I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. I have read many books set during WWII and this was different from all of them. The characters were richly drawn and I was fully invested in their stories. Jerusza takes Yona as a young child and teaches her the mysteries of the forest and all that she believed to be important for survival. This ends up serving Yona in ways she cannot expect as the horrors of war take over everywhere around her. The mystical threads of Jerusza’s storyline took me back to Alice Hoffman’s The Dovekeepers which was one of my favorites.

When I am loving a book I will sometimes put it down for awhile because I don’t want it to be over... I did this but it didn’t last long because I needed to find out what was going to happen.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I have already recommended this book to friends. I look forward to more books by Kristin Harmel.

Two-year-old Inge is stolen from her parents in Berlin, 1922 by a woman who can see what Inge's father will become as he is among the first to join the Nazi party. Twenty years later the only life Inge, now Yona, knows is a life in the forest, surviving on her own abilities to hunt, fish and gather. As war descends she starts meeting more and more people escaping to the forest in need of her singular skills, and becomes determined to save as many as she can.

I absolutely loved this book. I came away from it having learned many things, I took notes of the areas, camps and ghettos and the forest that is the subject of the story so I can research more at the library. Running themes throughout are strength, loyalty, faith at a minimum. Perseverance, pushing through until you no longer feel you can. Bravery. Doing what's necessary. Love, Light even when there's so much darkness.
And I have questions for the author after reading the Authors Note on the real history of the people in the story...

Yet another great book by Kristen Harmel. 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to preview. I wanted to marinate in the story before I wrote a review. Seeing it in print helped immensely.

My Recommendation ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Forest of Vanishing Stars”
by Kristin Harmel

A Magical Tale of an Old Woman, a Forest, a Kidnapped Girl, and Sheltered Jews During WWII

Best selling Author Kristin Harmel has created another sweeping historical fiction in “The Forest of Vanishing Stars” that will have readers totally absorbed in the mysterious life and upbringing of a child, called Yona (meaning “dove” in Hebrew—due of the shape of a birthmark on the little girl’s wrist), kidnapped by an elderly woman who snatched her at two-years-of-age from the crib in her parents’ home in Berlin.

A potent tale brimming of magical realism and heart-wrenching poignancy, Harmel demonstrates like few authors can that loyalty, love, bravery, honor and personal character are innate, indelible features of the individual and independent of race, religion or personal origin.

“The Forest of Vanishing Stars” is exquisitely developed with complex characters who exhibit broad ranges of emotions. It is a book about survival in wilderness situations; survival alone; survival among strangers; survival against horrific enemies, elements and starvation; and ultimately, survival of the soul.

Parts of this book take place during the Nazi invasion of Eastern Europe during WWII and describe some of the travesties and brutalities that occurred. However, this plot is unlike any other WWII novel that I have read before.

It as a powerful fictionalized account of some true events that occurred in isolated forests outside of small Polish and Belarusian villages as Germans encroached from the West and Soviets approached from the East..

“The Forest of Vanishing Stars” by Kristin Harmel is one of the BEST BOOKS that I have READ this YEAR, and it is one of the BEST BOOKS that I HAVE EVER READ.

This stunning achievement by Harmel elevates my soul; challenges me morally and intellectually; and makes me continue to think about it's plot and it's characters long after I finished reading. What a masterpiece!

“The Forest of Vanishing Stars” just may be Harmel’s Magnum Opus!

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs
REVIEWER: J. Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


“The Forest of Vanishing Stars”
by Kristin Harmel
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction
Publication Date: 6 July 2021
Publisher: Gallery Books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

With Sincerest Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Kristin Harmel, and Gallery Books, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc., for Providing this Advance Reader’s Copy for Review.

4.5 stars.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars was super close to a 5-star read for me. WWII historical fiction, but from a somewhat fresh angle. The start was a little slow and felt a little more fantastical than the rest of the novel, but overall it worked out alright. The writing was good and backed up with a lot of atmospheric description. There was a lot of detail to each movement that made the narrative feel incredibly tangible and realistic.

The characters were really well done and I liked the fact that there was not the tendency to move toward the 100% happy ending with every situation. There were high stakes and things didn't always work out. It was admittedly probably still a bit more optimistic than the realistic historical situation, but it felt good and balanced for me.

The entire story is adventurous and dangerous with a high level of tension, but also did a wonderful job of celebrating the human spirit and the sense of community that we can find in one another. It was a good mix of recognizing the evil that humans are capable of as well as the good that they will often do.

The author's historical note at the end of the story was particularly interesting to read and added a lot of credibility to her story. I was glad to learn about the research she undertook and hear her explanations of what she changed from fully historically accurate and why. I think she took great care with this work and that should be appreciated. Harmel did a wonderful job with this book and I would not hesitate to recommend it to other readers with high praise.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

I liked it. I had high expectations after book of lost Names and while this wasn’t as good, it was still a powerful HF. I liked the relationship aspect.

This was a story I have never heard or read before. Yona, a young girl, is kidnapped by an elderly woman from a germany family, who are part of the Nazi's regime. She is then raised in the forest on how to survive on the land, cooking, fishing shelting in harsh weather, etc. Since Yona has learned so much from living the forest, she is able to assist many Jews in hiding an surviving in the forest. What a life that must have been and to survive. Amazing story. Loved it.

Kristen Harmel is like an old cardigan. It just fits. It is cozy. And there is nothing else like it. Her writing is descriptive and imaginative. In addition, you can tell how meticulous she is in her research. She is one of my absolute favorite historical fiction authors. The Forest of Vanishing Stars was unputdownable and is not to be missed!

First of all I adored the dual meaning of the title.
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This book feels like magic but it's historic fiction. I am a huge huge fan of WWII books and devour every perspective I can get my hands on but somehow had never heard or read anything about survivors in the woods. This was a fascinating take on history and I loved every minute of it.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a powerful historical fiction. Set in WWII, it centers around a young woman living in the woods and the mystery surrounding her identity. Along her journey, she helps several groups of Jews escaping persecution from the Nazis hide. Along the way, she discovers details about her past, while facing grave danger.

I appreciated the historical accuracy of the story, along with the author's note at the end, explaining the inspiration behind the book. I am glad that I waited to listen to the audiobook for this one, because with the Polish, German, and Yiddish languages interspersed throughout, I was able to enjoy the story, rather than trying to pronounce words or figure out context. The book definitely took a bit to set up, but once you get to the 55% mark, the story moves quickly.

This story is heartbreaking and one that needs to continue to be amplified and told. We cannot forget what happened to the Jewish population, especially in Poland, during WWII.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I love historical fiction and don't read enough of it these days. This was my most anticipated of the year in the genre and I enjoyed a lot of it but overall didn't love this one. I've read three others by the author and this is not my favorite by her but it is a solid WWII book. I love every time I read her books I learn a little more about this time in history and the struggles and hardships that occurred. This did feel a bit long and started to feel repetitive at times. I also could have used a slight change of scenery. There is also one semi major plot point that did not make sense to me that was tough to move past and believe! But, this is the incredible story of Yona, her life and journey, and her survival in the forest.

I love the way that Kristen Harmel weaves truth with fiction, trauma and tragedy with hope. It leaves the reader feeling fulfilled and as though the hours spent turning pages were moments that we never want back.

Another reminder of why historical fiction is fast ascending the ladder to crawl into one of my favorite genres. There is no shortage of fiction surrounding WW11 and the events that occurred, this story looks for a fresh take with the somewhat spiritual/ metaphysical role of the lead character of Yona. Abducted from her bedroom at 2 years old, Yona has spent her life under the tutelage of a fierce older woman who seems to speak in riddles and who has shunned society to live in the forest. Throughout her life this prescient woman has taught Yona all she knows: how to speak multiple languages, survive and thrive off the land, and kill a man with your bare hands if needed. Upon the old woman’s death at 102, Yona continues her life among the trees unaware of the troubles brewing in the outside world. When a frightened little girl stumbles into the forest with wild tales of people hunting her family and trying to kill her, Yona is presented with a choice, continue on her way avoiding society and it’s problems, or use her vast knowledge to help these disadvantaged people survive? She must ask herself, is this what she was always destined to become? While these characters are obviously fictional, the vast knowledge used by the author lends them heart and credibility. I was pushed on to keep flipping the page to find out what happens to Yona and all the lives she has sworn to protect. Will appeal widely to historical fiction fans and people who are fans of novels drawn from the same frame of time in history. Review posted to Goodreads, Litsy, LibraryThing, Facebook, and Amazon.

What happens when you come upon a book that tells about a part of history that you didn't know? I'll tell you what happens! You stay up way to late reading because you cannot put this book down. That was the case for me when I read this book.

I hadn't read this author before although I had heard wonderful things but......I feel like most of the time the hype never lives up and I find that I am disappointed. Oh not with this book! I started it in the early evening and by 3:00am realized I had to put it down.

The story of Jews fleeing to a thick forest to escape Nazi torture or death was one I had never heard of before. And as I read the more I was simply fascinated. A young girl kidnapped from her bed in the dead of night only to be raised by a women who shaped her destiny for her to be equipped to help save a desperate group of people.

Kristin Harmel did a superb job of shaping these characters and keeping me guessing throughout the whole book. I cried many times and at times I shut the book because I couldn't take the emotion of it. That is how good it is.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Historical Fiction. It is well done and I of course will be reading many more books by Kristin Harmel!

I absolutely loved this book by Kristin Harmel. I was intrigued by Yona right from the beginning. I loved the combination of her naiveté when with other people but incredible knowledge about the forest and survival skills. It was interesting to see her learn to connect and the family that she forms in the forest. There were some really tough scenes, but offset by quite heartwarming moments. It was an interesting story of WWII history that I was not familiar with. I appreciated the writing style and was captivated from beginning to end.

“The Forest will always protect you.”

In a genre that can get over saturated with WWII stories, @kristinharmel always comes with a unique perspective. Her newest, The Forest of Vanishing Stars, was just that- unique and so incredibly powerful. I learned a lot about Jewish families and how they escaped into the forest to live to escape persecution during the war. It was fascinating and heartbreaking, but filled with hope. This was an atmospheric historical fiction with a lot of depth. I loved the characters and the setting. This was loosely based on true events and I loved the author notes at the end and the sheer amount of research that went into this. It was a powerful story that captured my heart. 5⭐️ My thanks to @gallerybooks for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this one!

I loved that this was a different side to WWII. I have never heard the story before of people living in the forest. Kristin Harmel did an amazing job bringing their story to light. I love how she writes and how she captures the essence of each character. I adored Yona and was very invested in her life and heartbreaks and successes. (I also really liked Jerusza's character! I would totally read a magical realism story from her POV lol)

I definitely recommend this book, as well as this author!

Kristin Harmel is magic when she writes. She has this power of bringing her stories to life, making the reader feel as though they are involved in the story, and writes such beautiful tales of woe and love.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars is no exception. I felt everything Yona was feeling - from the isolation, to love, to betrayal. I cannot imagine all she endured. I appreciated the view into her life during this time, the small acts that allowed her to survive, and the constant faith.

A must read !
Thank you very much for a copy of this amazing book. A very interesting story of jewish survivors hiding in the woods during WW II to escape cocentration camps. And death

This is exactly the kind of story that many of our visitors want to read. Looking forward to sharing the story with them. Thank you for the ARC!