The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling is a chilling, thought-provoking story that delves into faith, sacrifice, and the extremes of human endurance. As a reader, I was gripped by Starling's ability to build tension and create complex characters driven by deep convictions and desperation. The novel’s eerie atmosphere and psychological intensity kept me on edge, making it a haunting and unforgettable experience.

The Starving Saints offers a distinct and eerie tale that is worth delving into if you enjoy atmospheric, character-driven horror. The setting and world-building alone are captivating. I'm afraid I'll be thinking about it for a very long time because I can't predict what will happen next. It was the ideal book for the fall/spooky season! I enjoyed the writing style and the sense of paranoia it gave me. However, I thought the book was good. Its characters and pacing were both good. I enjoyed it.

Wow, what a ride! It takes medieval horror to a whole new level with its eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere and truly bizarre twists. So, imagine being trapped in this ancient castle, starving for months, and then—bam! These mysterious saints just show up with food and healing powers. Sounds like a miracle, right? Except it’s not. It’s wayyyy darker than that.

The story follows three incredible (and messed-up) women: Ser Voyne, the knight who falls under the saints' spell; Phosyne, a witchy ex-nun who’s basically racing to uncover the truth; and Treila, a servant girl hiding a secret and a thirst for revenge. Their lives intertwine in this toxic, chaotic web that’s as beautiful as it is disturbing. The writing? Gorgeously gritty. The vibe? Imagine a medieval fever dream with a cultish twist. It’s intense, visceral, and totally unforgettable.

The twisted, almost hallucinogenic descent into chaos is absolutely gripping, and while it’s super dark, the complexity of these characters keeps you glued to every page. Definitely not one to read on an empty stomach though, trust me.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

4.75 out of 5 stars

Sapphic medieval horror—what more do you need? Aymar Castle is under siege, and food has officially run out. A "madwoman" witch, Phosyne, is tasked with conjuring up a solution. She's previously purified the water, but unfortunately, she's not sure how she did that or any of her other miracles. We're shown this world through her perspective as well as two other women: Ser Voyne, a lady knight who's loyal to no end, and Treila, a servant girl undercover on a revenge mission. Things are looking pretty bleak... until the Saints arrive. Blessings soon devolve into Bacchanalian madness; imagine the medieval insanity of Hieronymous Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights in book form. I really enjoyed this book! The descriptive language and imagery had me picturing all the scenes very vividly in my mind. The characters and story were inventive and unique. The whole book was well-written. The start of the book was a bit slow, but once the Saints arrived, the horror and suspense picked up quickly. I would definitely recommend this to:

• anyone who crushes on Joan of Arc and/or Brienne of Tarth
• anyone who crushes on Chappell Roan dressed up as Joan of Arc
• medieval history nerds (and/or general history nerds)
• bisexual/sapphic fans of the horror genre
• anyone looking for a weird, darker read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
💀💀💀

Is decadent horror a genre? Delicious, atmospheric, and fever inducing - this was so richly crafted with a large heaping of madness and I loved every minute of it.

This story was so unique, and I don’t think I’ve read anything like it. It’s incredibly atmospheric with its richly detailed world building, and sense of “something is definitely not right” feeling. Its painfully slow progression into madness grabs you by throat and makes you settle down for the long haul. Honestly, I think it’s best to jump into this book blind as it really enhances the unsettling and dark aspects of it. The world-building is easily my favorite aspect of this story—it's both incredibly bleak and vibrantly alive, which is fascinating, especially considering that the saying "eat or be eaten" is taken quite literally in this world. The strong willed, and hell bent female leads in this story also really put this book at a higher level for me. They were so messy, so incredibly human and resilient that they really shined through the terrors that trapped them in the castle.

I will say that initially, it’s a hard story to jump into. It definitely needs that time to marinate over a few chapters before it really gets going. It’s definitely not your typical fast paced horror. This is the kind of horror that picks and bugs you over time until you finally realize something is wrong a little too late. Also, the way it’s written in this hazy manner can be a little confusing sometimes - it definitely gives an air of mystery but I did find myself sometimes lost stumbling through that fog. Still very much worth the read, it’s definitely one of my favorites for the year.

Thank you to NetGalley, Caitlin Starling and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not as scary as the Death of Jane Lawrence but extremely gruesome and disturbing, this is a book about religion, war, cannibalism, and lady knights (so in right now). But there were parts of the story that were hard to follow - I found myself a bit confused at times.

What caught my attention with this book was 100% the cover. I mean look at that. That's a work of art I need to get a psychical copy and put it on my bookshelf with the cover facing out so that I can look at it all the time. The story within the based is equally as interesting and when I couldn't sleep the other night I pretty much devoured this book. I couldn't put it down. The characters and writing style came together to create such a captivating story and I deeply enjoyed it. Starling has a new fan with me and I can't wait to see what comes next. I hope more beautiful covers and thrilling stories

While I liked the premise of the book, this was a bit of a miss for me. It started off strong, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters and then the story just got a bit repetitive.

I love Starlings writing. This book was eerie and a slow moving scare— I felt like I was slowly creeping around in the shadows. A true testament to her storytelling & writing that she maintained the tension throughout the book. I was absolutely captured by this and it was the perfect fall read.

Taking place in a vaguely medieval setting, but a world that is not quite like our own. There is a distinct 'feel' to the setting of Aymar Castle (the main setting of the novel, a place that has been under siege by enemy soldiers for months).
The narrative splits between three distinct points of view:
- Phosyne (a cast out nun, obsessed with learning dark & esoteric knowledge, tasked with creating 'miracles' to help save the starving inhabitants of Aymar)
- Ser Voyne (a fiercely loyal knight, who is torn between obeying her king and helping save the people around her)
- Treila (a servant girl who has her own secrets, and is obsessed with a revenge plan that's been brewing within her for years)
The book has it's strange moments very early on (mainly in the Phosyne chapters), but once the group of "saints" arrives at the castle, the weird stuff gets REALLY weird. There's murder, there are otherworldly creatures everywhere, the world within the castle is transformed into something very very dark, etc. The parts with the 'feast' were really grotesque in certain places.
Since the narrative is divided between three characters, there is a sense of repetition at the latter parts of the book (a character escapes, needs to hide from the 'saints', has to figure out a plan, etc). The relationships between the three women also didn't fully click together either. The best developed one was really between Treila and Ser Voyne, since the two had a shared history, but the others weren't that interesting.
The ending also kind of suffers as well. The main villain (the 'Lady' of that strange group of visitors), got dealt with a little too quickly for someone who was built up to be so formidable. Things just ended so, so quickly and the ending was a little hollow. The buildup to the horror elements was done way better than the resolution. Still, I'd recommend this if you love medieval-themed horror (there's not enough of that in books).

I really loved the premise for this book, but something about it didn’t quite hit home for me. It was still an enjoyable read, but I felt very disconnected. I may try again if an audiobook is released.

this was made for me. like, this was specifically made for ME.

what did we have? stinky and messy women,a lady knight, a poly relationship between three women?? (or god i hope so), body horror, absolute madness, medieval horror, CANNABILISM.

caitlin starling has been on my list of authors to read for awhile now and i'm so mad at myself for not diving in sooner. the writing was beautiful and it felt like reading a dark fairytale.

my only complaint is that i wanted MORE. And also, this is probably just me, but i didn't really care Treila. She was feral and I enjoyed that but besides that?? boooo.

still - i need the physical copy of this BADLY.

This book was a wild ride to say the least. Medieval horror and body horror and the most convoluted sapphic relationships I've ever read. This book is about a castle that's been under siege for six months, with no sign of a relief force, and hope is running out as quickly as the food. We follow an ex-nun who can, sort of, work miracles; a knight/war hero/attack dog who's been too long off the battlefield; and a servant who's scraping together an escape from the castle. When the Constant Lady arrives with her saints in tow to throw a feast for the entire castle, things quickly deteriorate into the kind of fever dream you wake up from with a sore throat and a knot in your stomach.

The writing was absolutely gorgeous: lush, detailed, laying characters bare. There's quite a bit of horror, mostly related to the body, and plenty of cannibalism, but it doesn't go overboard. It's tasteful, not relished. And just the aesthetics in general: stone castle, bees and beehives, blood and honey, feasts and flayed skin and saints and creatures with open, hungry mouths. If you're at all into medieval illustrations, you'll love this setting.

I liked the way it was written and how I felt paranoid while reading. I think the book was good though. It had a good pacing and characters.

I received The Starving Saints as an ARC from the publisher Avon and Harper Voyager and the author Caitlin Starling.

Publication Date: 05/20/2025

TW: Cannibalism, Death, Drowning, Strangulation, Darkness

Aymar Castle is surrounded by their enemy, Etrebia. Aymar's food supply has been cutoff for months and they only have a couple weeks of supplies left before they run out. Ser Voyne is the King's right-hand woman who is tasked with keeping order in the castle, including keeping Phosyne focused and on task. Phosyne, a nun turned "mad woman" is tasked by the King with saving Aymar and creating a miracle to provide food for the castle from basically nothing. Treila, the daughter of a former Lord is hell bent for revenge on Ser Voyne.

The people of Aymar believe they have been saved when their Icons appear in the castle even though there is no sign of how they enter. The Saints are headed by The Constant Lady. No one questions the appearance of The Saints except for Ser Voyne, Phosyne, and Treila. Even when The Saints are able to provide feasts with tables full of food. These three woman fight to keep Aymar safe from what the population can't see. Is there something more sinister behind the driving force of The Saints? Give it a read and check it out.

I will say this was a tough read for me. Sadly, for me, I am a bit of a slow reader so it takes a little bit longer for things to kind of soak in when I am reading. This story was a little convoluted for me. I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just the style of writing was maybe a little beyond me and I couldn't enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to. I really like the premise of the story and what lies behind the good? Is it Evil? I also liked the ending, it gave me the feeling like the ending of Inception. I'm not spoiling it, but it's one of those things like how Inception ended, was it a dream or wasn't it?

My god, what did I just read...but seriously, this was incredible. It's my first read of Caitlin Starling's work and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I stayed up until midnight to finish it, which is not my usual habit. But like what in the world?? So we begin our story in the castle Aymar with a starving population and a former nun tasked with the impossible--creating food from nothing. And then the deity they all pray to suddenly appears with food and drink and she thinks she has something to do with it. It spirals quickly from there, but I loved every POV we were given and am eager to read more by this author. My true rating is 4.5 stars! Anyway, please, if you love horror books with a dark fantasy vibe, pick this up! Great book.

Oh goodness, okay this one was rather painfully interesting. rather like a rotting, gaping, wound in all the best possible ways. Creepy, culty, extremely powerful work about three toxically dependent women in a world where a goddess (?) (maybe?) has descended upon the world to give salvation(?) to a besieged castle. 5 stars. Tysm for the arc

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling has all the right elements to be a success for me—gothic atmosphere, medieval horror, and a claustrophobic castle setting that pulses with energy. The world-building is incredibly rich, and the characters are intriguing, each with secrets and motives that kept me invested throughout. You feel the weight of the siege, the desperation creeping through the walls, and the dread that seeps into every scene. The characters themselves are flawed and complex—each struggling with their own desires, secrets, and moral dilemmas, which made it easy to empathize with their struggles and root for them, even when their actions were questionable.

The story walks a fine line between grounded realism and surreal horror, delivering moments that are both unsettling and hauntingly whimsical. The juxtaposition of grounded scenes with almost dreamlike horrors enhances the surreal tone of the novel, giving it an unnerving quality that stays with you. However, I did find myself struggling with the flowery prose at times, which, paired with the multiple POVs, made it hard to follow what was happening. It’s not quite the supernatural sapphic horror I was expecting.

Despite the moments where I felt a bit lost, I still enjoyed the experience. The setting and world-building alone are captivating, and if you’re into atmospheric, character-driven horror, The Starving Saints offers a unique and unsettling story that’s worth diving into. Just be prepared for a disorienting ride at times.

I love the idea of medieval horror and how it was used in this universe. I was engaged with the world and how everything worked together to tell the story. The characters had that feel that I wanted and felt like they belonged in this world. I enjoyed the way Caitlin Starling wrote this and can’t wait for more.

A gory, twisted, sapphic, medieval fever dream of a novel. This was out of my normal genre selection and I'm so glad I branched out to read it; I was engrossed in this story from start to finish. I deeply enjoyed the closed setting, intensely flawed yet intriguing characters, and the rumination on religion and power throughout. My only qualm was that the confusion of reality the narrators were feeling sometimes extended to the reader and was not always resolved with clear answers for understanding. I may later discover I missed major clues, but it felt like some descriptions were too metaphorical for me or the characters to fully grasp. That being said, this is a deeply compelling book and I am so eager for more people to read it so I can dissect it even further.
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon / Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for review!