I found this World War II tale to be quite interesting, standing out from others I have read. The main character's adventures in the woods kept me guessing at what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the writing style and would recommend this book to those who like historical fiction.

Oh wow, this is a book I will read again!
I love historical fiction, especially stories like this that tell me something about history that I'd never heard about before. I had no idea of the brave, tenacious Jews who lived in the forest during WWII, surviving extreme hardships.
The author did a fantastic job of researching how they managed to survive, and I found the author notes at the end of the book as fascinating as the story itself.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book that I consider a must-read!

very well written and researched, this book kept me up. Great strong characters and engaging story. Loved it

Harmel, Kristin. The Forest of Vanishing Stars. Gallery Books, 2021.

In 1922, Jerusza, an elderly mystic, kidnaps two-year-old Inge Juttner from her wealthy parents in Berlin because she feels the child’s parents are “bad people”. Jerusza changes Inge’s name to Yona, which means dove, because she has a dove-shaped birthmark on her wrist. She raises Yona in the forests of Eastern Europe as her own child. She only has two rules Yona must follow—she must always obey Jerusza, and she must stay hidden in the forest, away from men who might hurt her. Not only does Jerusza teach Yona how to survive in the forest, but she also teaches her practical things—more than five different languages and about the world’s religions.

In 1942, Jerusza passes away, and Yona is left on her own. One day, she comes upon two men, one of whom is unsuccessfully trying to catch fish with his bare hands. She discovers the men are part of a larger group of Jews who fled into the forest when Jews in their Polish town were being killed by the Nazis. Yona joins their group and teaches them how to live in the forest and survive during the harsh winters. After a romantic interest betrays her, Yona decides to leave.

Yona enters a German-occupied town and becomes friendly with a group of nuns, who have been quietly helping Jews escape from the country. However, after she reconnects with a relative from her past, which leads to another betrayal, she goes back into the forest. She realizes that everything that Jerusza had been teaching her was so she could help the Jews survive until World War II was over.

Kristin Harmel, who also wrote The Book of Lost Names, has written another mesmerizing World War II tale of courage and survival. She has based her novel on true stories—that of the nuns, the Blessed Martyrs of Nowogrodek, and of the thousands of Jews who actually lived in forests during World War II. She has peppered her novel with information about survival techniques, medicinal herbs, and shelter construction, all of which she researched extensively. She even interviewed Aron Bielski, a 93-year-old World War II survivor, who survived the war by living in the forests.

The characters are well fleshed-out and developed. Both Yona and Jerusza are strong, capable women, although rather untrusting of others. Yona, having not grown up with her parents, feels she has missed out on family and deeply yearns to have one of her own. Even though Jerusza lived to be very old, she was one tough cookie! Both she and Yona have the ability to sense things, especially danger.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars is an extraordinary story, a tale of survival and hope. It can be enjoyed by both adults and teens. Give it to readers who read historical fiction and those who like reading about World War II. I highly recommend it for high school and public libraries and give it five out of five fleur de lis!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

Another great read from Kristin Harmel. I home teen readers embrace this book because there are so many that don't know the truth about WWII and the Holocaust. Older readers will cry as she re-creates history so clearly. The story starts with 2 year old Yona being kidnapped from her rich German family in the 1930's. She is kept isolated and finds herself alone in the forests of Germany. When she learns about the plight of Jews at the hands of the Nazi's she is determined to help them escape or fight back. Loved the story and the way Ms. Harmel can convey the despair and hope of the Jewish community during the war. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS was a book of contradictions for me. I enjoyed learning about the forest survival tactics of Polish and Belarusian Jews during World War II, but I didn't warm to any of the characters. It was easy to keep reading, but I didn't become vested in the outcome. So I guess that earns it a middle-of-the-road rating.

I have honestly been over all the WWII fiction but this one sucked me right in with a new and refreshing perspective on it. My heart was absolutely touched. I found the folklore in the beginning to translate in a bit of a clumsy manner to the rest of the book. I guess it was just a hard transition when the Germans arrived and then was dropped and didn’t carry through the same. Overall I liked this book and was grateful that it was able to respark much of what I love about historical fiction.

I’m always deeply moved by Holocaust stories, but that depth was deflected at first in this novel, by some magical realism, a fairytale like quality and too much focus on romance . The last part of the novel, the author’s note and her diligent research, though, made it meaningful in the end. The imperative message of resilience and remembering is clearly reflected.

“I don’t want to disappear. I want to survive so we can tell the world what has happened.”


I read this with my book buds Diane and Esil .

I received a copy of this book from Gallery through NetGalley.

My first Kristin Harmel read and it was incredible. Her writing pulls you into the story. The people and surroundings come to life. I could picture everything in the Forrest as if I was there as well. Amazing unforgettable history is told with such detail. I highly recommend this book and author!

Yes, yes, I did cry—nonstop. Have a box of tissues (or ten) nearby; you're going to need them.

THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS By Kristin Harmel is a heart-wrenching, suspenseful, Historical Fiction novel with a love story at its core—at the moment; it has me at a loss for words; other than—WOW!

Here’s A Snippet Of The Synopsis:

‘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.’

I love the depiction of Yona, the young heroine in the book, specifically: her strength, perseverance, bravery, and selflessness.

Opening her heart isn’t something Yona has done before, so when a moment presents itself—My Heart!

Here’s A Snippet Or Two:

‘“Perhaps I just don’t know how to love.” “Or maybe there is something broken in me.” Somehow, speaking the words aloud felt like releasing a flock of birds to the sky.’

‘“You will know. . . When it is the right person, you will know.” [He] took a deep breath. “And you’re not broken, Yona. . . It’s the cracks in us that make us who we are, and you . . . you are stronger than anyone I have ever met, I think.”’

And . . .

‘The only thing that remained was the only thing that mattered: love—the kind that could be found in the darkness when all pretenses had disappeared, the kind borne of pain and despair and hope, the kind that was a shelter in the storm.’

THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS—Highly Recommend!

PLEASE, make sure to read the Author’s Note at the end of the book, highlighting the research and interviews that went into creating the book.

Thank You, NetGalley and Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster, Inc.), for loaning me an eGalley of THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS in the request of an honest review.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars is Kristin Harmel’s latest amazing historical fiction novel about WWII. As we’ve come to expect from Harmel, it is beautifully written, inspiring, meticulously researched, heart-wrenching, suspenseful, and unforgettable. It is a story filled with adventure, heartbreak, tragedy, but also with hope and love. I have read a lot of WWII historical fiction lately, and I was expecting this novel to be similar to other novels that deal with the same subject matter. This novel however, explored a different and unique aspect of WWII survival that I have never read about in previous WWII novels. The story deals with the lives, survival tactics, bravery, and hope that Jewish families faced in the Nalibocka (now named Naliboki) forest of Eastern Europe, after escaping from the ghettos where they were being held under Nazi occupation.

This is a coming-of-age story of a young girl named Yona, kidnapped by Jerusza, a woman of the forest, who recognized something special in her; someone who could stand up against hate in the future. The very beginning of the story had a fairy tale element of spirituality, magic and mysticism, as Jerusza raises Yona in the wilderness of Eastern Europe, away from civilization, while educating her in numerous subjects related to survival skills and how to live off the land and remain undetected. For 20 years, until Jerusza’s death, Yona was raised to distrust and avoid people. Her upbringing was devoid of love and human contact. When Yona encounters Jewish refugees, she uses her knowledge of the wilderness to teach them how to survive in the forest and escape the Nazis. At the same time, she learns to open her heart, become part of a family, and love other people.

There were many characters to keep track of, and they all came to life in an unforgettable way. Harmel frequently includes strong and resilient women in her books, and this was no exception. Yona was a unique, courageous, and heroic character. The story consisted of a single timeline which leant itself to the storyline. The majority of the story was set in the forests of Poland. I was totally immersed in the setting, and transported to the forest through the author’s breathtaking and realistic descriptions. Even though some of the action in the forest could be repetitive at times, the story was consistently emotional, suspenseful, and engrossing.

I learned so much about a part of WWII that I was not familiar with. The author includes a lengthy “must read” section at the end of the book, where she shares the background information and extensive research she did. The book was based on a real life partisan group and was inspired by the 2008 film Defiance starring Daniel Craig and Leiv Schreiber, which I will definitely check out. This book is one of Kristin Harmel’s best. I highly recommend this book, especially to readers of historical fiction.

I read this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was very engrossed from the start and stayed so throughout the book. I learned many things and the author's detailing how she researched the story explains why it all sounded authentic. I will be recommending this book to my book club.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC of this book. It is beautifully written and a wonderful story. I thought the characters were well developed. I found it hard to put down.

"The Forest of Vanishing Stars" by

Kristin Harmel

A great historical fiction novel with an interesting twist. Loved it!

This is a Historical Fiction that takes place during WWII. I have to say the start of this book was kind of creepy, specially child kidnapping and I have to say I really did not like the beginning of this book. but after the middle the story does gets better and it does break your heart by the end. I loved the risks that Yona takes to save people, and at the same time trying to find her own identity and heritage. Emotions do run high in this book. I greatly enjoyed this story and can't wait to see what Harmel comes out with next.

I really wanted to like this book, but I didn't. The fantastic elements juxtaposed with the WWII backdrop just didn't work for me. I'm sure others will feel differently.

The author has again written a well researched, moving and impactful book, focusing on Resistance fighters in the Nalibacka forest in Poland. Fable like in her story, Yona is stolen from her parents in Berlin by an older woman who lived in the forest. Yona was taught languages, reading, but most importantly, survival in the woods. When the old lady dies, leaving Yona on her own, she meets up with groups of Jews struggling to survive. Based on the real story of the Bielski encampment, the struggles to survive and hang on to hope and faith were detailed, and were emotionally absorbing. I can’t recommend this book enough, and thank NetGalley for the,opportunity to read this wonderful book.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a lovely historical novel based on amazing and heartbreaking true events. The character development was excellent, especially watching Yona grow into herself through her challenges. There is a bit of mysticism, but that is not the primary focus of the story. Every now and then parts of the story seemed to be told a bit too quickly, but overall it is a well written and complete story.

One of those unforgettable stories of survival during WW2 and one that deeply resonated with me. It's about Jews who escaped ghettos into the forests of Poland. Vast forests that sustained those who had knowledge of what to do. This is full of detailed descriptions valuable for any survivalist. I have been long fascinated by skills to live off the land, this doesn't disappoint.
Yona was kidnapped as a toddler and taken into the deep forests of Germany and Poland, taught all she needed to live, as well as languages, geography and other information as any student in a city school would get. Deeply engaging, full of knowledge and life philosophy.
She later learned how to live and interact with others after her kidnapper died and she encountered people who were fleeing from the ghettos into the forest. She helped them to hide and survive, they expanded her knowledge of people. A story of triumph and love. 10 star rating needed here.
Something to be aware of, a brief explicit sexual scene and one or two minor scenes I was able to easily skip over. Not a surprise I appreciated, yet not anything major or prolonged throughout the book.
I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
#ForestofVanishingStars #NetGalley.

I loved "The Forest of Vanishing Stars", Kristin Harmel's latest, amazing novel. Packed with unusual, magical, girl power, destiny and bravery, a young woman of a mysterious past, raised in the forest, leads Jews in WWII to safety and survival. Just magnificent. Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the copy for review. All opinions are my own.