Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The easiest way to describe this book is as a pure fever dream. The number of times I said "huh" or my jaw physically came unhinged is too numerous to count. I had no idea where Caitlin was going to bring this story and I'm still not sure if I liked it or if I hated it. Seriously. I'm not sure if I liked it or not. So, for that reason, I feel like this is a 2.5 star (rounded down for Goodreads and up for NetGalley) for now, but it could also honestly be a 4 star tomorrow. If you're confused - same. But read this book and you will understand why.

This was a DNF for me. I really liked Starling's initial effort, The Luminous Dead, but maybe it was the claustrophobia of her writing that worked for me because nothing has resonated since then.

2.5 rounded up.

you're going to see a lot of glowing reviews for this book in the coming weeks. this, unfortunately, is not one of them.

don't get me wrong, i didn't hate this story. i was mostly just confused by it. there were some very good parts (the writing itself, the initial world building, some clever characters, the tension) that got lost to some very bad parts (a truly convoluted plot, incomplete world building, the ongoing characterizations, the nonsensical resolutions) along the way. you'll hear that this is a sapphic, medieval fever dream of a horror novel. well, kinda? call me desensitized, but i feel like in the year 2025 we've seen books much more sapphic and much more horrifying than this.

i was fully along for whatever weird world starling was writing but every time we got an answer, it seemed like she changed her mind, took it back, and rewrote it to make less sense. it really kept me from being able to just go along for the ride. my fellow audio lovers might be especially confused while trying to follow along, because this one absolutely sacrifices clarity in the name of fantasy and it makes the last 30% or so really slippery and difficult to grasp.

so yeah, i guess i agree that this one is like a fever dream — after finishing it, i'm left wondering what i missed, what i forgot, and if anything ever made sense at all.

thanks to avon and harper voyager for the digital copy of this book on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT DID I JUST READ!

A wild, gory ride that really can't be explained until you read it yourself! The Starving Saints focuses on a town that has been under siege for several days and of course their supplies begin to dwindle down and desperation kicks in as they try to figure out how to make something out of nothing or die trying.

In the midst of this chaos 4 mysterious Saints appear at the gates with no recollection of how the entered since of course they are under siege. The story focuses on our three main female protagonist (Phosyne: our madwoman sorceress, Ser Voyne: a war hero, Treila: a revenge seeking girl who lost her father after the execution). As we venture into madness we see how these three women begin to interact with one another and how hunger and devotion can either make or break this town. Will they live? Will they beat the siege? Who knows...........

This book has a very interesting premise that drew me in immediately. I like books that have a very limited setting, I think it can be challenging to pull off well, but I found Aymar to be surprisingly expansive.

I think my main frustration with the book is that I never fully understood who the antagonists were, there were quite a few things that were never fully resolved/explained (Phosyne’s pets for one), and towards the end I felt like the main characters’ actions didn’t make sense to me. It got them what they wanted, but how did they figure out they should do that?

I don’t know if I just completely missed something or if I just needed a little more hand-holding, but I was so confused by the end that I was glad on the last page that there was a sentence that wrapped everything up in a neat bow.

Perhaps this just wasn’t the one for me; I wish it was.

I wish I liked this book more because it's right up my alley, but it felt choppy and took a long time to get started.

Where do I even start with this one? A dizzying spiral of maddening sapphic horror and cannibalism set again a contained location of a medieval castle? What was there not to like?! Honestly, it was such a fun ride, and 3 female protagonists striving towards their own end goals finding uneasy alliance with each other? Chefs kiss. Read it, that’s my recommendation

What a vibe. A bizarre, disgusting, fever dream of a vibe, but in a way that I loved.
Set in a desperate and starving medieval castle under siege, complete with weird religious iconography, feral magical creatures, a knight who's not sure where her allegience should be, a nun-turned-sorceress trying to work a miracle, and a serving girl torn between her desires for revenge and survival, it was honestly just a wild ride from start to finish. I personally didn't see the "bacchanalian hedonistic ecstasy" that was supposed to ensue when the saints arrived, but the grim horror of it all was very fun in itself. Definitely a lot more gruesome and gory than I expected, but I really enjoyed it.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing an ARC for review.

On paper, The Starving Saints is completely up my alley. Sapphic, medieval horror filled with bacchanalian madness and hedonistic ecstasy? Yes please. In practice, this book did not deliver on my expectations.

I really am disappointed to not have enjoyed this more. The Death of Jane Lawrence to this day is one of my favorite books, and I was thrilled to see another book by Caitlin Starling.

While the beginning of the story is slow, the plot felt like it hit its stride when the Saints arrived to Aymar and the castle descends into madness. The imagery of the cannibalistic feasting was visceral and gloriously disgusting. The creatures taking over the castle were beautiful and terrifying, and seeing the slow reveal of their true nature was legitimately scary.

However, as it becomes more obvious that there is magic involved and that Aymar is separating from the rules of reality, the internal logic of the world goes out the window. The magic system truly does not make sense. Characters are resurrected, seemingly by accident, with no explanation, and none of the other characters are surprised. The last third of the book fully descends into maddening moon logic to make narrative leaps, and the explanations as to how these things are possible are vapid at best. I understand that this is meant to show that reality is breaking apart, but this completely destroys the stakes. If death isn’t permanent when faced with monsters that want to kill you, where is the narrative tension? It doesn’t help that during multiple major conflicts, the characters discover special abilities through the power of insight, and suddenly are able to defeat their enemies. If any major character can survive any interaction, what is the point?

Another major gripe is that the pacing is glacial. This book fully has no business being as long as it is. It reads like an essay written by a college student trying to hit a word count requirement. There is a redundancy to what is being stated in the narrative, to the point of swathes of paragraphs being entirely skippable. For instance, Treila’s internal narrative constantly reflects on the winter she spent starving following the death of her lord father and the dissolution of her status as a noble. It is obviously a life-altering experience that defines how she now sees herself and the world. However, the same reflections and experiences are regurgitated over and over in her chapters with no new information. It is just a maddening waste of space in a book that needed more tension.

By the time I was 90% of the way through the book, I was begging for the ending. It’s a shame too, because so many things of this could have been great. The middle third had me on the edge of my seat. However, the last third of the book felt like nonsense and was genuinely disappointing.

Such a weird ass book… and I mean that in the best way possible. It took me a second to get into this one but once I did I couldn’t stop until I finished it.

This sapphic medieval horror is an absolute fever dream. There were moments where I felt a little lost, but honestly I think that was the point. The characters themselves are lost too in all this madness. The atmosphere is exactly what I wanted from this book. Dark, gothic, and almost claustrophobic? I definitely need to try out more books by this author.

a medieval sapphic fever dream with lots of yearning and cannibalism. if any of that sounds appealing to you, this is definitely the book for you.

i enjoyed the different perspectives with the three characters and specially liked how their stories intertwined with each other. throughout the whole book there's a constant sense of dread that makes you want to keep devouring the story.

Caitlin Starling is one of my go-to authors to recommend, as well as an auto-buy author for myself personally. This is an excellent addition to her already stacked repertoire.

Not unlike Agustina Bazterrica's novel "The Unworthy" released earlier this year, Starling's "The Starving Saints" is a bit of isolation mixed with religious horror mixed with WTF is going on?! energy. Whereas "The Unworthy" is postapocalyptic, though, "The Starving Saints" takes place in and around a besieged castle in an unspecified medieval time.
The people are starving and the main character Phosyne is tasked with creating food out of nothing. Impossible! But then again, she has done the impossible before...
There is panic, unease, and anxiety as the end looms ever closer, until a group of seeming saints come to the castle to "save" the people.
It is a fun if harrowing read, and I lean toward comparing it to "The Unworthy" because there is this theme of starvation and being cut off from the outside world, but also a similar feeling of not knowing what is going on. The multiple points of view - including of one character who is bewitched/befuddled - help to keep the reader guessing exactly what's going on.
If you like your horror gory, blasphemous, and medieval (a bit like Buehlman's "Between Two Fires" if they were under siege instead of on the road), this is the book for you!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow, this was one horrifying descent into a fever nightmare painted with all the atmospheric gothic vibes. You're going to ask yourself, what is the cost of salvation?

The castle is under siege, and the inhabitants are trapped without food until the holy saints bring them hope (of madness).

There is something horrifying when elements are tastefully subtle. You let your imagination run rampant and I think this is the true essence of a horror story. The ones that don't give you all the answers, and the psychological aspects are just as much a monster.

A fascinating read in the exploration of the descent of madness of human nature.

DNF at 48%

The premise seemed interesting the execution was a snooze fest. I was bored throughout the entirety of what I read. It was very atmospheric and gothic, but that just isn't enough to keep my attention and interest. I wanted more creepiness, more gore (from the cannibalism), just more! I don't think medieval horror is my jam.

IT'S THE YEAR OF LADY KNIGHTS Y'ALL LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I love queer horror!! And add in a side of cannibalism? I'm there.

I loved Last to Leave the Room by Caitling Starling and this book read very similarly to me though it is different in almost every way. It's the vibes that Starling does so well that made the books feel comparable. Both books started a bit slow to me, but this one picked up faster, in my opinion, probably because it has a fantasy element and medieval setting.

The Starving Saints focuses on three weird gals living in a castle that has been under siege for 6 months. Food is almost gone, and things have gotten dire enough that some big decisions are about to be made. We follow Phosyne, the madwoman who has been asked for a miracle; Ser Voyne, the King's right hand who has been tasked with minding said madwoman; and Treila, a disgraced and displaced noblewoman turned servant who knows Ser Voyne from her past life and is seeking revenge for the murder of her father.

Starling's characters are all so dynamic and so themselves that I had no trouble differentiating who was who even as POVs might switch from scene to scene. The author does such a good job of setting the tone for each person's inner monologue whether it be a concerned and cowardly madness or rage-filled scheming. I always knew who was who which I can't always say with books. I also looooooveee the development of the relationships (REAL enemies to lovers here folks!!!) and the vibesssss! Idk how to even explain it but like "I am your sword to use even though I don't want to be" type shit. Like "I yearn to do your bidding but hate when you actually tell me what to do" type shit idkkkk!!!!

Then there was the horror and the gore and the story at large. Starling is immaculate at this descent into madness feeling where, as a reader, I almost fall into it along with the characters. It's this slow creeping feeling of dread behind a veneer of normalcy or good, trying to see the real face behind a unnervingly perfect mask. This story definitely had an aspect of body horror which is my favorite as well as mind control and creepy creatures.

As always, this was an incoherent rant, I hope everyone reads this especially if you love queer horror or cannibalism or lady knights!!!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my ARC!

This book was a lot… this is not a fun popcorn horror this is a unsettling, anxiety inducing, lose your appetite type of horror that stays with you, so it was a bit of a tough read. This book is a medieval horror fantasy that follows a village under siege for 6 month with no food things get desperate and fever dream-esque leaving me equal parts confused and horrified. I had a tough time with this book some of these scenes were so well written they had me cringing but at the same time I felt like I was thrown in the deep end and spent the first part of the book trying to piece together who was who and what was what which was a bit confusing at times. The second half the book gets unhinged but was quite entertaining. I really enjoyed this authors writing but just did not quite click with this story. I hope to read more from this author in the future, and hopefully stop being grossed out by the sight of meat. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling is a book that grips you by the throat and doesn’t let go, even when you’re not entirely sure what’s happening. And trust me, that’s a good thing. At first, I kept restarting, lost in the chaos of Aymar Castle’s siege, where starvation has warped reality and desperation makes people monstrous. But once I gave in to the madness, I was in it.

This book is deliciously messed up. A gothic horror feast (sometimes literally) of religious delirium, cannibalism, and betrayal, all wrapped in a surreal, almost dreamlike atmosphere. The arrival of the Constant Lady and her Saints turns the castle’s survivors into worshipful devotees, and the line between salvation and damnation blurs fast.

But the real heart of the story? The three women fighting to stay sane in the middle of it all:

- Ser Voyne, the battle-hardened knight who swears loyalty to the Lady (but maybe shouldn’t).
- Phosyne, the chaotic nun-turned-sorceress, racing to uncover the truth (while low-key causing more problems).
- Treila, the vengeful servant girl torn between fury and desire (and honestly? Same).

And oh my god, the tension between them. The way their loyalties shift, the way they orbit each other with a mix of resentment, longing, and desperation. are they in love? Enemies? Am I in love? I don’t know, but I was obsessed.

This book is not for the faint of heart, it’s brutal, weird, and unapologetically queer, with a slow-burn descent into madness. If you love horror that makes you question reality, messy women making terrible choices, and relationships that are as toxic as they are magnetic, you need this book.

This is such a unique book. I don't think I've ever read anything like it.

Usually, I don't truly enjoy books that read like fever dreams and that require me to be okay with feeling lost or disoriented, but this time it really worked for me because it made perfect sense that the story developed that way.

This blends dark fantasy with horror in a medieval setting, and you'll find madness, magic, cannibalism, and monsters.

The 3 main characters are super interesting and their journeys are very compelling because while they're different, they need each other to make the best choices in the crazy circumstances they're in.

Also, the author did a great job of creating an eerie, confusing atmosphere. This book is a trip and it won't always make sense, but that's part of the horror and, if you're okay with that, you should definitely give it a try.