The Starving Saints
Author: Caitlin Starling
Published by: Harper Voyager
Pages: 344
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
Published by: Harper Voyager
Pages: 344
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★★
Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months with no sign of rescue. But just as the starving 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 arrive, 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 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 and desperation to escape from the horrors unfolding within Aymar’s walls.
As the castle descends into bacchanalian madness, forgetting the massed army beyond its walls, these three women are only ones to see their situation for what it is. But they are not immune to 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, they must reimagine who they are… and reshape the very world itself.
My thoughts:
On the front cover, The Starving Saints is described as an ‘unhinged cannibal book,’ so of course it felt like an interesting choice for our monthly book club. The Starving Saints is a wonderfully unsettling blend of gothic horror, religious horror and dark fantasy. It won me over with its atmosphere and character work, even if I felt the story itself wandered a little in places.
Admittedly, for me the novel felt very slow to get started. , but before long I was drawn into the bleak, claustrophobic world of The Starving Saints.
Author Caitlin Starling has a real gift for creating atmosphere and, combined with a cast of complex, compelling characters, it makes for a genuinely immersive reading experience. I was immediately pulled in by the novel's tone and fascinated by its historical setting, its religious and political tensions, the characters' deeply held superstitions, and the lingering sense of blind faith.
After the Saints arrived, when the feasts begin and strangeness creeps around the castle, everything starts to feel very odd. It's strange and unsettling in an indescribable way, and the whole thing feels a bit like a fever dream. It’s probably one of the most atmospheric horror novels I've read in a while, feeling claustrophobic and somewhat unsettling as the story progresses.
Rich, layered characterisation was another strong aspect for me. Each of the three protagonists has a distinct voice, worldview and emotional journey. I liked how the novel ultimately centres on three complex women - Ser Voyne, Treila and Phosyne - whose interconnected pasts and fight for survival within the walls of Aymar drive the story forward. The shifting perspectives allowed the story to explore faith, hunger, devotion and power from multiple angles. The body horror and religious horror elements were grotesque and interesting without feeling gratuitous, creating several memorable scenes.
I did, however, find myself wishing the story had been a little more tightly paced. While the atmosphere and setting are really compelling, the world-building isn’t nearly as strong.
There’s a lot to admire in this novel. Its dreamlike quality is undoubtedly one of its strengths, but the sparse world-building and lack of narrative clarity sometimes made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. There is a creeping sense of dread which builds slowly but I found myself far more invested in the characters than in uncovering the mystery itself. Your experience will differ depending on what draws you into a story, and there are certainly several enticing elements to this novel.
Overall reaction:
On the front cover, The Starving Saints is described as an ‘unhinged cannibal book,’ so of course it felt like an interesting choice for our monthly book club. The Starving Saints is a wonderfully unsettling blend of gothic horror, religious horror and dark fantasy. It won me over with its atmosphere and character work, even if I felt the story itself wandered a little in places.
Admittedly, for me the novel felt very slow to get started. , but before long I was drawn into the bleak, claustrophobic world of The Starving Saints.
Author Caitlin Starling has a real gift for creating atmosphere and, combined with a cast of complex, compelling characters, it makes for a genuinely immersive reading experience. I was immediately pulled in by the novel's tone and fascinated by its historical setting, its religious and political tensions, the characters' deeply held superstitions, and the lingering sense of blind faith.
After the Saints arrived, when the feasts begin and strangeness creeps around the castle, everything starts to feel very odd. It's strange and unsettling in an indescribable way, and the whole thing feels a bit like a fever dream. It’s probably one of the most atmospheric horror novels I've read in a while, feeling claustrophobic and somewhat unsettling as the story progresses.
Rich, layered characterisation was another strong aspect for me. Each of the three protagonists has a distinct voice, worldview and emotional journey. I liked how the novel ultimately centres on three complex women - Ser Voyne, Treila and Phosyne - whose interconnected pasts and fight for survival within the walls of Aymar drive the story forward. The shifting perspectives allowed the story to explore faith, hunger, devotion and power from multiple angles. The body horror and religious horror elements were grotesque and interesting without feeling gratuitous, creating several memorable scenes.
I did, however, find myself wishing the story had been a little more tightly paced. While the atmosphere and setting are really compelling, the world-building isn’t nearly as strong.
There’s a lot to admire in this novel. Its dreamlike quality is undoubtedly one of its strengths, but the sparse world-building and lack of narrative clarity sometimes made it difficult to fully immerse myself in the story. There is a creeping sense of dread which builds slowly but I found myself far more invested in the characters than in uncovering the mystery itself. Your experience will differ depending on what draws you into a story, and there are certainly several enticing elements to this novel.
Overall reaction:
