As Many Souls as Stars

Historical fiction author Siegel (Solomon’s Crown) spins a tale of dark sapphic romance in her addictive fantasy debut. As a First Daughter of her family, Cybil Harding is cursed from her birth in 1576 with dark, chaotic magic that dooms the people around her. Previous generations of the Harding family left firstborn daughters in the woods for the wolves, but Cybil’s father, Christopher, is convinced their family’s magic is a blessing and believes he can break Cybil’s curse. While he flounders trying to do so, Cybil grows up unintentionally leaving death and destruction everywhere she goes. When Christopher attempts to summon a demon to break the curse, Miriam Richter, a creation of the shadows, answers the call—only to reap Christopher’s soul. Later, however, when the witchfinder catches up with Cybil, Miriam steps in and makes her a deal: Cybil will be reincarnated each time a first daughter is born and will have 23 years in each lifetime to try to break the curse before Miriam returns for her soul. Thus agreed, the pair begin a cat-and-mouse dance across centuries. Siegel’s historical scene-setting stays vivid and impressive as the periods change, and the tension-filled dynamic between the leads keeps the pages turning. Fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue will be enthralled. Agent: Catherine Cho, Paper Literary. (Nov.)