As Many Souls as Stars

by Natasha Siegel

1592. Cybil Harding, daughter of a secret alchemist, was born under cursed stars. Destined to bring disaster to those around her, Cybil is trapped in a grand house with a mother paralysed by grief and a father willing to sacrifice everything in pursuit of magic.

Miriam Richter is a creature born of shadow. Forged by the dark arts, she is doomed to exist for eternity and destined to be alone - consuming the souls of mortals for sustenance.

Everything changes when Miriam meets Cybil, whose soul shines with a light so bright, she must claim it for herself. Miriam offers a bargain: she will grant Cybil reincarnation and the chance to change her stars in exchange for her soul.

Thus begins a dance across centuries as Miriam seeks Cybil in every lifetime to claim her prize. But Cybil isn't inclined to play by the rules. As the two women circle each other, drawn together inescapably as light and dark, the bond forged between them grows stronger. In their battle for dominance, only one of them can win. but perhaps they can't survive without each other.

Natasha Siegel's fantasy debut is full of transporting historical detail, with thrilling twists and an abiding, thought-provoking romance that feels at once epic and deeply personal. Ambitious, gothic, and magical, As Many Souls as Stars is about the lengths we go to protect ourselves, our legacy, and those we love.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Lesbian, Romantasy, LGBT, Queer, Witches

320 pages, Hardcover

First published November 25, 2025

About the author

Natasha Siegel is a writer of historical fiction. She was born and raised in London, where she grew up in a Danish-Jewish family surrounded by stories.

Her next book, As Many Souls As Stars, releases November 2025 with Bloomsbury UK / William Morrow.

She is represented by Catherine Cho at Paper Literary.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

me viciously denying the hot lesbian demon the soul i bargained for centuries just so we can engage in a toxic romance tinged with obsession and the hate that can only come with knowing someone so deeply

Drawing together Faustian bargains, gothic splendor, and reincarnation across three distinct periods of English history, As Many Souls as Stars is a historical novel for the ages and Natasha Siegel’s masterpiece. A witch desperate for survival bargains away her soul, a demon endlessly hungering for souls discovers the brightest, and both will be ruined in their association by journeys end. The Faustian bargain is not a new concept, not in the slightest, so to stake claim on such a tale is to promise something inventive and unique in the telling. In As Many Souls as Stars, Natasha Siegel ingeniously twists the Faustian bargain into a lesbian game of cat and mouse spanning multiple centuries and incarnations as an immortal and a witch engage in a toxic romance tinged with obsession. Cybil Harding and Miriam Richter, witch and demoness, hunger both—for love, for souls, and for the continuance of their survival. Drawn into a demonic bargain to suit their purposes, neither intends to lose the parts of themselves they believed intrinsic, nor ill-fated love taking flight. Questioning fate and personhood, Natasha Siegel’s As Many Souls as Stars is a tangled dance of violence, hunger, and destructive romance, in everlasting opposition as misguided bargains can ever be.

Read my review

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advance review copy.

Bookstagram | Blog

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fantasy with witches, demons, curses, and toxic lesbians completely obsessed with each other. What more could you want?

This one is high on vibes, atmosphere, and longing, but a bit low on the plot (affectionate).

If you love a slower story with gorgeous imagery and prose, characters with depth, and yearning, this is an absolute must read.

For maximum impact consume this via audio. Kristen Atherton does an insane job creating the perfect voices for each character, her pacing is perfection, sped up in all the right places and slowed down at the perfect moments. I listened to most of this book at 1.0x speed bc the performance was THAT perfect.

One caveat - You're going to want a print version of this too. There are so many utterly quotable lines! This is a perfect book for annotating!

Audio Narration: 5/5 Kristin Atherton can do no wrong! Seriously good performance. Each character has a distinct voice, and her ability to drop her voice for male characters is awe inspiring! This is a book I will insist people read via audio because Kristin’s performance is so spectacular!

🌶️- open door but pretty ambiguous. 2ish scenes (sorry read via audio and I forgot to mark them!)

4.25⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you Harper Audio for the gifted ALC. All opinions are my own.

[Léa · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
I ADORED THIS!

Following a shadow soul-eater and an immortal girl with a curse indebted to her as the first born daughter, their story is one of longing, loss and a chasing of humanity. There is something about stories written about souls yearning for one another in different lifetimes that I dote on... and this was exactly that. A perfect blend of V.E. Schwab's writing and a witchy atmosphere!!! would highly recommend

[DianaRose · Rating 4 out of 5]

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

“the first daughter is always cursed.”

as many souls as stars is the perfect hauntingly gothic toxic lesbian novel, full of wiccan magic and sentient shadows.

i feel as if this novel filled the hole i was left with after reading v e schwab’s toxic lesbian novel — we follow miriam ritcher who is doomed to walk in the shadows of the earth for all eternity and consume the souls of mortals. something within her shifts when she meets cybil, whose soul is so bright miriam cannot help but obsess over having it, and thus orchestrates a scenario in which cybil has no choice but to strike a bargain with her that spans across lifetimes and centuries.

i also listened to the audio on libby and the narrator did a fantastic job!

——

very excited to dive into my next (2025) arc after waiting for my libby audio to come in lol😌✨ i’ve heard many good things so i hope i enjoy my read

[Natasha Siegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I wrote this book!

AS MANY SOULS AS STARS is a story I laboured over for years, and it's one I'm not ashamed to say I'm truly proud of--but it is definitely darker than my previous work and I want everyone to be aware of that before reading, with horror and gothic elements throughout as well as magic and romance! If you'd like to see content warnings before reading, there's a comprehensive list on the book's page on my website, natashasiegel.com . Thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews!

[Sav ~catching up on reviews~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

​Harding and Richter's story is absolutely breathtaking.

The author's devastatingly gorgeous prose envelops you in a haunting, gothic world of magic, feminine rage, social politics and power, and a truly epic, dark love story that tears its way across three lifetimes. Harding is the blinding light to Richter's endless darkness—a witch taught to curse her power and commit herself to a life of social ostracism in a world that demands women make themselves small and weak, and swiftly crushes those who do not. Miriam Richter is a morally grey, enigmatic shadow demon resigned to wander the world forever alone until she develops an insatiable hunger to unravel the conundrum that is Cybil Harding and witness the entirety of her being, hidden deep beneath a lifetime of fear and cold indifference.

In addition to the unique setting and characters, the emotional complexity of this book does their relationship justice, as we get to witness these two become enemies, friends, and lovers—often simultaneously—many times throughout their journey. They are one another's destruction and salvation. Their love, hate, desire, anger, and fear are as inextricably linked as their existence is to each other. Miriam's moments of raw, sometimes violent, yearning while she tries to decide whether she wants to consume, worship, or ruin Harding were among my favorite parts of this book.

This was everything I needed, and more, in a dark, fantasy romance. The plot was unique, the emotions were complex and beautifully written, the banter was amazing, and Miriam Richter's mouth had me absolutely sat. The expected publication date is 11/25/25. It should definitely be on your TBR this year!

Thank you to the author, William Morrow Publishing, and Net Galley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[JoJo_theDodo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witches, dark magic, and a very lusty toxic relationship. What could go wrong? I noticed that this book was compared to The Invisible Life of Addie Larue and I'm not really sure that is fitting. This story has no likable characters in my opinion. Normally I'm not a big fan of stories with not even one likable character, but this story was the exception. This adventure that spanned many years was exciting and intriguing it had me hooked wanting to know how it would end.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars

“Your light, it is like nothing I have ever seen. And that is a blessing, Cybil. The more beautiful something is, the more beautiful its ruin.”

I freaking love a book that delivers on its premise of a toxic-sapphics, dangerous and addicting cat and mouse story that not only lived up to it, but exceeded my expectations. Thrilling and unpredictable, this was true cat and mouse at its finest, and insanely clever. How can a 300 page book make me feel like I’ve lived three lives? How does someone find out they are able to write this way? Natasha Siegel, are you even human?

When I hear toxic sapphics, you better expect I want it toxic, and As Many Souls as Stars excels in that with flying colors. There is literally nothing I would change because it did it soooo well. It has the same intensity as the cat and mouse from Addie Larue and honestly? It might have been even better than Addie Larue. Like, far better.

Miriam is the definition of, “if evil, why hot?”, an evil, manipulative, possessive shadow mummy and everything you’d expect from an immortal, ancient Eldritch God. Miriam is somebody I’ve been craving for in these types of books and absolutely exceeded expectations. And the fact that she kills men? 11/10. The way she wants to ruin Cybil but also worship her? Absolute cinema.

Cybil is incredibly big-brained and just gets even more smarter as the book goes. This was a genuine cat and mouse where both were equally as cunning. There came a point where you no longer knew who the cat and the mouse were.

Cybil’s rage towards the world was absolutely justifiable. The world has wronged her and I felt her anger and vitriol pour off those pages. It was intense and raw. Everyone is just so misogynistic. It felt sad seeing the way Cybil becomes more cunning and morally gray, but also loses a part of herself in the process and becomes a shell of her formal self. I felt hollow as well.

It is incredibly difficult to describe Cybil and Miriam’s relationship in words. What they have is so complicated, but addicting. I can only compare it to Killing Eve. I’ve been trying to find a toxic sapphic novel that matches the energy of Eve x Villanelle and I found it in As Many Souls as Stars. There’s danger, there’s desire, there’s addiction, obsession, love and hatred happening all at the same time. You never really know if Miriam wants to kill her or kiss her or both.

This book is also incredibly unpredictable – I genuinely had no idea how the book was going to conclude. Cybil and Miriam are so cunning, so intelligent I could not guess for the life of me how they were going to outsmart each other. At the same time, the book makes you ponder where do we draw the boundary between love and hate? Cybil and Miriam’s relationship is so complex and messy and toxic, but also really beautiful. I will always love the tortured, broken woman who is worshipped by an immortal trope.

My issues with this novel were very small. I think the prose can be wordy at times and the timeline resets can be tedious at times, having to establish everything again which can be heavy on exposition, but nonetheless, this is a book I’d easily recommend to literature students.

[Kaitlynn L · Rating 5 out of 5]

“She pictured her biting her lip hard enough to make it bleed pulling her hair until Cybil was gasping, pushing her against the trunk of the tree. Cybil felt as if her blood had gone molten, and her hand drifted between her legs. She pressed her fingers against herself, trembling, imagining Richter’s hand instead of her own. The fantasy was so clear in her mind she could hear that dark voice saying, My dear, if this was what you wanted, you need only have asked-“ - HELLOOO WLW

Miriam Richter is a powerful shadow entity that was created by humans for their own personal gain. Cybil Harding is a first daughter, which is a curse in their family that the first daughter has powers but also destruction surrounding them constantly.

This story takes place in three different settings, each with the same person, different names, different time line, all in England. Miriam yearns to take Cybil’s soul after finding out who she was and the power that leaks from her. Cybil has always been alone, family and friend wise, and would always notice the shadows that cling to her. Then, Miriam made herself appear to Cybil and Cybil eventually made a deal out of desperation and hatred. This deal sparked a hunt and chase throughout centuries.

WOW, this story is just wow. The emotions were there and you can genuinely feel each emotion throughout the book. The character development is phenomenal and you become to love/hate and also understand both Cybil and Miriam. Their love is truly toxic, beautiful, and a cat and mouse dynamic. I did love the wlw representation and how the characters never shy away from it. The ending was truly something that I never expected and was shocked to say the least. I will be looking forward to reading more books from this author!

This book will be great for anyone that enjoys gothic romance, LGBTQIAP+ representation , and a strong fmc. This book also reminded me of One Dark Window and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue with the shadow entities, so if you loved reading those two books, you would love reading this one as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Natasha Siegel and William Morrow for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Books_the_Magical_Fruit]

Alas, this story wasn’t for me. I don’t really subscribe to the toxic love/hate relationship trope, and I *really* didn’t like Miriam. I liked Cybil just fine, and I wish the story had just been about her adventures because she was SO smart. I loved reading about her figuring things out, and I admired her strength of character despite so much adversity.

I saw my friend Denise’s review just now, and she perfectly described why I didn’t like it: It’s very heavy on the romance, and, while the plots seem similar, “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab has a lot less romance. I requested an advance copy of this because I loved the latter book so much, and I’m honestly disappointed to not like the former. ☹️ DNF.

FYI: It’s an extremely slow burn, and that’s also a major part of the reason I couldn’t get into the story.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

[rose ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“when you die in my arms, darling, it will be on my terms, not yours.”

the opposite of “no grave can hold my body down.” no grave can hold YOUR body down because you aren’t allowed to die until i say so.

in 16th century england, a demon offers a cursed witch a bargain: reincarnation in exchange for her soul. the witch, unwilling to part with her soul so easily, counters: if she can break her family curse before her time is up, her soul remains her own. and so a deal is struck, and a cat-and-mouse chase across lives and centuries begins.

as miriam pursues cybil, the pair find themselves drawn together again and again in an obsessive romance and battle of wills and wits. only one can triumph in the end, and yet in each other they find a strange solace and bond across lonely lifetimes.

perfect for fans of killing eve and faustian bargains, as many souls as stars is truly everything i wanted it to be and more. it’s dark, haunting, and ruinously romantic as it asks how much of our identity—and our fate—is determined by who others believe we are, and how far we will go to sate our hunger. i just adored siegel’s take on the faustian bargain (particularly that ending!) and her lovely, haunting prose.

if you like your yearning toxic yet devastating and appreciate a gothic historical fantasy setting, don’t miss out on this one. it’s one of my top books of 2025 and i will be yapping about it for the foreseeable future.

i received an ARC from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

rating: 5.0/5.0 stars

[Sam’s Sapphic Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy. Shit.

The novel follows a young witch named Harding, a woman born with a curse. The first daughter that will only know destruction during her life. A demon, Richter, in eternal life makes deals with mortals and eats their soul.

A deal made with the devil. A fight across centuries has started between the two, both destined for terrible things. It’s a game of cat and mouse with no winner. Light and dark. Love and hate. Both living the life of loneliness. The same but different.

An absolute round of applause for the author, Natasha Siegel, for this masterpiece. Harding was a force to be reckoned with from the beginning, and Richter thought she could control her, take her for her own. But you can’t hold light in your hands and expect it not to burn you.

As Many Souls as Stars may have jumped to my number one book of the year so far, it’s the kind of book you wish you could read again for the first time.

Please note: I received an arc copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Brooke (B for Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very impressed with the execution of the premise. A shadow soul-eater and an immortal girl with a first-daughter curse make a bargain and encounter each other across three different life times. The curse of the first daughter is brutal and provides the motivation to make a deal with a shadow.

I loved the world building and lore of the witch hunters and occultist family. The shadow demon wants to collect souls. It just may have messed with the wrong witches this time. "She enjoys it when you are afraid"

"Love had given her just as many souls as greed had"

The description said this is for fans of Addie LaRue, I also got City of Brass vibes. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced release copy of As Many Souls As Stars, expected release date November 25, 2025

[Toribetweenpages · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of Addie Larue, but make it sapphic and enemies that are lovers (NOT enemies to lovers***)

Siegel is a word smith. Her writing so beautiful wrapping around your soul and pulling tight with the pain of this story.

Can love make even a demon feel humanity?

[Amy Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book of 2026 and it's 5 stars!

This is split into 3 acts, following Cybil/Esther/Rosamund Harding's 3 lives. I really enjoyed how each act was its own complete story, yet also fit into the overarching narrative. The writing was also incredible.

I really liked Miriam and Harding, and their love/hate relationship. I don't really subscribe to the message of you can't have love without hate, but it worked for them and this book. A little unsure of the ending, but again, it fit the book.

[Denise Ruttan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this sweeping, toxic sapphic past lives fantasy romance but it certainly won't be for everyone. I'm not sure the comp title of Addie LaRue is entirely appropriate; this book was very dark and full of a dance of betrayal, hate, and love. Whereas Addie was quite whimsical, with romance only a subplot. Sometimes I wonder if anybody actually reads their comp titles. The only thing it had in common with this book was women who live unnaturally long lives, so if you're expecting the whimsy of that book, you're going to be disappointed.

Cybil is born to a magical family at a time when witches are being persecuted, but as a First Daughter she supposedly carries the family curse of death and destruction wherever she goes. She meets a demon, Miriam, who sees the light of her soul and becomes desperate to make a deal to consume her. But through manipulation and trickery, Cybil manages to evade her for three lifetimes. The story is told in three time periods as Cybil becomes Esther, then Rosamund, as she tries to figure out how to outwit the curse and Miriam, and becomes undone by her through the years.

The two have a love story for the ages that blurs the boundaries of romance and made your standard predictable romance storyline interesting to me. But the lines of hate and love are thin with these two. I liked how Miriam wasn't a sparkly demon, and this is exactly how I would picture a monster falling in love over the centuries and being confused about if she wanted to consume her prey's soul or longed to have her in bed. I liked seeing Miriam's transformation even as she stayed toxic the whole time. It was sexy how possessive she was and how she thought Cybil's death would be hers alone and beautiful to her.

It was a little annoying how she kept calling her "my dear," but I'm not crazy about pet names.

I frequently wondered if this was really a romance as it often just seemed like a toxic love story, but these two played off each other deliciously and I loved the concept of a past lives romance. This was a sweeping, epic love story across time. An "I'd kill for you, and I'd kill you just to hear your lovely scream, darling" sort of love story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strong contender for favourite book of the year.

While this book is actually a faustian sapphic gothic historical fantasy, I think this is a novel the Dark Romance girlies would love
An obsessive and possessive demon stalks her prey across multiple lifetimes? Demon falls first? I ate this up. The book delivers. Add it to your tbr immediately.

[nihaarika · Rating 4 out of 5]

demon x witch toxic sapphics, a bargain for a soul and a love so obsessive that it crosses timelines? yes. i absolutely loved as many souls as stars.

[⋆｡°·☁︎ sydney ⋆｡°·☁︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!!!
The first fifty percent of this book had me in a CHOKEHOLD, I was obsessed. The characters were fascinating, the setting was fascinating, the plot was fascinating.
By eighty percent, I was slightly bored, things felt like they were happening over and over again. Internal and external dialogue felt so similar.
Ex.
Mariam: “you’re mine forever and ever, be my pookie please, I love you, you belong to me, I’m going to kill you etc.”
Cybil/Esther/rose whatever her name is: “not today satan. Actually, love you too. Actually, not today satan. Actually I want to get married under the stars. Lokey hate you though. Actually let’s go make out. Actually jkjk, wish you were dead. Actually— etc.” like bruh 💀
By ninety percent?
I was skipping paragraphs.
It was honestly just frustrating. Like the plot is DONE. It’s over. Please for the love OF GOD end the book. IM BEGGING YOU.
I loved the vision and the idea and TBH I was SAT for most of this book, until the writer began to get separation anxiety from her keyboard, and kept WRITING a book that should have ended 70 pages ago.
Three stars for all the great stuff in this book that I barely mentioned.

[౨ৎ]

invisible life of addie larue, faustian bargain, & toxic yuri holy trinity 🙂‍↔️

[⚔️Caitlyn🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay wow I ended up really liking this! The first 75-100 pages were slow but I think it was important to really build up her character and their relationship. I really enjoyed that ending I did not know what she was going to do and when she did I was LIKE GENIUS WOMAN YES YOU LEARNED SOMETHING IN YOUR THIRD REINCARNATION.

the writing in this was also beautiful I was really impressed. I usually find poets have such a pretty and lyrical style of writing that I really enjoyed. Some of the lines in this book i read several times because they were so good.

And Miriam and Cybil’s stories were equally as heartbreaking as it was delicious. I LOVE tragic love stories like this and I was so happy Cybil got to take back her power and turn the tables. This book was honestly the perfect length I’m gonna be thinking about them haha

I do wish these books weren’t always written in passive voice (though I get why they are) it just makes it harder to connect with them and it gives them an air of removal and less intensity than they deserve

[Jess (library.of.jess) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨5 stars ✨
🌶️ 1 spice 🌶️

‘I don’t think of you as my creator.’
‘Your destroyer, then.’
‘My reckoning.’

First off, thank you to Bloomsbury ANZ for allowing me an e-arc of this book on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What to expect in this
* Haunting atmosphere
* Sapphic (toxic) romance
* Beginning set in the 1500s - 1900s
* Family curses
* Witch x demon
* Lifetimes/rebirth/Souls
* Love or obsession?
* Cat and mouse game

This book exceeded all my expectations. This was truly a hauntingly beautiful story of witchery, rebirth, and obsessive love.

The story begins with Cybil, a cursed first born daughter with a like of loneliness and tragedy with the ability of witchcraft. Miriam, a demon in mortal form, becomes obsessed with the want of Cybils soul.
It was truly a push and pull relationships between the two women. It had me questioning whether Miriam was truly in love or was it obsession. Same goes for Cybil, was it love or was her lifetimes of loneliness that made it feel like love. It was a cycle of toxic love and obsession.

I was so fascinated by this whole plot. Three lifetimes, 3 souls. A continuous cycle of tragedy and love. I truly did not want to put it down. And I’m gonna say it right here right now, Miriam and Cybil were hot baddies. I can’t help it I state it how it is.

When they say this is for the lovers of The Invisble Life of Addie Larue, they meant it. This was as if Addie Larue and Luc were the only two characters.

This book truly had you thinking the whole time and I loved it. I felt all the emotions expelled in the story telling. I loved seeing the changed of Cybils character and how she becomes more determined and truly a woman of reckoning.

I loved it, I’m rambling and probably not making any sense because I mean…I’m not a writer I’m a reader for a reason…what I’m saying is you need to read this book.

Check TWs and CWs
Happy reading 🩶

[Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4 Stars⭐️
As Many Souls as Stars by Natasha Siegel is a unique story and written in such a beautiful prose, I loved it. This bewitching and epic tale of a sapphic and toxic romance spans centuries, it’s magical and gothic and not a romance in the way you would expect. The tale draws together reincarnation and witchy elements as it follows Cybil Harding, a cursed first born daughter and Miriam Richter a shadow soul-eater demon.

It’s interesting to witness the friendship, love and enemy side dynamics of the relationship throughout their journey in time. The book has excellent character development and is highly atmospheric.

If you enjoy VE Schwab’s writing and dark fantasy romance as I do, you will adore this! Grab yourself a copy, out now!

Publication Date 04 November 2025
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

Thank you so much Bloomsbury Publishing for a copy of the book.

[amandathebookworm 📚🪱 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere around 3.75 - 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so rounding up! & thank you to HarperCollins for the ARC! Let’s get into my thoughts 👇🏼


PLOT
The Richter family is suspicious to many because of their presumed witch ties. But the first daughters of the Richter family specifically are both blessed with the strongest magic but also cursed. When a demon notices the first daughter’s soul, she wants to consume it. & is willing to do basically anything tk have it. Over & over again. This book/
- historical romantic fantasy vibes
- starts in 1500s England
- “I’ll love you in any lifetime”
- sapphic romance with a witch & a demon
- low spice
- standalone


PROS
- Loved the characters. Our witch & our demon, both so well established. I loved the cat & mouse game over many lifetimes.
- I truly love anything multi-timeline & was fed with this.
- Extremely well written. Atmospheric & gothic at parts to match the time & setting while other parts were a bit brighter. I could see these places with crystal clarity in my mind.
- The ending/resolution was pretty cool!
- There were a few really stellar lines about being a woman in these timelines that I absolutely highlighted the shit out of.
- I think I most enjoyed the progression of the First Daughter over the course of the book. Watching her take what she’d learned & apply it to these new scenarios, this new relationship, was really fun to read.


MIDS
- I LIKED the romance but I also think its pacing was a little odd.


CONS
- I got a little bored the last 3rd I think. The story got a little repetitive & I was sort of just waiting for the end. I was SOOO into it before, & then I just found myself kind of hoping to wrap up this last bit to get to the climax.

[Kaitie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

🖤 Sapphic
✨️ Lush Prose
🖤 Gothic Atmosphere
✨️ Feminine Rage
🖤 Witchcraft

Audiobook read.

I definitely enjoyed this immersive story—and it is very reminiscent of both VE Schwab's Addie Larue and BOBITMS.

This gives vampire? Idk sapphic vampires have taken over my 2025, and Miriam totally gives vampire even though she is a lesbian demon cursed to eat souls. Cybil is a human who makes a bargain with her to escape her family curse, thus starting a cat-and-mouse dynamic that spans centuries, with Miriam determined that when it ends, she will have her soul. I really liked both of these characters, and Cybil's incarnate apparitions, of course.

This is a toxic love story, marked by a continuous power-struggle dynamic. I loved the juxtaposition of Miriam gaining humanity through Cybil's lifetimes while Cybil herself loses a little bit of humanity each time she finds herself born again in this world.

I found this very immersive to listen to, the prose is lush and descriptive. The story is captivating and creates a yearning to learn how it will progress. I also loved the undertones of feminine rage that routinely manifested throughout the story.

This is definitely worth the read. It has a very historical fantasy vibe and I loved how the author built this story based on witchcraft and demonic bargains.

𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓽𝓸 𝓝𝓮𝓽𝓰𝓪𝓵𝓵𝓮𝔂 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓗𝓪𝓻𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓲𝓸 𝓐𝓭𝓾𝓵𝓽 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓐𝓛𝓒 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴. 𝓐𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓯𝓮𝓮𝓭𝓫𝓪𝓬𝓴 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝔀𝓲𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷.

[Courtney N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blown. away. by. this. one.
5 stars 🌟
And out of 50 books read so far this year, this is easily in the top 5.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Let’s get into it!

⚡️I went into this book blind, choosing it simply because the cover and title drew me in (and the top line of an endorsement said it was perfect for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue… so immediately I’m there). I was a little hesitant about the comparison to my all time favorite book and of course there’s a always some tip-toeing when trying out a new-to-you author but I’m here to tell you, this DOES hold a flame to Addie LaRue, but it IS completely it’s own story and I WILL be picking up this author again.

⚡️This story, following a witch and a demon chase across centuries, was more than I could have hoped for. It was atmospheric, horrifying, beautiful, mysterious, intoxicating, transformative and impactful. Every page felt like walking in a vivid fever dream that you simultaneously love and fear and never want to end.

⭐️ What I loved:
- The creativity and uniqueness. As an avid reader I am sometimes jaded. I go into books feeling like I’ve read it all (not my favorite trait). But this book gave me something I’ve yet to come across in this way. And it happened to be something I was so incredibly in love with.
- The writing. You don’t even want to know how much of this book I have highlighted. It was gorgeous and some of those quotes had me audibly gasping.
- The “magic system” in this book felt so realistic that I was really starting to question if I could achieve it too.
- Cybil and Miriam. Two of the most intoxicating characters I’ve read recently. They were given such depth in such a short amount of time. I could have followed their journey for 100 more pages. It felt their possibilities were endless.
- I enjoyed the pacing in this one. The book was a consistent uphill ride. It just got better and better. Typically books have a lull or slow period in between big parts but I felt only the first part was slower paced and afterwards the book took off.
- The ending. I won’t spoil but this gave me one of my favorite kind of endings. It’ll have me thinking about it for a long time.

💫 Overall, yes. Highly recommend. I do believe if you loved Addie LaRue then you will love this. But this is also for fans of magical realism, historical fiction, witch hunts, dark romance, feminine rage, and LQBTQ+ romance.



⚠️ Trigger warnings (read at own risk):
This book does contain graphic violence/assault, death, toxic relationship dynamics, and anti-religious/god commentary.

[shotsofbrandy ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for the ARC I received.

A demon/witch romance with gothic vibes, the definition of enemies to lovers till the end, "touch her and I eat your soul", and LGBTQ?
What could go wrong? The answer is nothing, absolutely nothing.

"Have you ever had a dream so beautiful that when you woke up, you wept?"
"Do I feel like a dream?"
"You feel like the moment I wake up."

Cybil Harding. Esther Harding. Rosamund Harding. My love. My Harding. My favorite. I just wanted to put her soul in my pocket.
She won my heart from the beginning. I related to Cybil's loneliness more than I want to admit. I related to her want for more out of life. I related to her hatred towards herself, towards her family. But I also related to Harding's growth over the centuries. Each rebirth, she evolved. Each rebirth, she found her strength and power. Each rebirth, she got more out of life. It made me realize that each day is a rebirth and an opportunity to get more out of life, find my strength, and find my power.

Miriam Richter. My demon. My RICHTER.
She's so toxic, possessive, hot, and damaged, with never-ending love and hatred to give. My glasses must not be strong enough, because I would run right into all of her red flags.
I've never wanted a demon to eat my soul more. Miriam could have me. Like I would gladly hand over my soul without a single thought, just like Cybil. Miriam's growth throughout the story was beautiful and unexpected because I believed she was just a heartless demon filled with anger. Nope, not the case by the end of the book. I love her. I love her. I love her.

Richter's and Harding's love story was life-changing for me. It was breathtaking. It had me angry, crying, happy beyond belief, and then angry again. It was a rollercoaster. By the end, I wanted MORE. MORE. MORE. This book concludes perfectly as a standalone, and it does give room for the author to potentially add a book 2 if she wants. Everyone needs to read this book when it comes out. I will be screaming the moment I get my hands on it and can add it to my bookshelf.

[liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will find you in every lifetime (threat).

Have you ever wondered what it was like to read Addie LaRue but make her in a toxic as hell relationship with Luc (the spiritual concept of a human)…and also make it sapphic as hell? Boom! What a treat.


“I think I must love you. There must be no other word for what this is.”
“Love is supposed to be a kind thing, a beautiful thing. That’s what the world has always told me.”
“The world lied.”
“Yes. It did.”


3.5 stars rounded up. This took me a long time to get through because it was so rich and complex and magical.

I just love the dimension of the characters and challenging the concept of mortality and what it means to be human. It’s beautiful and it’s abstract and it’s compelling.

Fans of Alix E. Harrow & VE Schwab’s writing style will devour the ever loving soul out of this book :)

Thanks to William Morrow & NetGalley for the eARC.

[Althea ☾]

see u on Nov 25

[Sera Ozbek · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 - i love me a story with obsession/love/lust spanning over multiple lifetimes. come n get me miriam