This medieval horror follows three woman as a castle descends into madness after the arrival of divine figures. These saints bring food to this starving castle but at what cost? The castle "madwoman", a war hero, and a serving girl must work together to save all those who cannot see the impending danger the saints bring. An atmospheric fever dream that left me wanting more. The book wrapped up a bit quickly but overall, a good time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eArc copy of The Starving Saints.

This book plunges readers into an immersive horrifying medieval fever dream. Set in Aymar that has been under siege for months. Food is nearly gone until the Constant Lady and her saints reverse starvation with unnerving feasts. The book follows three women Phosyne, a former nun turned sorceress. Ser Voyne, a knight trying to preserve order and my personal favorite Treila, a serving girl after vengeance and survival. I really enjoyed this book it was very creepy and I look forward to reading other books Caitlin Starling has written.

This one didn't work for me the way I was hoping. I love queer, cannibalistic horror, but I was bored by this one. I struggled to get into it and found something about the first few chapters very confusing. The writing style was hectic and I couldn't connect with it.

a cannabalistic fever dream -

i- i really don’t have the words to fully describe what happened here and what i experienced while reading this. am i appalled? surprised? something else entirely?

this took a bit for me to be fully invested due to the lack of world building. for what it’s worth, everything takes place within castle walls that is currently under siege and all the reader knows is everyone is starving and will be close to death if relief doesn’t come their way soon.

written in three POVs from 3 women of differing backgrounds, you begin to puzzle together the depth of trouble they are all in and what must be done in order to survive. the MCs themselves are quite fun to read but i wish there was something more as far as background goes to really bring this book to its full potential. either way, this was a wild read and one i’d probably recommend to others who are looking for sapphic, medieval horror.

ty to harper voyager for the early copy ¨̮

Queer relationships, check.
Cannibalism, check.
Morally ambiguous gods of unknown origin with unknown motives, check.
Equally morally ambiguous protagonists with nothing left to lose, check.

This was one of my favorite reads of 2025 so far! Game of Thrones vibes (I definitely didn't imagine Ser Voyne as Brienne of Tarth at all nope) mixed with echoes of the Starving Time of Jamestown made it very fun to read and I plan to get a physical copy to add to my collection!

Historical-Fiction Horror Promises Bacchanalian Chaos; but Delivered so Slowly We Might be Moving Backwards
Come for the party, leave for the cannibalism. Or don’t, you do you.

2.5⭐️’s
I’m torn between 2 and 3 ⭐️’s. There were some interesting work-building concepts and potentially intriguing protagonists. On paper, this seems like a book I would love, or at least find pretty compelling. In reality, I found myself skimming most of the time and failing to connect or care about really any of the characters.

I’ve enjoyed previous books by this author, and don’t mind the slow burn approach. But, this felt like stuck-in-extra-slow-motion—mud-sinkhole without an even a dim light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.
I may try this book again once it’s published and I feel I can take more time with it, but it may simply not be my cup of tea. Plenty of other horror fans will love this unique style and meticulously crafted literary plot/world, so please, don’t let my experience deter you if it’s your vibe.
I would still check out future books by this author though, and I’m sure plenty of people will still enjoy this one. Particularly horror fans who enjoy historical-fiction, cult or related activities, body horror, LBTQ leads (that was well-done; they’re just depicted as normal people who happen to be gay—shocker, I know 😅), multiple POV’s, and slow burn stories.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader’s copy (ARC) in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book theoretically checked so many boxes for me (religious imagery, medieval castle, gay, cannibalism), but the pacing felt off and I just wanted...more? Getting into the story was quite difficult, as we are introduced to a new narrator for each of the first 3 chapters. Once the story really got going, I was definitely intrigued to see what the plot was building towards, but I encountered plot holes left and right. This felt like a situation where the author had so many incredible ideas for this novel, but instead of honing in on a few, every idea was thrown in with not quite enough resolution to make it all necessary/beneficial to the story. With that being said, the way this variety of cannibalism was written really captivated me in a disgustingly enjoyable way (sorry i'm a little freak), and for that I gave it an extra 1/2 star.

Thank you to NetGalley + Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc.

I was hoping for more cult-vibes with this. While I enjoyed the atmosphere, the cover would lead you to think this was much scarier than it is.

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. Starling is one of those authors whose books I am either obsessed with or I reaaaaally don't care for them. The Starving Saints I am OBSESSED with. Starting off strong in a fantastical medieval world with witches, honey, cannibalism, eroticism, sapphic characters. Truly made for me and so utterly engrossing.

lady knights? check
sapphic romance? check
bees? check
cannibalism? check
walls that eat fingers? check
medieval? check
While I can't confidently say I know what was always happening, I was HERE for the vibes. This was such a fever dream but in the best possible way. I did have to deduct stars because as I said I'm not sure what was happening for a fair bit of this, but it was fun!
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Book Review: Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Genre: Horror / Gothic / Supernatural / Weird Religion Vibes
Release Date: May 21, 2024

If you like your horror books visceral and your protagonists aching for a bit too much, then Starving Saints needs to go straight to the top of your TBR. This is a deeply gothic, bloody exploration of faith, devotion, and desire. If you’re into weird religion horror, twisted love stories, and the kind of writing that leaves you both repulsed and fascinated, Starving Saints is going to be your next obsession. Caitlin Starling really leaned into the whole “what if miracles were horrifying fever dreams” thing and somehow made it feel lusty, terrifying, and tragic all at once. Like what?

Starling does body horror in a way that is both repulsive and magnetic...like you shouldn’t want to look, but you’re obsessed.

Themes:
Dark religious horror
Body horror / visceral sacrifice
Unresolved tension
Cultish convent setting
Miracles that might be more monstrous than holy
Gothic lesbian longing

Would I recommend this book?
Absolutely—but only to the right reader. If you don’t mind when a book goes full fever dream, this is exactly the kind of book you should pick up. It’s smart, disturbing, sensual, and laced with a kind of slow rot that lingers long after you close the final page.

Thank you William Morrow, Avon, harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review

First and foremost I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC, I was drawn to this book by the premise but unfortunately this was a miss for me. The beginning of the book had me hooked and had so much promise. The writing style was enchanting, the setting was intriguing enough, and I was mildly interested in the characters. Then everything went.. downhill from there. Somehow, after the Saints came the book became extremely unsure of itself and I lost all interest.

There were several times I would zone out of the book because it felt like I had read the same passage before. It got to a point where the events of the book became so repetitive. Sure things were happening but you weren’t even compelled to care. I don’t know if it was the multiple pov and the way the characters came in and out of the narrative or if it was simply the authors writing style, but I simultaneously felt bombarded and starved of information at the same time. Voyne’s bewitchment was a big example of this. I as a reader felt like these details would just be thrown out of nowhere and sure, maybe they would be tied together later on in the end, but the build up makes for a confusing read.

I feel like the benefit of 3rd person omniscient is that the reader can experience the character’s emotions all while maintaining a sense of detachment that allows them foresee certain events. Nothing made sense! From the arrival of the saints to the possessions. I’m not necessarily mad that I couldn’t “predict” future events but more so annoyed that it felt like certain details were strung together but not well enough that the story is able to stand up on its own.

I was so happy to finish this book but not necessarily because I loved it but because I was just so happy to be done. Overall, I am thankful for this ARC but unfortunately this one missed the mark.

Book Review
The Starving Saints
Caitlin Starling
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


Be prepared to immerse yourself in a medieval mystery drenched in gothic horror and cannibalism. Three very different women are our guides as the crumbling fortress of Aymar Castle comes under a six-month siege by their forbearing foes. As starvation sets in, the women must navigate despair, danger, and dread.

Ser Voyne is a seasoned soldier and heroine of past wars. Her loyalty is beyond reproach as she positions herself to defend the king and his people. Phosyne, holed up in her tower, is desperately trying to achieve another miracle—make food from nothing. Somehow, this sorceress has scientifically discovered a process to make the rancid water potable. How hard could it be to discover another miracle? The king is growing impatient with the lack of progress. Phosyne, once a nun under Sister Jacynde, was excommunicated for her independence of thought and action. Under relentless pressure, she may be descending into madness.

Finally, there is Treila, certainly more than her status as a servant girl suggests. Motivated by vengeance after witnessing her father’s beheading, she maintains a laser-sharp focus while others spiral into delusion. The interactions among these three women shape the response to a monstrous event.

Seemingly out of thin air, The Constant Lady and her angelic core of three saints appear, offering boundless food, healing, and divine guidance. Some even believe Phosyne conjured them into existence. But there will be a grotesque price to pay. The people of Aymar, in a bacchanalian feast, gorge themselves—unaware of the terrible cost and the true origin of the food.

Starling masterfully weaves this tapestry of horror with escalating tension and dread. She constructs a menacing poetry as the hypnotic forces of temptation clash with the actions of our three protagonists. Her prose drips with mystery and desperation, evolving into a chilling denouement.

During the final half of this tale—steeped in corruption and haunted by hope for redemption—I found myself glued to the audiobook, narrated by professional actress and writer Barrie Kreinik. It was astonishing how she effortlessly shifted between accents and dialects, fully bringing this novel to life in the theater of my mind.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Voyager, and Harper Audio for providing an Uncorrected Proof and Advance Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Want to read a book that is quite not like anything else you have ever read? Want to follow three different sapphics with very specific roles in the same story? Want some lovecraftian horror in a medieval setting? This is the book for you!

love the story, ate this up. but really chewed through it bc holy word ball. historical fiction kills me w the fancy verbiage but we got there!

My rating- 2.5/5

This was a bit of a tricky read for me, and even though I finished it a few weeks ago, I'm still having a tough time grasping my thoughts on the story. There were elements that really shined here, and there were others still that I felt were less than successful.

So, let's get into it-

Characters- This story bounces between three main characters: Phosyne, the mad scientist type, Ser Voyne, a loyal knight, and Treila, the unassuming peasant girl with a secret grudge. On their own, I think each of these characters worked fine enough, and I liked them each in their own regards. I did, however, feel that in how quickly the story would bounce between the three, I ended up losing some of my connection to them. It was often difficult for me to remember who had done or said what, especially as the story took full force and our characters struggled to remember their own alliances. I also struggled to understand their motivations at times, which is partially because of the nature of the story itself (which I'll dive into in a bit), but it made my experience with reading this story a lot more frustrating than it needed to be. 2.5

Premise- Going into this book, I was really excited about the premise: a castle under attack is running out of food, and is turning to miracles to help them survive. This sounded like it had the potential to be a unique and devastating story. However, the book abruptly stops following this thread about halfway through and instead switches gears to focusing on a small group of strangers who appear in the castle claiming to be the Constant Lady (this world's goddess) and her saints. Okay, I can get behind that too. After the switch though, the story take a heavy turn into a 'descent into madness' type story, something that doesn't bode well for all readers but that I tend to like. Unfortunately, this switch left something to be desired for me. I felt that things got a little too crazy, a little too fast, and because of the rapid shifts in perspective between our three characters, I felt I had little time to breath and adjust as a reader. It left me feelings a bit motion sick and confused about where exactly the story was meant to be going (and how I as a reader was meant to feel about it). 3.5

Pacing- This is the second book I've read by this author, and when it comes to pacing, I have similar concerns with The Starving Saints as I did with The Luminous Dead. Both of these stories are full-throttle from beginning to end, and with no room to breath, I fear that the reader loses a lot of the emotional impact along the way. While yes, this story is naturally one that is filled with urgency, I still feel that there were missed opportunities for the author to slow the story down and let the reader catch up. When a story is constantly action, action, ACTION, it's difficult to properly build the connections between characters. Add this to the fact that, throughout the book, several characters are drawn to act in ways that are against their own morals, and the fact that the author is trying to build a sense of romantic suspense, and the reader ends up hopelessly lost. I want to like Caitlin Starling, I really, truly do, but I feel that she needs to let her characters breath, or else I (and many other readers, I'm sure) will never be able to relate with them in the way that her stories require. 1/5

Romance- Once again, I'm seeing a bit of a pattern here in Caitlin Starling writing. One of my biggest complaints after finishing The Luminous Dead (aside from the pacing) was that that the supposed "romance" was incredibly underbaked. And walking away from The Starving Saints I'm even most confused, because at least in TLD I knew which characters were supposedly falling for each other. The Starving Saints delivers a confusing love triangle between it's three leading ladies, but due to the nature of the story, all of the romance is put on the backburner and ends up feeling like an afterthought of an afterthought. I would have prefered if all of the romance had just been left out, because as is, it just adds another layer of confusion to this already messy story. Like I mentioned earlier, this books breakneck pacing makes it incredibly difficult to get a good grasp of the characters, so then to try and convince your reader that there is budding romantic feelings at play, well, let me just say it didn't work for me in the slightest. I genuinely wish this whole romantic triangle was left on the editorial chopping block. 0/5

Worldbuilding- Okay, I feel that I've been pretty harsh on this book, so now I want to switch gears and talk about something I liked here. Caitlin Starling is a natural with worldbuilding. I really enjoyed the stage she set for this story, and most everything about it felt effortless and genuine. I truly felt that this world was lived in, and Aymar Castle as a setting felt so lively. This is what Caitlin Starling excels at, and this is why, despite having mediocre experiences with the two books of hers I have read, I know I will continue to come back to her. She has a definite talent in bringing the background of her stories to life. I just wish she would take some time in building her players and pacing the story so that her readers can fully enjoy the world that she's made for them. 4.5/5

All in all, this book missed the mark for me. I do genuinely hope that others enjoy this story, and that Starling continues to hone her craft, because I feel that she is bound to create something great. The Starving Saints just wasn't it for me.

I am so confused, but this was intriguing. Yes another book that will take me several rereads to even begin to understand!

rep: lesbians

spice: none

tw: cannibalism, amputations on a massive scale, murder, suicide, body horror, gore

This was EXACTLY what I needed. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump for way too long and this book took me right out of it! I was a little nervous about requesting this as I didn’t love Starling’s last novel but I just couldn’t resist the premise and the Netgalley gods (thankfully) delivered! This is a medieval(?) fever dream that pulled be right in and I just couldn’t put it down, the characters are interesting and the setting is unique but it’s the plot that always kept me on my toes. Is there cannibalism? Yes but how do I explain that it works for the plot without giving away spoiler? Is this book for everyone? No but I do encourage readers to take a chance because the writing is so good! Definitely recommend!

This really just doesn't do the reader any favors. It's slow, attempts at subtlety just come off vague, and the story is a little too complicated to have spread out over several perspectives. I have hope for Starling's other titles, but this one is a chore to read.

🩸 Bookish Thoughts
This book was described as a sapphic horror fever dream and it DELIVERED. Was it gory, chaotic, and gruesome? Yes. Did I read it in one sitting? Also yes. Was my stomach unsettled and slightly nauseous the entire time? Absolutely, and I still gave it 5 stars.

I don’t think I’ve ever read something quite this intense. “Captivating” doesn’t even begin to cover it. The dread just keeps building and building until you’re in too deep to look away. Even with all the violence and horror, the writing was beautiful. The gothic medieval tone, the imagery, the atmosphere... it pulled me in completely.

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. Or sensitive stomachs. Or anyone who isn’t prepared for a lot of cannibalism. Like, seriously, maybe don’t read this one during lunch. But if you’re ready for it, it’s one of the most unique horror reads I’ve picked up in a long time and I could not put it down.

🕯️ What to Expect
• Gothic atmosphere
• Medieval horror vibes
• Intense dread
• Religious madness
• Sapphic rep
• Body horror
• Cannibalism (graphic!)

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.