A beautifully strange and immersive story, elevated by gorgeously rich, lyrical prose and such a distinctive, memorable universe. But what lingers most is its central belief in love - love’s ability to endure, to transform, and to shape the lives of those who carry it. Mad Sisters of Esi is at its heart a book that has to be read to be experienced, that shows the powerful nature of all sorts of types of love (beyond romantic love), and the magic that can be forged thanks to its presence.

Personal Enjoyment: 6/6 Writing Quality: 6/6 Final Rating: 5⭐️

I put this review off for months because I wanted to write something as in depth and insightful as this work was, but I frankly still have no words. 10/10. No notes. Utter perfection. Please read it. Still one of the greatest horror novels I’ve ever read.

the starving saints had what was quite possibly one of the strongest openings i've read in a while. the atmosphere is stifling, oppressive, and stuck, and the isolation of being stuck in a siege is palpable, even to readers. this isolation and the desperation of being stuck is embedded within everything that we as readers experience of the world and its characters and i think that starling very masterfully crafted this atmosphere.

i went into this book mostly blind (all i really knew about it was that there was a religious cult element to it and cannibalism, obviously), but given the cover and the whispers about this book, it was no big surprise to me when what is essentially an angel and her saints show up to the scene. if you thought that what was happening before their arrival was madness, then oh boy do you need to buckle up.

when i say descent into madness, i mean it in both a good way and a bad way. starling's writing and plot construction is quite strong until about the half-way mark. though arguably predictable, it still maintains the eeriness that came into play with the arrival of the Lady and her Saints. tensions are getting high, (some) people are becoming more and more desperate, the cult is culting, and the book is brimming with promise. there's nothing i love more than exploring the intersection of power, oppression, madness, and desire. and that's exactly what this book promises everything hinges on.

i wish i could say that starling continues to deliver on this delicious atmosphere and set-up that she started the novel with. however, as we continue creep past the mid-way point, it becomes obvious that starling lost track of where to go and what to do. there is a tangible shift in the writing and the energy of the book, and we go from a very intriguing premise/plot and morally complex characters (yum!!!) to plot points that don't make sense and character arcs/developments that are completely nonsensical and out of character for each character. and like, maybe i could excuse one in the absence of the other (poor plot points but strong character development, or vice versa) but the poor character development felt intentional, with the intention being to further the plot points that didn't really mesh with the initial set up we get of the world and setting. not to mention, this book has the HEAVIEST plot armor this world has ever seen for characters in a book laden with cannibalism.

in theory, i understand the commentary that starling was attempting to convey about power, desire, and the desperation behind it all. the pitfalls of monarchy, the pitfalls of blind faith/servitude, the dangers associated with unchecked power, and the inability for one person to bear the burden of it all. but i don't really think that this book achieved a very rounded commentary on these topics in the way starling may have intended. the sapphic tension in this book fell similarly flat for me, i can see why it was appealing for readers, but i largely agree with the critique i saw in the forum of some parts of it feeling forced and uncompelling.

so then what does this book do well? i mean. i still finished it, and despite the low numbers on my star ratings, i did overall have fun with like most of the book. i thought the imagery and religious symbolism in this book is fantastic. i can tell that starling did her research with religious symbolism, starvation, cannibalism, etc. because it truly does reflect in the book. once again, the atmosphere in the book was also very very well done. it was creepy, unsettling, and the exact kind of haunted vibe you might associate with a castle entrapped in a cult. unfortunately, though, that's really honestly all that's going good for this book 😭 (also i was a personal victim of sunk-cost fallacy, i actually only started to get really frustrated with this at the 80% mark and wanted to stick it through cause i was almost done lmao)

tldr; it's a vibe, it's a pretty nice vibe, if you can vibe and not get pissed off at the writing in the last third of the book, you'd probably like this one!

i liked this actually! very messy!! ayoola was highkey a stupid serial killer though