I loved The Forest of Vanishing Stars. Historical fiction (this one is loosely based on a true story) is one of my favorite genres to read, especially those set in the WWII era. This book was very different though. I was fascinated by the premise; an old woman takes a 2 year old girl from her family because of her ability to know future events. She may not see the specifics, but she knows this girl will be important and needed in the future. She teaches her how to live, hide, and survive in the forest. And, in the future, the girl, now a young woman, is vital in saving hundreds of Jews.

The setting of The Forest of Vanishing Stars is so different than most WWII novels since most of it takes place in the forest. It was fascinating to read about the survival skills this young woman was able to teach the Jews.fleeing the German army all because she was kidnapped. The atrocities that the Jews suffered are horrific, yet hope flows throughout this novel. God led this group of Jews to the forest at just the right time and place. There is so much I could share about this amazing novel, but the way the story unfolds is extraordinary. You've got to read it yourself in order to appreciate how fascinating The Forest of Vanishing Stars truly is.. .

If you're a fan of this genre, I highly recommend you add it to your TBR lists.

I enjoyed this book - well-written and believable. Quite inspiring! I struggled at times in keeping track of all of the names/characters, but it could have just been me and my mindset while reading this! I appreciated the author’s notes at the end, too!

Let me start out by saying I have never. read this author before, but I will be reading her again. This book kept me reading into the wee hours of the night. Would recommend to anyone that likes stories about Hitler. This book starts out with a kidnapping and gets better with every page. Great book can't wait to read another book by Kristin Harmful.👍📚. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the advanced copy.

Another Kristen Harmel book which is fabulous! Love all of her books and this one meets all my expectations! It was a part of history I had not heard much of and I found it to be very informative. Would recommend to everyone to read!

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is the incredible tale of the survival of a young woman who lived in the forest in Poland and helped others learn to live and thrive in the forest while they hid from the Nazis during WWII. This is an inspiring story of faith and hope which will break your heart, but keep you enthralled until the last page, and even then you will want more. Don't miss this one!

Thank you to the author, Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Captivating story that touched my heart and brought me to tears. It was so powerful. As I was reading this book, it really hit me the unbelievably difficult circumstances people had to try to live through. Jewish people were trying to survive in the woods, so that they could try to keep themselves and their families alive. The hate brought on by the Nazis was that strong. It is hard to believe this is a fictional story, but based on the truth that many endured.

Little 2 year old Inge lives with her parents in Poland. One day, an old woman, Jerusza takes Inge. Both live a life in the forest. Jerusza seems very harsh, but is really trying to teach Inge the need to understand surviving. She changes her name to Yona. She is told she must learn to protect herself first. She teaches her about all the plants and animals living in the forest. She is only ever known the forest. Jerusza knows she will die soon, and wants Yona to know safety. She teaches her to be very educated, too. She says that ‘The forest takes care of it’s own’. Jerusza has a sixth sense about life and knows the day she will die. She wants to be certain Yona can take care of herself. She says love is a wasted emotion. So, Yona stays is the forest and is isolated.

Life changes when she finds a young girl in the forest alone and ill. She has a star on her jacket. She helps her find her parents, but it is too late as they are all killed. After this, Yona decides she will help those living in the forest. She comes into contact with a man who is trying to save 18 people in his family. He does not know what is required to make it in the forest. So, she starts by teaching him to catch fish. She was taught to Move like a Lynx, Think like a Fox, and Track like a Wolf. Knowing such things will mean the difference between life and death. So, Yona has such a beautiful heart, yet she is a fierce woman. She believes life has value, and it is not possible to look away from that ever. She is very wise, too. Knows hate only eats at your soul.

Yona finds another family who need help. This means more people who will need to learn the ways of the forest. She takes it on though. She starts to want to stay with these people as she feels almost part of a family, an emotion she never knew before. She realizes that she has taught them to have a chance to live. She calls herself, The Dove of the Forest’. She must fly away to find others that she can perhaps make ‘Vanishing Stars’. This means a person who lives and vanishes from the evil hunting them.

Yona continues to help. She has to endure much heartache herself and finds out many secrets she wish were not true. When she is back in the forest, she sees Zus again. She has strong feelings for him, but he thinks he is too broken to ever love again. His wife and daughter were both murdered. She does not know if he will even survive or his extended family. Her heart aches for all the anguish and hate people show. She has come to understand evil, but still it does not stop her. She is certain of who she is and that a life matters.

The story is just riveting and beautiful. The author researched this book extensively and spoke to a man who was a child living in the forest and helping his family. Many similar stories happened that are in the book. Kristin Harmel wrote this during Covid, and during a time of much unrest. Yet, she reminds us that somehow the human spirit longs to survive. Even when the worst atrocities happen, people find ways to go on. It is humbling. It is also a reminder that giving into hate because someone thinks, looks, or believes differently then you is just never the answer. It was the wrong answer for Nazis hunting people in the forest and it’s the wrong answer today. It is possible to be kind and understand others. That should be our goal. Wonderful Book.

Thank you NetGalley, Kristin Harmel, and Gallery Books for an ARC of this book.

5 stars. Definitely, a must-read. This story draws so many different emotions from the reader. At times I had to stop reading because I would get frustrated with the story but then at times couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what was going to happen next.

The story timeline is during WWII and the story is of a woman who was kidnapped as a child and raised in the forest by an older woman. After being isolated for so long she eventually meets some groups of Jewish families who are escaping from the ghettos.

This may be a book I will have to purchase as a physical copy to share with family and friends.

Thanks, Kristin Harmel, Gallery Books, and Netgalley for this eARC.

Solid WW2 novel with a dash of a “magical” element…almost like The Murmur of Bees…if you liked that, you might enjoy this one.

My criticism is to the length (maybe not a page number problem but a lull in the story that stopped the momentum). It dragged at the end, but the first half was excellent.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is a Historical Fiction story about a young woman raised in the forest in Poland. Yona was kidnapped from her crib at two years of age by an eighty-two-year-old woman. Yona was the child of a prominent German family. This mysterious woman teaches Yona how to survive in the forest and tells her never to leave the forest because evil days are coming. When the older woman dies, Yona is truly alone for the first time. However, she encounters a group of Jews escaping from the Nazis. Yona teaches them survival skills that help them elude the Nazis. The story was very moving, and I would highly recommend this book for book clubs. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I was interested in reading this book because the premise was very unusual. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. I’ve read several Kristen Harmel books and enjoyed every one of them. Maybe I had set my expectations too high. It was beautifully written, but I wasn’t drawn into the characters. I do look forward to Kristin’s next book.

There have been many books written about the struggle of the Jewish people during WW2
But Harmel has described the groups who disappeared in the forest to hide from the Naziis. Her main character has lived in the forest for years since she was kidnapped as a child. Yona
Helps these refugees and they in turn help her. Harmel has done her research and presents a story you won't soon forget. Not an easy read but one that
Hits your heartstrings!!

My favorite books are WWII historical fiction and I love Kristin Harmel’s gift with words. This tale of WWII, with a twist of fantasy, was a little different than most of the books I’ve read. But it was a wonderful story of survival by groups of people as they hid in the forest. Their resourcefulness and dedication to each other was admirable. The characters were well developed and while there were some you didn’t like, there were lots you grew to love. There are plot twists that have you gasping out loud. And the story has you sitting on the edge of your seat wondering if they’ll survive. Once again, the author has transported me into the depths of the atrocities of Hitler’s regime. But she also allows us to celebrate the resilience of humanity. What a wonderful story. A must for your to-be-read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

It's 1922 and an old woman stands in a shadow waiting. For Jerusza has the knowing, could tell of momentous things that were about to happen...as this was a gift from God, passed down thru fortunate Jewish women. Now it was her turn and at the age of 82 she was coming to steal for a 2 year old girl and change the fate of the child. And with that she cradled the girl beneath her cloak, fled Berlin and ran to the forest.

Yona, the name given to the child by Jerusza and meaning "dove" in Hebrew had much to learn and Jerusza was eager to impart her wisdom. They lived in the forest, never going near civilization until absolutely necessary. This is the way their life is for the next 20 years, Yona being raised in the forest, learning how to live in her surroundings, learning how to be sustained by nature and what it has to offer. All the while Jerusza teaches her how to read from stolen books, instructs her in many languages, until she is fluent in all of them. This is what "the voice" in Jerusza's head tells her to do, for she is helping Yona find her destiny.

On a cold day in March, 1942 it comes to pass that Jerusza dies, leaving Yona alone. All she knows is that the forest will protect her...she has no choice, she has to survive. On that day in March, Jerusza confesses that she stole Yona, that she did so because her parents were evil. She also prophesized that Yona would live to 100 years old. But now at the age of 22 she was alone, with nothing but the forest surrounding her.

In the Spring of 1942 Yona comes across a group of Polish Jews in the forest escaping the ghetto. With what she has learned in her young life, she is now able to help these people, teaching them how to survive in the forest to escape the Nazis. She is with them while they learn, while she teaches, but then she is betrayed and the past catches up to her. How will she handle it?

Is this book a story of just survival, or was it mysticism, or witchcraft, or just a "sixth sense" yet whatever you may think it is, one thing is certain it most definitely was one of the most interesting WWII stories I have ever read. The characters, Jerusza and Yona were two protagonists that held my attention. In this story there is love, there is strength, however, there is the path you choose for your life. Fate may take your hand in many ways (for Yona it was Jerusza), but are you in control of your destiny? When I think about WWII, the Jewish people that were forced into concentration camps, I wonder did they control their own destiny? This book is thought provoking! The book flowed and I inhaled it...Kristen Harmel never disappoints, this book goes to the top of my books, along with those she penned before!

A must read...highly recommended. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just when I thought I’d read everything there is to know about the Holocaust I find this. If you’re looking for something different and historical then this is the book for you.
This had a magical, intense quality that kept me glued to it! I was fascinated by Yona and her ability to stay safe. She was innocent and conning the way she survived and cared for people. I had no idea so many people fled for their life’s into the forest. A good read. Highly recommend.
I really enjoyed the authors notes and recommend everyone read it.
Thanks Gallery Books via Netgalley

I read a lot of WWII fiction and it’s difficult to find one that’s unique, that doesn’t feel like it’s just a rewrite of the same story. I was so pleased to read this book because it’s not something I’ve experienced before. I knew that many Jews were able to escape into the forest surrounding Poland but I never really considered what they had to go through in order to survive. Since I feel that we need to have as much information as we can to ensure that we never have another Holocaust, I feel that this is an important read. I also will be reading some of the books that Ms. Hamel recommends

Wow. Kristin Harmel does it again. Everyone seems to want to talk about Kristin Hannah's novels, well maybe y'all need to get on board with Kristin HARMEL! She is a master at writing the most beautiful, heart-warming yet heart-wrenching books! This one was heavy *whew* but told a story that while fiction, was rooted in the horrors of one of the most awful times in history; the hunting down and extermination of the Jews. This book is a beautiful reminder that in spite of the terrifying and awful things we face in this life, kindness, love and the lifting up of others over self are things we must continue to do. Yona, our young protagonist, was terrified to step out of her comfort zone and everything she knew to help people she didn't even yknow because had the knowledge and ability to do so. She saw the responsibility she had to these people because she was the ONLY ONE who could do it. I think we could learn a lesson from Yona. This book isn't for the faint of heart but it's so beautiful and moving, it's worth it. Add this one to your summer TBR!

**A HUGE THANK YOU to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to the ARC e-book for #Forestof VanishingStars

Excellent & brilliant way of looking at WWII. Beautifully written with well developed characters. The title of the nook is just perfect! Highly recommended!

I really liked this book, “The Forest of Vanishing Stars.” It is a great WWII historical fiction based on fact. A facet of WWII I had never read about before. It is a story of a young girl from Berlin with German parents who is kidnapped prior to WWII and raised in the forest. As a grown woman, she helps Jewish people survive while learning about the cruelty of the world outside of the forest.

The vivid descriptions of life in the forest and the forest itself were enlightening. The author did a great job with her research. It is a story of survival and relationships amongst the brutality of the Nazis. Honestly, it was a book I enjoyed reading and would recommend to anyone who enjoys WWII historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Just when I think I’ve read every possible sub genre of World War 2 historical fiction, a book comes along and surprises me.
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Yona is two years old when she is stolen from her Berlin home by Jerusza, an old woman who “sees” things and believes she is saving Yona from a terrible future. Jerusza raises her in the Forest, teaching her to live off the land, to survive in the wilderness, how to use herbs as medication. She also teaches Yona several languages and about different religions. Yona is taught to never leave the Forest and to stay away from people, and she abides by these wishes until she’s a young woman and Jerusza dies. Once she’s alone, she wanders the Forest until she meets a group of Polish Jews escaping the ghetto and learning to trust one another, teaches them what she knows about survival.
Have you ever seen Defiance? It’s a film made several years ago with Daniel Craig. I was reading this book and it reminded me of that movie which is one I loved. The descriptions of the Forest were so vividly written that I felt completely enveloped in the story. I loved Yona’s character, she was smart and strong and I just loved experiencing her coming of age story. This was my first novel from this author and I loved her writing.
Have you added this to your summer reading list?
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I keep thinking that I will quit reading books with a WWII setting, and then along comes a talented writer with a different locale and perspective, widening my understanding of how different groups survived this horrific time. This time, the talented writer is Kristen Harmel, and the locale is the forests of Poland. For her novel, Harmel interviewed Aron Bielski, the youngest of the Bielski brothers who helped more than a thousand Jews survive in the Naliboki forest and swamps, hiding from the German invaders who wiped out whole villages. Taking her knowledge that groups, both small and large, did hid out in the woods and survive, Harmel did even more research and learned much about the fauna and flora of the area, especially what was edible and what could serve as medicine. Then her imagination took over and she created a story revolving around a young girl stolen from her German parents' home when she was only two by a strange, solitary woman who hid the girl in the Polish woods. Over the years, Jerusza raised Yona to be an expert survivalist. After old woman dies, Yona lives a lonely, isolated life until she stumbles upon a group of Jewish exiles. With that her life changes, and all the knowledge she's gained in her 22 years makes her the savior of many. Harmel writes with almost a mystical tone, while at the same time the book is filled with accurate details, making a refreshing, compelling combination. I received an ecopy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are mine. If you do choose to read this novel, I encourage you to search the internet for an interview with Kristin Harmel; she is charming and her enthusiasm for this story is captivating.