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blacksphinx 's review for:
The Starving Saints
by Caitlin Starling
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Hunger is inescapable. You cannot gain any distance on it. It will follow you to the ends of the earth."
The Starving Saints is a beautiful gothic medieval fanatsy-horror novel with teeth. It got under my skin and robbed me of sleep.
I have read many books where the narration tells us that the characters are smart. This book did not need to tell us: each of the three protagonists have their own kind of intelligence about them, and it serves them well. I have also read several books in the gothic vein that try and convey being inebriated, drugged, and befuddled. These have only resulted in messy narratives, unclarity, and confusion over terror. Starling has managed to walk the tightrope between confusion and clarity, where characters may be lost but *you* can still follow and it feels natural.
If the phrase "cannibalism gothic" gets your attention, if you love magic that fits into the medieval worldview, if you want some messed-up and toxic dynamics between desperate women... this is the book for you.
The Starving Saints is a beautiful gothic medieval fanatsy-horror novel with teeth. It got under my skin and robbed me of sleep.
I have read many books where the narration tells us that the characters are smart. This book did not need to tell us: each of the three protagonists have their own kind of intelligence about them, and it serves them well. I have also read several books in the gothic vein that try and convey being inebriated, drugged, and befuddled. These have only resulted in messy narratives, unclarity, and confusion over terror. Starling has managed to walk the tightrope between confusion and clarity, where characters may be lost but *you* can still follow and it feels natural.
If the phrase "cannibalism gothic" gets your attention, if you love magic that fits into the medieval worldview, if you want some messed-up and toxic dynamics between desperate women... this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Excrement, Death of parent, Gaslighting, War
Minor: Animal death, Slavery