The Starving Saints is like a midnight stroll through a besieged castle, where the air is thick with starvation, and every shadow holds a terrible, beautiful secret. Caitlin Starling has crafted a grim, queer masterpiece that is as brutal as it is brilliant.

This book is a haunting journey that explores love, sacrifice, and the grotesque as women in a starving castle confront divine figures and descend into madness. Starling’s writing is both visceral and poetic, pulling you into a fever dream of bacchanalian horror. It's an unforgettable, deeply unsettling, and gorgeous read that will leave you thinking and jeering at the many carnal, gory images this book influences in the mind.

I wanted to like this SO bad. The synopsis sounded amazing, unfortunately, it was not good... I hated how all the characters had such similar names and were difficult to remember who was who etc., Ultimately, ended up DNF.

The Starving Saints is probably one of the most unique books I have read. The connection between the three main characters was really strong and the plot was so different than anything I've ever read. I really like the darkness of the story with the absurdity of their entire situation.

The Starving Saints is a dark, feverish blend of medieval horror and sapphic lit-fic, filled with grotesque beauty, body horror, and unreliable narrators. Told from the shifting perspectives of a disgraced nun with possible magical powers, a hardened knight, and a vengeful servant girl, the story unfolds in a besieged castle where food has run out and miracles have deadly consequences.

When mysterious Saints arrive with a feast, things spiral into a visceral nightmare of cannibalism, devotion, and creeping dread. With vivid, unsettling imagery and complex, morally gray characters, Caitlin Starling crafts a fast-paced, disturbing tale perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth or Lapvona—minus the scatology but with all the madness.

3.5 - 3.75 ⭐️

This was unlike anything I've read in a while, and I appreciate that. I'd say it's pretty dark and desperate basically the whole way through, and the Saints are sufficiently creepy. The 3 main characters are interesting to follow. Each has a very different perspective on what happening and they're kind of thrown into the others' lives at the most inconvenient timesapphire. But...and I only say this because it's advertised in the blurb...it is *barely* sapphic.
All in all, I enjoyed it.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Collins for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a horror book but it has Starling's weirdness. This setting is so odd, and a lot of the horror comes from the situation of these people who are cut off and starving. I kept wondering if we were getting the full picture and they were trying horrible things to try to survive.
The characters were so interesting and this felt like such a full, detailed world. I'll probably read it again later just because it was so interesting and I must have missed details about what was happening.

Castle Aymer has been under siege for six months, & its residents are fast running out of food. The novel follows the POV of three characters - Phosyne the heretic, miracle-working ex-nun; Ser Voyne the loyal knight; & Treila the traitor's daughter-cum-servant - who watch as the castle is visited by a group of what appear to be saints, though it is unclear whether they come bearing salvation, or something darker.
The Starving Saints is beautifully written, an exploration of idolatry & zealotry juxtaposed with visceral body horror. I loved the medieval castle setting, & the characterisation of the three heroines, their differences stark but trivial in the face of their increasingly dangerous position. The underlying sense of dread that rises throughout the novel is flawlessly done; the horrors of siege warfare exacerbated by monsters you can barely see but whose teeth are no less sharp, & saviours hiding rot & decay beneath layers of decadence & frivolity

The writing was too haughty and convoluted to allow for any real emotional connection to the story or the characters, unfortunately.

⭐⭐4⭐⭐

"'Horror,' Treila offers, 'shapes character. And it did happen." She would know; those dark things in the forest found her years ago."

First and foremost, check the trigger warnings before reading this book. Along with cannibalism and some body horror, there are quite a few elements that might give readers pause. However, I think it's definitely worth the read if you're interested in horror and are a casual reader of fantasy or historical fiction. It’s well written and engaging.

The story begins in a castle that has been under siege for six months. The inhabitants inside the walls are starving and, without the help of Phosyne, would have already succumbed to disease from contaminated water. The three main characters are all women: Phosyne, a former nun turned sorceress and alchemist; Ser Voyne, a war hero and knight; and Treila, a serving girl who’s also skilled at catching rats. As the castle continues to suffer and the situation grows more desperate, Saints arrive with what appears to be salvation.

Starling does a great job creating an immersive story as we witness a city descending into madness. However, if you're deeply into fantasy or a stickler for historical accuracy, you might find aspects of the book frustrating. The world-building is fairly minimal, as the reader is dropped directly into the chaos. I’ve seen criticisms about historical inaccuracies regarding siege warfare, which could be off-putting for some. Additionally, some character arcs, such as those of Prioress Jacynde and Ser Leodegardis, feel underdeveloped, leaving a sense of loose ends.

Overall, Starling delivers a unique fusion of fantasy and horror, with some truly intriguing concepts. The faith centered around bees, for example, is a fascinating idea that could be further explored in future works. The novel features strong, complex main characters with authentic actions and queer representation that feels meaningful rather than tokenized. As I mentioned earlier, if you enjoy horror and don’t mind overlooking a few inconsistencies, this is a book worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for a copy provided for an honest review.

This is my fourth read by this author. I absolutely loved The Luminous Dead and really enjoyed The Death of Jane Lawrence but this one just wasn’t for me. It follows three women living in a castle that has been under siege and their food is running out. Phosyne experiments with sorcery in an effort to create supplies, the war hero Voyne chomps at the bit when the king assigns her to babysit Phosyne, and serving girl Treila is torn between revenge and escape.

The story is dark and lyrical with strange happenings and relationships. I enjoyed the writing and hoped that the plight of the characters would eventually pull me into the story, but it just didn’t interest me in the end. Hopefully I will enjoy future books by this author again.

Thank you so much to Caitlin Starling, Avon and Harper Voyager, as well as NetGalley for providing this eARC for me in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who is--forgive my language--currently EATING UP Bill Schutt's Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History, it comes as no surprise that I would be so enraptured by Caitlin Starling's The Starving Saints. The Starving Saints follows three different women living what could be their final days at Aymar Castle. Under siege for half a year and running low on food, the people of Aymar have maybe days to find a new source of sustenance, or die trying. The story follows three different women, each with different social standing. First, we have Ser Voyne, a soldier loyal to the Constant Lady. Next we have Phosyne, a would-be-witch(?) struggling to turn nothing into something (food). Treila, might be my favorite, as she is a girl who seeks revenge against one of our ladies; however, the feelings might be complicated. Did I mention this novel is sapphic? Cannibalism and sapphic stories oftentimes go hand in hand.

Our heroines are all basically terrible people in a terrible situation just surviving in any way they can. It is only when they work somewhat in tandem against the looming threat that is medieval religious iconography, that we as the reader are treated to their past and links to one another. As I was devouring this novel at any given point I was unsure of which of our heroines to root for, as they are each compelling in their own right. However, since they are all in it for themselves, it was interesting to see what fuels them, and how their history with the other leading women intertwine. The writing is to die for, and I am a sucker for stories of faith turned on its head. With a story like this, filled with different takes on medieval religious iconography, there was so much that could have been touched upon, and Starling excelled in every which way. I recommend this book to quite literally anyone who is even just slightly interested in its summary.

My favorite book of Starling's so far! It's weird and twisty, like most of her books are, but I really thought that the setting added a lot to the ambiance. This year has shown me that I am very much a fun of medieval fantasy horror stories. As the characters unhinge themselves through the story things do become a little muddled, but I'm not opposed to being confused a little by the books I read.

The premise to The Starving Saints sounded perfect, but unfortunately the writing was a bit all over the place for me, and the characters felt very similar to one another.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I want to preface my brief thoughts with the fact I'm a big fan of Caitlin Starling's writing. Such a talented author. It cannot be denied.

But this book is too long. It's just too long. The pace is occasionally glacial. It could have been 50 to 75 pages shorter and been more effective in my opinion.

I had such high hopes for this book based on the description and it just didn't land for me. I hope other readers enjoy it more.

The three different points of view lifted this story in suspense and intrigue. A success on all fronts!

I got an ARC of this book.

I should have loved this book. I have no idea why I didn't. It was well written, it had horrifying elements that I adored (cannibalism and the ethics of it), but something just didn't click. I wish I knew what it was. I wanted to know more, but I just couldn't ever bring myself to pick up the book without a fight.

I think this is very much a case of "its me, not you". I will try giving this another shot in the future, just something wasn't right for me this time.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this early!

I missed pub date because of a variety of things that had nothing to do with the book but this was an absolutely bananas read and I was so enthralled by it even when I didn’t want to be. Bacchanalian is right!

Incredible trio of main characters and absolutely horrifying villains (though that feels not quite right as a descriptor) with actions and behaviors and viscera that easily rivaled horror movie visuals in their nastiness. I loved this!

It loses half a star because I found it difficult to keep track of what was exactly going on towards the end during a particular sequence, so for that reason I’m rounding it down to 4. But overall another stunner from this author!

3.5 stars. I’d love to compare it to the final product because I did enjoy it, but aspects felt unrealized.

I thought it had an intriguing start, interesting middle, but then fell apart by the end. I was left confused about character motivations behind actions, and struggled to understand some of the development. I loved the Saints and how creepy they were, and the general atmosphere was engaging and left me wanting to know more. While this was perfectly descriptive enough at times, I almost wish that some moments were less "flowery" for lack of a better term, and really hit hard at how disturbing the castle has become. However, I also think the language was fine enough as is, and the occasional vagueness or elusive wording made sense during certain plot moments, so there's that.

This has led me to check out some other medieval fantasy horror books, so I think anyone interested in those types of books might find this book enjoyable as well. I might check this out again down the road, and probably other things by the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC! I was finally able to read this with the Send to Kobo option.

An absolute fever dream of a book in a very fun way. I love books that are confusing and weird, so this was right up my alley. This absolutely had a few scenes that were right on the edge of my tolerance level when it comes to gruesome/goriness, particularly in re: cannibalism, but it also had this slow-building, almost eerie vibe that builds on itself. Fantastic dark fantasy woven in with sapphic yearning, toeing the line between love and hate, bees (???), and hedonism. Don't expect to have a lot of questions answered, because I don't think that's really the point.

This book was everything I wanted and more. Absolute insanity, cannibalistic fever dream. Medieval horror dark fantasy with hidden creatures and time-bending witchery. Unhinged with ensnaring atmosphere.

Caitlin Starling continues to blow me away.