This book does not read like the usual WWll novel. Starting out this book had the feel of a fairy tale even though it was based on actual events. It did get a little better after the first several chapters, although for the most part the story felt a little far-fetched. I usually enjoy books by this author, but this one failed to pull me in. I was a little disappointed. But still, it was an interesting book about survival in a forest during WWll. If you enjoy historical novels about WWll I think you will want to read this one. Thanks to author Kristin Harmel, publisher Gallery Books, and to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for a honest review.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is a most unusual WWII novel, beautifully written with fantastical elements, which might suggest it is a fairytale. No, oh no, it is based on an all too real account of Holocaust survivors in Poland, who took to the deep forests for safety from the invading Nazi troops. I am blown away by the emotions this book brought out in me, it will stay with me for days to come. The protagonist is a 22 yr old woman, Yona, who was sheltered in the forests by an old woman, Jerusza, who had the gift of sight. Jerusza. was certain that Yona was destined for great things. And she was.

I requested an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for allowing me to review this book. #ForestofVanishingStars #NetGalley

In 1922, an old woman named Jerusza kidnaps a two year from her parents. The child renamed Yona, is raised in the forest and taught survival skills and to stay hidden from others.. Twenty years later, Jerusza has died and Yona is alone and unaware of what is happening in the world outside the forest. When she encounters Jewish refugees fleeing from the Nazis, she decides to teach them how to survive in the forest.
When a betrayal sends her into a town controlled by the Nazis, an encounter with the past will have a tremendous impact on her and the choices to be made.
An engrossing read.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

After being kidnapped at the age of two, Yona lives her life in the forest with Jerusza, an older woman who kidnapped her and explained that she saved her from evil. She teaches her how to live off the land away from civilization for years until her passing. When Jerusza dies, Yona continues to live her life independently in the woods until a group of Jews wander across her path, fleeing from the Germans who have begun to take over their villages, killing their loved ones, looking for food and shelter. Yona uses her instincts and years in the forest to help dozens of Jews hide and forage for survival, but her desire to help others brings her right into the eyes of the enemy and a past she never expected to collide with again. Based on real accounts of bravery, heroism and surviving against all odds, Harmel weaves yet another WWII historical tale you will never forget. Add this to your TBR list for the Summer as it comes out in July.

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy!!!

One of the best books I've read in a long time. I hated to see it come to an end.

Kristen Harmel achieved what so few seem to do these days and created a world and characters who came to life. You feel every fear and triumph as well as every sorrow and loss. A truly magical book.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is an excellent WWII-era historical fiction novel that truly capitivated me from beginning to end. Just stunning.

I have read several books from Ms. Harmel ( The Book of Lost Names, The Winemaker's Wife, When We Meet Again, and The Room on Rue Amelie) that I have really enjoyed, so I knew when I found out she had written a new book, that I had to read it. Boy, I am sure glad I did! What an excellent addition to an already impressive portfolio.

This is such a unique and wonderful novel. Reading the story of a woman that was kidnapped from her German family as a young child, raised, educated, and secluded in the wilderness by the woman that was her captor was fascinating. The author's descriptions, research, and knowledge on all of the survival skills and life-sustaining chores and support to keep one alive in the forests was so informative and interesting.

Yona is then thrust into the middle of the war when as she is living in the forests of Poland alone after the woman whom raised her passes away, she happens upon Jewish citizens that have entered the area in hopes of escaping and hiding from the Nazis. Yona then raises to the challenges and helps many individuals learn survival skills and helps hide/help them to safety. She selflessly puts herself in harm's way to helps others. In turn, being around others, being a part of something bigger then herself, Yona receives so much more in return.

The atrocities, the rawness, the fear, loss, and complex emotions that the characters exchange and feel themselves really affected me. As always, it was hard to read so much hurt, fear, and damage. This book gives a harrowing account that has some historical fact/basis, and it was just so remarkable and stunning, that I will remember this book for a long time to come. I won't divulge any more of the plot as I do not want to spoil anything for future readers, but I will just say I dare any reader not be affected by this novel by the time that it is finished. It is just that amazing.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Gallery Books for this amazing arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, and Instagram accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/6/21.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy of this beautiful story, reminiscent of what I most loved in Where the Crawdads Sing.

This book transported me through the forests of World War II with a story that continually tugged at my heartstrings and I fell more in love with the further I went! At first, the story line of the old lady Jerusza, stealing a toddler to live with her in the woods outside Berlin felt a tad far fetched and was completely out of the ordinary of a typical WWII book. But - the more I dove into this book the more I loved their relationships and all that she taught Yona to prepare her for her future.

Recommend for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and who are looking for a new perspective on WWII. Much credit to Kristin Harmel for the amount of research that went into the novel! I learned so much.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This book captured my attention from the first page. As the story took me through the wilderness during World War II, the characters stories evolved. Yona was an amazing heroine and Harmel's beautiful writing allowed you to feel everything Yona felt. An unbelievable story of survival that will stay with you after the last page.

Such a wonderful book! I’ve always found the story of the Bielski brothers to be fascinating. This story shows the strength and courage people had during the war to survive.

A woman raised in the forest wilderness helps a group of Jews fleeing the Nazis. She teaches the Jews how to survive in the forest. In return, the group teaches her to open her heart and trust.. After betrayal by her lover, she escapes into a German-occupied village. Her past collides with her present. Betrayed by her past she returns to the forest and group of Jews. Based on true stories of survival in the Polish forests.

The first book I read by Kristin Harmel was The Life Intended. I don't even remember how I came upon this book, but it was one that stuck with me because it made me think, feel, and reflect so much after I was finished. I frequent Netgalley, and her last book The Book of Lost Names was one I requested because I absolutely love WWII fiction books and this book too, was one I devoured in a short time and that stuck with me well after the last page. I found out Kristin lives nearby me in Winter Park, Florida, so I am obsessed with one day meeting her. Her writing is perfection, her characters completely lovable, and her work well researched.

I am not to quote from this book since it is an advance reader copy, and not a published version, but my kindle copy of this book has highlight after highlight. I will share quotes once the book is published as I will be buying this book and displaying it on my book shelf. This honor is only reserved for my top favorite books and authors.

Yona, like Kristin's other heroine's is extremely strong and intelligent. She is taken by an old woman Jerusza from her German parents, a woman so incredibly in sync with the universe that she insists she was told to take the young child to save her as she was destined for greater things. Yona does not know her true destiny until her 22nd year, after the death of Jerusza and well into WWII when she encounters Jews hiding in the Polish forest.

This book is a MUST read. If you love Kristin's other books, or if you are new to her work, and you love WWII fiction novels, this is one you must buy.

This novel very much reminds us that we are part of a larger plan, and our paths, while not yet known, will lead us exactly to where God intends us to be.

I cried so very much reading this novel, as with every WWII book I encounter, I do not understand how the Nazis were brainwashed to believe Jews were so evil that they deserved to be driven to near extinction. It is a reminder that evil is very much alive, and goodness and kindness must be our driving force behind everything we do.

Thank you, Kristin Harmel for another amazing book. I can't wait for your next one!

REVIEW - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5 🌟

Reviewing books for me is not easy. What constitutes a five stars read for you? For me? How do I recommend that “just right” book to people who all bring different life experiences to their read? For me, a five star book means the book changes my world view. Makes me think a new way. Obviously, I don’t give a five star review often. But for me, this book is just that.

Synopsis from the publisher: After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

This book is based upon true events that I knew nothing about - Jews hiding from the horrors of the Holocaust in the forests. I kept looking up information as I read, and was fascinated by the way that Harmel wove this story together in such a beautiful way. Spirituality, love, loss, are all themes in this story that focuses on the balance of life, between good and evil.

Historical fiction at its best. If you loved The Nightingale, All the Light We Cannot See, or The Lilac Girls, you will love the Forest of Vanishing Stars. It will stay with you long after the book is finished.

Publication date is July 5, 2021.

Note: Thank you to Kristin Harmel, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is Rich with Engaging Characters Determined to Survive Against the Odds

Harmel (The Book of Lost Names) reveals how one woman’s selfless kindness helped Jewish people survive German capture by hiding in the forest. In 1922 Berlin, eighty-two-year-old Jerusza steals two-year-old girl Inge from her parents, the Juttners, and takes Inge to live with her in the woods. Jerusza teaches Inge, whom she has named Yona, survival techniques, multiple languages, science, math, and the theology of various religions. Jerusza cautions Yona against the dangers of the world outside the forest, believing that she needed to take Yona from her parents to protect her. After Jerusza dies at the age of 102, Yona meets Aleksander, a young Jewish man leading a band of Jewish refugees from certain death in the Polish ghettos. Yona teaches Aleksander and his refugees how to survive in the forest, endure the harsh winter, and frequently move to avoid detection by German soldiers. Yona falls in love with Aleksander, and the loneliness she felt after Jerusza’s death falls away as she feels a purpose and unity with the people she is trying to save. When Yona and Aleksander’s relationship is fractured, Yona experiences a heartache unlike anything she has ever known.

Harmel draws on the actual life experiences of Aron Bielski who fled into the woods of Poland to escape the German soldiers during World War II. Her extensive research details survivalist techniques and evasion methods essential to avoid detection and provide food and shelter. The characters are mesmerizing, especially Yona, a uniquely gifted woman whose compassion evenly matches her intelligence. Readers will be captivated by this novel from the very first page.

Thank you Gallery Books and Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

5 beautiful, non-vanishing stars for the latest by Kristin Harmel. Harmel’s powerful storytelling about a young woman, living her entire life in the forest with her kidnapper, brings a new perspective to WWII historical fiction. From a startling young age, Yona learns skills to survive in the forests of Poland, not realizing at the time that she will use these skills to aid and protect Jews fleeing from the ghettos they once called home.
The author notes at the end show the extensive research which went into this novel, yet I never felt like the author dumped the information in my lap at once. Instead, it was masterfully woven into the story.
This novel is full of tragic loss, yet also hope and love, as Yona discovers where she truly belongs. I didn’t want her story to end!

Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite authors because she creates characters that are so relatable. Just beautiful and incredible. I have read so many World War II involving the Nazis. Mystery, suspense, gut-wrenching horrors and a little sprinkle of magic make this story truly fascinating.

I just finished this book. Its a lot different from the typical WW2, Jewish stories. This takes place mainly in the forests & how 1 girl was able to save a group of Jewish people from the ghettos. It also has a subplot about how the girl came to live in the forest, and also how she was kidnapped from her German parents. I would definitely recommend this book when it comes out on July 06/21.

I liked this book a lot more once I found out some characters and situations were based on true people and their heroic tales of survivial.

Overall though, the writing of this book was mediocre. The beginning was so fast with minimal detail, even though Yana's relationahip with Jeruza was a major theme throughout the story. It was breezed over in the beginning. The idea of her living in the forest and helping Jewish people survive the war was a fantastic idea, but Harmel just didn't quite tell the story with the justice it deserved. It felt as though the afterward/author note was written with more feeling, excitement, and care than the story itself.

It was still a good story, just not as good as I hoped.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive a digital ARC. All opions are my own.
Kristin Harmel has written another WW2 historical novel that does a very credible job of fictionalizing some true accounts from wartime. In The Forest of Vanishing Stars, the main character, Yona is a young woman who was kidnapped as a toddler from a wealthy German family and raised by her kidnapper who was a bit mystical and felt called to take Yona and raise her in the forest. Yona grew up subsisting and living in isolation with her captor, the only mother she knew and it was not clear for what purpose until she started to come across Jewish refugees who were trying to escape to the forest. The book follows her interactions with different groups in the forest that she tries to assist and also follows what happens to Yona when in trying to forage in a town, is taken by the Germans for reasons that become clear. The author explains that the true story of the Bielski brothers and the hundreds they kept alive hiding in the forest was an inspiration for her story. She did a great job in her research into how you would live in the forest (shelter building, how to hunt and gather, make medicine, etc. That was all fascinating. As with many WW2 novels, it was so interesting to see how people dealt with the unthinkable evils that were visited upon them and also how the perpetrators tried or didn't try to justify their actions or in small ways try to help. 4 stars.

What an amazing story told by a masterful storyteller. Yona, a young woman, learns to survive in the forest by a much older woman. That knowledge comes in handy when Polishen and women escape to the forest to outlive the Nazis. An amazing read and a part of history that isn't talked about much. I loved it.

Kristin Harmel delivers a World War II novel quite like no other in her astonishing new coming-0f-age novel, The Forest of Vanishing Stars.

I was quite captivated simply by the premise of this book. I've read A LOT of WWII books, including all of the ones Harmel has previously written, and most WWII books tend to have a very similar shtick of stories of Jewish people becoming part of the resistance to the Nazis; I've read that book countless times from so many authors. But in this particular piece, the main character named Yona is kidnapped as a 2 year old child by a woman named Jerusza and raised in the forest of Poland, never stepping outside the forest until Jerusza is no longer with her and she is forced to fend for herself.

I thought the way Harmel chose to frame this piece was simply fascinating. Yona lived such a sheltered and quiet life, never knowing any humans at all other than her kidnapper, who became a mother to her, and then at the height of the war Yona begins to help so many people who venture into the forest for freedom. I loved Yona's naive perspective, but she was also written to be incredibly tough and fierce and brave.

My only problems with the novel was the pacing...It was an incredibly slow-burn read until about the 40% mark....I've been reading it all week and kept putting it down, waiting for more action to occur....but boy, when it gets good, it sure got GREAT. I read completely through to the practical end of the novel last night well past my bedtime once the action picked up.

This was truly a very very different book, and I think WWII lovers and historians as well will really be captivated by the world that Harmel has spun here in this breathtakingly tragic novel.

In her author's note Harmel is quoted "I think many World War II novels remind us that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and that as human race, we can all triumph over the darkness." This message resonates so fiercely in this novel and is timely for the world as we come out of this dark winter of the pandemic.

So many twists and turns took place in the book's final act and for that reason, even with it's faults this is a 5 star read for me. Truly can't wait to see what Harmel comes up with next, she is a true rising star in the historical fiction world.