You know those books that just feel like they were written to be read by candlelight from the atmospheric feeling they create. This is exactly the tone for this book review that I got from As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel. If you are looking for a dark fantasy of gothic romance that spans centuries, you really need to put this on your radar.
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A 16th-Century Curse and a Dangerous Bargain
The story starts all the way back in 1592 with Cybil Harding. She’s a “First Daughter” who’s been told her whole life that she’s a walking disaster to everyone she loves. Then she meets Miriam, who is basically the stuff of nightmares in the form of an immortal demon who feeds on souls. Miriam sees Cybil’s soul, which apparently shines like a literal star, and decides she has to have it.
They make this wild Faustian bargain: Miriam gives Cybil the chance to reincarnate over and over again, but the price is her soul at the very end. What follows is this incredible, centuries-long game of cat-and-mouse. Miriam spends every lifetime hunting Cybil down to claim her prize, but here’s the twist I loved: Cybil isn’t just a victim.
What really kept me turning pages was how the power shift between them feels so earned. Instead of just being a pawn in Miriam’s game, Cybil starts to find the cracks in the demon’s armor. She realizes that Miriam might actually be the key to breaking her family’s curse, and suddenly, the hunter becomes the one being challenged. Cybil is fearless, using her different lives to build her strength and outwit her fate.
Why Cybil and Miriam’s Bond Hits Differently
This type of “push and pull” between them is electric. They are total opposites—light and dark, mortal and immortal—but because they keep finding each other across history, they become the only two people who truly understand each other. It’s gothic, it’s romantic, and it’s a little bit haunting.
It’s one of those rare stories that manages to feel like a huge, epic adventure while also being a really personal look at what we’re willing to sacrifice for the people we love. I finished it feeling like I’d traveled through time right alongside them. If you’re looking for a great book that’s ethereal, a little bit dark, and deeply romantic, definitely give As Many Souls as Stars a look. Check it out!
Thanks to William Morrow and HarperCollins for this #gifted book for this review.
