Oh yes- thoroughly enjoyed this one. I got an eARC via NetGalley and tbh had forgotten to start reading it so I said oh, why not give a try. When I tell you I literally fell asleep at3AM because of reading this 😭

Loooove. It’s giving mysterious and eerie and I’m here for it!!

So original???? The characters felt real and the plot was insane and fast I loved it. I loved the themes it touched upon and the eerie atmosphere of it

I was really excited for this story because of the premise however it fell a little flat. I think the idea and how the author constructed the background for how this world operates was done beautifully. What I didn't like a lot was the pacing, and I didn't connect well to the characters. Nothing I disliked about the story would make me not recommend this to individuals who are used to this genre. If you like Tender Is the Flesh I think this book could be a really good fit for you.

A castle under siege is the setting for a strange, brutal story of survival. This is a very unique story that is frequently chilling and disturbing with some great characters. The main thing that lets this book down is the vivid imagery the author attempts to evoke can become overwrought and confusing. But anyone looking for a unique horror tale with strong female characters should check this one out.

Sadly this was a DNF….something I hate doing but….There was a whole lot of nothing going on but at the same time there was so much going on I was confused. Couldn’t understand how to pronounce one name have it be a person or a place. I wanted to like it so bad but it was becoming a chore to read and not enjoyable.

What a grim little fantasy about unintended consequences, personal power, and being blinded by what you desperately want.

In a city under siege, running out of food, a woman works feverishly to make something from nothing. Help is not coming, the enemy is at the gates, and everything is hopeless...until the Saints appear, magically conjuring feasts. Everyone - well almost everyone - rejoices. But some notice grimly the mindless way the citizens behave, and some can see what is really being served at the feasts.

Not so much a feel-good book, but definitely one that will stick with you.

I never thought I'd so be enthralled with cannibalism and the desperation of a castle under siege. This magical gothic horror story had me in suspense the entire time. I'm not sure I had ever read such a visceral description of odors, sights, and sounds. I couldn't put this incredibly unique novel down. Three very flawed and often unreliable narrators experience a siege of their castle and the arrival of their "saviors" in such different ways but uniquely connected. At every twist and turn I was captivated.

This book is debauchery in the craziest way, it was great. It was such an odd story you rarely see go this hard about cannibalism especially coming from saints it was really interesting to see how it affected the people. I liked how the gore was "hidden" behind illusions that even if you know you always have to think about it twice whenever they eat something and that when the truth is barren it is so gruesome but you cant look away anymore. This story makes us descent into the madness of all character (which was great trouple)
My one grip was that it took too long to pick up the pace to me as i got really engaged only around 80% in.

Rating: 3.5/5

Note: Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Starving Saints!

Review: The Starving Saints is a horror novel rife with lesbianism, cannibalism, and the eldritch horror of the fae. Our main characters, Phosyne, Treila, and Ser Voyne are all enigmatic people and by chapter 10 I was rooting for all of them to end up together instead of two and a third wheel. The mystery here takes a long time to build up, and in the meantime, you get a lot of abstract, oftentimes confusing prose that can be difficult to parse through if you’re not in the right mood for reading something like this. While the main creatures are never confirmed to be fae, they have a lot of similarities. I liked the magic system being based on ownership, since it set up a lot of interesting power dynamics between the characters themselves and the creatures. I just wish some parts had been written a little less abstractly so you can tell what’s going on more.

I did end up really liking this book, but at times, it wasn’t for me, and that’s okay! If you liked such titles as Our Wives Under the Sea and The Witcher, and really liked Sevika from Arcane, you’ll like The Starving Saints!

3.75

thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC !

this was an interesting one! i would describe the feel of The Starving Saints as Between Two Fires but make it lesbian (which is excellent and very pleasing to me). i loved how not just the setting but the horror itself felt distinctly medieval. that fear of decadence, of indulgence manifesting in cannibalistic feasts and gory orgies... delicious. three cheers for reckless abandon

hunger is a pulsating theme throughout; lines blur between flesh, food, and blood. everyone is always being pressed against the wall and kissing bloodied lips and lusting hungrily. this is both a pro and a con.
pro: these are awesome things that i like!
con: after the fourth wall-press, it becomes a noticeable pattern

the characterization felt a little shaky at times, treila's motivations in particular. for someone who's been singlemindedly plotting vengeance for years, she was pretty easily dissuaded when push comes to shove. that could be intentional, but otherwise treila is characterized as a cutthroat girl who gets what she wants at all costs so it was a little confusing. At least Ser Voyne's were pretty consistent bc she is basically a sexy guard dog for most of the book (this will be highly appealing to the correct audience)

on the positive side, i was impressed with how well everything came together in the end. the bacchanalian chaos somehow neatly spirals into a satisfying conclusion where everything has changed, and yet it has only been a half week of normalcy in the greater world

note: i read a large portion of starving saints with a soundtrack of saint avangeline, particularly lilith, black sheep, and the entire inferno album. highly recommend, it's full of horny/longing/angry lesbian themes that are perfect for the kind of catholic-flavoured dyke drama happening in this novel

last note: had to push a bit to finish this but that could be due to the due straits that forced me to read it all on my phone (NetGalley's new DRM epub format is not supported on kobo e-readers grrr)

This book had a very interesting premise and a very cool setting. A medieval castle with magic lurking in the corners. I thought the overall story was very interesting and gorey. It was definitely what I pictured when reading this synopsis initially. Unfortunately for me, I think the beginning was a little slow. I kept waiting for the saints to arrive and be all creepy and mysterious, but instead it seemed to take about 20-25 percent of the book to set up the scene which I thought was pretty well known after the first few chapters. Despite this, I still found the story to be quite interesting with a lot of things to unravel. I feel like some plot points went unanswered but I think the story overall delivered of the creepiness of the saints.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and HarperCollins for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

There's a few keywords to describe this book, and your reaction to them will absolutely determine if you will enjoy it.

- Women's wrongs
- Medieval horror
- Very bacchanalian
- Fever dream
- Bees?

That's it, that's the book.

Thank you to the publisher, Harper Voyager, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling is a medieval horror that revolves around three different women living in a castle under siege. On the brink of starvation, the inhabitants of the castle are running out of options when suddenly, four saints appear, ostensibly to save the day. The only problem is, no one saw them arrive... and no one knows what they truly want.

This book was fantastic! I really enjoyed Voyne, Treila, and Phosyne as characters. They were each confronted with impossible choices throughout the narrative and it was incredibly interesting to see them interact with one another and make decisions. Their dynamics were intense, intriguing, and kept me turning the page!

I also really enjoyed the horror aspect of The Starving Saints! There was an intangible, eerie quality to the setting of Aymar and it really added to the feverish, anxiety-inducing atmosphere. There were a few moments where my jaw dropped completely, and I feel that Starling really did a great job of utilizing the horror elements of this story well.

Overall, this was a great read!

The country and world may be falling apart, but my upcoming book tbr is looking long and fruitful.

Dark, unsettling, and kinda erotic. I loved the medieval fantasy horror setting, the bees, the Sapphic knight aesthetic...honestly everything about The Starving Saints is perfect. The writing is vivid and gory, and I was entirely immersed in the happenings of Aymar castle.

Oftentimes with multiple pov chapters, the plot becomes repetitive or muddled and believable character development is stretched thin amongst the narration. This isn't the case here. Even with three perspectives and under 400 pages, Caitlin Starling displays their writing abilities by breathing life into the people within their pages, which includes the stellar unreliable narration. Not all is as it seems inside Aymar, and you can just feel terror and confusion each of the main characters endure.

I will definitely be buying physically once this officially releases.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers Avon and Harper Voyager, and the author for this arc inbexchange for an honest review.

A rich and dense gothic medieval horror that was written beautifully. Told in an intriguing fashion describing horror and gore with the same delicacy and tenderness as the ethereal otherworldly beauty of the titular saints. A slow burn and build done incredibly right

A dark and brutal gothic story of desperation and destruction in a starving medieval castle

The story follows three women who have been barely surviving in a castle under siege from an invading army. Prospects look bleak and food is dwindling until the answers to their prayers shows up as literal saints appear, offering with them hope and much needed sustenance. But all is not how it seems...

Parts of this book took on an ethereal quality and felt delightfully fever dream-ish. The descriptions of gore and violence being described with the same tenderness and delicacy as the haunting visage of the heavenly saints. A slow burn paced out with beats of ultraviolence and the bizarre

For fans of medieval horror with strong constitutions who delight in the weird, I would definitely recommend checking this one out when it's released in May.

(4.5 ★ actually)
Dark, unsettling, and utterly mesmerizing.
This is the kind of book that sinks its teeth into you and refuses to let go because once the story picks up, you cannot put it down. Starling’s writing is so vivid and immersive that I could see everything happening, I could feel the dread and anxiety like I was there. Every single chapter kept me hooked like I was spiraling deeper into the madness, and I didn’t want to pull myself out.

The horror in this book, psychological, body-focused, or religious, is written so well that it had me on edge the entire time. It played out like a movie in my mind, which is always a great sign. And the characters? With only 352 pages and three main protagonists, Starling still managed to make each of them so fully fleshed out that I genuinely can’t pick a favorite. They’re all flawed, brilliantly written, and impossible not to be invested in.

This book explores faith and fanaticism, hunger and sacrifice, power and suffering etc. It’s literally a medieval fever dream. Plus, it’s sapphic, which is just an added bonus.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! I will be buying a copy when it releases, and I want everyone to read this book. You won’t be disappointed.

Having read The Luminous Dead, this is exactly what I was hoping it would be. This was an absolutely perfect blend of horror and dark fantasy, with three main characters who are absolutely compelling. The book opens with everyone already in dire straits, under a siege from an enemy army and running out of food. Just when it seems everyone within the walls will starve, their saints arrive.
I was initially a little worried when I realized that the book is split into three perspectives, but I think that the three perspectives were actually integral to telling this story the way it deserves to be told. I can't imagine whose perspective I would choose to cut to reduce it to two perspectives, or whose perspective I would choose if it was to be told by just one character. The different perspectives really enhanced the horror aspects as the book progressed, particularly as each character might be unreliable when it comes to narrating some of the events.
Overall, this book was everything I hoped it would be and more, and I cannot wait for it to come out so that I can buy it and read it multiple more times. If you're looking for medieval fantasy-horror with bees, saints, knights, and cannibalism, look no further than The Starving Saints.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy!

I did not like this as much as I *wanted* to like this, it felt like there was a lot of ideas that weren't expressed as clearly as they could have been! Which was really disappointing - great ideas, not the best execution, it also felt overly long and a bit convoluted.
It also felt like there were a few pretty big unresolved plot points. This books is right up my alley bit just didn't HIT.
The author has a great writing style and I just wish the idea was better executed.

This book was so good.

The three main characters were all so complex - well-developed, flawed yet likable, growing and changing, all different and yet fit together so well. I enjoyed the somewhat vague magic system, as I think it made the world more mysterious and gave less clues as to where the plot could go. The atmosphere and description of the setting in context with the lack of time and severance from reality was great.

My only complaint is that I think there was not as much of a balance of ecstasy and horror the way I had expected when I saw the word Bacchanalian in the description of the book - the people who are suffering seem at best blank, confused or placated, not ecstatic. Not seduced. But that didn't impact the storytelling of the novel at all, and I still thought this book was amazing. Great writing, great characterization, compelling atmosphere.

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling is a queer medieval body-horror novel that dives deep into themes of religion and loyalty—with a generous serving of cannibalism. WARNING: Do not eat while reading.

It is engaging, refreshing, and a little graphic. For those who are gore-curious, the descriptions aren’t drastically bloody, but the context of the gore? Yeah....eww. The book builds a haunting, mysterious atmosphere that lingers, and the characters—especially the Saints—are compelling in the most unsettling way. I wasn’t expecting the level of body horror, and since I don’t usually read it, I struggled with some moments. That said, I know there’s an audience that thrives on queer cannibal narratives (Yellowjackets Hive, this one’s for you), so I have no doubt this book will find its people.

Try a spoonful of honey before reading, I hear it does wonders for your psyche!