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?

This book is an exceptional World War II novel, told from a unique perspective. Right away, the author draws the reader into the story. The author begins her tale of resilience and survival in the forest with the kidnapping of a child. Yona, the protagonist, is kidnapped by Jerusza, who raises Yona in the forest and teaches her invaluable survival skills. Yona adapts to an independent and lonely existence living in the forest, especially after Jerusza dies. When the Nazis begin hunting and killing Jews, Yona encounters groups of Jewish citizens who are fleeing for their lives. She is compelled to help by teaching them the skills needed to survive in the forest, and in doing so, she creates the type of relationships and bonds that were missing in her early years. The author is to be commended for the extensive research that went into writing this captivating but heartbreaking novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an e-reader copy of this book.

It had a great pace that kept me reading. I've read multiple WWII books and I'm surprised by how many different perspectives and situations there are still to be written. This is just another that I had never heard of: Jews hiding in the forest. Yona's story was so interesting and the way she thought was intelligent and she cared so much for having been so isolated. It wasn't just a survive in the woods story, there was some drama. There's also a lot of death and just heartbreaking history.

Thank you Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for a review.

I personally have not read many WW2. books so this was nice it was really a definitely unique wonderful book There is truly so much to learn and this book and it is a heartbreaking story in the end. I was shown and told about all of the horrible things that were done to the Jewish people under Hitler. In the authors note there is a wealth of information about who and what the author based her novel on and is extensively researched and based on a real Events. I enjoyed the beginning of the novel with the element of magic realism and wished that some of the theme would have continued throughout the whole novel but it was very subtle. Overall this is a very touching story and I most definitely recommend it. Hands-down love this author

Author #Kristin Harmel's novel # The Forest of Vanishing Stars is on many favorite lists. And if you like WWll stories this is amazing.
Description:
Raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, after being stolen by wealthy German parents, a young woman finds herself alone. Her kidnapper has died, and it's 1941. Her solitary life is changed when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror......
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # Kristen Harmel, and # Gallery Books 💜🐾🐾

This was a very interesting read, Yona is such a remarkable character, imagine being raised in the forest pretty much your entire life, I can’t even imagine. Then in your twenties coming across a group of people desperately needing help in order to survive.

It makes it hard to imagine the horrible atrocities delivered at the hands of the nazis. Yet the true strength of the human spirit to survive.

This book was so detailed in scenes and characters that I could envision the story playing out in my minds eye and it was a great story!

Kristin Harmel is a favorite author of mine and I didn't think I could love her writing any more than I already did. I was completely mistaken because The Forest of Vanishing Stars completely blew me away! Harmel simply has a way with words and storytelling that are a notch above.

Right from the first chapter this book had me hooked and I found that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Yona was an incredible character to come alongside and I love how the single storyline really emphasized her life and those around her. If there was one word I had to use to describe this WWII historical fiction story, it would be unique. Besides the masterful storytelling, that's what stood out to me here. Theres a bit of magical realism mixed in which was just so refreshing to me as somebody who reads a lot of this genre. Plus, the story was chock full of an underlying theme of the resilience of the human spirit and that in itself won me over. I will never tire of or fail to be inspired by stories like this one. especially when coming to find out it was based on a true story (the author's not at the end cannot be missed).

Heartwrencing, at times gritty, powerful, emotional, and thought-provoking, trust me that this book check all the boxes for what makes a perfect historical fiction read. This book has officially become an absolute favorite of mine and one of the best books in the genre that I've read in a while. Highly recommend and then some!

Many thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy.

I love historical fiction, and this one is amazing 👏. I have read quite a few WWII historical fiction novels and I love that this one covered a whole different way of survival that I haven't seen covered before.

I had never heard of the communities of Jews that survived in the forest after escaping various ghettos in Poland. It is always incredible to learn more details of how various people survived this horrific time in history.

The story itself also sucks you in, I found myself thinking about the characters and needing to get back to them to see what would happen. I definitely recommend this read!

The Holocaust stories have always been profoundly moving to me, but in this novel, I was initially deflected by the magical realism, the fairytale-like quality of the story, and the excessive focus on romance. In the last part of the novel, the author's note, and her diligent research, however, made it meaningful at the end of the story. In the end, it is a book that emphasizes the imperative message of resilience and of never forgetting.

Synopsis: Yona, is a girl that was raised in the woods, and taught how to survive by a wise elderly woman named Jerusza. Following the death of Jerusza, Yona must remember her teaching and continue on a journey of self discovery, bravery, and adventure, as she provides assistance to the lives of fleeing Jews during WWII.

Thoughts: I found this book to be incredibly powerful! I was immediately captivated by the writing style. Yona is a strong female character, who comes to learn that a home is not defined by its physical location, but more so by filling it with the people that you love and care about. Yona faced multiple situations that ultimately changed who she was as a person, and she met each challenge with determination to continue on and push through. The writing was heart felt, the characters were well developed, and each page was filled with emotion that truly made the story engaging.

This was the first book by Kristin Harmel that I’ve read, but I’m happy to say that I have officially bumped The Winemaker’s Wife up on my TBR, since it’s already on my bookshelf!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review!

Great book on lesser known WWII history and the fight for survival for Polish Jews. Another Kristin Harmel book I throughly enjoyed!

Thank you to net galley and Simon and Schuster for providing me a copy of The Forest of Vanishing Stars. Kristin Harmel is an author who is amazing at writing historical ficition and this book is an example. This book is about the Jews who lived in Poland. Please after you read this book read the authors note.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars features a young woman who had been taken from her wealthy German parents when she was just a baby. Raised in the forest by the old woman who stole her, Yona ends up helping the Jewish people who take shelter in the woods from the Nazis.

On the strength of The Book of Lost Names, I requested to read The Forest of Vanishing Stars. Unfortunately, this book fell short for me, in both story and characterization. The plot seemed driven to reach a certain point in the book and the rest of the novel just fell away. Yona was raised in the forest, taught how to survive off the land, yet her resilience and fortitude become compromised so easily. Yona ended up on her own when she was already a young woman, so it did not seem realistic that she would put aside the teachings of the old woman so easily. Overall, The Forest of Vanishing Stars seemed more fiction than historical, so it is not one that I would recommend to those who like historical fiction.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Forest of Vanishing Stars by NetGalley and the publisher, Gallery Books. The decision to read and review this book was entirely my own.

Fantastic book! I couldn't put it down.
I will be recommending this to my friends as well as library patrons.

LOVED THIS BOOK!!
Bought my own copy for my shelves!!

Description
Parade “Best Books of Summer” pick * Real Simple summer reading pick * SheReads “Best WWII Fiction of Summer 2021” pick

The New York Times bestselling author of the “heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism” (People) The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis—until a secret from her past threatens everything.

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.

Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author whose writing has been hailed as “sweeping and magnificent” (Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author), “immersive and evocative” (Publishers Weekly), and “gripping” (Tampa Bay Times).

I love Kristin Harmel’s books. The Forest of Vanishing Stars does not disappoint. I love the complexity of the characters. I think this one might be a bit better as an audiobook..

This book could be brutal to read at times but was extremely well written. Well researched and based on true events, it tells of a group of Jews from Poland who hides in the forest to escape being killed by the Nazis. I love the writing of this author and I recommend this one. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I loved loved this book. The story line and writing style kept me hooked from the beginning. I loved the characters. This is a historical fiction novel that takes place during WWII. Its plot is one I have never read before. I feel that it had a magical realism quality to it. This is only the second book that I have read by Kristin Harmel.

I was unable to read Kristin Harmel's The Forest of the Vanishing Stars. I was never able to get it to download correctly to my kindle. Sorry.

I absolutely loved Harmel’s Book of Lost Names (above), and tore through it in one night, so I was really excited to pick this up. Yona is kidnapped as a toddler from her German family, and grows up with her captor in the woods; when her kidnapper dies in 1941, she happens upon a group of Jewish refugees trying to escape the Nazis. The story is somewhat based on real events, and Harmel does a great job describing in the afterward which parts are fact vs fiction. However, while I loved the story, I was a little frustrated by the elements of magic and mysticism (e.g., Yona’s ability to perceive future danger) that made it a bit less realistic. I would still highly recommend this book.