"A transfixing fever dream of medieval horror following three women in a besieged castle that descends ravenously into madness under the spell of mysterious, godlike visitors."

Let's call this book medieval horror fever dream meets cannibal convent. And I mean this in the best way. It's very out there, raw and a bit queer.
Feels like walking through a medieval painting mid bacchanal. But sub the drinks for limbs 😂

Even knowing a bit of the content is coming it totally caught me by surprise.

On the same line of The Unworthy, recommended!

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a phenomenal job with it. I liked her pacing and inflections.

The book itself was good and I was interested in what was going on but I did have a hard time keeping up. I am not sure if this was to do with listening to it. I think this book would be great if you immersion read. I felt like I was missing things here and there and didn't feel like I was firmly in the world. I also got a little tripped up with the POVs at time and had figure out who's head I was in. Overall I would recommend this book if you like weird dark medieval fantasy. I definitely want to check out other works by this author.

Audiobook review with the overall story review to follow:

I adored the narrator. They captured the characters and intensity of complicated scenes incredibly well. Beautiful pacing and kept me interested. Highly recommend the audiobook in conjunction with the physical book.

Book review:
This felt like a lucid dream where I was a passenger in someone’s acid trip. Delving into one of my favorite themes: imperfect sapphics. And well, cannibals and otherworldly cults, too. This book is heavy on trauma and the fissures it causes baked into a medieval fantasy horror.
A stronghold slowly dying from starvation while out waiting the enemy forces outside their doors.
The three main characters are broken and ripe with all our hidden guilty pleasures. This is somehow extremely claustrophobic yet horny.
Most of the book you are stumbling with the characters, feeling out what’s real, what’s in the realm of reality, and if you are the type of person that will give in.
Weird saints cooking up people with all the necessary gore. Hats off.
This isn’t for everyone. But it’s a delicious delve into madness and the fantastical.

A blend of fantasy and horror for those who know Starling's work will definitely enjoy this one. For fans of darker fantasy novels and genre blending titles.

I listened to this one on audio, which in hindsight might not have been the best format for it, for me. The narration itself was strong, haunting, well-paced, atmospheric, but the story’s murky world building and slippery narrative made it hard to latch onto in that medium. It’s one of those books that operates heavily on tone and suggestion rather than a plot or clarity, and as a result, I often found myself confused about where we were, what was happening, and even which character’s head we were in. I kept having to rewind, and eventually I gave up trying to track everything too closely and just let it wash over me.

And that worked… to a point.

I do think I would have enjoyed this more if i read it physically, especially since there is a lot to admire here. The atmosphere of a medieval crumbly castle under siege was such a great setting to be plunked in. The slow and steady spiral into chaos was also well done, you don't realize you're slowly slipping away until it's too late.

But I can’t pretend I fully connected with it. It took me a month to finish, which is usually a red flag. I kept drifting away, feeling more intrigued by the idea of the book than by the experience of reading it. The lack of grounding in the world, in the characters’ histories, even in the mechanics of the magic, meant I never quite found my footing. While that is the point, thematically, it just didn’t fully work for me in practice in audio.

Thank you HarperAudio for the audio arc!

This is the first I've read of Caitlin Starling and I'm impressed! The Starving Saints starts slow but by halfway in the story really sets off, to a wild, bloody end.

I feel like there's not much I can say outside of the bookm summary without spoiling so much of what happens so I'll keep this short - it's a cannibal horror story set in a medieval fantasy world full of magic. It's a slow burn until the last half when things go wild.

I was honestly kind of bored in the beginning because this isn't really a time period I tend to enjoy reading of (medieval, even though this is a fantasy world), but once the story kicked off I was thrilled. It was gross and gruesome and sticky and bloody and I really enjoyed it.

Like I said, I haven't read anything of the author's previous work but I recall The Luminous Dead have some backlash because of the weak sapphic relationship and slow story. I will say the sapphic relationships in this story also take a back seat to the bloody action, but it is present. The story in this one is also "real" in that, what happens actually happens.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and I really enjoyed the audiobook - Barrie Kreinik was great as the narrator, though I wish we'd had some differences in voices for the three main characters. But still, it's not like it's confusing, so I'm cool with it lol

The Starving Saints is a solid historical fantasy horror story!

I absolutely love this sapphic horror novel. Caitlin Starling's writing style is nothing short of magical. Feels like a spell has been put on me. The narrator did a fabulous job and elevated the experience to a wholly different level. It made me squirm and shiver. Highly recommend the audiobook! (4.5 out of 5 stars).

The Starving Saints follows three women who have been trapped in a castle under siege and starving, all trying make it out alive.

I wish I had enjoyed this more, sapphic characters + cannibalism + magic all sound like the makings of a fantastic book, but I was so utterly bored. It felt like it took a million years for anything to actually happen and even when it did, each scene dragged for long.

There is something really interesting and underlying here, it just never quite made it to that point for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Narrated with wicked glee and a glint in her voice by, Barrie Kreinik, this tale is nothing short of a Sapphic Hieronymus Bosch bacchanal… complete with honey-drenched cannibal saints, sulphur-born shadow beasts, sacred cisterns, ravenous crevices, and a tight-laced theology that demands either miracles… or meat.

And what a ride it is. Ever wondered what Julian of Norwich might’ve dreamed up after three cups of mead and a touch of divine delirium? Well, wonder no more.

We follow a most peculiar trio: a madwoman with secrets furred-bellied shadows, a knight carrying far more than just a sword, and a former royal turned scullery maid, all bound together by fate, or perhaps blasphemy. Their journey? An unholy pilgrimage through collapsing corridors, ecclesiastical madness, and a world so richly imagined you can practically smell the incense, rot, and honey.

Caitlin Starling has conjured a tale that swirls with body horror, folk horror, medieval grotesquery, and theological mania, all distilled into a viscous brew of queer longing and spiritual decay. Think The Name of the Rose meets Midsommar, if Midsommar had more women kissing and fewer flower crowns.

At times, I drifted in a haze, not quite sure where we were headed - but too enchanted (or unnerved?) to care. The ending? Perhaps a touch too untethered for my taste. But oh, the journey. It’s art. Macabre, sticky, sacrilegious art.

Bravo, Ms. Starling. And bravo, dear narrator, for turning each grotesque phrase and holy horror into poetry.

I had the pleasure of rereading The Starving Saints in the audio version and I loved it even more the second time. The audio is so well performed and fits the book perfectly.

This just didn’t work in the reveals. The cannibalism worked as horror and that aspect was wonderful, but the suspenseful magical saints and the reveals that related to Phosyne did not work and just took away from the story overall.

An amazingly atmospheric book that will be sticking with me. I have never seen anything like it, but I also have never really been one for horror. This is the exception. I would read it a million times but I was so disturbed (in only the most positive and best way) by the first read that I simply cannot read it again. I loved it and I want to buy a million special edition shelf trophies, just for me. 5 stars

Actual Rating 3.5

This was such a weird read, which is exactly what I was hoping for. It's pretty disjointed near the beginning (for about the first 20 to 30 percent), which made it difficult to become immersed in the story or the characters. But it soon found its rhythm as the POVs merged more, making it much more enjoyable. The last 40 percent of the work was much better and flowed more smoothly/felt more cohesive overall.

The writing style and genre mashup of this one contributes to its oddness. It feels somewhere between literary fiction, magical realism/light fantasy, and light horror. I don't have much to say about the characters. I didn't really like them or dislike them, and it was hard to say if they were written well and just got somewhat lost beneath everything else going on.

I can't say much due to spoilers, but I LOVED what the author chose to do with the Lady and the Saints. As soon as we got more information about them, my rating jumped up a whole star, and the more we saw of them, the more I enjoyed the work. The lore included with them was excellent (though the author didn't tell all, which left plenty of room for imagination) as well as the way they were written and their personalities. It was honestly perfection, and I would love to see more fantasy authors go this route.

If you're looking for a weird fantasy horror that feels like a fever dream more often than not, then this is a must read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper and Avon Voyager for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Captivating and dizzying, The Starving Saints is a gorgeous, enveloping medieval horror story that is clever and cheeky while practicing dark magic and blind faith. And although clearly a religious horror novel, it is also a sapphic dark fantasy story about loyalty and love.

The three FMC are each characters strong enough to carry a story alone. Phosyne is a mad, disgraced nun, crushed under the weight of her king’s request to use her magic to save his people. Ser Voyne, is a warrior knight trapped in the embattled keep with no way to fight their worst enemy, starvation. And Treila, an ex-noblewoman who is reduced to a rat-hunting servant. Each has a compelling backstory, is wounded and flawed yet strong in their own unique ways.

And then three gods enter the keep and promise feasts. But at what cost?

This is an emotional and violent fantasy novel, harrowing and bloody, full of secrets and jealousies and deep crisis of faith. Glorious.

Barrie Kreinick does a wonderfully subtle narration. She allows the story to propel her storytelling, with suppressed passion and a clear musical voice.

3.5

A queer fantasy with cannibalism? Sign me up! I enjoyed the multi-lead narration and I think it was done really well. At times it was a little confusing whose part we were on but I think it added to showing how connected the characters were. The descriptions in this are amazing. I felt so icky during certain scenes, it was like I was there. It did take a while for the book to really get going and even when it did it just lost me at parts. Felt extremely slow overall. I can’t help but feel this could have been shorter.

Grotesque, Haunting, and Utterly Unforgettable

The Starving Saints is a fever dream of horror, desire, and divine dread. Caitlin Starling masterfully traps you inside Aymar Castle, where salvation arrives in the most sinister form. The twisted miracles, the psychological unraveling, and the raw power struggles between the three central women make for a chilling, immersive read. Disturbing in the best way possible, this is medieval horror at its most unhinged—and compelling.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#TheStarvingSaints #NetGalley #CaitlinStarling #MedievalHorror

If you’re looking for a queer cannibalistic fantasy this book is for you. This book was part horror part fantasy part complete mind f*ck. All three characters were well written. Normally I’m not a huge have of multiple leads but this was done perfectly. The narration wss middle of the road. I think I would’ve preferred to read this one. But it was still a great listen.


I definitely highly recommend this book.

I went into this book with very little knowledge of what was coming and I was immediately pulled in. The characters grabbed my attention with distinct and equally captivating narrative voices. The relationships all weave together so well and added a lot of complexities to the story that made something so horrifying feel rooted in reality.

This is some absolutely stellar writing, the prose is perfect for the tone and setting for the story and the unravelling of the darkness and madness that ensues felt like watching a master at work. I was deeply impressed by the craft work and couldn't stop listening. The atmosphere, the imagery, and depth of character make this an outstanding novel. I'm very glad I got to listen to this one, as the audio experience was also exceptional and kicked my enjoyment of the story up that much more to make this an instant favourite.

This book has so many elements that I really loved. It is weird and dark and gross in the best ways. It features complex female characters and surreal fantasy and medieval horror. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric. The pacing felt a bit off for me but it is definitely worth the read in my opinion! The audiobook narration is fantastic and helped me feel more immersed in the story.

The Starving Saints is darkly atmospheric and intense! We follow three women in a castle that has been under siege and in a desperate situation as the food supply is nearing its end. Phosyne is an ex-nun who miraculously was able to purify their tainted water supply; now they want her to perform another miracle, creating food from nothing. Ser Voyne is a loyal knight, cast aside by her king, who has been assigned to protect and oversee Phosyne’s progress. Then there’s Treila, once a noble woman now she works within the walls of the castle, and she’s out for revenge against Ser Voyne. 

Now, this setup alone would make for an interesting story, but things really kick off when the “saints” worshipped by the people in the castle suddenly show up offering sustenance in return for adoration. But these saints are super sus, and Phosyne, Voyne, and Treila are the only ones who seem to see past their enthrallment even as it threatens to overtake them as well.

This is a dark and atmospheric cannibalistic descent into madness and I loved every moment of it. I loved our three protagonists and their changing circumstances and how these changes impacted them. The character growth, emotional depth, and shifting relationships among the three women were incredibly well done, I was fully invested in their journey. The saints and other mysterious entities we encounter were both fascinating and terrifying, I was captivated by the mystery of what they were and how they came to be in the castle walls. Then there was the imagery and unsettling atmosphere which left a haunting impression. Whether it was voices whispering salvation from the walls, or the chilling image of someone planting fingernails in garden soil, I was completely enthralled.

I listened to the audio book and found the narrator’s voice quite nice to listen to. The only small thing was sometimes when switching character pov it would take me a few seconds to realize the transition.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.