“A miracle so profound may be indistinguishable from horror.”

The Starving Saints is a sapphic, medieval-inspired fantasy horror novel with cannibalism, a cult-like religion, and witchy magic. There is definitely an audience out there who will really enjoy this book, but sadly I was not a fan.

The plot felt like a hazy, fever dream. As a reader I was never able to get my footing in the story, and I was constantly confused about what was going on. The exposition of the novel took about 100 pages and it got repetitive and boring. I also didn’t love any of the three main characters, and by the end of the novel I was still unsure about their motivations and feelings towards each other.

Since I didn’t love the characters, the romance subplot fell flat for me. I did not feel the chemistry between Phosyne, Trelia, or Ser Voyne at all. Additionally, there were some moments of sexual tension that could have been fun, but they came out of nowhere and didn’t really match the tone of the scenes they were in, which left me feeling disoriented and uncomfortable.

I requested this ARC thinking this book would be right up my alley, but unfortunately the execution of the fascinating concept fell flat. However, Caitlin Starling is clearly an innovative and creative author who writes hauntingly beautiful prose, so I will be trying out some of her other stories – this one in particular just didn’t quite work for me!

Thank you to Harper Voyager, Netgalley, and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads 5/1/25.

Review to be posted to Instagram closer to release date.

This one was… Not my favorite.

I’m a sucker for anything involving cannibalism, saints, or bees as a harbinger of doom. So I really genuinely expected to love this book. But unfortunately it fell flat for me.

The plot was confusing and barely there. There was a siege, and everyone was starving, and then there was magic, and saints, but the saints were monsters, but the main characters were monsters too, and they all hated each other, but they also were all sexually attracted to each other, but they were starving to death and were fainting from hunger, but they still had energy to have sex, and then they ate the bad guys? That’s about the entire plot in my experience. We alternated from watching the characters trying to kill each other to deciding that killing each other was kinky WAY more often than made sense. One of the main characters died and then just straight up came back to life, no explanation of how or why? And then immediately started kissing the other main character who had killed her in the first place??

The magic system made absolutely no sense. There’s these evil people from another realm who can take any form so they take the form of the saints, and they feed on lust? So they kill a bunch of people and then bewitch other people and made them eat their dead friends. And somehow that means they’re air? So they can only be killed by fire, or by iron, or by drowning, or by ripping their throat out with your teeth after you seduce them and eating them, but no really they’re immortal unless you do any of those things. Oh and also they’re the gods of the bees. But the bees don’t serve them anymore, the bees only served them until the bees decided to serve the bee priestess instead. And there’s also this whole other monster that is the soul of stone, but also has a tongue and teeth, and will bite off parts of your body in exchange for passage out of the castle and also through time. And also the main character is a monster, and then the other main character has a heart made of diamond, and there’s no explanation for why or how or what any of it means.

The first half of this book is all the characters talking about how hungry and starved they are since they haven’t eaten in months and the people are resorting to cannibalism because they’re so hungry, and then the second half of the book they all forget how hungry they are because they’re so horny. I still don’t understand if they somehow magically overcame starvation or what happened, because they went from literally dying of starvation, like, blacking out from hunger, “the end is near I won’t make it through the night” level of dying from starvation, to making out like that’ll fill their stomachs and not mentioning food at all. It was so much build up around food and hunger and starvation that just fizzled out and disappeared with no explanation.

If this review makes no sense it’s because this whole damn book made no sense. If you’re confused reading my review it’s because I spent the entire time I was reading the book confused, and I kept thinking I would get answers if I finished it, and I did not. I’m sorry.

Bottom line: I’m all for a good lesbian romance, but you can’t just go “she seduced me for the sole purpose of murdering me but she’s blonde so I’m still in love with her, no hard feelings” and call it a day.

3.75 🌟

The creepy, gory imagery of this book was perfect. If you enjoyed the visuals of NBC Hannibal (especially that bee episode), those are the vibes of this book and I loved it. The characters were interesting, the "monsters" (to keep it vague/not spoilery were great), although I didn't really feel the romance at all. Unfortunately I did find the plot dragged a bit, but overall a good read.

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling is raw, gritty, and unpredictable. This is such a unique story. I recommend this read for fans of medieval history, mystery, and horror novels.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC!

This book is the first horror book I've read that actually horrified me. It was beautiful and gruesome and delicious. Starling really blew me away here, with writing that was descriptive and compelling and mouth watering even when I wanted to turn away in disgust. The three POVs were equally compelling, and I loved the way their stories wove around each other as they also navigated their own stories in the castle. While we were left with so many questions at the end, it was like a door left open rather than loose threads. I cant't wait to read more from Caitlin Starling!! Thank you NetGalley and Avon and HarperVoyager for the advance copy!!

A lapdog knight, a heretical nun, and a feral noblewoman walk into a castle. They don’t walk out. They’re trapped, starving, and enchanted by creatures that may or may not be saints who arrive to either save them or prolong their suffering. Oh, and they’re all sapphic.

As a Caitlin Starling fan who’s read most of her work, I think I can say that I’ve found my new favorite Starling novel. This is as beautifully atmospheric, gruesomely horrific, and expertly written as her other books, but something about the vibrancy of the setting and the uniqueness of this story in particular pushes it over the edge for me.

The three heroes (and sometimes villains) of this novel are three of Starling’s richest. These are three very distinct characters with different roles to play in this story, and the variety in their POVs make the pacing and the world building that much more interesting. You see their whole terrible tragedy – and the three leading ladies – from three different perspectives, and all of their opinions have both merits and flaws.

This book is unpredictable, wild, and unafraid to go to some unexpectedly dark places. You do have to take a lot at face value, though. If you’re looking for a very rigid, thoroughly explained magic system, this book might leave you with a few unanswered questions. But if you’re willing to enjoy the ride and accept the scraps of information as truth as they come, you’ll have a good time watching the madness play out. It’s a ride I was very much strapped in for and thoroughly recommend.

If you’re looking for well-written, atmospheric, medieval magical horror with sapphic characters, you’ve found the right book.

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.