Aymar castle has been under siege for the last six months. Help should have been on its way by now, instead the inhabitants within the castle’s walls are suffering the consequences of siege, i.e., starvation and plague. The castle only has fifteen days’ worth of food left to spread between roughly 900 people. The people need a miracle, they need salvation, but are they willing to pay the price?
The horror genre is always best when it is unpredictable. This one is worth the read.

#ThxNetGalley #CaitlinStarling #TheStarvingSaints

- A crazed mad-scientist nun who purified the water
"She has sacrificed her body on the alter of knowledge"

- The loyal knight who only knows servitude
"Even gentleness is pain for you"

- The lost child, made feral by those who swore to protect her
"...it is eat or be eaten. But I promise I'll make it good"

A castle is besieged, the inhabitants are on the brink of starvation when suddenly... their Sainted Lady arrives with empty palms and promises a feast. What follows in the sweltering summer is raving bacchanal and the castle is lost to madness and sweet honey. But where is the food coming from?

This book has absolutely cemented Caitlin Starling as my favorite horror author. From her visceral word play, to the sense of space and timing it's all incredible. Once I was able to muck through the middle ages names and language and get past how many times hands were put in hair, I was off and running. It's absolutely great. Starling has a signature that I'm obsessed with. It's wlw all the way down with minimal men.

"Service is never easy, not when done right"


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

(since this is from an ARC, all my quotes are from the uncorrected proof. Once the book comes out, I will make sure they are all correct!)

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a deeply fascinating and, at times, delightfully confusing read. If you’re looking for beautiful gore, sapphic frustrations and yearning, and medieval horror then please read this book! Caitlin Starling has created something so unique and strange that I couldn’t look away even when things took disgusting and brutal turns. My only critique was that certain characters could have been expanded upon more, most particularly Treila who I felt only pushed the plot along strongly near the end of the book. Nevertheless, a fantastic read that I would recommend highly.

A fever dream of a book! Was a cool ride, for sure go into it blind with an open mind. I love books that are strange, where you don’t know where it’s going to end up. I like to enjoy the ride. This was perfect for that kind of mindset.

Started strong and got trippy. I don’t think this story was really for me. I might give it another chance in a different format. Maybe it’s better in audio. I would say give it a chance and see what you think!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!!

sapphics, gore and religious iconography set in a dirty medieval castle????? i think this book was made for me.

overall i adored this book. i wish i could give it five stars, i just feel like the prose was a bit confusing at times? there were certain moments where i had to go back a reread the last few pages because i wasn’t sure what was actually happening. BUT maybe that’s a me issue idk. i still highly recommend this book.

Great book! It had all the fears of growing up. Make a choice. Turn the page or close the book. Enter the darkness if you wish!

What is madness if everyone is mad? What is depravity if everyone is depraved? What is power if no one is in control? This book makes you think about all of this, and more, while making you come into direct contact with some of the worst conditions humans can endure while trapped in a finite space - and whether or not anyone even deserves to be saved.

In all honesty, you need to go into this book with an open mind and an empty stomach, and just allow yourself to be engrossed in it. I went into this book entirely blind and I personally think that was the best decision I could have made. The second you think you understand where this book is going you will be hit with another round of madness just around the corner making you realize you don’t understand anything at all. Enter of your own free will and enjoy the ride, because you’ll be taken on one whether you want to be or not.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this e-ARC.

4 stars--I really liked it. (5 stars for the cover--wow!)

This book starts out strong: a medieval horror/dark fantasy, with great characters, an interesting religious system, and some truly spooky monsters. I love the sense of claustrophobia and ever-tightening fear that gives way to utter madness and bloody hedonism. The "monsters" (fae? spirits of the air? elementals?) above and below ground are gorgeous and sinister, and overall this is a truly unique foundation.

The plot gets a bet shaky toward the middle/end, with characters seeming to (literally) flee from scene to scene with no motivation. Character choices are sometimes puzzling, and I'm not sure I understood all the knife symbolism.

Still, a fabulous novel that I'm glad I read.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

The atmosphere of this book was so unique, and I felt completely immersed in it! The stunning cover and interesting premise are what drew me to this.

The overall story/vibe sounds like something I would absolutely devour and love, but there was just something missing for me and the pacing was a little off. There was not much actual interaction or conversation between our three main characters, making their connections and relationships feel out of place.

3.25 stars

Thank you Harper Voyager via Netgalley for this ARC.

Gideon the Ninth meets Arthurian legend in this dizzying, debaucherous sapphic romp with a deliciously gruesome edge. The breakneck pace was totally addicting, as were the messy entanglements between the three flawed main characters. I love stories about female hunger—for food, yes, but also for power, vengeance, respect, camaraderie, and sex—and this book absolutely delivers. So fun and totally original!

Medieval? Horror? LGBTQ? Litfic? Cannibalism? Say less. This won’t be for everyone but it was definitely for me. Thanks for the ARC netgalley!

2 stars
Every fiber of my being wanted to like this book, but the concept isn’t executed well. The pacing just feels terrible and found myself not intrigued by the writing. It lacked a lot details for its surroundings. Often feeling like the characters were trapped in a big black box with a few objects.

On that note, characters didn’t feel fleshed out enough either. Making the ending fall short of any emotional value the book is supposed to have. At least the book stays true to the mentions of LGBTQ+.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC of The Starving Saints.

The Starving Saints is a delicious medieval fever dream that toys with grotesque expressions of power and erotic control. This is not a book with any sex scenes but it is very horny.

Listen, this is a book by sickos for sickos. There's frenzied starvation, there's jubilant cannibalism, there's hypnotically alluring nightmare entities from beyond the mortal plane. It's gay, it's desperate, the characters are toxic. Of course I loved it.

For those worried about the body horror, do not fear because this is more on the level of the Hannibal TV show than it is Hostel. It's gross, yep, pretty damn narsty, but it's... artfully presented? There's no sexual violence or torture. Everyone is having a bad time but in a sensually compelling way. Honestly, if you're a Hannibal enjoyer then you're the target audience.

We are thrown into this setting with zero context. No maps, no long prologue, no glossary. Why would a history lesson matter when the characters most basic need is no where in sight? Who cares *why* they are under siege when they only have a month of food left? The clock ticks down while they desperately work to create a miracle.

There are inferences of deeper history and world building, but the setting remains claustrophobically confined to the keep. We become just as trapped as the characters.

No spoilers but the cavern scenes had me hooting and hollering. Easily my favorite part. This is a weird pull, but the vibe reminded of the Markarth haunted house side quest in Skyrim. IYKYK.

I was enthralled for the first 65-70% but I will say it went on for too long in the back half. Characters retraced their footsteps too often and some of the character development moments aren't fluid. The interactions between the knight and the witch during this part of the book were too repetitive for me.

Towards the end there are attempts to explain some of the weirdness, or at least add more structure to it. This wasn't necessary. It actually took away some of its compelling claustrophobic fog of war. Still, I felt the conclusion was satisfying despite stumbling a bit to the finish line.

The Starving Saints is a story that thrives when it is deep in the weeds of sensation and emotion rather than logic. It is a moment to moment bodily experience rather than a puzzle to be picked apart.

Medieval horror with a side of cannibalism and some seriously unhinged vibes? Yes, please, my bread and butter. The Starving Saints delivers on that promise, but while it hooked me at first, it didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months, and everyone’s starving. You can feel the desperation dripping off the page, when you know things are about as dire as debating mass layoffs of life (heh). Enter the Constant Lady and her Saints—mysterious, godlike figures who show up out of nowhere with feasts and miracles but no wagons or trunks or horses in sight. Appeared during a siege as if out of thin air. It’s creepy and intriguing, and I was all in for this dark fairy tale vibe.

There are three women at the heart of the story: Ser Voyne, the war hero (serious Brienne of Tarth vibes with her, I was constantly seeing Gwendolyn Christie in my head); Phosyne, the paranoid ex-nun-turned-sorceress (admittedly, I was only seeing Madam Mim, which made for some laughs); and Treila, the vengeful serving girl who used to be a noble girl before her father supposedly committed treason.

As the book went on, it started feeling like a fever dream that didn’t know where it was going. The magic and madness got so trippy that I was lost half the time, and not always in a good way.

By the end, I was left with mixed feelings. It’s bold and weird, and I respect that Starling went for it. But the pacing dragged in spots, and the payoff didn’t hit as hard as I’d hoped. It’s like I was starving for a big, satisfying bite, and instead I got a handful of crumbs. If you’re into dark, messy horror with a sapphic twist and don’t mind some (or maybe a lot of?) confusion, this might be your jam. For me, it was a creepy, uneven adventure that I liked but didn’t love.

This book is my new personality, it defines me, it is me. I can't even explain it. It's just so insane and intense and perfect and just WOW.

Food is growing thin, your castle is under siege, help isn’t coming, and time is running out. In times of great distress, how would you handle it? What would you sacrifice to save the people of your village?

Cult-esque with a taste of delirium mixed with a little delicious flesh. Fun for the entire family.

The story started slowly and ended slowly. The middle portion was enjoyable, but I felt like something was missing. I tend to love books where a single decision could lead an entire community to a life of sin or death. While the concept was intriguing, I’m not sure the execution met my expectations. Even though Medieval horror is something new to me, I was expecting something a little more different.

The main characters were compellingly toxic, which was a highlight of the narrative. Their intentions and motivations were often shrouded in mystery, creating an exciting challenge to decipher. This aspect added a dynamic layer to the story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

'The Starving Saints' was a good time with devious players. It's one I think all horror lovers will enjoy. It was a little slow for my tastes, but I'm glad that I decided to read this.

I was so excited to have the opportunity to read “The Starving Saints” as an ARC, as I’ve previously enjoyed Caitlin Starling’s work. I loved everything about this novel. The setting, the premise and the characters were intriguing and well-done. The complex relationships that existed between the characters and how they drove the narrative and decisions made were my favorite aspect of this work. Highly recommend!

"A few nights horrors for salvation."

If there's one thing love, it's books that make me feel like I'm riding the coat tails of a fever dream. This book is so well written and you're able to both descend into madness and claw your way tooth and nail out of it with the three FMCS. It's a slow start but once it picks up you truly can't put it down as things keep escalating.

I do wish that some parts of the plot were further explained, but there's so much going on that not everything gets space to take the stage. The mad woman's story line also gets a little muddy but she pulls through.

I was going to wait until closer to the launch date to do my review (I'll still post to my IG in the spring) but this was too good to not review now. This isn't my genre at all but I found that it transcended any biases I had. This was BRILLIANT! The writing was unlike anything else I had read and while it was a horror novel it didn't go over that unsaid line into just gore for no purpose. I ate this up (sorry) and highly highly HIGHLY recommend this.