The horror elements in this book were spot on. I did have a lot of questions and felt that this book lacked world building near the beginning but overall I would read from this author again. I do feel that this reads more on the YA side than Adult.

Nerdophiles Review:

No one can say the premise of Kerstin Hall’s Star Eater isn’t unique.

The book follows a magical nun in a futuristic, dystopic, floating city; she is a member of a secretive Sisterhood that runs society and fights men who have succumbed to a wasting disease that transforms them into vicious monsters.

Oh, and the magic nuns are also cannibals.

The Sisterhood requires mothers to be ‘martyred,’ or put into comas so that the younger nuns can feed off their flesh to replenish their magic powers.

When Elfreda becomes involved in a series of high-profile political murders, she realizes that secrets about herself and her society are entwined and that she is the key to the survival or destruction of her Sisterhood.

Star Eater is a sci-fi murder mystery action book wrapped in a fantasy-horror shell. The murder mystery action is the main driving force, and the cannibalistic nuns and the monstrous men are colorful window-dressing. It won’t be to everyone’s taste (ha!), but it does a great job of blending the genres seamlessly.

This book was borderline too scary for me, especially since I read it at night! I personally didn’t love the horror aspects of the cannibal scenes, and there is also a potentially triggering scene that describes a ritualistic rape (think Handmaid’s Tale). The actual cannibalism is only described in greater detail once, and then more glossed over the subsequent times it happens.

My other complaint is that while some aspects of the world-building were done very well, others were slap-shod. I didn’t even realize the city was floating until near the end of the book. The ending was very abrupt, and the consequences of the resolution weren’t made very clear.

Overall, Star Eater is one of the most unique YA books I’ve read in a long time – it felt immersive and intriguing, even in its weaker moments, and I recommend it for readers with a taste for action, mystery, and horror.

Unfortunately I decided to put this book down at 22%. The only reason I loosely knew what was going on was because I went and read a few reviews that explained the worldbuilding a little clearer. Maybe I would have enjoyed this book a little more had I read further, but that's a loose maybe. I was very unsettled and uncomfortable while reading, but that's just my personal opinion!

Trigger warnings: cannibalism, dubious consent, execution, compulsive homosexuality(?)

The concept of this is super strong -- there is a cannibalistic order of lesbian priests who bureaucratically control a floating island in the apocalypse, but they're generationally lesbians because if they have sex with men those men become rage-filled, invincible zombies. They have their power -- which is a Spiderman like (with a lot less swinging and a lot more holding and grabbing) ability called "lace" -- gained through consuming the flesh of their mothers, kept in a coma-like state until their own deaths, when they become vessels for their daughters power.

Again, super strong concept. The delivery is, for me, where it kind of doesn't follow through. The story is a bit of a murder mystery, but there isn't a lot of interest in solving the murder itself, and the murderer (spoiler) isn't an introduced figure until very late in the game. the conflict of the story is somehow both internal to our mail character El and also external to the women who want to kill and eat her, but it doesn't feel very imminent. Ultimately, the book is oddly dry, which is unfortunate for such a strong concept.

This book was phenomenal and gave me one hell of a book hangover. This world has so many layers and I feel like they were all unpacked to a very satisfying level. Also CANNIBAL NUNS. Just... Like that's all you need to know, but the truth is the story is so much more. I was stress TF out reading this because I cared so deeply about so many characters. They felt fully fleshed out and real. Just...UNF. I cannot recommend this highly enough if you like dark fantasy type stories.

TW: dubious consent (not sure how else to term this), abortion, cannibalism

Kiersten Hall's Star Eater is not going to be a book for everyone. It feels important to get that acknowledgment out of the way first thing, mostly because it's true. This is a deeply disturbing story, with an uncomfortable premise and violent scenes full of body horror, rape, and gore. It is capital D dark and there's no point pulling any punches whatsoever about that fact. If these are things that are just not in your wheelhouse as a reader, you deserve to know that going in.

But Star Eater is also one of the most wildly original, compulsively readable stories you'll encounter this summer. I suspect this title will be somewhat controversial when it hits shelves, if only because it's hard to talk about a book that involves regular depictions of cannibalism and not have people react strongly to it, one way or another. But, at the very least, Hall deserves praise for pushing boundaries and telling one of the most innovative stories that I've personally seen in fantasy in some time.

Flesh is survival and power, and in a place where magic is order Elfreda must find a way to survive. Elfreda is a Sister, part of a women only group in charge of keeping order in the city through the use of “lace” essentially magical ropes, and the way to maintain that is through the consumption of human flesh and blood. The Sisters pay a heavy price to have their power and follow specific practices that could kill them, that have killed them, and have made them want to kill themselves. The worst thing to happen to a Sister is getting pregnant, and Elfreda will do whatever it takes to avoid that fate, even if it means going against everything. The Sisterhood of Aytrium have a magical bloodline and Elfreda wants nothing more than to get rid of it and to leave. When Elfreda is is offered the chance to escape, she agrees to spy for a shadowy group in exchange for the highest probability of her escaping the Sisterhood. But when she starts spying she finds that the Sisterhood is hiding more dark secrets than she had thought, with Sisters being murdered, rebels uprising, and the Haunts (monsters that hunt down the sisters) start showing up more, Elfreda finds that there is more at stake than she thought and she doesn’t know who she can trust. Elfreda uncovers secrets and plots, and soon discovers there is more to her blood than she had previously thought and all the visions she’s been suffering might mean more. This is a fantastical read, filled with blood, bonds being tested, and mystery, this was just an overall great story. I loved getting to know Elfreda and how she struggled between choosing what to do and trying to do what was right. The entire premise of the story was just so interesting and the magic system was unique and just down right terrifying. Its got magic, its got gore, and its got love ( of all kinds ), and it just is a must read!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

There are some books where you start to find yourself a little bored and that boredom comes to colour every further page you read. You can’t escape the boredom, you can only hope that the ending is such that the boredom is wiped out.

Which was, sadly, the case with me and Star Eater (and, to be clear, the ending was not such that the boredom disappeared).

The book follows Elfreda, a member of the Sisterhood, a group of cannibalistic nuns who worship the Star Eater. Unassuming, or so she thinks, she finds herself caught up in a power struggle. I would say a bit more, but there really isn’t that much more to it. Perhaps that contributed to my boredom, but who knows? Perhaps not.

I think my major problems with the book stemmed from the worldbuilding. In all honesty, I was expecting more. On the whole, it just felt like your generic fantasy setting, albeit on a floating city (a fact which I could swear wasn’t brought up until the end), and with a religion centering on cannibal nuns. Which wouldn’t have been so much of a problem if I’d felt like the religion was developed in any way. I couldn’t for the life of me tell you exactly what they worshipped, what they believed in. And I don’t think that’s me forgetting things! (At least, I hope not.) There was a gap between “oh this is a cool concept” and “yes I know how this religion functions”. Not to mention, it didn’t seem to be a religion that many people followed, but the Sisterhood had the power in the city. So what’s the truth? Are those calling them corpse eaters and hating them a minority, or did the Resistance really have enough power itself to oust the Sisterhood? Who knows!

But it wasn’t just the religion where I felt the worldbuilding fell down. It was the politics too, and the way some things were introduced as if they were important — food shortages, the Resistance — and then nothing came of them. I know they weren’t relevant to the main plotline, but if you’re going to introduce those aspects as if they are (and they were introduced in that way), then they might get more than an abrupt disappearance of the problems later on. And then there was the opposite — important information regarding the world appearing at just the right time, never having been mentioned or foreshadowed before.

(I will take a brief moment to note though, that I was reading an ARC I downloaded in November(?), so it’s entirely possible that all of this no longer applies.)

(That being said, it’s the book I read so. Gotta review that.)

The book might have been redeemed if I had cared about the characters at all, but, in all honesty, I struggled to. I couldn’t really tell you why, but nothing about them stood out for me, or really interested me. So I was stuck, slogging my way through a book where the worldbuilding bored me and the characters fared barely any better.

But! I am perfectly happy to accept this was all down to me. I don’t think this was a bad book — far from it — but it wasn’t a me book. So, if you read this wondering if you should still read it, I would say yes. Do.

Okay, I’ll admit it. This book confused my brain a little.

You see, it’s not YA…but it reads like YA.

Our MC is that YA everygirl. She’s THE ONE who will save everyone. She’s the strongest, the savviest, everyone’s crush. I mean…the only little difference is that some people want to eat her. There’s even a romance triangle, though a bit modernized.

Our main plot line – the thing that must be accomplished – also feels very YA.

There’s a wee rape plot line that isn’t YA, but even that’s sort of adult-lite in the way it’s handled. It’s sad and hopeless, but never very edgy or adult.

The world building itself isn’t badly done. The author slowly introduces us into a world that’s unique (what with all the people eating) and full of despair.

The book was interesting enough to keep my attention. However, I think it’s a standalone and…I hope it stays that way.

*ARC via Net Galley

Star Eater is a story about a society of cannibal priestesses/nuns who protect the people of Aytrium from Haunts (zombies). This book sounded so insane and right up my alley, that I needed to read it ASAP!

This book takes place in such a complex world. If the women from this sisterhood have sex with a man, then the man becomes like a zombie. These nuns literally consume their mother’s flesh to get lace, a power that only they can wield. There are giant cats that these women can ride to travel quickly between towns. The way that this world is revealed is so well done, that I never felt there was an info dump. Everything has its reason/purpose. The characters are well-written and the different factions in this story are perfect for showing the different perspectives in this politically complex world. This book was so unique and incredible that I highly recommend you pick it up if any of these things interest you.

I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from Macmillan-Tor/Forge, in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Cannibalistic sisterhood with magical powers? Sure, sign me up!

The Sisterhood of the Eater protects the people of Aytrium, but as the food runs low in the city people are beginning to grow restless. We follow Elfreda, a sister of the order, who partakes in the orders rituals but dislikes it immensely. The daughters of the sisterhood must eat the flesh of their mothers to produce "lace", a magical powers only women can wield.
As whispers of a revolution begins to grow, there is trouble inside the order as well.

I was suprised how much I liked this book. It reminds me a little of Gideon the Ninth, but with only the dark stuff and none of the humor.
The characters were very likeable, both main characters and side characters. I personally liked Osan a lot for his happy go lucky demeanor and sassy remarks. I somehow liked Elfreda too. She was very down to earth and smart. She knows there is a rebellion, she knows normal people see her and the sisters as monsters and she knows the order is not perfect.

All in all, if you're looking for something dark and creepy with cool characters this is the book for you!

At first I wasn’t sure about this book; it took me a while to get into it, because the beginning felt a little bit bogged down with a ton of characters and bureaucratic stuff. HOWEVER, I am really glad I stuck with it, because the last quarter of the book was totally worth it. This is one of the most unique books I have ever read in terms of worldbuilding. I can’t wait to read it again when it is published. I think it’s one of those books that’s going to be even better on the second read!

Clever, unnerving, fantastic, "Star Eater" is everything I had hoped it would be! The worldbuilding and characters were excellent and I loved following Elfreda's story. I was also a huge fan of the elements of body horror in the book and the way that part of the story was woven throughout. This was definitely a story that I found hard to put down once I began it, and it kept me hooked until the very last page. Such a clever story, full of intrigue, terrifying ritual and a fierce protagonist who kept me rooting for her the entire time. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it!

I could decide if I should give 3 or 4 starts but have gone with 4 as I loved the plot and the characters, however the world building did really let the book down. I think it would have been good if they had included an introduction to the order, its purpose and what haunts are so we could have developed some understanding of what El disliked about her position as a sister and the type of things that are required of her. I am the type of reader that likes to paint a picture in my mind, so as I read, I can watch it all play out in my head as if I were watching a movie. However, I found that difficult to do reading this book as I had to fill in a lot of gaps in order to produce an image in my mind. The lack of descriptions of characters appearances, the fashion and the overall look of the world did slow down my reading.
Non-the-less, I still really enjoyed the book and once I got half-way though I couldn’t put it down. I think it is a unique and interesting story with a good ending that it could either be a standalone book of produce a sequel. I would recommend reading this book to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre.

I have left a brief description of things I would have liked to have known before reading the book however I am not sure if some people would consider this a spoiler so if you want to be completely surprised by the book then stop reading now. Or maybe wait till you have begun reading the book and then if you feel you need more information come back to this review?

Possible spoilers below!

The story follows a 22-year-old woman named El who is a sister within the order. The order is a like a government that run Aytrium and they possess a power called lace.
The order rose around 500 years ago when a woman known as star eater raised Aytrium into the sky. She is believed to have obtained enough lace to raise the city from eating a star (I think). And she raised Aytrium to keep everyone safe from Haunts.
Haunts are created from having sex with women who possess the power of lace. They turn into beast like creatures who lose all emotions, cannot die and are overcome with the urge to hunt and kill the sisters.
When it was realized what their power did to men Star Eater raised Aytrium so Haunts could not reach them, any new haunts then get thrown off the edge. The reason new haunts are created is because the sisters must get pregnant so they can have daughters to continue the order and ‘bleed’? there power into the earth to keep the city raised. Oh, and the sisters get their powers from eating the flesh of their mothers who are sort of dead but not entirely.
I think it is set in similar times to the Edwardian era, but I am not certain of this and it might a mixture of different eras?
I hope I have explained it well enough without giving away any spoilers.

Well, Hall proved you can still be innovative in fantasy. I doubt you've read anything like it.

- A sisterhood running the government
- They eat their mothers' flesh to get "lace"
- A piece of land the Eater basically cut off the ground and sent it way up
- Woman run things.
- If they have sex with men, the latter will become zombie-like. They grow only stronger gradually losing their humanity. Since they're immortals, they are pushed over the edge of their world.. literally.
- Did I mention the lace is their magic? Like spiderman?

This is an adult fantasy book, gripping from the start. The characters were interesting and well-developed. I enjoyed reading it and I'm glad the ending was wrapped up. I don't know if it'll have a sequel, but there is no cliffhanger and the ending was wrapped up in a way it would be okay if you read it on its own. I think though that it needs a sequel since there's much-left unexplored in this world, which would be very interesting!

STAR EATER IS AMAZING!!!!!!! THE TITLE. COVER. PLOT. CHARACTERS. I WANT TO SCREAM ABOUT EVERYTHING!!!! I COULDN'T PUT THE BOOK DOWN. I WISH I HAD A PHYSICAL COPY. THERE ARE SO MANY BOOKSTAGRAM PICTURES I'D WANT TO TAKE FOR IT. ACTUALLY, I PLAN ON READING IT AGAIN!!!!!

Elfreda is a member of the Sisterhood like her mother before her and her mother before her. Her day to day work is in food storage and husbandry, because the city is running low on food and they'll need to be able to feed people if the crops don't produce. But in between experiments with mealworm husbandry, she must do her duty to the Sisterhood and participate in Renewal as well as the sacraments at the Martyrium, both of which she is appalled by, if not outright hates.

A rebellion has been brewing in the city, one that seeks to overthrow the Sisterhood. And within the Sisterhood, there's a faction that wants to upend their duties and their world. While El's friends are in the Rebellion, the secret faction within has also recruited her to spy. As she becomes more enmeshed in the upper reaches of the Sisterhood, more secrets are revealed, and Elfreda must find a way to save her city, her sisters, and herself.

THIS BOOK IS A RIDE. It's not the machine-gun humor of Gideon the Ninth, but it's got some of the same features: the dead and the use of them to reach goals, a religion full of secrets, and it's a Tor release (because Tor is really killing it right now). The unease in the city is evident in the writing, and El is a fascinating character. I don't know if this is a stand-alone title, but I hope it is, because I really appreciate an author committing to just ONE book instead of a trilogy or series to tell a story.

This was a WHAMMY of a book. A governing society of nuns on a floating sky island that engage in ritualistic cannibalism? STIs that turn men into Zombie's? Rideable cats the size of horses? Kerstin's Hall's debut novella The Border Keeper sent me into this expecting phenomenal world-building, and Hall did not disappoint. This is not a light book, and in addition to the aforementioned cannibalism it covers issues of bodily autonomy, fraught mother-daughter relationships, grief, trauma, and body horror, among other things. Still, nothing feels extraneous: the events in the novel; while sometimes deeply dark, all serve a purpose, whether it is making a powerful statement or driving the plot and characters where they need to go. Star Eater moves at a breakneck pace, a fact which serves it well for approximately 4/5ths of the novel before getting a little out of control near the end.

This is also a deeply sensory book. Not only do Elfreda's unreliable visions create a tenuous, dream-like reality for us as the reader, but Hall's visuals are gorgeous, horrifying, and stomach-turning in equal measure. I felt transfixed by this, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in an "I found this video of an internet guy eating a bug and now I can't tear my eyes away" way.

My quibbles with this book have to do with 1) character and 2) the aforementioned last 1/5 of the book. While I enjoyed the charters for the most part, particularly Elfreda's devoted driver Osan and childhood friend Millie, I was annoyed by the love interest, who didn't posses much of a spark of personality beyond loving the MC and being....nice? I'm not sure. Even at the conclusion of this book I feel like I can count his compelling personality traits on one hand. My other issue was, of course, the end of the book. Without going into any spoilers, it was incredibly abrupt, fairly rushed, and left me feeling confused and unsatisfied. Still, the sheer gravity and inventiveness of the world-buidling is enough to cement this at 4 stars for me. Kerstin Hall's mind is a weird, wonderful marvel, and I can't wait to read what she writes next!

Elfreda Raughn has a problem. Dark visions plague her, and the sisterhood to which she belongs is under attack by a mysterious foe. That same sisterhood ostensibly protects the floating world from terrible creatures called Haunts, but in order to maintain their power they must do equally terrible things. Ritual cannibalism is the most pleasant of their sacred rites. The world balances precariously, and Elfreda herself might just be the powder-keg that lights the whole thing up.

Kerstin Hall’s phantasmagorical novel is by turns thrilling and terrifying, gorgeous and gross. Vivid characters and environments mix with creative worldbuilding that strikes right at the heart of hereditary power, questioning the cost of maintaining it.

Hall maintains a steady pace through most of the story, carefully laying the groundwork for the twists and turns that follow. Anchoring the darkness and weirdness of the world are solid characters with affecting, complex relationships (though I also admit that my favorite character is introduced right at the end!). There were moments that made me gasp, that made me tear up, that made me feel a bit sick to my stomach. This one puts you through the wringer.

There are some minor issues, which cluster mostly towards the end. I felt like this novel could have easily been 50-100 pages longer and it would have given some of the (many) twists and turns in the last act more room to breathe. I appreciated the breathless pace, but also could have used more time to sit with the revelations and their implications. The very end feels a bit rushed to me for this reason, while at the beginning I could have used a bit more worldbuilding to orient myself in Aytrium.

Still, it’s hard to complain too much when your biggest problem is “it should have been longer.” I really enjoyed Star Eater, and I would enjoy seeing more stories set in this world (perhaps featuring that great last-minute character I mentioned…). This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, and I’m glad to report that it didn’t disappoint.

If you’re looking for grim horror-inflected fantasy with cannibal nuns, monsters in the dark, and a healthy dose of spycraft, you should pick up Star Eater when it releases on June 22nd, 2021.

Ahhh, this book.

Some truly unique worldbuilding and increasingly high stakes make for a book I devoured (no pun intended) in three days. Long story short, cannibalistic nuns + unjust society + demon-like creatures who used to be men = riveting work from a debut author. Excited to see what Hall does next.

content warning: [ cannibalism, body horror, rape, murder, abuse, you name it.]