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.

This book was an engaging and enjoyable read from start to finish. The writing is clear and well-crafted, making it easy to stay immersed in the story. The pacing feels natural, keeping you interested without ever dragging. The characters are relatable and thoughtfully developed, and the themes are handled in a way that feels both meaningful and accessible. It’s the kind of book that stays with you after you finish, leaving you with plenty to reflect on. Overall, a highly satisfying read that I would gladly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for a digital ARC of the book, and Libro.fm for a free ALC!

An absolutely twisted and fantastical medieval fever dream.

Opening this novel, I knew to expect a few things: A medieval castle, cannibalism, lady knights, sapphic yearning and horror. And I got all of that—but also so much more, for better and for worse. I’m still not sure how to sum up my feelings about it all.

THE STARVING SAINTS was atmospheric, horrifying, mysterious, confusing, empowering. I enjoyed almost everything it delivered, even though much of it was unsettling, destabilizing and grotesque. The prose is beautiful and relatively straightforward for a plot so mind-bending and a character journey where nobody is in their right mind 100% of the time. Starling excelled at building the chilling atmosphere of Aymar Castle and the creatures (both mortal and not) that dwelled within. I was enveloped in suspense from cover to cover.

There’s a lot to love about the characters of this book, too. Phosyne is the castle madwoman, living in isolation and driven by a hunger for knowledge and magic that shouldn’t exist. Ser Voyne is the ever-loyal knight whose purpose is driven by service—no matter who it’s to. And Treila is a once-noblewoman-turned-servant who lurks in the shadows until she can enact her long-awaited revenge. All three of these woman had distinct voices and motivations and were lovable (and hateable) in their own ways, but the story was most powerful when their fates intertwined and they had to work together to save each other and themselves. They were also MAJOR disaster gays, and the sapphic yearning and complex web of relationship dynamics they build by the end were absolutely delicious.

This is not a book that gives answers freely. At times, Starling directs the reader to a particular revelation via the three main characters, but there’s still a lot left up to interpretation by the end. While I appreciate this type of book, I don’t think it will be for everyone, especially given the intensity of some of the questions left unanswered (What are the saints, really? What is the creature in the castle walls? What’s going on with the time bubble? Where did Phosyne’s magic come from?).

The slow unraveling of the story’s mysteries also create a bit of a lag about 2/3 through. I think this book would have been stronger if it were 75-100 pages shorter—giving the same volume of questions and answers, but without some of the repetition in the book’s second half. At a certain point, the saints and the bacchanal they created in the castle no longer felt scary or high-stakes, and I missed the intensely unsettling feeling I had in the chapters immediately following their arrival.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book overall. Amidst the horrific and fantastical, there were ample themes to chew on (pardon the pun): mastering a desire for power, finding one’s purpose, overcoming the need to serve. The ideas of “feeding” a castle with blood, succumbing to gluttony and what it takes to get us to “eat our own” will stick with me for a long while.

Audio notes: I listened to portions of this book via audiobook, but ultimately the complexity of the story and the atmospheric descriptions demanded eyes. This was not a fault of the audio, but of my brain! I did like the audio narrator, but having one person for three perspectives did make it more challenging to parse out whose POV we followed, in some cases. Whether in audio or physical form, I don’t think this one’s for the faint of heart.

The vibes were great, and I loved the setting and the concept of this book. Unfortunately, I thought it could’ve been much shorter. The narrative seemed to drag on without providing answers, so it was confusing for me to understand what was going on. I also wasn’t moved by the main characters. They felt flat, and often made decisions that didn’t seem in-character.

A beautifully written book that had me hooked from the beginning. With multiple point of views and cult mentalities, this one was a refreshing horror read.

This book is a cannibalistic fever dream of insanity. And I do mean that as a compliment, but it’s also one of those books that people will think you’re really, truly in need of some help for enjoying.

You’ll either love it or hate it and I don’t think there’s going to be an in between.

5 stars. No notes.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this eARC!!

This book was insanely brilliant and original and was a fever dream ride that I didn't want to get off of. Probably my most memorable book read this year so far. Can't wait to read the author's other works!!

when divine figures march into castle aymar and prepare a feast for all, just in the nick of time after a 6 month siege has left the citizens of the castle hungry and desperate. everyone indulges on the food and believes the war to be over, everyone except for ser voyne, the king right hand woman. phosyne, ex-nun with powers and finally treila, an ex aristrocrat set on vengeance against ser voyne.

this had a very interesting premise, goodreads says that this is a **a transfixing fever dream of medieval horror** however I found myself gravely disappointed. I was promised

- lesbians and horror

which could not be further from the truth. this was more of a medieval fantasy than a medieval horror and I say this because the world of castle aymar had a really confusing magic system made up of bees??????? I honestly never understood it nor could I get into it and then the lesbian romance was also disappointing, there was no longing, no yearning, nothing juicy to hold onto when the girls interacted with each other. there were skeletons of emotion and desire between them but nothing concrete. in fact there more sexual tension between treila and a man…

bottom line is that there was no chemistry in the queer relationships despite this being marketed as a queer romance

circling back to the magic system I want to add that it felt like the author herself didn’t know the boundaries and rules of her magic. it was messy and confusing and it would allow for things (like people coming back from the dead) with no explanation to how it was possible. I was left underwhelmed and disappointed.

Every time I pick up something from this author the premise sounds amazing, but the execution is never quite what I want it to be.

The Starving Saints follows three women who are stuck in a castle that is under siege. Everyone is starving and the end of the siege is nowhere in sight. When three saints appear in the castle bearing food, they quickly gain control of the people left in the castle, except for Phosyne, a sorceress, Ser Voyne, a knight, and Treila, a fallen noble set on revenge. These three women come together to take down these “Saints” as they ravage the castle further.

The medieval horror vibes of this novel do live up to expectations. The castle under siege, full of royalty and nuns, was very immersive. I also loved the characters whose point of view we follow throughout the story. Each woman was unique and had depth to them. The horror elements were also definitely there. There were a few passages that grossed me out so bad!

My issue with this story was that it seemed to drag on at times and I felt like this story needed more to be what it wanted to be. While we do get some back story for each main character, I felt like having flashback chapters could have really benefited story arcs and the novel overall. Being locked up in this castle with no food and weird saintlike visitors is a fun premise, but it got boring and repetitive. There is also a strange love triangle between the characters that I feel readers will love, but it also felt thrown in. I did not feel like I really understood the relationships between these women and what attracted them to each other. So while I loved the queer nun/knight/lady dynamic, I wish I understood their motivations a little more. Each character stands well on their own, but when it came to them coming together romantically, I think it fell flat.

If a medieval fantasy horror that follows three very different women intrigues you, I would still recommend this read. While I don’t think every aspect of this novel was perfectly executed, it is still a unique and gruesome read with compelling character perspectives.

The Starving Saints showed us a strong sense of atmosphere, which was both disorienting and graphic at times. There are three dynamic and interesting main characters and the novel explores with them ideas of selfhood and power in a dark fantasy setting. If you liked Between Two Fires, chances are you will love this novel.

DNF.

Unfortunately this book did not hold my attention. While the premise was intriguing, I could not get into the story plus reviews from others left me unsure whether to continue giving the book a try.

Rating: 5/5
TW: Violence, Cannibalism, Gore, Gaslighting, Mind Control
[Gifted a copy on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]

It’s entirely possible that <i>The Starving Saints</i> was created in a lab for me, personally. I can’t imagine how that’s possible, given that I have never had the pleasure of meeting author Caitlin Starling in person. Regardless, here is my very biased review of the delightful cannibalistic medieval lesbian folk horror she wrote that just happens to be everything I could want in a book.

A castle, under siege, is about to run out of food. Rescue seems unlikely and starvation is working its way through the people. Three women trapped in these walls begin a slow, inevitable collision. Phosyne, the local mad woman who once miracled water for the castle, is tasked with summoning food for nothing. Disgraced from the Priory, the female-god dominant monotheistic religious force, and playing with forces she cannot understand, Phosyne sees only failure ahead. Ser Voyne, a former war hero now tasked with being Phosyne’s guard, longs for purpose. Familiar with how desperate people can become, anything seems better than being trapped here to Voyne. And Treila, a (blood stained parchment is glanced at, the words are unreadable) serving girl who has weathered storms before, attempts to balance her bid for survival with her desperate need for catharsis. And all that’s before the holy lady herself and her saints appear, laden with food, to help.

Or something that looks like her, anyway.

Long before I read it, the pitch of this book immediately hooked me. If it even remotely does the same for you, I’d recommend it. It’s a book that relies heavily on the three characters, on championing their wrongs (many) and rights (few). A book that stops often so that the three women may, amid The Horrors, experiment with how thin the line between hate and desire is (no sex scenes here, sadly). It will not be for everyone. But it most certainly was for me.

<i>At least we didn’t starve.</i>

First of all, this book had everything I love! Spooky, gory, sapphic, medieval horror, religious horror, and a fantasy element with witchy vibes. I love anything that follows people descent into madness to follow others. How cults are built up. The type of devotion that could cause catastrophes.

The starving saints is a sapphic bacchanalian medieval horror novel taking place in a besieged that is quickly running out of food. As they begin to starve, they notice divine figues have appeared within their walls. The Lady Constant and Her saints claim to be saviors, offering food and healing in exchange for devotion. But as the entire castle falls under their influence, they begin having ritualistic feasts of very sinister origin. All reality and reason become obscured under a haze of fanaticism. At the center of it all are three women with tangled pasts who are the only ones who see these invades for what they really are. But while they fight to maintain their sanity, they are not immune to the temptations of these revelries.

This was everything I’ve ever wanted. Astronomical levels of gay, but in a horrifically violent, toxic, and evil way. This is a very character driven story, and I loved every single one of them. There was something so deeply wrong with each of our characters. Their relationships were so complex, and driven by this hate filled devotion. And even the side characters held so much influence over the story. Especially over the characteristics that we were reshaping in our main characters. So many foils.

-We have Ser Voyne, a lady knight and war hero who is inclined to fealty. Always submitting to a master, she quickly gives allegiance to whoever holds power. We see her break from this pattern as she becomes disillusioned with the hierarchy of society.

-Posyne, a former nun who has fallen into paranoid squalor and relishes pain. She concocts experiments that begin shifting into miracles, creating an intense hunger for understanding within her. She sheds shame and no longer cowers under the restraints of the world.

-Treila, once a fine noblewoman, is now a scuttling servant girl. She is driven by a secret vengeance against the knight who beheaded her father. At first only concerned with her saving her own skin, she becomes entangled in the liberation of the castle and sets on a path of absolution.

Religion is obviously a big component of this book. The religion that is infused with the castle has deep ties with bees and honeycomb. And these bees play both a metaphorical role in the story, but also as actual components of the plot. Obedience, power, and duty are also important. But ownership is probably the most prominent theme. So much of this plot and our characters’ development is about laying claim, having authority and navigating very tenuous negotiations. Words and names have power here, and it’s eat or be eaten.

I love a book that begins to unwind the further we venture. At the beginning, we the readers alongside our characters have a film over our eyes. Reality is obscured by a glamour, leaving behind a deep unsettling feeling. It isn’t until the castle falls deeper into its fevered frenzy and the Saints begin to shed their carefully crafted personas that we see the truth. That it’s become a realm of hell, entering Dante’s Inferno territory. And alongside this unwinding, we fall into this kind of abstraction. The story becomes less tangible as the rules of this new realm become driven by intention and bargains. Letting go of the corporal during a battle of wills. Focusing instead on identity and domain. And maybe just a smidge of a sentient-ish castle?

God, this is exactly the kind of book I would have loved to have written.

A sad dnf for me. This book had everything I could have possibly wanted in a book but after 15% I could tell I wasn’t going to like it. I think the writing severely lacked a decent hook and tried too hard to have flowery language that just led it to being recycled language. I would have loved to see this at its potential but I don’t jive with it.

The Starving Saints is a medieval gothic horror/fantasy story that follows three women fighting to survive in a world under siege with no help in sight. When a nun turned witch is tasked by her king to create a miracle to feed their starving kingdom, all of Aymar Castle gets more than they could ever bargain for. The so called Saints have come to save everyone bearing an endless bounty of food. Through the eyes of these three women we see how skepticism and caution are quickly abandoned and replaced with fanaticism and devotion but to what cost?

This book is very much giving the hand that feeds vibes, throw in some sorcery, religious horror, sapphic romance, and cannibalism and you’ve got yourself one brilliantly unique story. I enjoyed this book, the concept was perfectly creepy and ethereal. There were some pacing issues for me, but I was listening and reading and it may have just been the audio that had me struggling. I would recommend this but with a list of content warnings to research ahead of time. I am definitely going to check out Caitlin Starling’s backlist now!

Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for my copy; all opinions are my own. The Starving Saints is out now!

this was just fine. I feel like the characters were all distinct and fleshed out. However, the world building and spiral into hedonistic fantasy that we were promised was nonexistent. I'm super bummed because I thought this would be sooooo for me and I was left wanting more.

“The world is so loud, so large, and she is drowning in it. She is ever-expanding. Something inside her has come loose, and she doesn’t know that she could tamp it down again, even if she wanted to. And she does not want to.”

While each of Starling’s books is vastly different in scope and style and setting, they all leave me with a sense of “wtf did I read?!” And truly, I mean that in the very best way! I have no idea how she comes up with the ideas she puts in her books, but I’m here for them. This story, set in a castle plagued by war and famine, includes mysteriously dark magic, tests (and failures) of loyalty and honor, and intense hunger both physical and metaphysical.

We follow three women of very different social classes who are connected by both the events of the past and the decisions that will impact the future of the kingdom itself, as they (sometimes together and sometimes independently) fight tooth and nail to survive. There is darkness and hunger, there is revenge and forgiveness, and there is a longing for more that butts up against a fight against the worst kind of temptation.

This book is solidly medieval horror; as such, there are some very descriptive scenes that involve bodies and blood, so you may want to check the content warnings for more information if you’re squeamish. If you enjoy intensely atmospheric horror and visceral fever dream-like writing, this may be the perfect book for you!

Thanks so much to Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced ebook copy!

Truly like nothing I've ever read before. Equal parts eerie, haunting, sexy, maddening, gory - a ghost story, a battle cry. Savor it like honey on your tongue. A fever dream in the best way possible. I'm going to have nightmares of this book, and that's such a high compliment. Genuinely so unique and strange and lush and powerful and odd. I want to devour it.

What a freaky little book! I absolutely love Caitlin Starling, I really do.
The three POV characters felt unique and interesting, I especially loved Treila by the end; Caitlin can absolutely write a feral woman. They all felt equally important and were all dealing with their own personal hells, and I cared about all three of them, which is a rarity for me!
This was absolutely perfect medieval horror with all of the added twists and turns of A Caitlin Starling Novel. At some point I always step back and go “I’m not sure I can say with 100% certainty what’s actually happening,” and thats perfect. Especially towards the end, it felt like a macabre fairy tale you’ve remembered in the middle of a bee-filled sapphic fever dream. Will never look at honey the same way again. Beautiful.