Thank you NetGalley and GalleryBooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Why have I slept on Kristin Harmel’s writing for so long? What took me so long to get to this book? Why was I putting it off? What’s wrong with me?!

This book was incredible!! There was so much that happened in less than 400 pages, but it was so well told. What these people went through to survive in the wilderness during this time is unbelievable.

I’ve read a lot of historical fiction set in this time period, but none that told this story from this point of view. There were so many lessons about life, love, and family to take away from this novel.

It is very strong on the religious front, but that did not have any negative bearing on my end. I enjoyed how open the religious conversations were.

I highly recommend this one, and cannot wait to read more by this author.

Kristin Hamel is a very good Author. This review has no ill will against her or the way she writes. This book was just not for me. I have tried to read it 5 times and have also tried the audiobook. But when it comes to mentions of anything war related I can not seem to pick it up afterward. Sadly, I DNF this book. I will look forward to seeing what else this author tells within her stories.

Thank you for allowing me to "attempt" to read this book!

The Forest of Vanishing Stars was a refreshing take on the WWII novel. I loved the element of the forest and nature as well as all of the bravery shown.

I always like when I'm able to find a WWII novel that explores stories I didn't know much about before. This novel digs deep into what it was like for those who took refuge in the vast woods in Europe during the war. While the story is fictional it is based on stories of real people who did similar things to the characters in this book to survive.

While I found the main character a bit hard to believe at times given her background and what was happening, I did like the novel. The world building within is fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. I enjoy her quality of writing and her grasp on time and place. I would continue reading her historical novels in the future.

I was not able to get in to the storyline of this one. If in the future I attempt to read this again I will update my feedback!

I'm not sure what took me so long to read this...I feel like I'm a little burnt out on WW2 books since that has dominated the historical fiction market for so long but SERIOUSLY! This is not "just" a WW2 historical fiction. There is a magical element (but not too much) and some romance. It was splendid and I appreciate the ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.

3.5 stars

I liked the idea of this story, but from the get I could tell what would end up happening, based on the original characters and timing.

Story was moving and fanciful. I enjoyed it.

Oops - so sorry I forgot to send the feedback on this book! I did read it back in Oct 2021.

This is a WWII era historical fiction with a heavy dose of fantasy element in it. I didn't find it super memorable, in either a good or a bad way. It's about a young woman who was kidnapped and raised by an old woman, learned to live off the land, and then went on her own journey. There's a lot of self discovery and that kind of thing. I really feel like this one falls less into the WWII category than many others I've read.

A moving story based on real life experiences. Very well written and researched, I now know why everyone loves books written by Kristin Harmel. The story is surrounded Yona, kidnapped at the age of 2 years old from a prominent German couple in 1922. She is raised by a old lady of 82, learning to survive in the vast woods of Poland. Fast forward 20 years later and Yona is in the middle of WW2 and first time on her own when Jerusza passes away. Trying to survive using the skills she learned was second nature to her, but showing and sharing her knowledge to refugees, Jews hiding from the Nazis was a inner battle she fought. Not use to people, but yet craving companionship she leads a group into hiding. The story unfolds and one reads and learns of the struggles of the Jewish people to survive during a time of great atrocities.
Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #TheForest of Vanishing Stars #KristinHarmel

This is a magnificent book, full of the sights and smells of the deep forests of Poland and Russia.

Based loosely on real people during the troubling times of World War II in Europe, this is the story of an old woman, a young toddler and the wisdom that is passed from one to the other. Jerusza, a wizened crone of a character, teaches Yona all Jerusza knows and all Yona will ever need to know to survive the times to come - how to survive off the land, off what the forest offers, off of her own wits and wisdom. The day arrives when everything Yona has learned is put to the test.

The Germans search out every Jew and Russian dissenter they can find throughout Europe. They search towns, cities and forests, trying to stomp out those who don't agree with them politically. It is Yona's task to keep her rag-tag group alive, and every ounce of knowledge she has gained is put to the test.

But, Yona has a past that not even she could have known about.

The book was un-put-downable. So, so highly recommended!

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-forest-of-vanishing-stars-kristin-harmel/1137938564#reviews-header

Yona hid behind a tree…so many, many times. This book was slow. I honestly don’t know how I managed to get through it, I was determined because I saw hope in the story, but it just did not grab me. I guess I just kept hoping it would get better.

Maybe it was all of the hype surrounding this book that made me feel this way, but "The Forest of Vanishing Stars" by Kristin Harmel left me wanting more. The book was meticulously researched and I liked the storyline enough, especially the bits of magical realism (so unexpected in a book about the Holocaust) and the spiritual undertones of the novel, but this book could really use a good edit. It was a bit too long and dragged in parts because of repetitive passages, and I wish Yona's character had been more developed. To me, I think it reads more as YA than adult fiction. There were also continuity errors, the most notably being the insertion of the name "Eva" instead of "Yona" at one point, as well as a passage that said Yona had been in the woods only two months, but also that she moved camp every few months. Huh? Honestly, I thought the best part of the book was the author's note at the end about the real history that inspired the story-it inspired me to do some further reading.

Overall, this was a great idea for a story, but in my opinion, the execution was lacking. I'm glad I read it, but I won't reread it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

Every time I think I have read every angle of WWII, @kristinharmel finds a new story to tell that surprises me. This story is about an amazing young German woman, Yona, who was kidnapped as a baby and raised in the woods near Poland by Jerusza in isolation. Why? Destiny! From the moment Yona is on her own, she tries her very best to aid, teach and lead the Jewish people she met to teach them how to survive in the woods. She saw each person for who they were, a human being first. The story is beautiful and I highly recommend it. It is not a true story of one person per say, however the book is based on many Jewish people who did survive in the forests in Poland during WWII. The audiobook is excellent and I really enjoyed the author notes at the end. This quote is from the end notes: “Be kind to our fellow man, be nice if at all possible.”

I am determined to read more books by Kristin Harmel. I love her writing style and the couple of stories that I have read have captured my heart. Reading all her books may take me into 2023 but that is ok. Look out LF Libraries I will be searching for her books when I stop by to visit.

Yona has lived her entire life raised by the woman who admits on her deathbed to having kidnapped her. Taught how to survive in the wild as well as how to fend for herself in a confrontation with men, Yona is self sufficient, wary of others... and lonely. When she comes across a group of Jews fleeing Nazi attempts to exterminate them, she is torn. On the one hand she feels compelled to help them, but on the other is wary of entanglement. Committing to help for a short time Yona soon finds a purpose in the group and a sense of belonging that feel threatened over time as the Nazis venture further into the forest in search of them.

I have seen Kristin Harmel's books out there and been meaning to read one but this is the first book I've read of hers and I enjoyed it. I've mentioned this in other reviews but a real bugaboo for me with historical fiction is how authors can so often use just a small portion of history as a backdrop for the rest of their story and not really get into history that much, often centering on a romance story. I actually wish the entire genre of historical fiction would split into two subgenres: stories with history as a small backdrop and stories with history front and center as real and and integral to the plot as a character itself - the latter would hands down be more what I'm interested in. Interestingly despite all that this story was more the type with history just on in the background and yet, and yet it worked. I think it helped that the synopsis for it made it clear that this was character driven so I went in with the proper expectations. But there was sufficient history throughout and it wasn't just a star crossed lovers story inserted into history which I was grateful for. I will note as some readers felt Yona wasn't believable that there was just a bit of magical realism to the plot in the way that Yona's kidnapper saw the future and in aspects about Yona that bordered on the magical. I took it that way and suspended disbelief about a few things as a result. Had that aspect not been there, it is true it would have been harder to believe one person could know so much, about the woods, fighting, speaking different languages and etc.

Harmel wrote The Forest of Vanishing Stars with a great deal of dramatic tension that would have been very much a part of the lives of the groups of Jews whose plight it was based on who found themselves wandering the woods of Eastern Europe literally trying to survive, especially in winter, and also evade the Nazis that hunted them. She did a great job of showing how they survived but also in never letting the tension disappear for the reader of the worries of the group being discovered which allowed the reader to inhabit a tiny bit of the space and stress felt by those who actually lived it. Overall a very compelling and interesting book and worth the read. I will be looking up other stories by this author in future.

A big thank you to the publisher for allowing me an ARC to read through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars was a great read. It gave a different perspective of WWII that many do not read about.

Yona is kidnapped from her family home in Berlin at age two by Jerusza and raised to survive in the forest. As the war in Germany heats up, they move to Poland. When Yona turns twenty, Jerusza dies leaving Yona to live alone. One day as Yona is moving her camp she comes across a group of Jews that have escaped the nearest Ghetto. She commits to helping the group stay safe from the Germans. Little does she know how this small act will change her life forever.

This is a wonderful story about survival, finding love, and becoming part of a community. It is based on a true story and actual events. The writing is spectacular and had me hooked in the first chapter. It has many charming characters that warm your heart and some that you just want to vanish. My favorite character is Yona because she experiences so many difficult things, yet comes out even stronger. If you love reading WWII stories, this is the perfect book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

From the first page, I was drawn in by the Rapunzel-like situation. The main character, Yona, was developed in a way that was so realistic. I felt like I knew her. Even as a young girl, seeds of faith were planted in her and it was beautiful to see how it grew in her heart amid heartbreaking circumstances.

I also loved the story about the nuns and learning how they stood up against the Germans. The story of Yona’s real parents is also shocking.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars delivered and was so satisfying to read from start to finish. Thank you NetGalley!

I love Kristin Harmel and I was so excited to read this one. I was unable to read this one in time. But I would have loved this one I know it. I will be buying a copy for myself.

Kristin Harmel has, once again, written a story that captured my heart.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Time: WWII
Format: 🎧
Pub Date: 7.6.2021
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"In the times of greatest darkness, the light always shines through because there are people who stand up to do brave, decent things."

I loved The Winemaker's Wife and was worried that I wouldn't get the same feelings from Forest of Vanishing Stars. While I was right that I didn't have the same feelings, it was because this was a wholly different story. I'm glad that I finally took the time to read/listen to this book and appreciate the beauty of Kristin Harmel's writing.

I appreciated so much about this book, but I'd have to say the all-encompassing teachings provided by Jerusza were my favorite; she included several religions (including witchcraft), but there was also a deep appreciation for the earth and what it can provide. I loved seeing how Yona came to grasp the importance of what she learned from Jerusza.

Forest of Vanishing Stars was a unique look at the WWI era. I learned about a new faction of the war and the very real people who were able to escape to the forest when their lives became endangered.

🎧 Perfectly narrated audiobook
🌳 Unique look at WWII
👩🏽 Complexity of female relationships
💔 Raw, emotional, and masterfully told story
❗️Must read Author's Note

I recommend you read The Forest of Vanishing Stars if you're a fan of The Nightingale or The Huntress.

What has been your favorite fictional WWII novel?