oh man, this won’t be for everyone but it was DEFINITELY for me.

This book can be best summed up as a queer medieval fever dream of a horror story. This book had everything I love in a horror book, and I enjoyed every single second of this wild, rotting, and juicy ride:

•many many many “wtf” moments
•complex and morally grey heroines
•magic that makes no sense but also makes completely perfect sense at the same time
•freaky and super clever antagonists
•moments that are simultaneously horrific and beautiful
•religious overtones
•cannibalism (judge me all you want, but it’s my favorite kind of horror trope)
•yearning and more yearning

The saints were so well written, exceptionally creepy and mysterious and reminded me so much of unseelie fae in a way. And my absolute favorite part, was the crack in the wall under the castle. 10/10 for clever and unsettling characters.

Like I said, I don’t think this is for everyone, but will appeal to horror readers who love their horror weird, unsettling, magical, and stomach churning. Highly recommend, and I will definitely be re reading this again in the future.

Infinite thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early e-copy of The Starving Saints. All opinions are my own!

Reading Starving Saints felt like slipping into a fever dream I never wanted to wake up from. It was dark, unhinged, and beautifully relentless. This was my first medieval horror read, and it completely devoured me in the best way.
The pacing was sharp, pulling me deeper with every chapter, and the world-building and atmosphere were everything I’ve been craving. Caitlin Starling crafts a setting that breathes around you, claustrophobic yet mesmerizing.
The characters? Gloriously flawed, wild, and unhinged. I couldn’t get enough of the 3 sisters.
Honestly, Starving Saints feels ahead of its genre. It’s bold, strange, and hauntingly intelligent. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a wave of nun-centered horror in its wake, each one a little homage to the terrifying brilliance of this story.
3.5/5 ⭐️

This is a dark, atmospheric tale that stands out in the horror genre. While it was different from the typical horror novels I tend to gravitate toward, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. The novel takes a unique approach to horror and explores themes of cannibalism in a way that I haven't seen before, which is refreshing and adds a distinct flavor to the story.

The setting of The Starving Saints is one of its most compelling aspects. The atmosphere is thick and immersive, drawing the reader into a world that feels unsettling and suffocating. The gothic and eerie ambiance contributes greatly to the story’s tension and sense of dread. It's the kind of setting that keeps you on edge, which is exactly what I look for in a horror novel.

What really made this book stand out to me, though, was the fresh take on the cannibalism storyline. Rather than falling into familiar tropes, Starling crafts something new and unsettling that sets the book apart from other works in the genre. The novel’s exploration of hunger, faith, and the human capacity for both creation and destruction offers a thought-provoking experience that delves deeper into the psychological aspects of horror, making it more than just a story about gruesome acts.

While the themes are dark, the writing itself is engaging, and the characters, though flawed, felt well-developed and real. They each brought something unique to the story, and as they navigated the twisted events that unfolded, I found myself invested in their fates.

A fever dream is an apt description. Although we know almost nothing about the lore of the world and the magic system is a bit squishy, things I normally would take more issue with, it contributes to the confusing, chaotic, fever dream-ness of it all, so I think in this way it works out.
Loved the theming, fae-like qualities of the Saints, and sapphic undertones.
My only complaints are that I found it hard to 100% connect with the 3 main characters. I was almost there, but the final piece was missing somehow. Also, it felt like a few things could have been omitted or shortened to tighten up the pacing from start to finish.

i’m wildly disappointed in how wildly unsatisfying this story was. as it dragged on and on, i kept waiting for something to click, to make itself known — but nothing ever did. there was no point. im confused as to how this reached the publishing stage? as soon as i finished, all i felt was relief and disgruntlement that my time had been wasted. which is so sad for me to write about a book for which i had such high hopes :(

here is the main problem with this book, which has such a promising premise, such intriguing characters: it makes its readers work too hard. this book took me a very long time to read because it tired me out quickly with its overwrought prose, its confusing plot, and its underexplained magic systems. it’s all aesthetics, no substance. it’s as if someone tried to build an entire story off the cover (which is what drew me in in the first place. props to the artist!!!!)

the body horror aspect was very well done - as was the inversion of the reader’s expectations surrounding ser voyne’s tendencies towards domination vs submission. i liked all three perspectives pretty equally. but that’s about it.

thank u to netgalley and harper collins for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review <3

I was confused, I was captivated, I was entranced. Caitlin Starling is definitely an author that works for me with her weird little books. I loved how these characters developed and got weirder. My only complaint? Needed more cannibalism.

I've never imagined that a story about starvation could be so beautiful and rich, but my god, this book proved it's possible. A masterful tale of tragedy that seems the lowest a town can go, only to be proven wrong in the worst possible way, this story takes the reader from aching pity to righteous disgust to agonizing anticipation and every space of emotion between as it weaves through the three heroines' experiences of their world collapsing around them. Phosyne, Voyne, and Treila allowed for such a fine scope of the events within the castle, all with their own personal worries and vendettas and interpretations of the grotesque happenings around them, it was incredible to glide through the story with their eyes. And the invasion of the "Saints", while eerie and gruesome, made for such a fantastic antagonistic force with the opposing powers of adoration-inspiring beauty and ghastly revelry they stirred in the people of Aymar Castle. I still don't completely understand exactly why everything happened the way it did, but I truly cannot be upset about that in the slightest because I feel like I lived the ordeal alongside these three incredible women. The finale had such a powerful impact on me as a former catholic with it's simultaneous embodiment and rejection of faith and idolatry, and this tale is sure to delight horror fans everywhere.

I was so excited when I got approved for this story on NetGalley, but it fell surprisingly flat for me. I am a Gothic literature major and thought this would be along that vein, but it just felt like a fever dream throughout. Although, I will say that seems to be the point of the story, but it did not work for me.

That being said I do think this would work for friends of mine that love books of this similar technique and Starling writes beautifully and I know people that would adore this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Caitlin Starling, Avon and Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for the ARC!

In all honestly, I picked this from NetGalley in an attempt to chase the high I got from reading Christopher Buehlman's medieval horror "Between Two Fires". It's safe to say I'm still shopping around after reading this one, but as far as atmosphere goes, I would say it's relatively comparable. My problem then mostly lays with the writing. I'm not sure if some of the fever-dream style writing was completely intentional, but it ended up not working for me most of the time. Becoming increasingly delusional is a pretty central theme, so maybe it's supposed to be written in a way that makes you feel similarly to it's characters? All I know is that I had a hard time grasping what was actually going on half the time and in this way it's challenging, but not necessarily bad. I feel like how I am as a reader though, I really have to be in the mood. I also think that ultimately the singular setting and rotating characters would have been better served in a novella, or at least a shorter, more concise novel.

The highlight of the book for me was of course the hot lesbian knight but I digress.

Weird in a good way! This one was creepy and stuck with me. Some parts dragged a bit, but the vibe was solid and the writing pulled me in. Definitely not your average horror, but I was into it. Loved the pink copy I got in my box book though from aardvark!!! also who doesn't love a medieval vibe!

what an absolute delight. unlike anything i've ever read, and so unique i know better than to go out and try to find something similar (a blessing and a curse!). it will stay with me for a long, long time, this might honestly be one of the best horror books of all times for me. it just hits every note right, it's SO delicious, i love anything that knows how to be full of horror and lust and love and rage and strength at the same time. truthfully at this point in time it's hard to sell me on "cannibalism as ____" but the starving saints does in fact serve the "cannibalism as ____" we are all longing for. loved the trio of characters so much but i also adored the saints, there's something about medieval horror that just does what nothing else can. this felt like the best kind of fever dream, it transported me completely elsewhere and kept me hungry (ha) for more while also genuinely spooking me a bit which is hard to do. great kind of esoteric atmosphere but it's only as successfully trippy because it is soooo good at the very real gore as well. HONESTLY will revisit it and pray at its altar for inspiration and a crumb of the talent on display there. also stunned this is the same author as last to leave the room, that is incredible range. miss starling you have my sword forever

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.