As Many Souls as Stars
The breakout gothic historical sapphic fantasy of 2025
Will be published approx. on 27. August 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-5266-8460-8 (ISBN)
Description
'A gorgeous Gothic romance' Heat Magazine
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.
Praise for AS MANY SOULS AS STARS 'Siegel's prose is enrapturing as she spins a tale that crosses centuries. A dark and dreamy portrait of two star-crossed souls finding one another again and again through time. Delicious and heartbreaking in equal measure - I couldn't put it down' Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, Sunday Times Bestselling author of The Principle of Moments
'Dark longing waltzes hand-in-hand with historical elegance in this hypnotic gothic tale' S. T. Gibson, author of A Dowry of Blood
'With lyrical writing and a poet's touch, Siegel delivers an epic story of deep loneliness, tormented love, and one woman's quest to set herself free - no matter how many lives she must be born into' Sunyi Dean, bestselling author of The Book Eaters
'This is a gorgeously written tale of a Faustian bargain and a dangerous game of desire and destruction across the centuries. Vividly conjuring up different time periods and the shadows that haunt those women who are called monstrous, the book kept me as spellbound as any of the circles of salt within its pages' Sarah Brooks, author of The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands
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.
Praise for AS MANY SOULS AS STARS 'Siegel's prose is enrapturing as she spins a tale that crosses centuries. A dark and dreamy portrait of two star-crossed souls finding one another again and again through time. Delicious and heartbreaking in equal measure - I couldn't put it down' Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, Sunday Times Bestselling author of The Principle of Moments
'Dark longing waltzes hand-in-hand with historical elegance in this hypnotic gothic tale' S. T. Gibson, author of A Dowry of Blood
'With lyrical writing and a poet's touch, Siegel delivers an epic story of deep loneliness, tormented love, and one woman's quest to set herself free - no matter how many lives she must be born into' Sunyi Dean, bestselling author of The Book Eaters
'This is a gorgeously written tale of a Faustian bargain and a dangerous game of desire and destruction across the centuries. Vividly conjuring up different time periods and the shadows that haunt those women who are called monstrous, the book kept me as spellbound as any of the circles of salt within its pages' Sarah Brooks, author of The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands
Reviews / Votes
Siegel delivers a story that is at once sumptuous and seductive, searing and sinister, an homage to possession, rage, and mortal fears that will capture readers as assuredly as a deal with the devil -- Laura R. Samotin, author of The Sins on Our Bones Haunting, beautiful and rippling with tension, AMSAS is crafted with razor sharp precision that over spills into blood. I could not look away -- Rosie Talbot, author of Sixteen Souls With lyrical writing and a poet's touch, Siegel delivers an epic story of deep loneliness, tormented love, and one woman's quest to set herself free - no matter how many lives she must be reborn into -- Sunyi Dean, author of The Book Eaters Siegel's prose is enrapturing as she spins a tale that crosses centuries. A dark and dreamy portrait of two star-crossed souls finding one another again and again through time. Delicious and heartbreaking in equal measure - I couldn't put it down -- Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, Sunday Times Bestselling author of The Principle of Moments Lyrical, haunting, captivating . . . reminiscent of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Filled with soul stealing lines, this is a book that will stay with you -- Rachel Greenlaw, author of The Ordeals Dark longing waltzes hand-in-hand with historical elegance in this hypnotic gothic tale -- S. T. Gibson, author of A Dowry of Blood With lyrical writing and a poet's touch, Siegel delivers an epic story of deep loneliness, tormented love, and one woman's quest to set herself free - no matter how many lives she must be born into -- Sunyi Dean, bestselling author of The Book Eaters This is a gorgeously written tale of a Faustian bargain and a dangerous game of desire and destruction across the centuries. Vividly conjuring up different time periods and the shadows that haunt those women who are called monstrous, the book kept me as spellbound as any of the circles of salt within its pages -- Sarah Brooks, author of The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the WastelandsMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-5266-8460-8 (9781526684608)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Natasha Siegel is a writer of historical fiction, fantasy, and romance. She was born and raised in London, where she grew up in a Danish-Jewish family surrounded by stories.
She studied English and History at the University of York, and she has an MA in Early Modern Studies from University College London, where her research specialised in Anglo-Jewish, and colonial history in the 17th century. Her studies inspired a passion for historical narratives and folklore: her novels interweave magic and real-world settings to tell stories about queer, Jewish, and otherwise marginalised characters throughout history.
She has a particular fondness for Early Modern tragedy and romance, which have informed much of her work, including her first fantasy novel, As Many Souls as Stars: a sapphic historical fantasy inspired by the Faustus legend. She lives in North-West London with her partner and spends her spare time chasing after the family dog, a rescue lurcher named Cleo.
Natasha was shortlisted for the Foyle's young poet of the year award. Her US debut, Solomon's Crown, was a New York Times editor's choice. As Many Souls As Stars released in October 2025 with Bloomsbury UK and is her UK and fantasy debut.
She studied English and History at the University of York, and she has an MA in Early Modern Studies from University College London, where her research specialised in Anglo-Jewish, and colonial history in the 17th century. Her studies inspired a passion for historical narratives and folklore: her novels interweave magic and real-world settings to tell stories about queer, Jewish, and otherwise marginalised characters throughout history.
She has a particular fondness for Early Modern tragedy and romance, which have informed much of her work, including her first fantasy novel, As Many Souls as Stars: a sapphic historical fantasy inspired by the Faustus legend. She lives in North-West London with her partner and spends her spare time chasing after the family dog, a rescue lurcher named Cleo.
Natasha was shortlisted for the Foyle's young poet of the year award. Her US debut, Solomon's Crown, was a New York Times editor's choice. As Many Souls As Stars released in October 2025 with Bloomsbury UK and is her UK and fantasy debut.