The Starving Saints – Caitlin Starling

I was able to finish this up just before the end of the month and oh boy, am I happy I did.

Thanks to Harper Voyager for the gifted copy

THE STARVING SAINTS – Caitlin Starling (Released May 20th, 2025)

Book Description:

From the nationally bestselling author of The Luminous Dead and The Death of Jane Lawrence, a transfixing, intensely atmospheric fever dream of medieval horror.

Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months. Food is running low and there has been no sign of rescue. But just as the survivors consider deliberately thinning their number, the castle stores are replenished. The sick are healed. And the divine figures of the Constant Lady and her Saints have arrived, despite the barricaded gates, offering succor in return for adoration.

Soon, the entire castle is under the sway of their saviors, partaking in intoxicating feasts of terrible origin. The war hero Ser Voyne gives her allegiance to the Constant Lady. Phosyne, a disorganized, paranoid nun-turned-sorceress, races to unravel the mystery of these new visitors and exonerate her experiments as their source. And in the bowels of the castle, a serving girl, Treila, is torn between her thirst for a secret vengeance against Voyne and the desperate need to escape from the horrors that are unfolding within Aymar’s walls.

As the castle descends into bacchanalian madness—forgetting the massed army beyond its walls in favor of hedonistic ecstasy—these three women are the only ones to still see their situation for what it is. But they are not immune from the temptations of the castle’s new masters… or each other; and their shifting alliances and entangled pasts bring violence to the surface. To save the castle, and themselves, will take a reimagining of who they are, and a reorganization of the very world itself.

My Thoughts: 4/5 stars

Medieval horror and cannibalism. A combo I didn’t realize I needed in my life, but here we are, and I’m hoping there are more in this little cross genre. Any recommendations please help me out. 

Three incredibly unique and memorable main characters. All exciting and different in their own ways – and they’re all awful. Love an unlikeable character. Phoysyne, the nun turned sorceress, Treila of high nobility, and Voyne is a warrior. They are under siege, and food is quickly becoming scarce. Things seem to take a turn when the Lady Constant and her saviors appear in the castle, and they seem to save the day and offer food and saving despite the battle outside the castle walls. 

Everything comes at price, and things turn gruesome and cannibalistic fairly quickly. Despite a slower start, it was laying the groundwork for a story you won’t soon forget. I know it says fantasy, but I wouldn’t categorize it under high fantasy, so don’t let that deter you. Come for the horror and cannibalism and stay for the badass characters.