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.

I loved it!!! The Starving Saints felt like true medieval fantasy - not Game of Thrones and its swords and sorcery kin - though there is plenty of both swords and sorcery - but like the bizarre paintings of fantastic creatures in the margins of an old alchemical tome. The three main characters are fascinating and flawed, doing their best to navigate the cannibalistic bacchanalia. Even after finishing the book I don't quite understand how the magic works or how certain plot events began, but it in no way detracted from my enjoyment. The characters themselves likely don't have all the answers and are guessing and acting on intuition while navigating the magical hellscape the castle devolves into, so it suited the magic system to not completely understand what was happening. I can't wait to buy this book on release. I fully plan to return to this book again and again, no doubt noticing things for the first time and getting something new out of it from each reread. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a bloody, fantastically strange book unlike anything else.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book and thought it was a very unique addition to the horror genre. I will definitely be purchasing and recommending it to patrons at my library.

i genuinely went into this book with such high hopes — truly, i wanted to love it. the premise had so much potential, (i mean medieval horror, cannibalism, unhinged vibes? sign me up!!!) and the cover? absolutely stunning. but sadly, the reading experience fell completely flat for me.

from the very beginning, i found the narrative to be convoluted and confusing. i kept hoping things would start to make sense if i just pushed through a few more chapters, but that clarity never came. by the halfway mark, i was already tempted to DNF, but a part of me kept thinking, maybe the ending will tie everything together. unfortunately, even at 100%, i was still lost and honestly, i regretted not putting it down sooner.

the plot had potential, but the execution just didn’t land. it dragged on far too much, and i often found myself zoning out. the writing style didn’t resonate with me at all; instead of pulling me into the story, it left me more confused and frustrated. as for the characters, i couldn’t connect with them on any level and i didn’t find myself caring about their outcomes.

this was a disappointing read for me overall, especially because i wanted to enjoy it so badly. a beautiful cover, yes, but unfortunately, that’s where the praise ends for me. 😭

thanks to Netgalley, AvonBooks and HarperVoyagerUS for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Starving Saints is a weird, visceral novel. The main characters navigate a complicated web of dependency, regret, and control while dealing with the horror of Religious Icons come to life in the worst way possible. There were some expected horrors, but the way Caitlin Starling wove the narrative together was brilliantly weird and unsettling. This may be my favorite of her novels so far, which is saying something.

This was a tricky one for me to rate, because to me the flaws of the book and the things I liked about it are just about equal. On the one hand, we have things I love - fantastical horror, sapphic obsession, power struggle, interesting themes of power and hunger. On the other, the writing - while lyrically beautiful a lot of the time - manages to totally obscure what the book is trying to do. I love weird books and books that make no sense, but this is beyond nonsensical into a messy soup. Usually people use "fever dream" in a complimentary way (I think), but this is every bad sense of the word. I felt like I woke up from this book, unmoored, regretting the sleep I fell into that brought it about. Still, I long for the threads of promise this book contained. I wanted to love it, but I'm afraid I couldn't.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC. This is my honest review.

This was a highly anticipated read for me and as much as I enjoyed the book I wasn’t in love with it. I enjoyed the gore and the horror of what occurs within a starved castles walls. But the way it was formatted just wasn’t for me and I think that could be why I didn’t love it.
This was a great story of how far one would go for fealty, hunger, and protection.


*I received a free ARC from NetGalley*

What a fun fever dream. This book hooked me in from the start. How Caitlin is able to world build so quickly and effortlessly is amazing. The story started quickly and didn’t let up until the end. Once the main characters came together, the story really took off. I can’t wait to read more of her works.

2025 seems to be the year of witchy, wicked religious women—Agustina Bazterrica's The Unworthy comes to mind—Starling's "The Starving Saints" stands out as a propulsive and necessary text that engages with modernity while still feeling uniquely singular.

I really wanted to enjoy The Starving Saints, but unfortunately, the writing style just didn’t work for me. I found it difficult to get into the story, and the way the characters were introduced and developed made it hard to connect with or follow them. It felt disjointed at times, and I often found myself confused about what was happening or who was speaking. Overall, it wasn’t an engaging read for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced Reader Copy!

This one was tough to get through. I requested this book on Netgalley because of three reasons.
1. The cover is breathtaking. I mean...what even is that? (in a good way)

2. I really enjoyed Caitlin Starling's other work The Death of Jane Lawrence, despite it having a really low rating on goodreads. I liked the atmosphere she created, and then recreated here.

3. Anything to do with nuns, I am intrigued by.

And this book was just ok. It's a fever dream, essentially. You are not supposed to know what's going on, things are left ambiguous on purpose, and then when things are explained, I was left unsatisfied.

I am not the kind of person who reads 'weird' books and then ends up enjoying the ride like others do. I knew that from about page 30 that this book was not going to be for me, but I pushed through hoping to be surprised. And...I was not.

This book is marketed as a Sapphic story about a siege with cannibals and I guess that's what was ultimately delivered. But there wasn't anything more really. This book is exactly what it says it is, and I was left feeling like I wasted my time a bit.

2 stars for the concept though, and I think Caitlin really makes you understand the desperation of a siege and how hunger can make you wacko.

The Starving Saints takes place in a medieval world ravaged by war in which a castle’s inhabitants are slowly starving to death. At their most desperate, a group of saints mysteriously appear within the castle walls offering ample stores of food, but what will they take in exchange?

We follow three main characters in this tale - Phosyne, Treila, and Ser Voyne - and switch between their POVs. This was an interesting tale! I went from being not interested at all to fully engrossed in the story. I liked all three of the main characters and found their arcs compelling to follow. I do think this novel went on a bit long but overall I had a good time. The imagery was fantastic and visceral.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for access to this work. All opinions are my own.

This is one that you start out trying to figure out just what is going on and how you feel about the characters and the setting and then you realize that there's just so /much/ going on that you can't put it down because it's so enthralling and all of the events have been so lyrically and enticingly woven. Almost like the spell of alluring salvation that the saints have put on the people besieged in Aymar. You end up so deep into everything that's going on that you can't quite stop until you've lessened some of the tension and found out just what is going on and who holds the power, except that revelation doesn't come until the climax, at which point there's no putting it down.

This is a glorious, toxic, festering jamjar of the thrall of knowledge, the power we let others hold over us, and how we can be shaken if we don't know who we are and what our core truths are. There are just so many things going on here - betrayal and loyalty, survival and salvation, sacrifice and consumption, freedom and enthrallment - not to mention just the absolutely perfect vibes of medieval blasphemy, cannibalism both under illusion and open-eyed, forbidden knowledge and mysterious magic, co-dependent relationships, and body horror. I /devoured/ this, which feels very fitting for the theme of the different types of hunger and how they affect all of the characters.

This was my first work by Starling, but it won't be my last for sure!