As Many Souls as Stars

This sapphic dark fantasy reveals a complicated relationship made even more complex by its unfolding over multiple lifetimes. Cybil Harding is a first daughter prophesied to bring ruin to those around her; Miriam Richter is an immortal being of shadow who craves Cybil’s magically potent soul. Thanks to a Faustian bargain, Cybil has multiple lifetimes, each lasting 23 years, to free herself from Miriam’s bargain, even as both women struggle across these lifetimes to understand the toxic yet powerful attraction they feel for each other. Any plot involving multiple lifetimes can easily go off track, but Siegel (Solomon’s Crown) creates a fascinating rapport between the two women that oscillates between incandescent desire and immolating hatred. Amid the love and hate, Cybil and Miriam, both ostracized by their birthrights and circumstances, find meaning in this game played through the centuries. Conversations between the two women are where the book shines, and narrator Atherton’s voice work keeps both women’s voices distinct and nuanced.