The Light of the Midnight Stars
Mid-1300s, the Hungarian woods. As descendants of King Solomon, Hannah, Sarah, and Levana possess sacred magic. But their abilities will be put to the test when a black mist envelops the land, spreading fear and death. When their community is blamed and attacked, the family barely escapes. However, what they leave behind, their Jewish faith and magic, may be the only thing that can save them from the darkness continuing to spread across the lands.
From shapeshifting to miraculous healings to reading the stars to riding on cloud dragons, The Light of Midnight Stars starts off as a strong example of folklore at its finest. We meet a faith-filled family with abilities that gradually strengthen and define each sister. Then tragedy takes the lives of people they love, and the sisters quickly lose their spark. They’ll do whatever they can to protect their family, even if it means meeting men they should avoid, allowing another’s husband to force himself on one of the sisters, and sacrificing their happiness. One sister almost justifies the continued rape she suffers in her mind, going so far as to protect the man in battle, which is a hard swallow. Hannah is the only one who uses her fantastical powers to help her family and to seek justice. I’d hoped the other two sisters, also magically gifted, would use their abilities to better their lives.
Conversely, Rossner illustrates how faith can strengthen a person in their darkest hour as well as the cost of suffering (both as a strength and at times a weakness) for those you love. There is a haunting dissonance coupled with a harmonious beauty contained within Rossner’s prose. The story is a love letter to the women of Jewish faith who have been chased from their community and must find their roots again.
