TW: cannibalism, murder, dismemberment, animal abuse, dogs killing, body gore, please do check your TW before picking up this book

Aymar castle is under siege for 6 months and they're running out of foods. It's told from 3 different POV: Phosyne; a heretic nun (a witch) who's forced to create a miracle, Treila; a strong-will girl who wants a revenge, and Ser Voyne; a knight whose loyalty was torn between her King and the suspicious Constant Lady who claimed to be their savior.

What a story! It's a medieval horror with sapphic elements & cannibalism in it. The pacing is a bit slow for me, and sometimes is confusing. It got me cringed (in a good way??) whenever I visualize some scenes in my head.

It is disgusting and creepy, but it's a new experience for me to read this kind of story.

Deliciously dark and simultaneously empowering, Starling weaves a compelling and disturbing tale of three women linked by their trauma and impending destruction in a besieged castle with fast-dwindling food stores. Among the dark corners of Aymar Castle, Treila scavenges for rats and plots vengeance against the knight who destroyed her life. In her rotting tower, Phosyne, the castle lord's madwoman, is tasked with finding a miracle to replenish the castle's food. And Ser Voyne, a knight with seemingly shifting loyalties, becomes entranced by the castle's mysterious visitors and possible saviors: the Constant Lady, the Absolving Saint, the Loving Saint, and the Warding Saint. As the Saints and the Constant Lady continue to exert their control in Aymar, the people descend into a state of bacchanalian madness and possession. Yet those with the will to resist are determined to survive by any means necessary.

Told from the three distinct perspectives of these bold women, this was such a unique and all-consuming story. The magical yet destitute world Starling creates is multidimensional and lends itself well to the character-driven narrative as the reader discovers the three women's motivations and inner turmoil. The Starving Saints has everything one could want from a cannibalistic, sorcery-infused story about the complicated, sensual, and unfailingly supportive relationship between Treila, Phosyne, and Ser Voyne. This triad is the heart of the novel and the brutal gore that decorates the pages is the lovely bloody cherry on top.

I always hope with a new Starling book after The Luminous Dead that I'll get more toxic and dependent lesbians, and she really just knocked it out of the park with this one.

Semi-joking aside, The Starving Saints was a beautiful mess, and it checks a lot of boxes for me in what I want/look for in fantasy: yearning, power corruption, other-worldly/eldritch beings, religious iconography tied to eroticism, cannibalism, strong women in armor! The list really could go on.

The story follows three women with wildly different relationships to power, fealty, and spirituality. They live in a castle under siege, and with many of the others there, are starving and essentially waiting for one of the following: the siege lets up, they die of starvation, or the sieging force breaks down their doors and ends it once and for all. With this siege is the strange religious group of the Constant Lady and her attending Saints, Catholicism vibes and all, and it truly all goes to hell when the Lady and her Saints appear at the castle gates, in the flesh, without the doors being opened to let them in.

The best way I can even imagine describing this book is if The Garden of Earthly Delights had beautiful toxic lesbians and bees and cannibalism, which feels completely insane to put words to. "Bacchanalian madness" as the books description says is so apt it's not even funny. The story is messy and gory, the cannibalism is actually kind of stomach turning, and my god the yearning. Ugh, all of the gay yearning and kissing, the violence bordering on eroticism! I was kicking my feet the whole way through. And the writing as always with Caitlin Starling is stellar, full mouthed and beautifully fleshed out.

I'm very thankful to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for this free eARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5

hmmm see i actually was truly loving but the ending had me taking things back. a whole kingdom on the brink of starvation and a knight, crazy witch, and * are set to save them all. i really loved all three povs but phosyne's in particular i loooved, it was really fascinating to read esp bc we got more of the magical lore from her.

the allegories about honey, bees, and fruit were really well done but i will admit the writing style at times had me feeling confused which ig is the purpose but several times in a 350pgs book?? not the biggest fan. i do wish we had gotten more descriptions on things so i could visualise, at times id be stuck wondering exactly whats going on but overall had a great time.

adult fantasy authors love themselves a rushed ending BUT they usually have you feeling complete, it felt very meh here unfortunately ☹️. an additional chapter or two is definitely needed.

This is the fantasy/horror book of my dreams! Pacing is fast, I was creeped out and I was constantly engaged!!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Starving Saints and once I started, it was hard to put down. The world building is rich, immersive, and beautifully detailed, making it easy to get lost in the story.

Told through three distinct POVs, each character is well drawn and compelling in their own way. The magic of this world is questionable but that does not detract from the experience.

While there are a few plot holes and lingering questions, they didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment. The atmosphere, storytelling, and character depth make this a gripping and memorable read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Caitlin Starling for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

DNFed at 30% unfortunately. I was really hoping that I’d like this book! It seemed like something that would be right up my alley. However, it just missed the mark for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 3
Plot development: 3
Characters: 3
Enjoyability: 3
Ease of Reading: 3

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

An atmospheric historical horror brimming with debauchery and cult-like horror. Caitlin Starling’s upcoming The Starving Saints is the medieval nightmare I never knew I needed in my life. Unlike anything I’ve ever read, Starling has crafted a novel that’s equal parts addictive and horrifying. An absolute must-read for 2025!

At first, I was irritated with how long the main plot took to start in the book, then my interest was caught. Then, the story went off the rails into gore and nonsensical explanations or character actions. DNF at 63%.

This was such a wild, unsettling book! The three main characters are each strong and unique in their own ways, and the world that they live in is as claustrophobic as it is fantastic. The Starving Saints kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish, never knowing what was real or who could be trusted. I never knew I could love a medieval horror book filled with murder and cannibalism, but here we are! I wish there was more to the relationships between the three leads and I was a little confused at times, but overall this was a fun, creepy ride!

The cover to this is beautiful, but the story was crazy. It has to do with these people living in a castled there's 6 months of food running low and no sign of rescue for these people. As they decide to maybe eliminate a few of each other, the sick become healed and some weird stuff start happening.

So, um . . . wow.

This is a twisty and dark story with three FMCs and a lot of gore and stomach-churning descriptions, and I enjoyed every bit of it.

In Aymar, the people have been under siege for far too long. The food rations, already barely enough to sustain life, will run our completely in just a few days. Phosyne works day and night to try and come up with a second miracle (the first one was transforming the filthy water in the castle into something safe to drink) but it is not going well. The king decides to place his trusted knight, Ser Voyne, as a chaperone of sorts to make sure that Phosyne is actually trying her best.

Voyne does not want to play nursemaid to the crazy ass nun, she'd rather keep proving herself with her sword, but one does not say no to a king. Meanwhile servant girl Traila hides as she plots revenge against Voyne.

When The Constant Lady and her Saints appear just as all hope begins to vanish, the people are grateful and indulge after wanting for so long. But our three leads can smell the rot in the Lady's gifts, and must work together to make sure this isn't the end for everyone.

I absolutely loved this book - the prose is dark and descriptive, the atmosphere is a physical weight, and our three main characters are impeccably drawn. I remember staying up super late to finish The Death of Jane Lawrence, and The Starving Saints with its glorious cover deserves a similar rating from me.

The Starving Saints is a captivating read for those who appreciate dark fantasy infused with horror elements. Its atmospheric setting and complex characters provide a solid foundation for an engaging story; however, pacing issues and occasional character development shortcomings prevent it from reaching its full potential. For fans of medieval horror looking for something unique yet flawed, this book is worth exploring but may not resonate with everyone.

New York’s Hottest Club is Caitlin Starling’s fictional fortress, Aymar Castle. Besieged by enemy forces, this place has it all: toxic lesbian situationships, bacchanalian feasts, meat of questionable origin, entities living in the walls, and a madwoman that has apparently forgotten that bathing is an option.

Freaks who love Gideon the Ninth (myself included) will find plenty to enjoy here, particularly if they love Gideon for the grotesque, the macabre, and the spiritual and sapphic devotion of it all.

Books this weird and dreamlike tend to stray into unintelligibility but Starving Saints never lacked in clarity, even as characters began to lose their grip on reality.

Give me medieval queer cannibalistic fever dreams forever. Caitlin Starling truly understands the power of slow, eerie, mindfuckery as a horror genre, and though it may not be for everyone, her approach is definitely for me.

All types of horror have their value, but the thing I love about Starling’s books is that they function in individual and particular narrative pockets. Though there is plenty of moral discussion to be had about meaning or metaphor, they’re almost less profound and reflective and more somewhat escapist in their contained scope and vibe. They feel truly like dreams, not only in their confused what-the-fuck logic but in the way they feel like leaving the world behind to go exist in some super specific crafted reality. They aren’t neat or tidy and they aren’t especially linear or purposeful in terms of impact. But they are an absolute weird ass vibe and I love them for it.

And I loved getting to dream away the time in this world of bacchanalian madness in a claustrophobic castle with bees, trickster beings, nuns, cannibalism, and fucked up complicated lesbian yearning. I had been craving this exact concoction of honey and wine and blood.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

CW: cannibalism, blood & gore, violence, dismemberment, mutilation, dead bodies, murder, death, character death, claustrophobia, alcohol, death of father (past), grief, drowning, emesis

This book was absolutely amazing! I love when I get the opportunity to read creative and unique horror. Caitlin Starling drags you right into the bowels of a medieval castle, kept under siege by an enemy nation. On the brink of starvation, the castle is looking for a miracle, but when one comes, is it actually going to free them or just enslave them to a new kind of hunger? You should definitely read this book and find out! If you like horror that has a historical element, unique magic systems, and deeply flawed but lovable FMCs, The Starving Saints is the book for you!

This book has everything. Powerful, sapphic characters, creepy religious iconography, magic, cannibalism, horror. This story might not be for everyone, but it was most definitely for me.

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling is incredibly unsettling. A castle under siege is desperate for food and their Saints arrive out of thin air with an abundance of it. Only, the food isn’t what it seems, and something isn’t right when the people begin to eat.

The writing and lore are amazing, the characters are complex and flawed, and the vibes are OFF in the best way. The ending was a bit confusing, but not enough to take away from the experience.

Unrelated to the book itself, I guessed early on that the author was a fanfiction writer, and it didn’t take much digging to find out that she IS, and I’ve read quite a bit of her work already.

I’ll be preordering this and yelling about it to anyone who will listen for the foreseeable future, and I’ve already requested the author’s other books from my library.

This was a wild ride of a book that I couldn't put down.
We bounce between our three female protagonists, whose lives are all intertwined in this hellish landscape they are trapped in.
I didn't think I would ever enjoy something that was "medieval horror" but here I am obsessed.
I loved the horror and grotesque imagery that Starling was giving us throughout the whole novel.
I know for sure I'm going to want a hard copy for my selves!

Thanks to NetGalley & Harper Voyager for this eARC.

***Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this upcoming book***
An extremely unique and above average fantasy tale about a sorceress who is called upon to conjure food from nowhere during a siege with no end in sight. Unsurprisingly, things do not go right.

I came to really enjoy the characters and writing of this author and will keep an eye out for her upcoming works!