The Light of the Midnight Stars

Contributors

By Rena Rossner

Formats and Prices

Price

$17.99

Price

$22.99 CAD

Experience an evocative combination of fantasy, history, and Jewish folklore in this lush and lyrical fairytale-inspired novel from the author of The Sisters of the Winter Wood.

Deep in the Hungarian woods, the sacred magic of King Solomon lives on in his descendants. Gathering under the midnight stars, they perform small miracles and none are more gifted than the great Rabbi Isaac and his three daughters. 

Hannah, bookish and calm, can coax plants to grow even when the weather is bitterly cold. Sarah, defiant and strong, can control the impulsive nature of fire. And Levana, the fey one, can read the path of the stars to decipher their secrets. 

But darkness is creeping across Europe, threatening the lives of every Jewish person in every village. Each sister will have to make an impossible choice in an effort to survive—and change the fate of their family forever.
 

Praise for The Light of the Midnight Stars:

"Storytelling as spellcasting. Rossner has conjured something vivid and wild and true."—Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies

"Rossner creates a lush, immersive world through which the sprawling plot meanders, punctuated by moments of intense grief. The result is as lovely as it is heartbreaking." —Publishers Weekly

"Rossner's tale is as lyrical as the slow growth of roots, the quick dance of fire, and the stately procession of the stars. Blending folktale with history, hope with tragedy, its touch will linger on your heart long after you put it down."—Marie Brennan

For more from Rena Rossner, check out The Sisters of the Winter Wood.

  • "Rossner creates a lush, immersive world through which the sprawling plot meanders, punctuated by moments of intense grief. The result is as lovely as it is heartbreaking."
    Publishers Weekly
  • "The Light of the Midnight Stars is storytelling as spellcasting. Rossner has conjured something vivid and wild and true.”
    Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Mercies
  • "Rossner's tale is as lyrical as the slow growth of roots, the quick dance of fire, and the stately procession of the stars. Blending folktale with history, hope with tragedy, its touch will linger on your heart long after you put it down."
    Marie Brennan, author of The Lady Trent Memoirs
  • "[A] masterful tale blending Jewish mysticism, fairy tales, and history."
    Booklist
  •  “A welcome tribute to Jewish resilience, imbued with elemental magic, folkloric traditions, and the transcendent power of love" 
    Jordanna Max Brodsky, author of The Wolf in the Whale
  • "With luscious and hypnotic prose, Rena Rossner tells a gripping, powerful story of family, sisterhood, and two young women trying to find their way in the world. I gulped it down!"
    Madeline Miller, author of The Song of Achilles and Circe on The Sisters of the Winter Wood
  • "Intricately crafted, gorgeously rendered...full of heart, history, and enchantment."
    Publishers Weekly (starred review) on The Sisters of the Winter Wood
  • "Rossner's debut weaves a richly detailed story of Jewish identity and sisterhood... emotionally charged, full of sharp historical detail and well-deployed Yiddish phrases...Ambitious and surprising."
    Kirkus on The Sisters of the Winter Wood
  • "The Sisters of the Winter Wood is a graceful, poetic, deeply moving novel. A simply gorgeous book in every sense."
    Louisa Morgan, author of A Secret History of Witches on The Sisters of the Winter Wood

On Sale
Jan 18, 2022
Page Count
432 pages
Publisher
Redhook
ISBN-13
9780316483773

Rena Rossner

About the Author

Rena Rossner hails from Miami Beach, Florida. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars Program and holds an MA in history from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She currently lives in Israel with her husband, five children, and a pug, where she works as a literary agent. Her grandparents and great-grandparents are from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, and Romania. Their stories inspire her work.

Learn more about this author