(Edited 05/20/2025: Previously I had pasted my review for Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder in this spot. This mistake has been rectified. My apologies.)

The Book of Matthew says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

I personally am very fond of the axiom, “Religion is the opiate of the masses”. And Doctor Taylor Swift told us the road is hard and we can get lost when we’re led by blind faith. 

I have a feeling The Starving Saints is a horror novel that will draw a lot of different analytic viewpoints over time as to what Caitlin Starling was trying to say or what the overall message was. As for my opinion? Well, I think it’s a parable for how the religious and conservative people in American society are horrifically exploited by the very people who are supposed to look out for their best interests and that their willful ignorance and blind faith only lulls them into a constant state of complacence that leave them ripe for devastation once the wolves come to town. No matter how the few people who want to save them and try their hardest to save them work it ultimately becomes a fruitless endeavor, because you cannot reach those who are deaf to your entreaties and lost in their own zealotry. 

The Starving Saints straddles a very fine line between cosmic horror and religious horror as its main subgenre. While the religious order inside the walls of Aymar Castle (and the kingdom it belongs to) undoubtedly all worship the same set of saints led by The Constant Lady, the saints who enter Aymar Castle are not the same saints even though they wear the guise of them. Are they saints, gods, demons, monsters, or something else altogether? Now that’s where the cosmic element comes into play. There’s also another creature, down in the earth, that’s not a saint or with the company of the creatures above. What is it? All we know is that it hides and shadows and loves a good contract. 

This book was everything I hoped it would be ever since I heard about it. It was one of my most-anticipated titles of the year and Starling didn’t disappoint. It was gory, unhinged, captivating, angry, and strangely sexy at times. I had a ton of fun. 5⭐️

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Body Horror/Cosmic Horror/Feminist Horror/Historical Horror/Horror/LGBTQ Horror/Religious Horror/Sapphic