Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love Kristin Harmel for so many reasons, and I love her more recent change to historical fiction. She has such a talent with telling such beautiful and important stories that I feel like sometimes aren’t often told.

Forever will read her work!

My heart just aches for these characters. Another WWII book heavily researched based on facts. This one takes place mainly amongst the forest of Poland.
Yona was just a babe at two years old when she was stolen from her crib in her nursery from her wealthy German parents by an old woman of the forest. As she grew, she only knew living off the land and spent her life with only her kidnapper who trained her up in her ways. The woman was Jewish but not overly religious. It was fascinating reading how they lived in seclusion in the woods moving from spot to spot often so as to stay undetected. Eating mushrooms, berries and drinking from freshwater streams sometimes two miles away. The forest animals were her playmates. She was trained in herbal healing and how to defend herself with a knife if needed. Asking about her parents her kidnapper only tells her that her parents were evil. After her captor dies, she is curious about human company and goes to the edge of the forest where she sees Jews from the ghetto, some are hurt. She has healing powers and knows her herbs. This group is fleeing for their lives from the Nazis, and she promises to teach them all she knows as they escape into the forest. Feeling kinship with the Jews as she was raised by one though German herself.
I have never read a book with so many wilderness aspects, the book was absolutely mesmerizing, and I couldn't put it down. Being in isolation for so many years she makes some unexpected discoveries about herself as she helps this group of people. Will she ever want to return to civilization though? Once again, I learned so much from the author's notes in the back of the book about the Polish people and their struggles during WWII. Such heroes selflessly giving of themselves for the good of all. Just amazing!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars truly. This book is fiction but loosely based on a Jewish community that escaped from the ghettos and survived in the forest for years. Heartbreaking but a beautiful picture of resilience too.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5 STARS
Well done! This story had it all suspense, love, heartache and was difficult to put down.

I love Kristin Harmel's writing because she crafts characters that are unforgettable. That is certainly true for this novel (which for some reason I just got around to reading!). I loved this story and characters and felt it was a unique take on the WWII experience. As always, Kristin Harmel does not disappoint! Thank you for my copy.

While there are a lot of WWII books, this story tells a different perspective of those who survived in the woods.

Based on the factual stories of Polish Jews who survived WWII by fleeing their homes and hiding for years in the deep woods, this is the fictional tale of Yona, not a Jew who flees the Nazis but a baby who is kidnapped. She is abducted from Berlin and grows up in the forest, learning how to live off the land while being educated by the strange woman who kidnapped her and has foreseen the dark future of Poland at war. Yona eventually becomes a savior to a group of Jews who are struggling to survive in those same woods.

The book started of strong but as the story developed, the pacing seemed a bit all over the place. It got very slow in the middle and then picked up again at the end. And a bit too much coincidences for my liking. Some of the passages seemed redundant, especially those about Yona's value to the group, her confusion about love.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is a good fit for readers who appreciate historical fiction, coming-of-age stories, and tales of survival and heroism, particularly those who are drawn to the themes of World War II, escape, and the Holocaust, and are looking for a heart-wrenching and suspenseful narrative that explores the complexities of human resilience and the power of the human spirit.

What a wonderful book! I have long enjoyed reading historical fiction, especially that with a focus on WWII. Kristen Harmel's tale of Yona, a young woman who had been stolen from her parents as a toddler depicted a part of the history I knew very little about. Due to Yona's upbringing by the woman who stole her, she was able to help Jews hiding in the woods to survive the brutal years of the Nazi regime. This was even more impressive when reading the author's notes that large groups of Jews did in fact spend the war years hiding in the woods.
The Forest of Vanishing Stars would be a good pick for anyone who enjoys their historical fiction to have a basis in real life events.

Sorry I am so late in reviewing this but I had to come here and make sure I did. This was such a great book. Whenever I wasn’t reading it I couldn’t wait to get back to it. Kristin has a real way of making you feel connected with the characters and this book was no exception

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This review is my voluntary and unbiased opinion.

This novel reads like a moralistic fairy tale about being one with nature. Of course, things can appear magical but also dangerous at the same time. There is always a danger in trusting the wrong person too much. When raised in isolation it becomes difficult to discern what reality to believe. Unlike a fairy tale, much of the story originated from factual events of how some Polish Jews survived by retreating deep into the forest and swamp land. The author includes notes on her extensive research and inspiration regarding this book.

In 1922, an old woman Jerusza was 82 years old drawn by God to this home in Berlin to forever change the fate the child who lay inside. She had been watching Siegfried and Alwine Juttner living what she felt was a power hungry and aloof life. She knew things about people that others didn't. Her mother, who had killed herself with poisons in 1860, explained how the women in the family possessed a knowing of impossible things which was a gift from God for only the most fortunate Jewish women. Jerusza was the last in the bloodline and often felt it a curse to be burdened all her life following the voices which echoed from the forest. "But nature makes no mistakes, and now, as the sky filled with a cloud of silent blackbirds over the twinkling city, she knew the time had come."

By 1928, the girl was 8 years old when Jerusza had named her Yona which meant "dove" in Hebrew like the birthmark in the child's palm. She teaches Yona how to kill a man which confuses the girl who was taught how precious life is and should be protected. "Yes. But the most important life to protect is your own," Jerusza explained. She knew she needed to prepare the girl for the terrible things that were to come for she knew the day of her death would soon come.

After Jerusza died, Yona wandered the forest and one day found a young girl who collapsed in the forest. Yona cared for Chana, the 6 year old until she was well. Unlike Yona, she ran into the forest to escape the Germans and explained how they wanted to kill all Jewish people. Yona was shocked to learn about the world outside the forest and how dangerous it was to injure a small child. They find her parents Esta and Isaac who is in grave condition from a gun shot wound. Yona helps to save his life and stays with the family until they are well. When she suggests that it is time to move as they had been in the same spot for too long, Esta adamantly refuses Yona's help and insists that she is no longer needed. Five days later, Yona hears three gun shots and finds the family dead in the forest.

Soon Yona encounters more people in the forest who have escaped from the Jewish ghettos. She fears making herself known to others yet feels compelled to help them to survive. She teaches Aleksander how to catch small fish and make a fishing net so that he might feed the other 13 people in the forest with him. She volunteers to help the group from the city learn how to survive in the forest as the winter came. After awhile they encounter another group who are also trying to survive and hide from the Germans. With so many people living together there was bound to be some conflicts.

Yona leaves the group and finds herself wandering into the town which she meets more people who are people of faith and belief in God. They are not focused on religion but doing "God's work" by helping and protecting those trying to survive and escape persecution. By chance, Yona encounters a German commander who identifies as her biological father. Their reunion is met with mixed emotions and feelings about the state of the nation. She becomes torn between her acknowledgement that she is German by birth but raised by a Jewish woman in the forest.

The story is one of bravery, survival and conviction to one's beliefs and values. The events depicted in the novel were based on some real events of Jews who survived living in the forest to later share their experience with others.

I love books that blend history with fiction and slipped into this story. WWII stories pull me in over and over and no matter how many I read, each offers me a new perspective. This is a book I will recommend & gift to others

Thank you to Net Galley and Gallery Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this book. It was an engaging read from page 1 all the way to the end. After finishing I was sad that the story was over. The story of a young child who was taken from her wealthy German parents and raised in the wilderness by her kidnapper. After her kidnapper dies, the woman finds herself at loose ends and alone and without purpose. She then runs into a group of Jews fleeing from the Nazis and she needs to decide if she wants to give up her solitude and help these people. What happens next is all at once heartwarming and heartbreaking.
A must read.

This is a heart wrenching story about Yona, a child who was kidnapped at the age of two, and raised to survive in the woods. Knowing that this story is based on a true story makes it even more emotional,

If you like Historical Fiction, I highly recommend this book. Kristin Harmel has done it again!

I have been eyeing this novel since I first saw the cover and it did not disappoint. Harmel has a way with words and I am all for it. I can't wait to see what's next!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It's sometimes amazing how many historical fiction books set during the WWII era I have read and still find titles such as THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS that have a different perspective of life lived under duress. Kristin Harmel has done an excellent job of making the readers feel Yona's emotions as she ages from the stolen child to the young woman left with little direction when her caretaker dies. The descriptive nature of the isolation and the fear of the unknown paint a picture of a young woman waiting for direction and purpose. She will find these by helping those who have escaped the death sentences issued by the Nazi. An excellent book that I know my reading circle will love too.

I am a big Kristin Harmel fan! The Forest of Vanishing Stars did not disappoint. I enjoyed the characters and the premise overall.

Kristin Harmel is a master at engaging historical fiction and this was no exception. A rich German young woman gets away from her kidnapper and encounters a group of Jews in the woods. She teaches them about surviving the conditions and they teach her lessons as well. This was a very different take on WWII fiction. I thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was so beautifully written. I couldn’t put it down. The characters were breathtaking, and I found myself so connected to them. I’m not usually a historical fiction fan, but this book was incredible, and I really think everyone needs to read it.

Enjoyed this story very much….will definitely recommend. I look forward to reading more of this author’s stories!! This is a favorite by this author

I loved this book! The premise of this book made it stand apart from other WWII fiction I've read. I enjoy WWII historical fiction and I love when a story comes from a completely differ perspective than other books. I had never considered the people forced to live in wilderness to escape the Nazis.

I can only imagine all the research Kristin Harmel did; not just for historical aspects, but also the survivor skills presented throughout the story.

The characters were well developed and the story moved at a good pace. I highly recommend this book to other lovers of historical fiction that also elicits a lot of emotion.