The Starving Saints is a haunting, fever-dream of a novel that lingers long after the final page. Set in a besieged medieval castle, the story follows three women: Phosyne, a former nun turned sorceress; Ser Voyne, a knight clinging to duty; and Treila, a servant with secrets, as they navigate the arrival of mysterious, godlike visitors offering salvation at a steep cost. As the castle descends into madness, these women must confront their own desires and the dark forces at play.

Starling's prose is lush and evocative, drawing readers into a world where the line between salvation and damnation blurs. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of the three protagonists, each voice distinct and compelling. The slow-burn horror builds with tension, exploring themes of hunger, both literal and metaphorical, and the corrupting power of devotion. While the novel delves into dark and disturbing territory, it does so with a deft hand, crafting a story that is as thought-provoking as it is unsettling.

This is a book that defies easy categorization, blending elements of horror, fantasy, and psychological drama into a singular experience. It's not a tale for the faint of heart, but for those who dare to delve into its depths, The Starving Saints offers a rich and unforgettable journey.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

3.5 stars. Unique, terrifying, and repulsive. It is a fever dream.

Hunger and power, or power and hunger. The Starving Saints is a medieval horror set in a castle under siege. We see this story from three different perspectives—an excommunicated nun, a knight, and former noble woman.

When the food sources deplete, the Saints they’ve prayed to appear with the promise of a feast. Cue the horrors and the fight to stop it.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 5/11/25. Review will be posted to Amazon on release date.

I really wanted to love this book. The concept is so cool and I was excited to get into the action. While I appreciate that in horror you do have to set up tension to achieve terror, this book took entirely too long to get there. My god I spent like 70% of this book waiting for the action to happen. This book was a slog to get through and ultimately I was relieved when I reached the end. The prose was very rich which kept this book a 3 star read for me rather than a 2.5.

This book had everything I love in a story. Body horror, mysticism, sapphic romance, terror, and spoiler, cannibalism.

The Starving Saints is about 3 women who live in a castle and are under attacked and trapped due to a rival kingdom. They are slowly being starved. Phosyne, a heretic and madwoman, is in charge of finding another miracle to keep them all from starving. See Voyne, a strong knight, is in charge of minding Phosyne. And Treila is there, waiting for her chance to get revenge for her father’s death. As each of them suffer from the hunger, 4 saints appear one day, offering food and salvation, but all is not what it seems.

This story is harrowing, fast-paced, and terrifying as you follow the women fight for not only their lives, but the lives of all the people trapped in the castle.

This book is beautifully written, and the story is unique. I loved the medieval elements and the sapphic tension. I love the dive into human desperation when it comes to starving to death and the sacrifices people are willing to make to save not only themselves, but those they are connected to.

I want to thank NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for giving me this eArc. The Starving Saints hits the shelves on May 20, 2025.

This story is a fever dream. It has so many features of horror and fantasy blended together to create a story that you won’t forget anytime soon. Some of my favorite features include:
🗡️ nun turned sorceress
🗡️ mind control food
🗡️ cannibalism
🗡️ knives
🗡️ 3 girls who are very drawn to each other but also hate each other 👀

Once I started reading this book I absolutely could not put it down. The writing is creepy and horrific at times. This was a 5 Star book for me! (Maybe my first this year?!?) Mark your calendars for May 20! This is a must read.

[3.5/5] It's not often I'm left flabbergasted about a book and THE STARVING SAINTS takes the cake for that. As the official blurb touts, this reads like a medieval horror fever dream. Aymar Castle is over capacity and has just two weeks' worth of food left. But no one can leave because Etribia set up camp outside their doors and threatens to lay siege. Phosyne, a nun-turned-sorceress, has been tasked with finding a miracle to solve their hunger crisis. As the last day of food approaches, mysterious guests appear, transfixing the castle's residents and drawing them into ravenous madness.

THE STARVING SAINTS unfolds via three points of view. Phosyne is a former nun who decided to leave her order and instead follow her desire to do magical experiments. Ser Voyne is a female knight, loyal to her mentor and the king, but frustrated because she cannot solve any of their problems. And Treila is a servant girl nursing a grudge and seeking vengeance against Ser Voyne. Each of these POVs are distinct. Phosyne is disorganized and frantic because she doesn't know how she can pull another miracle and solve their hunger. Ser Voyne is restless and internally battles her feelings of loyalty to and frustration with her liege as well as her place in a castle who has no other choice but inaction. Treila is clever, resourceful, and observant, and I liked her POV the best.

It's difficult to review this book without giving away everything. The first third of the book sets the stage and introduces the reader to the main characters and their conflicts. At this point the divine figures of the Constant Lady and her Saints arrive and it starts to get interesting. The progressions seems to slow a bit in the middle and the farther one reads the less clear things become, which fits the bill of a "fever dream." The writing style also lends itself to this feeling of neither heads or tails. Sentences are shorter, which makes for easy reading. The author provides enough detail for the reader to get a sense of things, but not enough to fully explain everything. For those who get squeamish, definitely check the content warnings. I didn't feel as if that graphic aspect of the book was gratuitous, but it is taboo and described in some detail at times.

I think I would've better appreciate THE STARVING SAINTS if I knew more about religious symbolism. Undoubtedly I missed some religious commentary and symbolism. But I'm aware enough to recognize some themes, most of which are challenging to mention without spoilers. Suffice it to say, an important theme is the intermingling of love/devotion and revenge/retribution. One can overshadow the other but also cause internal battle about which one should win out. This is particularly true for Treila's and Ser Voyne's dynamic. There's also the question of how devotion (and desperation) may figuratively blind someone to logic and reality. One of the main characters proves more susceptible to this than the others.

Cleanliness is a metaphor for godliness and the state of one's mind, spirit, and soul. When Phosyne left the nuns and became the resident "madwoman" practicing sorcery, she let herself and her abode become filthy. In contrast, the nuns are fastidious about neatness and order and align themselves with the godly Constant Lady. Perhaps the biggest religious theme (or blasphemy) is turning John 6:53-58 into a very literal interpretation. To quote the Bible verse here is super spoiler-y. But this is where the gore comes in and the roles of worshipper and god flip, in a way.

And with that said, I'll stop there. Someone who wants to read something quite unique and who appreciates horror should pick up THE STARVING SAINTS. Bonus points if you have knowledge of religious themes to supplement one's experience of the fever dream.

What in the heck did I just read 😳 well I should say I read up to 60% and have decided to DNF.

I've given it 3 stars for the part I did read, but unfortunately it just became too much for my little brain to comprehend and I became disinterested not quite understanding what was going on here 😅

What I really enjoyed:
The medieval setting was fantastic as were the characters.
The horror was not too extreme but definitley grotesque enough to fit within the medieval theme.

What I didn't enjoy:
The fantasy elements really had me stumped - I just couldn't quite picture what was going on. How did a voice in a wall biting a finger through a crack transport a girl into a field?? That kinda weird.
The language was a bit all over the place too. There were some modern terms used that just didn't work, like describing someone falling on their ass. I feel like backside would have worked better in the context of the medieval setting 😂

Not a bad book but I dont think I was quite the right audience! Recommend for readers of historical fantasy x horror.

This felt like a lucid dream where I was a passenger in someone’s acid trip. Delving into one of my favorite themes: imperfect sapphics. And well, cannibals and otherworldly cults, too. This book is heavy on trauma and the fissures it causes baked into a medieval fantasy horror.
A stronghold slowly dying from starvation while out waiting the enemy forces outside their doors.
The three main characters are broken and ripe with all our hidden guilty pleasures. This is somehow extremely claustrophobic yet horny.
Most of the book you are stumbling with the characters, feeling out what’s real, what’s in the realm of reality, and if you are the type of person that will give in.
Weird saints cooking up people with all the necessary gore. Hats off.
This isn’t for everyone. But it’s a delicious delve into madness and the fantastical.

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the ARC! This was nothing short of a fever dream to read. There are parts of this book that were a total blur, but lots of amazing imagery to go around. I think this is a turning point for Caitlin Starling. I personally have not liked her past work, but this is such a fresh take on medieval horror. I do think there was something missing to this. I felt a little bereft of something yet unnamed when I finished. However, I think the 3 main characters were fun to read as they unraveled each other. Overall it’s a wild ride that I’d definitely recommend.

Caitlin Starling is a master of creating flawed characters. They don't have flaws, they are flawed. The reader weeps at their mistakes, rejoices at their successes and hopes with baited breath that the flaws don't lead to their own demise.

The interaction of the three heroines is realistic even in the midst of a completely fantastical world. They love, they hate and they fight to persevere.

This is a very dark story without delving so deeply into the darkness as to make it unreadable.

Finally, Ms. Starling's ability to write in such a variety of genres whilst remaining true to her core esthetic makes The Starving Saints another must read for her fans!

Caitlin Starling’s medieval horror The Starving Saints is a sapphic fever dream of a novel. I could not have asked for a more indulgent, strange, and transcendent book. The plot follows three women—Phosyne, Ser Voyne, and Treila—as they try to save their kingdom.

Starvation has descended upon Aymar Castle. On the brink of losing all hope for a miracle, the Constant Lady and other Saints arrive with food aplenty. The long-worshipped figures infiltrate the Castle and its occupants’ minds with ease. Only, the Saints aren’t to be trusted. The food is too good. The adoration too easy. And there is always a cost for salvation.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of this novel is the way it’s written. We as readers unravel the mystery of the Saints and the way their power works along with Phosyne, Ser Voyne, and Treila. As more is revealed, the feverish nature of the prose thickens, and it is to a marvelous effect. The prose will not be for everyone, as it is often laden with mystical imagery and near-nonsensical language, but it was excellent for me. It emphasized the surreal nature of the Saints and the world of Aymar.

The women, though, were the beating heart of the novel. Phosyne is a madwoman who has left her Priory. Ser Voyne is a knight desperately searching for something (or someone) to serve as she begins to question her place. Treila is a young woman set on avenging her father for his execution. Quickly, all three of them are tangled together as each resists the Saints’ salvation, realizing that it is no salvation at all. The relationships that develop between the three women are complicated, delicate, and well-explored. If I had to, I could not pick a favorite character out of the three. Each woman is so well-written, so complex and wholly human, that I came to love one as much as the other. I won’t be forgetting them any time soon.

On a final note, the thematic explorations of power negotiation, religion and faith, and belonging were particularly interesting. It isn’t until the latter half of the novel that power and the way we negotiate it between ourselves and others becomes explicitly explored, but it is nonetheless thought-provoking. This is a novel that will be remembered long after it’s read. If you like strange women and stranger worlds, this novel is for you. I look forward to reading it again someday soon.

Tough one for me. Personally I couldn’t get into it but I believe readers will love this if they like this kind of stuff. I studied medieval history so I was looking for something a bit more Pillars of the Earth, I think, and I generally don’t read fantasy. I won’t share my review publicly as I believe this is about fit more than the book.

Intensely atmospheric and slightly unhinged, this novel wrestles with important themes while being both visceral and ethereal, somehow very grounded in the body and yet dreamlike and refusing to settle in any one place. Tortured characters doubt themselves and each other as they fight to decide who and what is worth saving, and that struggle, set against the atmospheric and emotional landscapes the story crafts, worked well for me. However, there were a few things that held me back from really loving this story, and I will discuss those before returning to what I thought of as its strengths.

While the atmosphere and vibes are really compelling, the world-building isn’t nearly as strong. This is marketed as “medieval horror,” but that is slightly off. It is a second-world fantasy, which means it takes place in an entirely invented world that is similar to but not the one we live in. That’s fine, it allowed for an interesting religious element and no need to reconcile that with known religions, countries, or histories. But we know nothing at all about this world, or even about the conflict that has caused them to be under siege in this castle. We hear of a single battle that happened, but other than we know nothing, nothing about how average people exist, what the roles of women are in society (important, given our main characters), what the impression or reputation of this particular king and kingdom are to the larger world, what role religion and faith play in other societies, and so on. These are all things that would ground our story, make it feel real and lived-in, but instead we know nothing besides we are in a castle under siege that has the vibes of a medieval fiefdom. Without that deeper world-building the story felt unanchored, and so I would hope to find that anchor in the characters, but they, unfortunately, are equally history-less. The three main characters have histories, sure, which they explain to us, but nothing that makes them feel genuine, nothing that really makes their motivations and lived experiences meaningful. Each of them has one particular event in their history that they ruminate on, basically, but most of their actions in this story seem to regard that as an afterthought. The characters are distinct and interesting, they clearly have conflicted motivations and broil with internal tensions, so they are fun to read and spend time with in that way. But their lack of grounding compounds the lack of world-building to make it hard to be invested in the story. Further exacerbating the disconnect, there is no real good explanation of or for the antagonists, the titular starving saints. We learn, near the end, ostensibly why they arrived when they did, but it just beggars more questions than offers anything satisfying. Why they have chosen this besieged castle, where they come from, how they relate to the larger world, and more, there are just questions, and any answers given are more vibes-based than narrative. Finally, our three main characters are special, in some ways, but there is on real exploration of why. How they learn about that, what they do with it, those are explored, but what is singling them out in the first place, whether it be something in their personal history that reforged them or some inborn quality or what it may be, these are never addressed in any satisfying way. The main-main character, especially, blossoms in unknowable ways, and while that journey is an interesting one to take with her there isn’t any narrative justification that feels intentional.

I don’t need or expect my stories to have everything tied up with a neat bow, I like ambiguity, and I like when stories imply there are bigger worlds (both epistemologically and narratively) than we see in the immediate text. I think that any one or two of my frustrations above would have added to the story, but when it was “convenient situation without useful narrative grounding” again and again it didn’t feel like ambiguity, it felt like a story that was missing fundamental grounding.

That may not matter to you. There is a lot to enjoy in this story. It is very dreamlike, and it could be argued that all that lack of world-building or narrative specificity is intentional, to really heighten the atmosphere and imperceptibility of this world. As I mentioned the three main characters are all interesting and feel distinct, seeing their different reactions to the ongoing situation was an interesting experience. While I wanted more from the characters in terms of lived history I still felt they were engaging and complicated, more than any simple stereotype of a knight, witch, or peasant orphan would offer. They all kept me on my toes, and I didn’t feel comfortable with any of them, which worked well in this story. The writing itself, on prose and dialogue levels, was really strong. It pulled you in and yet kept you guessing, in good ways. It was wonderfully descriptive when it needed to be, with the decadence of feast and worship and with the gore of violence and destruction. The imagery is really striking and effective, in that way. The chapters are short, switching perspectives across the three main characters, which leaves the reader always feeling a little unprepared. As soon as it feels like any semblance of firm ground it gets taken away, and this adds to the dreamlike atmosphere and makes it really compelling to keep turning the page, to try and get a grasp on something. Lastly there are a lot of really interesting ideas here. This story is one about power, power over yourself and power over others, and more importantly what you do with that power, whether you use it to confine or liberate, to subjugate or support. It is about how relationships with others are always mediated by power, but it is a human-made power, not one innate, and so what we sacrifice for power and where and how we yield to power are really fecund topics.

I enjoyed the story, overall. It has a very strong sense of atmosphere, one disorienting and graphic. It has three dynamic and interesting main characters that the story revolves around. And it explores ideas of selfhood and power through a cannabilistic dark fantasy, where magic, miracles, and spirits are neither unexpected nor to be relied upon. As I mention (exhaustively) above there is a lack of narrative grounding that did contribute to the dream/nightmare-like qualities of the story but overall left me feeling disconnected and not particularly invested, and that certainly sapped at my experience and turned what has the ideas and imagery of a really great book into one that was just good. For me, at least. Your experience will differ depending on what draws you into a story, and there are certainly a number of enticing elements to this novel.

I want to thank the author, the publisher Harper Voyager, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Behind the walls of a besieged castle, a population is slowly starving. The inhabitants have been watching their food supplies dwindle for months while their enemies camp right outside the gates, knowing what choices will soon confront them once things get truly dire. But right as they begin to contemplate the unthinkable, they are saved by a miracle, their deities have come, walking amongst them and bringing impossible amounts of food and prosperity with them. Only a handful of people, Phosyne, a madwoman and local witch, Ser Voyne, a loyal knight to the king, and Trelia, a disgraced noblewoman hiding in plain sight within the castle, realize things aren't quite what they seem.

As long as you don’t need solid answers for every plot point and perfectly linear pacing, I think this is a great read! It scratched the horror itch with only a few moments I felt were too gratuitous, and the writing was superb. I love an unreliable narrator so if that’s your scene you’ll enjoy this as much as I did. I do feel like the characters separate voices didn’t read as such, they all sounded relatively similar, which I think is important in a multi-POV book, but it wasn’t enough to detract from my reading experience. By the end I can’t say I’m entirely sure what happened or why, but I know I had a damn good time along the way.

Huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy! All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

This was my first experience reading anything by Starling, it was an eerie, culty, and unique experience. When some goofy saint-like characters make an appearance, all hell breaks loose within the story. I enjoyed getting absolutely lost in the setting when it eventually fell into absolute cannibalistic madness. The characters could have used a little more building because they fell a little flat for me personally.

However, if you enjoy an interesting medieval castle setting combined with some nuns, bees, and cannibalism, this book is for you.

Medieval horror x fantasy like you've never read before! A visceral fever dream filled with heretics, sad sapphics, depravity, cannibalism, madness, and magic.

This book made me uncomfortable in the best ways, and I honestly loved to kind of hate all the characters. Although there was a clear resolution at the end, I still felt a bit wanting with the last 1/3 of the book. Overall really enjoyable!!

The only reason I'm even giving this two stars is because the concept still sounds so incredible, but the execution was awful to me. The writing itself I found to be atrocious. Short, choppy sentences that almost felt like they came out of a pre-teens diary and managed to explain nothing. And possibly the larger issue, I was bored out of my dang mind! This book isn't particularly long, but it feels like absolutely nothing happens. Until the very end. Dull, just weirdly dull for me.

3.5⭐️. I wanted to love this so much, as it was one of my most anticipated reads this year and I was so excited to be approved for the ARC, but it didn’t hit me as hard as I would have liked. I loved the gothic medieval atmosphere, the “gods we’ve been worshipping are actually evil” plot line, queer women main characters, etc. However, the pacing isn’t consistent, the plot sort of goes in circles, and I am left wanting more backstory for all three main characters (we barely learn about Phosyne other than the fact she used to be a nun?). All in all, a fun, mind-melting read that could have been better with a few tweaks.

Medieval ✔️ Horror ✔️ Queer ✔️ Cannibalism ✔️

This was such a great read! Something about medieval religious horror is such a crazy ride that makes a great read. This book was told from 3 different characters perspectives, Phosyne, Treila and Ser Voyne. I greatly enjoyed hearing from each character and seeing how they grow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this read! Book due out May 20, 2025!

This is my first read from Caitlin Starling, so I can't speak for her other works but this book is truly unhinged. For those who are sensitive to violence and cannibalism I would not recommend this to you. For those who are looking for a horror-filled dark fantasy setting with queer characters and can stomach the gore, your next read has arrived. I went into this book only knowing the short description and the visually stunning cover, and there is absolutely no way I could have predicted any part of this book.

We follow three different women trapped inside a castle that is under siege, no way out, food is becoming scarce, and sudden paranormal miracles are a plenty. Our three POVs could not be more different and, as we come to find out, have a lot of history amongst them. SerVoyne (a fighter), Phosyne (a nun with secrets), and Trelia (serving girl) all have fully formed backstories and motivations. There is no shortage of body horror and gore in detailed description - nothing is left to the imagination. Starling has the ability to paint pictures so vividly there is no where for you to hide, you are forced to face the traumatic events along with the women. There are plenty of religious themes, dark magic, and chaos as "saints" appear to save the women. One disturbing event leads to another, escalating towards an ending that I absolutely could not predict. This is a story that will stick with you, I finished it yesterday and cannot stop thinking about it.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.