Kristin Harmel has knocked it out of the park with another stupendous work of historical fiction! A powerful story of survival, love, faith, and our responsibility to help others, the novel opens in 1922 Germany. Yona, a toddler, is abducted from her affluent Nazi home in Berlin, and raised deep in the forest by an elderly Jewish woman. After spending her entire life with no human contact (other than with her kidnapper) and surviving off the land, she is suddenly thrust into interaction with others as the Holocaust forces fleeing Jews into her forest to hide. When her Nazi family background and Jewish upbringing collide, which will she choose? How can she use her unique situation to help those among whom she finds herself? This is a gripping, emotional tale that kept me on the edge of my seat and compelled me to be thoroughly invested in the characters, particularly the protagonist, Yona. The historical setting was masterfully researched, and I particularly appreciated when real-life historical figures, such as the Bielski brothers, were mentioned. This is hands-down my favorite book of 2021, to date- and I will be highly recommending it to everyone. Five well-deserved stars!

The Forest of Vanishing Stars was captivating from the very start. There was great character development, interesting personalities, even when they made you furious with their decisions. I've read tons of WW2 books but none before this that brought you into the forest and showed that side of survival. 5 stars for Kristin Harmel's latest book!

Well researched book but the ending was abrupt and felt rushed. The main character is very compelling but the appearance of her "secret" felt a little too contrived.

Words cannot describe how much I loved this book...lovely, lyrical and haunting with a mystical heroine who leads a group of Jewish refugees to safety in the forest and teaches them how to survive but doesn't recognize the incredible goodness of heart that makes her so unique.

Kristin Harmel has created a masterpiece of story and I highly recommend this book. Much gratitude to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing this advance copy. I couldn't put this down!!

Learning from our history is critical. Kristin Harmel brings to life the story of Jews seeking refuge in the forests of Poland. The struggles of Yona translate for decades and show the battles that women face. Yona's leadership, determination, and dedication create a character you want to read and emulate. If you are passionate about learning about WWII and the Holocaust, I recommend The forest of Vanishing Stars.

In The Forest of Vanishing Stars, Kristin Harmel tells the beautifully heart wrenching story of Yona, a German-born girl who had been kidnapped and taken to live in the forest at the age of 2. When her kidnapper and teacher, Jerusza, dies, Yona begins a journey of self-discovery, adventure, and love that brings her face-to-face with the outside world, the plight of Jewish refugees, and even her Nazi father. Which world will she embrace: the glittering one Jerusza stole her from, one of isolation in the woods, or something new?

I simply could not put this book down and devoured every single page over the course of about 24 hours. From the very first page, Harmel weaves a complex, engaging, and truly exquisite coming of age story. Despite having read my fair share of WWII historical fiction, I've not read anything about the thousands of Jewish refugees who hid, mostly successfully, in the Polish forests until the end of the war. Not only is the plot itself fast paced and excellently researched, but Harmel's character development was masterful as well. This novel had everything I love in a great book: a fascinating historical setting, complicatedly believable characters, love, and adventure.

I received a free copy from the publisher. No review, positive or otherwise, was required—all opinions are my own.

Extremely well written and a book that will keep readers engaged from beginning to end. While many Holocaust related books cover the incidents in the cities/towns throughout Europe, this book took a unique angle of covering the thousands of Jews who used the forests to escape. The main character continued to surprise readers throughout the years and her strength and tenacity to survive was palpable.

I was privileged to receive an advance copy through NetGalley. Kristin Harmel has done it again! A story of survival and faith like no other Ive read. Yona is a character I won’t forget. Harmel's description made me feel I was in the forest with these amazing characters. I I have learned so much of this time period through Harmel’s books. I was not aware of the large group of Jewish citizens who fled and lived in the forests to survive. Can't wait to recommend to my reading friends. Sure to be another best seller!

I've read hundreds of Holocaust stories but this one if different, from the very first page. The author did extensive research and it pays off in this engrossing novel. It's perfect blend of fact and fiction, where the fiction helps to illuminate a painful history.

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What an amazing book, 5 stars! The latest book by Kristin Harmel, The Forest of Vanishing Stars, will keep you up reading late into the night. Once you start reading this book, you will not want to stop, so be prepared. I stayed up really late one night and then got up the next morning at 5 a.m. to read more.
This book is historical fiction set during World War II. The main character is a strong young adult woman who was stolen from her parents at a young age, by a very mysterious woman, who raised her in the forest. After her kidnapper dies, she discovers a group of Jews hiding in the forest, after fleeing the Nazis. She decides to help this group by teaching them how to survive in the forest, which leads to her betrayal.
This book is a must-read, it has it all; history, love, survival, heartbreak, shock and anger, you will not be disappointed. The author's extensive research is evident throughout the book. After reading the author's note, I was shocked to find out people actually lived in the forest for 2 years during this time and survived. Wow! I had no idea, it made my heart break for what they went through. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the Advanced Readers Copy. #ForestofVanishingStars #NetGalley

Inspired by true events that took place during WWII, this novel takes the reader on a journey through the Polish wilderness following a young Yona who learns the ways of survival and existence during a perilous time in history. She is taught the ways of the forest and eventually is leading a solitary existence while oblivious to the events taking place in the villages outside the forest walls. She comes across a group of fleeing Jews and teaches them the ways of survival. What begins as a moment of helping turns into Yona joining the cause to fight for freedom and wrongdoing. She learns as much about family and love as the others learn about existing and living in the forest. Eventually an event from her past as a child comes back to threaten her very content way of life.

Kristin Harmel weaves her magic once again of taking actual events and infusing enough character and storyline to make it her own. Another outstanding novel by an author who knows how to tell a remarkable story.

Thank you to #netgalley and #gallerybooks for an advanced copy of this book. It is due to be published on July 6, 2021.

Wow! I have heard nothing but good things about Kristin Harmel’s work and was so excited to get an ARC from netgalley to review. This was the first and definitely not the last of her books I have read. I love historical fiction but as anyone who does knows there are a lot of WWII stories out there. Because of that it takes something special to get a five star for me. This book had it all...love, war, religion, family, loss, and what it takes to survive. The beginning of the story has a young child being taken from her family and raised in the forest. At first it was hard to understand how this related to a WWII story. As you go on you quickly realize how every thing that led Yona to where she was happened for a reason and put her exactly where she needed to be to save lives. The character development was so good watching Yona learn and grow through all the events was so well done and even learning all the background and emotion of the side characters you grew to love even the worst of them. This book kept me reading way past bedtime and I didn’t want it to end. So good it will go back on my TBR for a re-read later.

This is another book I could just not put down. I have read so many stories about World War II, but this novel of resistance, perseverance, hope and love still touched me in so many ways and was different from the others I have read, giving a new insight into the atrocities of WWII. Yona, the main character, is raised in the woods after being stolen from her parents by a woman, Jerusza, who could see things others could not and Yona becomes the savior, if that's not too strong a word, for a group of Jews fleeing the Aktions of the German military who sought to destroy them.

Yona, although raised in isolation, learns the ways of the forest so she can teach these escapees how to survive so they can live again and she herself learns how to become part of a "family" again.. In the midst of savagery and hatred, this small group learns to survive and to fight despair with hope. At one point in the woods, Hanukkah arrives and Yona carves a Menorah from a limb of a tree that is so recognizable that people are brought to tears as they gather to sing praises to a God many fear has forsaken them.

The birth of a baby is risky as the cries of a newborn could give away their position to Germans searching for their hidden encampment, yet Yona helps that mother give birth, albeit a bit earlier than expected, and that baby survives. People who had little themselves gave of their food allotment so the mother of the newborn could heal and be able to nurse her newborn daughter. Moments like this throughout the novel bring the horrific events of their struggle to life.

There are so many different stories in this novel that are worth reading about, but I'll leave it to you to search them out for yourself. Based on true stories of people who DID flee into the forest to survive, this book is a fictional representation of those fighters who endured and fought back so they could live again in freedom.

I am sure that like many people, I picked up this book because I loved "The Book of Lost Names." When I saw that Kristin Harmel had written another WWII novel, I was all in.

What I wasn't expecting was a WWII novel quite like this one. Most of the interactions between the Nazis, the Jews, the Poles, and the Russians happen "off stage." There are some violent interactions amongst them, but most of the novel takes place in the forest, where innocent people (with few survival skills) have had to flee to escape the Nazis.

Their reluctant leader is a sweet, innocent survivalist named Yona, who is actually a kidnapped German who was stolen from a high-ranking Nazi. Yona has lived outside of civilization her whole life. The woman who stole her, Jerusza, has been her only exposure to another human being and has spent years prepping Yona for some unknown future mission.

After Jerusza dies, Yona's mission becomes a bit more clear. She must help groups of fleeing Jews survive with few provisions and winter approaching. She feels responsible for keeping everyone safe, but in exchange, Yona finds family and belonging for the first time in her life.

There are some impactful twists that I'm not going to spoil here. I will say that while I had some reservations about the format initially, I shouldn't have worried. This book is very different from "The Book of Lost Names," but it is no less impactful and satisfying. I recommend this book and author without reservation.

I only deducted a star because the tempo of the book didn't pick up until around 40% in. After that, it was hard to put down.

This is a great book for the world we live in right now. We're all down about COVID, but reading this book (based on true events) makes one realize how much one can endure and overcome. I'd imagine this book would appeal to a very wide audience - it has a bit of everything - survival, history, romance, and suspense.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to read this great book.

First, my immediate impression of this book is that it is weird. A toddler gets kidnapped from her wealthy parents by a woman who is 80+ years old, and then taken into the forest to learn the most basic survival skills. The woman, Jerusza, teaches her reading, math, science, and a bit of politics. Jerusza also changes the toddler's name from Inge to Yona-meaning dove, because of the dove shaped birthmark on her wrist. Jerusza has pre-sight into the world that is coming and teaches Yona what she must know to survive in the forest and what Yona must know to teach others the same survival skills.

Soon after Jerusza dies, Yona meets a very ill young girl and her family on the edge of the forest. She nurses the girl and her father back to health, but they refuse to allow her to take them deeper into the forest and lose their lives because of it. Yona does encounter more people who are escaping the Jewish ghettos in Poland and teaches them the skills they need to survive, up to and including building underground bunkers for the winter months.

Yona's experiences are confusing at best. She's been taught to live a solitary life, but gets thrown into a community of people who are trying to escape the evil in the world. She knows much of the healing arts with herbs and other plants, she knows how to forage for food and what forest plants are safe to eat. She knows when to move, and how to cover her tracks.

Kristin Harmel has put together a book that is based in fact with some creative license thrown in for good measure. It is a cohesive story, but the weirdness really threw me for a loop. I can't really put my finger on what makes it seem weird to me, it just is.

Three stars

Gallery Books and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite authors because she creates characters that are so relatable. They are human. They are flawed. They feel. The Forest of Vanishing Stars is the story of survival, strength, faith and love that I needed right now. During one of the darkest times of history, these characters made their way through unimaginable horrors of the shoah, but they did not lose their humanity. This book will make you think about the world today and how there are always parallels to the past. This book is a must read, in my opinion. It will stay with you.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a different take on WWII stories focusing on Yona, raised in the forest by her kidnapper, trained in herbal remedies and taught to be wary of others. These skills become very helpful to a group of Jews who are hiding in the woods hoping to escape German detection. As Yona teaches survival skills, she also learns the joys and despairs of interaction with other people, something she has never known. While fiction, the story has a basis in fact. This was a totally unexpected and wonderful read. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

What a magnificent read! A baby kidnapped by a strange women, taught to survive in the forest, becomes a unique heroine finding her purpose in life and saving jews. There are never enough stories to tell about that horrible time in history and this is one that fascinated me and kept me reading until the wee hours of the morning. Just lovely. A huge five star achievement. Krisin Harmel is becoming one of my favorite writers of historical fiction. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the privilege to read this wonderful novel.

At first look, it might be tempting to write off The Forest of Vanishing Stars as too improbable. A forest-dwelling loner (basically a European Kya the Marsh Girl) who gives a group of Jews a fighting chance at survival as the Holocaust ravages Europe? Surely something so heroic couldn’t have ever happened in real life, right? However, I’ve read enough about WWII to know that overcoming insurmountable odds was indeed possible, though often not without profound loss and heartache. Kristin Harmel touches on all of these topics in her latest book. Betrayal, survival, love, loss, and moral dilemmas are explored in this meticulously researched story, whose characters were loosely based on the Bielski group, a group of Jewish refugees numbering a staggering 1200, living in the depths of the Nalibocki Forest of Belarus (then a part of Poland) in order to survive the war. Yona, the main character, casts aside her life of solitude to assist a group of Jews she encounters in the forest while her family history is causing her to question her true identity.

It is astounding the number of WWII stories that have been told, and I’m sure there are countless others left to write. I always appreciate a book that teaches me about the war from a new perspective, and The Forest of Vanishing Stars did just that. If you enjoyed We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter or All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, you will appreciate this gut-wrenching tale of survival.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I had the opportunity to visit #poland in late 2019 and absolutely fell in love with the culture. I can’t wait to go back and explore more of the country. A top priority of our trip was to visit Auschwitz and to learn from the memorial site of the horrors inflicted upon Polish Jews. In @kristinharmel author’s note she states that 84-91% of Poland’s Jewish population was killed by the end of #WWII. That is a staggering number. This extraordinary book details the fictional tale of Yona and her life lived in the forests of Poland and Belarus. By the time the war arrives, Yona is well equipped to help Jews who have escaped the ghettos and are attempting to survive in the woods. I loved Harmel’s #thebookoflostnames and this #historicalnovel cements her place as one of my favorite current authors. This ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read is a must to add to your #summerreadinglist (publish date July 2021) and an opportunity to learn about how faith in God is the answer to survival, no matter what religious background you identify with. 📚📚📚 #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview #netgalley #theforestofvanishingstars #bookstagram #booklover #bookrecommendations #kristinharmel #defiance #gallerybooks #simonandschuster