properly write a better review.

I couldn’t stop reading The Starving Saints because the story is intense and completely unpredictable. The three women felt real, even in this twisted, dark medieval world, and I found myself rooting for them through all the horrifying stuff. Some scenes were brutal, but the tension and weird, gothic atmosphere kept me hooked the whole time.

Because the novel was split between three perspective characters with three distinct narrative threads of their own, central plot progression was slow-moving. This alone was not necessarily an issue, but because the chapters were relatively short and quite numerous (and new chapters resulted in a perspective change), it often became repetitive — in the way that events were described or recounted, and in the way that characters had very back-and-forth decision making processes. This could be an intentional choice in order to emphasize the fever dream/dream-like haze cast over the characters, but the narrative did not reach what I’d describe as (and what the book’s description did choose to describe as) bacchanalian madness and hedonistic ecstasy. I’d have loved more intensity in this regard, because there was certainly a lot of potential. I felt similarly about the worldbuilding,. The novel had many of the accoutrements of a compelling queer medieval horror, but ultimately lacked the depth of exploration I really wanted.

The Starving Saints is a dark, unsettling horror that plunges you into a starving castle where faith, hunger, and superstition collide. The story follows three women, each struggling to survive and maintain their sense of self as mysterious visitors stir chaos and devotion turns deadly. Starling’s writing makes the desperation and dread tangible, and the medieval setting feels claustrophobic and tense. It’s haunting, vividly imagined, and impossible to put down.