This was a weird one! The premise was very interesting and the setting was immaculate! The writing style however was a bit confusing and hard to follow. I wasn't a big fan of the multiple POVs especially since the story was already confusing. This was a fun historical horror though! Just don't go into it expecting to understand everything.

Caitlin Starling's books are always so wonderfully horrifying, the kind that moves with careful thought to build into a resounding horror that cannot be ignored. This book is no different. It is the best kind of weird, and is both queer and full of horrors as three women, trapped in a starving palace, are brought face to face with saints who should be their salvation, only for horror to descend.

I love how the author started the book off with a bang no pun intended lol. It was the most lesbian filled book that I loved so much that I honestly could not put this book down!!! When is the author writing more!!!

This book is insane and I don’t quite know where to start. It follows three points of view within a castle that is under siege and slowly starving. Ser Voyne is a knight and the King’s right hand, Phosyne is an ex-nun turned witch, and Treila is an ex-noble turned servant seeking revenge against Ser Voyne.

Everything changes with the sudden and mysterious appearance of divine figures that appear to offer salvation. From the point when the saints arrive, this book is a sensory fever dream tinged with horror. Blood and honey ooze from the pages.

Starling does an excellent job establishing the existing religion and the evil forces that are at play in this book. I also enjoyed the characters, each struggled in a different way with the unfolding horrors which felt in character for each of them.

It’s a really horny book which is interesting because it’s also sexless? Which struck me as a bit weird considering the graphic descriptions of body horror. I also didn’t always understand the magical elements but I can accept not knowing everything.

Anyway I enjoyed it. It's a great read for spooky season, especially if you’re into lesbianism, lady knights, vengeance, sub/dom, religion, cannibalism, beekeeping, hunger, etc.

This book was strange. While I love weird books, this one left a lot unanswered for me. Sometimes that's okay in a story as well, but with this one, I just wanted more. Reminded me of a mix of Lapvona and The Library of Mt. Char.
Very grotesque and a lot of cannibalism. A lot of weirdness. And some bees thrown in for good measure.

1. extremely good fear & hunger vibes
2. caitlin starling opened her laptop, cracked her knuckles, said “i’m going to write the best + hottest + gayest book ever” and then did that
3. LESBIANS LESBIANS LESBIANS!!!!!

This book was good! It had such creepy, eerie, spooky vibes to it, so it was a perfect fall/spooky season read! 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 liked it'


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This book was so incredibly unique! I genuinely don't think I have ever read a book like this. If I had to describe it in one word I would say "eerie."

This is definitely one of those books where I think you should go into it knowing as little as possible, I think that will give you the best and spookiest experience.

If you want something unique and spooky, with culty and strange religious practices, I would definitely recommend this to you.

When reading this book, you'll picture the coolest and creepiest old castle church. The paranoid and vengeful nuns and religious icons, this really was so unique and interesting. I was so captivated the whole time because of its uniqueness, I had never read anything like this so I needed to pay attention. I really couldn't predict anything about it.

This was so cool, I don't know what else to say.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.