The beautiful daughters of a country scholar-merchant were trapped by circumstances in the Wildwood near their home. After breaking the spell-like circumstances forcing the girls to take solace with the Night People they return to the lives set before them. Paula is the fourth daughter and accompanies her father on a trip to Istanbul searching for an ancient pagan artifact.
Her father believes it necessary for Paula to be accompanied by a bodyguard in the foreign city. Soyan is a young man of honor and feels that a trip he made while in the employ of her father's friend left him vulnerable and resulted in the man's death and Stoyan now feels he can repay the debt to her father by protecting Paula. Paula highers the overly-honest man to be her protector. She shares her mission in Istanbul with Stoyan who knows of the statue of Cybele through his work for her father's friend.
Paula seeks the statue of an ancient goddess through new and influential friends in the city. The leading female scholar in Istanbul allows Paula to examine her library. Manuscripts lead the young woman to a secret society centered around Cybele (said Ke-beh-leh). The cult has already killed one member of the rare books community--Stoyan's previous employer, the friend Paula's father traveled to Istanbul to meet. The search for Cybele's statue becomes more and more dangerous as Paula discovers this mission isn't only a task from her father. Paula and the search for the Cybele statue are tied by a quest set by the Night People.
When her new acquaintances prove to be more dangerous and untrustworthy than she expected Paula's father is threatened, and Paula and Stoyan try to stay a step ahead of Cybele's cult as they search for a statue to change the world.
Young adult readers who enjoyed Wildwood Dancing and Anna of Byzantium will find similarities in Cybele's Secret. The Byzantine influence on European characters blends old-world with new-world mythology. The story of a goddess misunderstood and sought for multiple reasons will interest readers who enjoy strong female characters while the connection between Paula and Stoyan adds a romantic overtone for young adult and teen readers.
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