The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling book cover
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Eerie Efficiency Book Profile

The Starving Saints

Series membership: None listed in bibliography
Readable on its own: recorded 2025 Adult
About this book

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.

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Best for readers who like: Cannibal horror and morally tangled women
What do these ratings mean?

These are Eerie's editorial scores. Spice is scored out of 5; the other scores are out of 10. Higher intensity does not mean a better book. Romance Focus measures how central the relationship is to the story. Overall Recommendation is Eerie's recommendation for the book's intended readers.

Read the full rating methodology

Spice2/5
Darkness9/10
Obsession8/10
Psychological9/10
Violence9/10
Emotional Damage8/10
Trigger Intensity9/10
Romance Focus5/10

Bibliographic Sources

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Book at a Glance

Series membershipNone listed in bibliography
Readable on its ownyes
POVMultiple POV • Third Person
PaceSlow
WorldFantasy
Obsession TypeProtective Obsession • Romantic Fixation
SubgenreMedieval fantasy horror
MMC PersonalityNot applicable
FMC PersonalityPhosyne: paranoid; Treila: vengeful; Voyne: devoted

Tropes & Themes

Trigger Warnings

These tags describe potentially sensitive material in the book and may not be a complete list. A missing warning does not confirm that the content is absent. HEA/HFN describes the romantic ending, not the absence of disturbing content. Check the author's current content notes before reading.

cannibalismreligious manipulation. Partial list.starvationviolence

Eerie Take

Overall Recommendation8/10
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Intensity
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Readers
Spice
2/5
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Darkness
9/10
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Obsession
8/10
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Psychological Intensity
9/10
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Violence
9/10
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Emotional Damage
8/10
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Trigger Intensity
9/10
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Romance Focus
5/10
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