In fifteen days Aymar Castle will be without food. They have been under siege for the last six months and no assistance has been given to them. The king gives an order to Phosyne to produce a miracle that would allow food to be provided for the entire kingdom. Or else drastic measures would be taken. Then suddenly as if prayers are answered the Saints appear and they bring a solution to their problems or so it seems.
I’ll admit I struggled with chapters 1-13 it was challenging for me to get through them, a bit slow for me. After chapter 14 the action started and it was non stop. The characters in the story were good and I did enjoy learning about each of them. I would like to call this a castle horror. Towards the middle / end of the book it was very hard to put down. If you’re someone that has an issue with reading about cannibalism I would suggest you skip this book.
Thank you NetGalley, Avon, Harper Voyager and Caitlin Starling for the ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

Content warnings: starvation, illness, body horror, death, dismemberment, zealotry, cannibalism

The Starving Saints is a forthcoming horror novel about a castle on the brink of ruin due to a siege and the lesbians working against their grim reality and an unfurling fever dream to save what little they have left. We’ve got the heretic (Phosphyne), the knight (Ser Voyne), and the servant (Treila) who each see something else in the mysterious saints that arrive unexpectedly with food and blessings galore. Nothing is as it seems and madness descends upon Aymar Castle.

I love the dread in this one and with three distinct perspective characters whose different drives lead them to a satisfying and disquieting conclusion.

The horror is such a slow burn of dread and what happens when there’s little left to lose and you won’t look too closely at any miracles coming your way. The visuals are equal parts dream and nightmare, enough to lure the reader into the same type of mystery that our protagonists find themselves in. The entire setting feels appropriately dirty given the deterioration that the castle’s denizens experience both bodily and spiritually. Being at wit’s ends at a besieged castle’s decline is one horror, everything that comes after proves horrific in a different way. This book is told through the kind of elegant prose that makes this such an immersive read. You can feel both the claustrophobia and distressing new textures as the madness settles deeper and deeper among the trapped residents. It is very effective for a more psychological kind of horror.

Faith’s role in the narrative is also particularly compelling. Phosyne starts off in a place of doubt already, having performed one miracle of water sanitation and is so desperate to find another. The determination she has in herself and in her need to keep some semblance of normal throughout each new happening makes her particularly intriguing to me. Ser Voyne’s is a bit more straightforward, in so far as that she trusted her king , but now Treila appears to make her question everything. She’s already been jaded due to her backstory, and the resolution of five years of unresolved anger takes Treila on a journey through the differences between living and surviving. It’s such a balanced cast that I cannot even pick a favorite. Much like a stool, the book needs all three of these legs to stand.

This book soothed the ache of wanting to reread Lapvona without putting myself through rereading Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh.

A medieval horror done right.

This entire novel was a fever dream from cover to cover. While there were definitely fantastical elements, it never felt like fantasy. Instead, the otherworldly touches served to deepen the unsettling tone.

Starling’s talent for cultivating a haunting, sensory horror experience is nothing short of incredible. Reading this felt like a 4D experience; every sense engaged and alert. I could taste the honey, smell the MEAT, hear the screams, and feel the oppressive blackness that swallows the castle whole. Sure, horrific, ungodly things happen, but it’s the atmosphere; thick, gothic, and inescapable—where the true horror lies. Gothic vibes? Signed, sealed, and delivered.

I won’t bother with a plot summary, because this book is best approached blind. I couldn’t do it justice anyway. What you do need to know: we have three badass women, wild debauchery, and DELICIOUS gore.

The dominant theme is hunger; hunger for power, for FLESH, for more, for revenge, for sustenance.

Our three leads are fierce, complex, and unapologetically aware of their motivations. Phosyne especially captivated me. Watching their arcs unfold, relationships fray and then mend (and fray again), was a brutal, beautiful thing.

I now need to devour everything Caitlin Starling has written.
Toodaloo.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely disgusting. The most foul. Pox upon the authors name! JK JK this book was excellent, gory, disgusting, horrifyingly religious, and all the better for it in all the most delightful ways. If you want to read more weird catholic sapphics? This is the book for you.

Phosyne, Treila, and Ser Voyne are trapped within a castle under siege. It’s been six months, the rations are running low, the tensions are high, and they are about to resort to desperate measures to try and outlast the army at their door. Suddenly, salvation in the form of their religious figures suddenly appears, along with a huge feast that came from nowhere. While the rest of the castle seems to fall under a spell, the main characters see through the rouse and are determined to figure out who these Saints really are. They are faced with battles within themselves, against each other, as well as with Saints to find a way to survive.

The author does a great job at conveying the feeling of the cramped, desperate, hungry people within the walls of Aymar. The writing drew me into this fast paced fever dream and I didn’t want to wake up. I loved the strong female main characters at the center of this book and how they interact throughout the story. The theme of loyalty is a very important part of this book; the power that comes with it and who should hold that power. Each main character has a power within themselves that comes from their past struggles which help to keep their heads against the Constant Lady. I really enjoyed the transformation that each of them go through as they find their inner strength. I was captivated by the horror and suspense you are thrown into. It starts with the hunger and just keeps diving into madness the further into the book you get. The villains of the story are very interesting and I found it to be a very original horror story. There are subtle sapphic undertones including the feeding of honey and characters obediently following the orders they are given. I was drawn to Phosyne’s character, the magic that she finds and her inner fight of losing herself to that magic. I absolutely loved this book and will be buying a copy for my shelves so I can read it over and over again. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the eARC of this book!

I'm sad to have to DNF at 70%, but I'm just not feeling it right now and the story is moving too slowly for me. I might pick it back up when it comes out on audio, but for now this is the end for me. If you're a fan of slower paced, historical horror, this one might be for you.

Likely my favorite read of this year, if not of all times. It ticked all the boxes, even those I didn't think I needed. Brilliant, evocative, visceral, horrifying, and as compelling as the mind compulsion within it. I can't wait to receive my physical copy to re-read and re-savor this rare delicacy.

I really wanted to love this. The medieval horror concept seemed right up my alley but unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver.

The prose felt like it was reaching for stylized medieval flair, but it ended up reading clunky and awkward. The characters were one-dimensional, each defined by a single trait, with little to no growth throughout the story. And while I can be patient with a slow plot, it needs either strong characterization or a compelling narrative to hold it up, this had neither.

There were some highlights: the concept itself is interesting, and the toxic relationships brought some tension to the otherwise slow-moving story. But ultimately, there just wasn’t enough substance here to keep me engaged.

This is the second book by this author that’s missed the mark for me, so maybe their style just isn’t for me and that’s okay.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Phosyne, a heretic, works in her tower to perfect her alchemy alongside her curious creature companions, Ornuo and Pneio. Ser Voyne, a war hero reduced to the minder of a madwoman. Treila de Batrolin hunts rats and harbors a vengeful aching grudge.

In another fifteen days, they and all the rest of the inhabitants of Aymar castle will be without food.

When strange visitors, beautiful and bewitching, make an appearance at the castle, they seem to be the living embodiment of their own saints, but these visitors may be anything but divine as memories and perceptions begin to unravel.

At best, this sapphic horror fantasy was fascinating and brutal. At worst, it was confusing, meandering, and melodramatic. As someone who doesn’t tend to gravitate towards fantasy, I may be a harsher critic than others, but it certainly was a wild ride.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

OMFG. This book had me at the edge of my seat! I wanted more and I kept getting it! The cover is what drew me in. Everything about gave me goosebumps. Who doesn’t love witches, knights and medieval themes. I felt like was there first hand!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-ARC! 3 ⭐️

This genre mishmash has a little bit of something for everyone, but like with the feasts brought on by the Saints, they will either be hypnotized or disgusted.

And then there are people like me who are squarely in the middle.

This book had me for the first 40-ish percent. And then it started dragging. Each of the 3 characters we follow are unique, following well-established character archetypes but still feeling like themselves. But my issue, I guess, is what the books lacks in specificity. It goes so far drawing out the plot, but somehow each beat for me just doesn’t quite go far enough.

Medieval? In that it takes place in a castle with no modern technology, sure. They have knights and kings, yea. But don’t come into this expecting the language to reflect, even softly, what you would think of as medieval-style language.

Queer? Yeah there is some slow burn desire bubbling beneath the surface. But it’s always a bit misguided, under some false pretense. Why do we only get actions to validate the characters’ queerness when they are under duress, or manipulated into it?

It’s a shame because while I would still call this a good book (it did its job), I found it to be a bit too long, and by the end not really satisfying.

Well that was the medieval horror sapphic romance fever dream I needed it to be. The body horror with the bees was magnificent. This time period isn’t really one that I have ever really gravitated towards but I think after how much fun I had I would definitely enjoy other types of medieval horror. I really enjoyed the writing style, how atmospheric and claustrophobic the castle is at times really adds to the dread. Thank you so much NetGally and the publishers for this ARC for review.

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling is a medieval sapphic fantasy horror novel that gets weirder and weirder as it goes. The story features the POV of three different women and I found all of them to be quite fascinating. I struggled a bit with the pacing (mostly through the middle), but overall I really enjoyed it.

Will all of your questions be answered? No. Will you have a good time? I mean… is cannibalism ever really a good time? If you’re a fan of weird horror and don’t mind a bit of a slow-burn, this one might be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an eARC.

“It is eat or be eaten.”

The Starving Saints is an intoxicating, bizarre fever dream of a book in all the best ways. Medieval horror is a genre I would love to explore more, and this novel is a wonderful introduction for anyone wanting to get a taste.

I loved each of the three main characters: a war hero lady knight, a nun-turned-sorceress, and serving girl thirsting for vengeance. Each storyline gripped me equally. I loved how the characters became intertwined and dependent on each other.

I could easily envision myself trapped within the walls of Aymar Castle. I quickly realized what occurs inside the walls of Aymar is far more haunting than being under siege by an enemy. This is an unforgettable tale of revenge, desire, magic, and madness.

The Starving Saints is very different from books I’ve read before. It didn’t shy away from being disturbing and strange. It feels like a nightmare I could have and I’m keeping an eye out for more of Starling’s work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an ARC of The Starving Saints in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is everything I want in a horror -- disaster lesbians, cannibals, a lot of fun religious iconography, and weird vibes. Loves it

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I have a soft spot for cannibalism books. I also love a good queer fever dream book so this one hit a lot of great points for me. This has a revolving POV of 3 women who are staying in a castle that is plagued by starvation. Outside the walls an army is waiting to attack, but they are trapped with each other and with their hunger. Food has run out and they are out of options. Out of the blue, a group of otherworldly Saints appear to save them from their nightmare. Or are their saviors wolves in sheep clothing?

I understood 70% of this book as I was reading. And I still have questions about a few things, The imagery was brutal but all I could really think about is how much evening stank. Like omg. The medieval times already stank but this was probably 100 times worse.

I liked how everyone was messy and there wasn’t really anyone I hated or liked the most. They were all just doing what they needed to survive. This was an interesting read and while I was super confused through a lot of it, it held my attention. This was also pretty queer normative, even though I wouldn’t really say there was a solid relationship. This book definitely didn’t have a romance focus. There’s a good little bit of gore for the people like me who like our cannibal books bloody.

3.75⭐️ I couldn’t look away
They are under siege, trapped in a keep with starving people whose desperate leaders know time is running out. The hum of bees is the background music to overpowering hunger.
We follow three characters, the king’s trusted guard, a cunning servant with a past, and a former nun now madwoman. Each of these three woman feels the pressure of the siege while trying to survive.
Then the world tilts and sh*t gets crazy. Cannibalism dipped in honey. Literally.
(Thanks for the arc, I hope your pillow is always the preferred temperature on both sides)

This novel is devastatingly brilliant! I don’t often go out of my way to read historical fantasy, especially medieval, but my god, I’m so glad I did with this one. The prose, vocabulary, and grammar yielded in this book are as sharp as Ser Voyne’s sword.

Aymar has 15 days to find a miracle or starve to death. At first, they think this is an answer to their prayers. However, figures arrive within the walls of the castle who appear to be saints from their religion and who offer the irresistible feast that the inhabitants are desperate for. But what is the cost of this bounty, and will they pay it with their lives?

The Starving Saints follow three heroines from very different walks of life. Phosyne, our nun, Ser Voyne, our knight, and Trelia, our servant girl, all experience incredible character arcs as they battle with the faith they have in their selves and each other as they resist not only the temptation to gorge, but the intoxicating power of the saints. I loved the interpersonal queer relationships between all the characters and rooted for all three to make it to the end.

This story covers the theme of faith vs. reality and what humans would do if presented with the reality of their faith. Would you still believe in your god if he were right in front of you? As well as the theme of how rituals normalize brutality, specifically in how we prepare our food. The lines we draw blur when it is not animals, but our fellow humans, on the table.

There is SO much cannibalism in this book, and one of the driving motivations of the characters, so be warned. This book scared the sh!t out of me, so I recommend reading it in the daylight or if you’re brave, with your toes and fingers safely tucked into your bed.

Thank you, Avon, Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for the ARC read!

The vibes in this book were immaculate.: eerie, magical, and just overall unsettling. The religious imagery and overall analysis of that aspect of medieval life, combined with the sapphic, made this an amazing book.

“If my body should fail before yours, you must take my flesh into your own, you just get out.”
-
DNF @ 45%
God I really wanted to love this one but it was kinda feeling like a chore to read which is not why I read so I’m choosing to end the work.
-
I really wanted to love this one, the premise had promised everything I love, gothic, medieval, sapphic… but this story was just lacking.
-
The buildup took forever and I don’t even think I finished it at nearly half the book, the three main characters are all transitioning POVs with no organization. There’s no sapphic ness so far except when that one girl called the knight handsome.
-
Overall the characters aren’t fleshed out very well, I don’t care about any of them, the story is very confusing, the world thats trying to be built is confusing. They’re locked in a castle so it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out but still I don’t have a clear vision in my head.
-
Maybe it’s me and I’m the problem as I’m not typically a fantasy reader and this feels like it’s pushing on the fantasy-horror bend. I did want to finish but given how I had to force myself to read as far as I did I could not see myself actually recommending this to other readers.
-
5 star for the cover that’s what really drew me in, just wish the story matched.