3.75 stars

This book was like a claustrophobic fever dream. I couldnt tell what was real and what was fake. I honestly STILL don’t know what was real. Everything felt like an eerie hallucination where you can’t trust what the characters are seeing. The characters themselves are lost and confused and trying to figure things out so the reader is left with the same feeling.
This was a really interesting premise. I liked how everything was confined to the castle (I’m not sure if the book explicitly said it was a castle but that’s how I pictured it) and all the characters are trying to find ways to escape. The saints were so creepy. The way they would change and appear at random and you never knew where they were definitely contributed to the unsettlingness of this book.
Overall, it was a little too confusing for me. I found that I really never figured out what was happening which I didn’t love. However, if you like weird, vibey, semi-ambiguous books (that may or may not contain cannibalism) you might like this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC!

3/5

Caitlin Starling fortifies a castle under siege in her latest as the inhabitants stare down inevitable starvation and dually hunger for sustenance and salvation. Aymar Castle is little more than a prison for those who have survived six months under siege, but when the very figures prayed to by the populace appear within its walls -bringing with them food and promising an end to suffering - a new era is ushered in, one of illusions and bloodshed. I have always been a fan of Starling's writing which I could aptly describe as fever dream tinged horror that causes you to question reality and leaves you facing the real horrors within. Add in lady knights, nuns turned sorcerers, and sapphics, and it was safe to say The Starving Saints was one of my most anticipated horror novels for the 2025 year. Concepts aside, Starling's prose is decadent, as it has always been. Glittering at times and festooned with the decay of the starved and the rot of those that have succumbed, The Starving Saints prose easily aligns with its overarching narrative. The three perspectives stand apart within the confines of Aymar castle and I was thoroughly fascinated by all the ways Starling brings readers into the fold. My main issues with The Starving Saints pertain to how it delivered on concept and the pacing. This book has a fairly slow start, which I appreciated given how I felt it mirrored the castle inhabitants slow decline into starvation, but I think after a certain point I expected the pacing to become more consistent and it never did. The jarring happenings after the halfway mark felt scattered with no purpose and I felt more lost than I expected. I love a strange situation where you don't always get the answers but The Starving Saints leaned into a convoluted narrative which at times felt purposeless. I would have appreciated more background on the characters to further ground the story as I never felt truly captivated by either of them. Definitely sad this wasn't for me but it certainly will find its audience.

I was really excited for the chance to get to read and review this one, because I've been a huge fan of this author since her previous novel. The Starving Saints was weird, deeply weird. It was also moving, evocative, and did an incredible job of setting the scene and letting it unfold how it was going to unfold. And you aren't going to be able to predict the twists and turns, I promise. I don't know if I've ever read anything like this before, and that's not an insult. I really enjoyed the characters, and was grossed out (in a good way) by the events at every step along the way. If you're interested in weird fantasy, you can't go wrong with this one. Give it a shot, and be ready for surprises. Honey will never taste the same to you again, I'll bet.

The Starving Saints is a gripping, atmospheric blend of horror and dark fantasy that pulls you in from the first page. The siege of Aymar Castle sets a desperate, claustrophobic stage, but the true horror unfolds within its walls as salvation arrives in a form more terrifying than starvation itself. The story’s eerie, almost hypnotic descent into madness is both unsettling and impossible to look away from, with its themes of faith, power, and the hunger—both literal and metaphorical—that drives people to the edge. The shifting dynamics between Voyne, Phosyne, and Treila add layers of tension and intrigue, making this a truly original and bingeable read.

Genre: Medieval horror

Content warnings: animal death, human death, depictions of starvation, siege warfare, cannibalism (intentional and unintentional), religious zealotry, torture, magical/supernatural elements

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this digital book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I finished this book, sat on it for a night, thought and thought about it, and I’m still thinking about it. It’s only recently that I discovered medieval horror as a genre and this scratched that itch for me. It has winding castle stairwells and dank hallways, dusty courtyards and religious zealotry. It has a towering female knight, a resourceful girl bent on revenge, and a mousy witch/miracle performer with depths of power even she is unaware of. Something uneasy and menacing begins creeping its way into the castle they are all locked away in, under siege by an old enemy camped outside the barricaded gates. These three women are each on a spiraling crash course where their lives will intersect in dangerous and possibly fatal ways. Rising mistrust, old wounds, new suspicions, and collective gnawing physical starvation raise the tensions in the story and it was just so well done. The writing is evenly paced, skillfully handling the maelstrom of hedonistic, fevered revelry that descends upon the castle and its occupants after the arrival of a group of Saints. What appears to be a much prayed for rescue becomes a nightmare of gory proportions. The author treats each woman’s POV as an analysis of female rage, strength, doubt, and sense of duty and loyalty. I enjoyed each woman’s chapter and the terrifying new ways they fall deeper into the nightmare of the Saints’ presence, and their desperate efforts not to fall under their control. The pressure they all endured was immense. I was so scared for them. I felt terror and anxiety reading their journey throughout the book. I thought it brilliant the way time passed within the walls and without. And the thing in the bowels of the castle? The whispering thing? One of my favorite spooky characteristics I’ve read in a long time!

4.5/5

“wow” is honestly not enough. maybe if i put it in all caps. WOW. this book has everything. a hot lady knight. nuns. saints that may or may not be real saints. cannibalism. choking kink. worship metaphors. women kissing women. bees. if you are a sexy knight enjoyer, a locked tomb fan, a horror enthusiast, a cannibalism apologist, a repressed former catholic, or simply someone whose ears perk up at the words “sapphic medieval bacchanalian horror”, BOY DO I HAVE A BOOK FOR YOU!

this is one of my most anticipated books of 2025, and i am thrilled to say it did not disappoint. i read & adored her debut (the luminous dead), and i’m incredibly impressed by the range she’s shown just between these two books alone! her writing is so visceral and vivid — so much so that certain scenes were hard to read when i picked up my book on my lunch break. it unsettled me, it chilled me, it horrified me — but god, it gripped me. whenever i wasn’t reading it, i was thinking about it. before i even finished, i was thinking about how i wanted to read it again.

don’t even get me started on how much i adore phosyne, treila, and ser voyne, individually or in any combination. but especially SER VOYNE!!! i have a weakness for lady knights, and she is no exception. i already can’t wait to purchase this book when it comes out and fall in love and horror all over again!

Thank you, NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Caitlin Starling!

I was expecting medieval horror LGBTQIA+, but what I was not expecting was just how grotesque this was (in the best way possible).
I would say it's more medieval grotesque than horror, but still so good! It was slow and I was confused for the first quarter of this, but could already feel that it was going to be worth it. I love a historical fiction from women's point of view, and this was just everything I needed at the time I picked it up.
It's hard to talk about this without giving away the juicy, meaty (yikes haha) bits, but please read this, and I can't wait to cover this in my queer book club once it's published!
We need more dark, atmospheric fantasy/horror like this.
Can't wait to read more from this author.

Who doesn't need a medieval horror LGBTQ book? This story follows three female main characters, Voyne, Phosyne, and Treila who are in the midst of a 6-month siege leading to starvation, death, and sickness.

This book was filled with depravity and debauchery. I don't want to spoil anything that isn't in the book description but trust that there are some intriguing and strange concepts within this book.

The characters were complex and strongly written. So much so that I was conflicted on whether or not I actually liked them. The readers get to see the all sides of these characters, not just the good or the bad alone. The writing was easy to read but also didn't feel juvenile to me which I really appreciated. I thought the writing did justice to the time period while still being easily consumable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc. All thoughts are my own.

TW: cannibalism, violence, death, gore, blood, body horror, murder, injury detail

I can see the beauty in this book. It was magnificently written. The prose is beautiful, the setting feels distinct, and the story is unique. But, I’m not the audience to receive what this has to offer. It felt like it took forever for anything to happen. I was over 20% of the way through before it felt like any plot events really moved. I spent most of that first 20% being confused about who was who, and where things were taking place. These names were too much for my tiny brain to track. Just when I thought I had something figured out, then we’d jump into someone else’s perspective and I’d have to reorient myself and start all over. It became too much for me.

The Starving Saints is almost impossible to define, but if I had to put a label on it, I would call it “weird historical horror”, which is a genre I didn’t know I needed until now. If you are looking for a book unlike anything you’ve read before, this is the one.

Aymar Castle is under siege and days away from starvation when mysterious beings claiming to be Saints appear within the castle walls and offer salvation-at a price. Soon the entire castle descends into a dream-or nightmare- of madness under the thrall of the Saints, while three women fight to uncover the truth behind the insanity.

This is a nightmare of a book, in the best possible way. The reader is carried along in the madness, horrified but strangely fascinated as terrible, but strangely beautiful things happen. I think it’s best to go into this story knowing as little as possible to get the best reading experience; but trust me when I say if you are a fan of weird fiction or weird horror, you will love this book.

I would recommend The Starving Saints to fans of The West Passage by Jared Pechaček, as well as readers who love weird fiction, horror, and medieval dark fantasy.

Thank you to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

Trapped in the castle with food dwindling, Phosyne is given the task to figure out how to feed everyone (with a miracle) since they believed she was the one who caused a miracle to extend their water supply. She is unsuccessful, and in the meantime, Constant Lady and her Saints show up at the castle and demand allegiance.

I thought this book was going to be more horror than it was, so it was fine, but it was not what I expected. I will still recommend to my audiences, but it was a bit slower than I wanted.

Having read (and loved) The Death of Jane Lawrence, I was extremely excited to receive a copy of The Starving Saints. In the year of our lord 2025, and under the influence of Chappell Roan, the need for (sapphic) lady knights has risen 200%. Thank you Cailtin Starling for filling a gap that, before six months ago, I did not know needed filling. I am enamored by all of the women who reside within the pages of this book.

If you love gritty medieval horror that does not shy away from the grotesque, this is a book you won’t want to miss. Un-put-down-able and unpredictable, this book delivers a heady mix of medieval horror, cult-like religion, and suffocating desire. Thank you so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book!

This book started off a bit slow for me, but once it picked up it was nonstop to the very last page. I've never been into medieval fantasy, but was willing to give it a shot and I'm glad I did. This book was dark, gory, spooky, and a bit sapphic which turned it into a perfect and incredibly original tale. I wish that each new chapter had told you who the plot was following in that instance, as sometimes I had trouble remembering where their storyline ended and would have liked to know where to flip back to, but besides that it was excellent. My favorite character was definitely Phosyne, as I'm a big fan of women's wrongs.

Thank you to Caitlin Starling, Avon & Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for the ARC.

A deeply fascinating book about desperation, power, loyalty... and cannibalism.

First, thank you to Caitlin Starling, Harper Voyager, and NetGalley for an e-ARC for this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Let me get this out of the way: this is an immensely confusing book if you aren't paying attention all the way through. The latter half fits a lot of content within it, and whilst the pace is good, it is quite daunting to read, especially also considering the topics discussed in this novel. I was super confused for at least half the book.

But that didn't matter. This dark fantasy is so incredibly atmospheric with vividly horrifying descriptions. I'm in awe of Starling's ability to describe everything so viscerally. The novel is messy, chaotic, horrible, and so incredibly good. The three main characters of this book are also all so fascinating, fitting into the novel in their own way and quite insanely adding to the lore of the novel. I'm genuinely so startled by them and their complex, desperate, relationship. Phosyne, Ser Voyne, and Treila all have their own motives and reasonings and it's done quite well through the novel.

I would recommend this for fans of Plain Bad Heroines and Gideon the Ninth-- and people who enjoy deeply concerning horror, fantasy, and cannibalism as a literary device.

~thank you to the author, publisher & Netgalley for letting me read & review this book~

Unfortunately I will not be giving it a proper rating because I do not think it is fair only because this genre is not my go to & I just didn’t vibe with it. The overall story is fine but not for me. It’s classified as medieval horror but I found it to be too fantasy like and I’m not into that. I just can’t get into it. If you’re into that sort of thing, then this book is for you. But it wasn’t for me. I will give 3 stars to meet in the middle.

Four stars for The Starving Saints ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I could say the Starving Saints is a sapphic horror story, or, I could simply and perhaps more accurately say that it is about hunger. Phosyne hungers for a miracle. Ser Voyne for purpose. Treilla for revenge.

Yet they starve in every sense.

Trapped within the walls of their castle; the war has given Aymar over to starvation and death as they try to outlast their enemies who sit camped just outside their fortress. Food has been running scarce and the people are desperate. With the King himself eying the most depraved of measures just to keep them alive -- Ser Voyne worries for the heart and soul of Aymar itself. She is tasked with overseeing Phosyne, the madwoman responsible for clearing their water enough to drink. If Phosyne cannot create food, Aymar will surely perish. Or be forced into something far worse to survive.

Meanwhile, Treilla slinks among the people. Fierce and defiant she carves out the remedy for her own survival. There is a creature lying in wait in the bowels of the castle that speaks of freedom and sacrifice. She must choose between vengeance against the person who broke her heart and murdered her father -- and a future that sees her breathing.

Then through the walls comes the Lady and her blessed Saints, bringing health and food and hope. The people rejoyce, the King concedes his power, and even Ser Voyne takes up her mantle at the Lady's side. But Phosyne and Treilla both know something is Wrong about their new saviors. Together they must unbind the horrors that have come waltzing into their midst, or give in to their own hunger.

Was that a long set up? Tell me about it.

There's a lot going on in this book. I think despite this it carries itself well. Though much of the set up occurs before the Saints arrive, that information does not feel redundant once you understand why it's necessary later. This will probably be cumbersome for people who want to slide right into the action, but I feel like there is enough tense, slow-growing horror in the situation to keep you interested if you can hold on past chapter ten. I've seen this book described as "bacchanalian" and while I agree for a small portion of the book, this is not going to be the depraved free-for-all that might entail. This book requires more patience than that. It is a rich story, with a lot of threads and while not all are executed in a way that is satisfying, I believe the book is solid. The ending was delightfully ambiguous where the hint of romance was concerned and even for the futures of our protagonists in general.

If you want to get wrapped into a story of human darkness and perserverance with a little bit of body and creature horror to keep things interesting (and a few gorgeous steamy sapphic scenes) this is not likely to disappoint.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

Sapphic medieval historical horror is amazing and Starling does an AWESOME job dropping you right into this world and having you become captivated!

We are dropped into the end portion of a siege at Aymar Castle. They've fought off enemies beyond the castle wall for 6 months, but we meet them near the end. People are starving, rioting and dying inside the castle. We have three main female POV's. One of which is Phosyne, she's a nun who managed to purify the water and is now tasked with delivering the miracle of food out of nothing. Then we have Ser Voyne, a knight assigned to her, to make sure she's actually working. Lastly, Treilia - a seamstress, and rat catcher with her own agenda.

All seems hopeless until Aymar's religious figure, the Constant Lady and her Saints arrive inside the walls. They promise food and salvation... or do they? Phosyne, Ser Voyne and Treilia must see past the allure, power and promises of the Constant Lady, in order to save themselves and the castle.

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This was so fun! Medieval horror is such a vibe! I feel like Starling really created a fascinating world, religion and characters. I love how we were just dropped in to the siege and with our MC's as they try to survive. There's lesbian pining, canabalism! and dark magic. There was an excellent scene with some claustrophobia and one character puts her finger into a hole in the wall...what's on the other side creeeeped me out. The end felt a little fevery-dreamy and hard to track at times, but overall an excellent story with incredible vibes.

I definitely recommend!

As much as I loved the idea of this concept, I didn't mesh well with this book.

I felt that it was too slow and I felt I had to force myself to read it because its an ARC.

The setting and basic plot are really interesting. We get the story through 3 perspectives which felt too much to me. It made it confusing to follow sometimes since nothing big would happen and then we get another person. I think this would have benefited with some things cut out or be turned into a short story. Also the romance aspect was very minor and doesn't get a lot of time to develop.

The cover is beautiful and the story is so unique that I still would say to try to read this and give it a shot.

I've enjoyed this author's previous works but really struggled to finish this one. The premise was compelling but the execution felt like a fever dream (which was, perhaps, the point) but I could only somewhat grasp what was going on plot-wise which made for tedius reading. This is the sort of book that would be stunning as a film, but as a novel it exasperates.