A marvelous and revealing story of survival on many levels. The author presents information about an aspect of Jewish survival during World War II of which I had no knowledge. Beautifully written novel.

What a remarkable read! I was swept away from the start, into the heart of the forest, richly written with vivid details, and into the heart of Yona, our brave but innocent heroine. This is a World War II novel unlike any I’ve read, and was woven with the results of the author’s deep research, which only made the book more gripping.

Yona is kidnapped by a mysterious gypsy-like woman at age two and spends the next 20 years with her captor living deep in the forest, avoiding humanity, hunting and gathering their food, and venturing into nearby villages in the dark of night to take what they need.

However, Yona’s captor, Jerusza, is a brilliant and worldly woman who teaches her everything she knows about the forest, the world, and survival.

Far from the safety of their forest, war is raging across Europe and the Holocaust is in full throttle. When Jerusza dies, Yona is left alone, but soon encounters a band of Jewish refugees, innocents in the wilderness, whom she realizes need her help, which she is driven to provide regardless of the danger to herself. Amongst them she discovers, love, betrayal, and loss.

This is my first novel from this author; I will be reading more.

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction with strong heroines, suspense, lush landscapes, and an inspiring ending.

What an unusual, heartbreaking yet somehow life affirming book! It starts out like a fairy tale but moved on to be more of a tale of survival and the horrors of an inhuman war waged in Poland. I had read and enjoyed The Book Of Lost Names, so I had to read this book and, although they were both set in the same time period , they were very different stories. This is an important story to be told, so it won't be forgotten.

I was fortunate enough to read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is a powerful book with beautifully written characters. It’s a very unique look at WW2 and the plight of many Jews who had escaped the ghetto and were just trying to survive in the forests. I thought the protagonist Yona was very compelling and I found myself really invested in her journey. It’s a historical fiction novel with rich characters and an angle of WW2 that hasn’t been examined often. This book was surprisingly good!!! I highly recommend it and look forward to reading future novels by the same author.

After reading The Book of Lost Names last year, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read another book by Kristin Harmel, and this one did not disappoint. Most of the story takes place in the wild and untamed Naliboki Forest of Belarus in 1941, where a young woman named Yona, the daughter of a German officer, is raised in the forest by an elderly woman (possibly a witch) who kidnapped her as a child claiming that she was sparing her from a family that was evil.

Yona's kidnapper was very knowledgeable about the gifts and dangers of the forest and studiously passed her knowledge along to Yona as if she had foretold that these skills would be needed after her death and that Yona was exactly the person to make use of them. For a time after the old woman dies, Yona is alone in the forest, surviving as she has been trained, but also longing for human connection and companionship, which basically lands at her feet when she begins to cross paths with small groups of Jews that are fleeing the nearby German occupied villages. Yona puts her skills to use teaching them to survive and disappear into the forest, which for some is simply the lesser of two evils they face.

This book was a completely different take on the WW2 historical fiction stories I have read in the past. It contained elements of magical realism, survival story, and overcoming the atrocities of wartime. It is suspenseful and also laced with precious moments of human connection as you follow Yona's story of blossoming into the tenacious woman she was destined to be. Quite simply, I could not put this book down.

Thank you to Gallery Books, Kristin Harmel, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#theforestofvanishingstars #gallerybooks #kristinharmel #netgalley

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.


This book’s beginning reminded me of a fairytale where the ‘old witch’
kidnaps the baby from her parents and raises the child in the woods.
It seems almost supernatural in some aspects.

When the child grows to adulthood, the old woman, at 102, dies. This leaves the young woman, Yona, alone in the woods. However, she possesses many skills that the older woman taught her about survival in the forest.

Those skills come in very handy when Yona meets up with a group of Jewish people fleeing from a Polish ghetto and the German army intent on killing them. Yona helps the refugees out by teaching them her survival skills. Miraculously the group survives the first winter in the forest. They pick up more Jewish families that have also escaped the Germans.

Ultimately, Yona comes face to face with her father who recognizes her by her unusual eyes and the birthmark on her wrist. Their time together is short but, they make an impact on each other.

If you are interested in historical fiction from the era of World War 2, this may be the book for you. I have read a few books from this period and this was one I especially enjoyed.

Beautifully written book! 4.5 rounded up to 5 for its uniqueness! I've read many WWII novels before, all of which have had their own highly important stories, but The Forest of Vanishing Stars had such a different setting and viewpoint that it gives the reader a unique spin on a time period that should never be forgotten. This story is about strength and resiliance, about light in the face of darkness, about finding home; and it's also about nature and beauty. The backdrop of the forest, the uniqueness of Yona's childhood, the large cast of characters - all of it come together to carve out a special place for The Forest of Vanishing Stars among historical fiction books. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Gallery Books, Kristin Harmel, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#theforestofvanishingstars #gallerybooks #kristinharmel #netgalley

Kristin Harmel does it again. I have read a fair share of WWII era books, but none quite like this. Yona, our protagonist, was stolen from her parents when she was 2 and has lived deep in the forest since then. When the Germans begin to exterminate the Jews in Poland, Yona comes face-to-face with people for the first time. And she makes decisions that have deep and resounding consequences. I could not put this book down, the tension build kept me turning pages and the characters are so well done. I strongly recommend this one. Thank you to Galley Books and Netgalley for the advanced readers ebook in exchange for my honest review.

It is a beautiful story written in a magical way, which is such an accomplishment given that the subject matter is surviving in the forest during WW II. It seems well-researched. I felt I learned and I was inspired.

2.5

I really liked the beginning of this book, but throughout the rest, I throughout the pacing was off. If you like whimsical writing, then you might like this. If you want a unique historical fiction set around World War 2, I would recommend this.

This one had so many interesting elements. It felt like Tangled meets Where the Crawdads Sing meets The Nightingale. There is lots to make for an interesting story, with a kidnapping, years of forest survival and aiding Jews during the Holocaust. While this book drew me in right away and held my attention, it felt like there were too many "shocking" elements and not quite enough development of those elements. And the main character didn't seem to show very many signs of trauma for all she'd gone through. That made the story a little harder to believe. I loved learning about some of the real historical events that the author gave tribute to in her story, but I felt disappointed that a number of my unanswered questions seemed to have no grounding in historical events. All in all, an entertaining book, but not quite enough development of all the elements the author introduced.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars was a great book by Kristin Harmet. I cant wait until the next book by this author comes out.

Yes, It is another World War II Novel but it’s a unique one and well written.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to read yet another novel from this period of time, it’s an important and interesting subject matter but there is so much doom and gloom involved with World War II and I’ve read plenty of other novels about it but.........
I was intrigued by the title and the author, Kristen Harmel .
I have another one of her books on my TBR list so I couldn’t resist requesting this one.
A little disclosure here:
I received an eARC copy of this book via NetGalley Shelf and exchange for an honest review.
My review is my opinion it is not influenced by the complementary copy.
This book and Intrigued me from the very beginning.
Yona is taken from her German parents and raised by a woman named Jerusza in the forest and taught anything and everything about surviving, healing and living in the wilderness.
She helps many Jewish people escaping from the Germans to learn to survive in the forest..
There is historical elements, coming of age, romance , Learning to be part of a family and heroism.
I really enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons.
I look forward to reading more from Kristen Harmel.

THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS
BY KRISTIN HARMEL

I first discovered the accomplished Author named Kristin Harmel, last year during 2020, when I read her popular book called, "The Book of Lost Names." I had received an ARC of it and thought it was extremely well written and knew it would be read by many who also loved it. So I was very excited when I noticed on my dashboard her new novel called, "The Forest of Vanishing Stars." I had requested it in what seems like a while ago before it appeared. I stopped what I had been reading, (which were books already published that I wanted to read). I am so grateful that I did because this novel which is based on historical fact that was thoroughly researched is a book that in my opinion I loved even more. The title is perfectly suited to this fantastic novel regarding the heartbreaking events to the Jewish people who lived in Poland during the massive and senseless obliteration of approximately three million innocent lives taken by the Nazi's.

Kristin Harmel really out did herself with this flawlessly and stunning beautiful prose that she has incorporated into her latest novel. The writing is absolutely poetic in its lush descriptions of both the flora and fauna that inhabits the Polish forest where most of this story takes place. She seems to have poured her heart out on the pages of this brilliant part of history during World War II. The market seems to be over saturated these days with World War II. I assure you when I say this that this stand out novel is in a class all by itself in its uniqueness.

The story throughout had an almost fairy tale feel to it and also very much felt spiritual to me. I was immediately drawn into the narrative from the first page until the last. This is one of those books that you fall in love with the character's and are so sorry when the book ends.

The story begins in the 1920's when a wizened old woman kidnaps a two year old German girl from her biological parents. At first I was horrified by that detail but soon understood the rationale of why this occurred. Jerusza, who at first appeared cruel to commit such a terrible act had been watching this particular German husband and wife and in her observations thought that the toddler's mother was aloof and her father to want to crave power. The German child's mother's name was Alwine and her power seeking father's name was Siegfried Juttner. Jerusza had witnessed that the apartment that they lived in covered with roses and ivy and felt because they were not the ones that nurtured these plants, rather the task was left to their maid to do it. Jerusza firmly believed that since it was left to the maid to tend to the plants that it deemed the parent's were lacking the goodness it takes to nurture all life.

Jerusza had been watching the Juttner's for two year's and had learned that Siegfried Juttner had been one of the first to willingly sign up in Berlin's National Socialist German Workers' Party. This party was a new political movement in an already war ravished Country from World War I. From her tracking the Juttner's unbeknownst to them, Jerusza had also observed that Siegfried's inspiration to join the Party came from attending a speech of an angry young German named Adolph Hitler. Jerusza had somehow gleaned the knowledge that the child that she was to kidnap was conceived during the night Siegfried had attended what I imagined was anti-Jewish rhetoric from Adolph Hitler. Their stolen child was named Inge and she had a dove shaped birthmark on the inside of her left wrist.

Jerusza, who was already an old woman seemed to have other worldly visions of events taking place in history before they happened. I don't ever condone the theft of a child from their parents in any circumstance. The unimaginable grief of losing an innocent child taken from one's home would be enough to cause the parents to die of heartbreak. I was frustrated with Jerusza for stealing Inge and for the way she renamed her Yona. I thought that she was some sort of wicked witch for committing such a vile act. In her other worldly wisdom that she innately had is something that I haven't meet anybody ever to have acquired. I had to suspend belief for this very beginning which isn't at all a spoiler for the many years that Yona will grow up in the Polish forest learning to live off the land which Jerusza has taught her.

This is a fable like story which also incorporates historical facts that I learned in the Author's note. While I read about some of the tragic events that took place, I was captivated by the enchanting magical vibrations by the selflessness and loving goodness in the characterization of Yona. I was able to put aside Jerusza's actions which I initially felt were deplorable because she taught Yona so much about how to survive and be a leader who saved many lives. Also absorbing Jerusza's almost sixth sense of foretelling the darkness that often foreshadowed harm before it happened by circumventing it. Most of the story takes place in the forests of Poland where many Jewish refugees flee the Nazi's cruel extermination of the Polish Jewish race.

I sound like a broken record reiterating just how beautiful the writing is in this masterpiece of the Polish Holocaust. I appreciated that this was a story unlike the many World War II settings that I have already read. If you read just one historical novel this year about the Holocaust, please consider letting this be the one you choose. Be sure not to miss the Author's Note at the end which will entice you and lends the authenticity of this saga. Kristin Harmel lists all of the multitude of the title's which she read to craft this important part of history. I highly, highly recommend this and I will seek out her earlier books. This is truly unforgettable and is a favorite for 2021. I can't wait to purchase this for family and friends and of course, myself, for that special book cabinet.

Publication Date: July 6, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Kristin Harmel and Gallery Books Publishing for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#ForestofVanishingStars #KristinHarmel #GalleryBooks #NetGalley

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

I read Kristin Harmel 's, The Book of Lost Names, and loved it. So I was excited to receive an advance copy of this book. When I first started reading I thought it was a fantasy book. I did like the different take on a WWII book. Overall, the book was okay for me. I felt like I was reading and going nowhere. It took me a week to finish, I usually finish a book in 2-3 days max. Also at times I felt some things were rushed.

I really liked this. It was very different and took a fresh perspective to WWII. I thought it was very well written. Thank you to netgalley foe the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is absolutely breathtaking! A truly original story, based on real characters and real events, beautifully and realistically fictionalized into a book you won't be able to put down.

Yona is a young woman kidnapped from her Berlin home at the age of 2 by a strange old lady, who takes her into the forests of Eastern Europe to raise. In the process she educates Yona in several languages as well as how to sustain herself in all situations she might encounter living in the forest: herbs to heal and mend wounds, techniques for disappearing in plain sight, disarming bad guys, and much more...keep in mind that this is FICTION). While some of this may be over the top it makes for a suspenseful and heartstopping story. After her kidnapper dies Yona finds herself helping villagers in a nearby town to escape, and then to support themselves as they hide from the Germans in the forest.

This book is so many things - a tale of history, of coming of age, ofthe best and worst in people. Yet it's told with finesse, compassion, suspense and love. I believed every word I read, in fact I wanted it all to be real. It's truly a wonderful book. I can't recommend it enough, would give it 6 stars if I could!

This was my second Kristin Harmel book, the first being The Book of Lost Names.

In The Forest of Vanishing Stars, we meet Yona, kidnapped at age two by a woman who just takes her from her home and raises her in the forest for over 20 years. Jerusza teaches Yona how to hunt, fish, build makeshift homes, and all the survival techniques she will need while battling the elements and man! The practical person in me was thinking "She was in a forest for over 20 years, never seeing a doctor or dentist?" But yes - she was!! She even made medicines out of flowers and herbs!!

Once Jerusza dies, Yona is all alone until she meets other refugees escaping the Nazis. She teaches them all she knows about surviving in the forest and how to stay safe as they move from camp to camp.

Some of the executions were very hard for me to read. While I know this all happened in real life, I found some of the scenes so very sad, which helped me learn and have extreme empathy for anyone who survived WWII. The losses those people must have endured are truly tragic and heartbreaking.

I don't want to give spoilers of course, but we follow Yona through many trying times in the forest, and we witness her saving lives - and taking lives, as well as dealing with someone from her past. She's an extremely strong young woman and a true heroine!

I saw another reviewer said this book didn't pick up until about 40%, and I'd say it took me until 60% before I felt it got to the 'meat' of the story. So stick with it definitely!! You won't be sorry! The first half was a bit long in my opinion, and there were a lot of characters to learn, but it is a very good book and you really will learn a lot about WWII - and the human spirit.

This novel is a very unique take on WWII and one woman’s quest to help many Jews reach safety. The plot initially drew me in with the supernatural vibes, however the beginning of the story felt rushed. The pacing for the rest of the book was odd and the “big moments” were predictable. I was fond of the main characters and invested in their fates, which compelled me to keep reading. However, I feel like the reader only got to know the main protagonist on an intimate level. I would have liked to go deeper within some of the other characters. Overall, this novel had so much potential but ultimately fell flat for me. I think it would be a fantastic movie, but did not go deep enough to be a great novel.

Thanks NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review.

This is an amazing book about the Jews that escaped the Germans and survived by living/hiding in the dense forests in Poland during World War II. It is so hard to believe all the trauma these people lived through and yet a number of them survived the horrors and recreated a life after the war. I don't really like war stories but do love reading about the real life stories of the people who were affected by the war. I would highly recommend this book.