Title: The Light of the Midnight Stars
Author: Rena Rossner
Genre: Fantasy
Page Count: 432 pages
Expected Publication Date: April 13, 2021
Published By: Redhook Books
Rating: 4.75/5
Similar Books: We Hunt the Flame, You Asked for Perfect, Cinderella is Dead, Girls of Paper and Fire
Plot Summary: Deep in the Hungarian woods, the sacred magic of King Solomon lives on in his descendants. Gathering under the midnight stars, they pray, sing and perform small miracles - and none are more gifted than the great Rabbi Isaac and his three daughters. Each one is blessed with a unique talent - whether it be coaxing plants to grow, or predicting the future by reading the path of the stars.
When a fateful decision to help an outsider ends in an accusation of witchcraft, fire blazes through their village. Rabbi Isaac and his family are forced to flee, to abandon their magic and settle into a new way of life. But a dark fog is making its way across Europe and will, in the end, reach even those who thought they could run from it. Each of the sisters will have to make a choice - and change the future of their family forever.
I learned about "The Light of the Midnight Stars" while I was looking for books with Jewish representation, and when I found this one that was also Sapphic I could not contain my excitement. Much to my dismay I learned that the book wasn't going to be published until April. So I went to Netgalley, put in my request, and the next day I was granted access to an advanced reader copy.
When reading this book I had an overwhelming sense of reading a book that was written specifically for me. Every little thing made this book nearly perfect; from the use of Yiddish, to the beautifully developed characters, and the world they lived in. I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude that this book was written. I have so much trouble finding books that represent Jewish people as more than just victims of the Shoah. This novel creates beautifully complex characters that show the beauty of Judaism, and also the struggles we have had with antisemitism for centuries.
I do want to say for anyone who is considering reading this THERE IS GRAPHIC ANTISEMITISM IN THIS BOOK. I did not know this before reading, and usually I can handle reading about antisemitism, but this was graphic, and I didn't know it would be there. So if you do want to read this book please know that there is a graphic description of antisemitism.
One of the main reasons why I didn't give this book a full five stars is because of some of the things I think could possibly play into antisemitic stereotypes. This could just be me being paranoid, but with there being so much hatred towards Jews I think it's important to bring up. The first is when Guvriel makes a joke about his nose being big. The "Jewish nose" is something that my family and myself have had to deal with. I know this was meant to be a lighthearted and meaningless joke, but it just made me worry about the people who aren't Jewish that will read this book. Another time a character talks about controlling the weather. This is something that even today we are accused of doing. Again call me paranoid, but as a Jewish person I was nervous about non-jews reading this.
Getting past that I really loved the writing style, and the story. It was moving, heartbreaking, and so incredibly intriguing. I really loved this book, and I will definitely be buying a copy when it comes out in April. I certainly recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy because this is a really great book.