The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is a very different kind of story in many ways and yet one so ordinary. Beautifully written, is it the story of Yona, a young German woman who had grown up living in the woods with quasi-Jewish woman named Jerusza, who had kidnapped her from her bed when she was two. Jerusza was eighty when she took Yona and she lived for more than twenty years more, teaching Yona how to survive, but also how to live without leaving a trace. Only once in those years had Yona spoken to another person. While learning to love in the forest, she also learned to speak and read in several languages and had read all the books in the world worth reading. What she did not know was anything of how she or Jerusza had gotten where they were. Jerusza refused to discuss it. Only on her deathbed did she tell Yona the names of her birth parents, along with several warnings. Then she was gone. Yona was alone...until she wasn't. The bulk of this book took place during World War II and the forest was pretty much in Germany and Poland. Eventually, she helped escaped Jews survive.

Sometimes the most amazing stories took place somewhere other than in a concentration camp. This was one such story, not that people didn't die. Yona was the most human of humans, despite her upbringing. She learned to love although she had little experience in it. She didn't ever really learn to hate, but she did learn to kill. When Jerusza had taught her those methods, she hadn't thought she would ever really use them. She was wrong. She did find her father, and that turned out to prove that Jerusza had done the right thing those many years before. She did help many people survive, and make it to the end of the war. Sadly, often without much to live for. This was a lovely book, highlighting the innate goodness in people, in Yona. I loved it.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #theforestofvanishingstars

The Forest of Vanishing Stars took a topic that has been addressed in literary works repeatedly but gave it a twist. To offer the story of Jewish refugee survival by means of living in the woods (similar to the movie Defiance) yet led by an unusual heroine was unique. I was a bit skeptical at the outset of the story because of Yona's early years and the mystical old woman who raised her. But once the story moved past her upbringing and moved onto her leading a group of Jews to survival in the forest, I was engaged.

The market is currently saturated with historical fictions that focus on World War II. It's almost to the point that one will breeze by them, a reader thinking that this will be like all the others, but when your eye comes to The Forest of Vanishing Stars, one immediately gets that sense that this is going to be different, and they'd be right.

When I first saw the cover my first thought was of Katniss from The Hunger Games, and in some ways I wasn't too far off. Like Katniss, Yona has something special and unique about her, so much so that she is kidnapped from her German home at 2-years-old and raised in the Polish woodlands by her captor. When the woman dies, Yona lives a solitary life until she comes upon a group of Jews that are fleeing the Nazi's. This turns Yona's world upside down, and she finally realizes what her life's purpose is: to help these Jews flee persecution, and teach them the ways of the wilderness.

I can honestly say I've never read anything like The Forest of Vanishing Stars before! It is a refreshingly unique take on a tale that has been told many times before that I just adored. The character development is incredible, the author getting the reader into the psyche of this remarkable young woman, as well as several of the individuals that Yona crosses paths with. There are moments that make you sigh with their sweetness, and moments that make you turn your head in disgust, seeing the imagery so vivid in your mind that you want to shake it out immediately. Yona's fight and never give up attitude is inspiring, and it's hard not to fall in love with her strength, her knowledge, and her caring spirit.

Kristin Harmel has such an amazing talent for putting the reader right there in these worlds, and The Forest of Vanishing Stars is no exception. You can tell that a lot of time and love went into the writing of this novel, and I am so thankful that she put the work that she did into it, because this novel is truly momentous, brining alive a world that I did not know existed, and getting me out of a nasty reading rut.

The ending was surprising and hauntingly satisfying, about as much as a happily-ever-after as you're going to get considering the circumstances, and for that I was grateful. I closed the book with a contented sigh, no questions remaining, and my thoughts awhirl about the entire story. I immensely enjoyed this novel and love that I had the opportunity to read it!

Kristen Harmel is such a gifted storyteller, never disappointing! This is a story of perseverance, endurance, love and faith during the Holocaust. How one woman who grew up in the forest used her skills to help Jews who were being hunted by Germans. Relying on her faith, her instincts, and knowledge passed down from her mother, she was able to lead others to safety and teach them how to survive in the worst of elements. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially to fans of historical fiction.

“If one listened closely enough, nature always spilled her secrets, which were, of course, the secrets of God.”

Yona is stolen as a baby and raised in the forest by Jerusza, a woman with a sixth sense. Jerusza knows that the baby has a destiny and she teaches her everything about surviving off the gifts of the forest. That knowledge along with a deep sense of responsibility, compassion and respect for life are the tools Yona uses to save the world (for “whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world”).

An unputdownable read from the bestselling author of Book of Lost Names. Kristin Harmel’s writing is so divine, her words literally touch the soul yet at the same time the reading is very accessible.

This is a story about survival, but more deeply about belonging and the interconnectedness of life. I found myself reflecting on how people are different and yet how we are all the same and on the same journey toward understanding (especially after reading the emotional account of the martyred nuns (inspired by real people and true events) . This was particularly poignant given that the Holocaust underlined differences and fear. There is a beautiful spirituality in the storytelling with an emphasis on faith and the echoing question of where was God during the terror of the Holocaust. Each person comes to their own answer, but one I found in the writing struck deepest with me: “In the times of greatest darkness, the light always shines through, because there are people who stand up to do brave, decent things.” Jerusza describes, “life was an endless search for the true meaning of God.” As Yona follows her path, she comes to the moving realization that the forest is her spiritual home. It is her mother, her father, it nurtures her, it brings her peace, it is constant, it is her life, it is where she finds safety, security, meaning...it is where she finds God.

Harmel’s book is inspired by the true stories of those that survived the horrors of the time. While it is a work of fiction, the very real terrors are relayed through the characters’ storytelling about the ghettos. The book reflects on surviving in the Polish forests during WW2, particularly the experiences of the Bielski group. The author was fortunate to have interviewed Aron Bielski as a primary source in her research. Having a survivor’s voice was so impactful in her writing. I was also impressed with her detailed understanding of the gifts of the forest that fed, housed, healed and nurtured the survivors. Those details were not lost on me, they truly enhanced my appreciation of the way people could have lived in the forest. Her acknowledgements at the end of the book are fascinating and offer additional sources for further exploration.

The book is full of heart. A must read and an important reminder to humanity from Aron Bielski: “Be nice if at all possible, and help always poorer and weaker individuals.”

A young girl is stolen from her parents at two years of age and raised in the forest by the woman who kidnapped her. We watch her grow and learn how to survive in the forest. Later she teaches these skills to Jews fleeing from the Nazis in WWII. But they teach her too. The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a well researched, beautiful and engaging story.

The historical fiction genre is flooded with WWII stories. This one is different. A two year old girl is taken from a German family by an old woman because she believes her parents were bad. She names her Yona and raises her in the forest, teaching her how to use it to survive. After the old woman dies and World War II starts, Yona finds a group of Jews who escaped the ghetto and fled to the forest. She decides she must help them and show them what they need to do to survive. This story and the characters were thoughtfully written and it will stick with me for a while.

Amidst the plethora o f WW2 books available to read, this utterly unique novel stands out above the rest. Engrossing, compelling and inspiring this fantastic story kept me up into the early hours because I could not put it down.
Set in the forests of Poland during World War 2, and based on true events, this story details the plight of Jewish refugees who fled to the forests to escape The Nazis who had occupied their cities and towns and were killing their people (over 3 million Polish Jews died in WW2).
In this story Yona is a girl who was stolen from her parents at the age of 2 and raised in the forest by an elderly woman. She was taught important skills needed to live and survive in the wild and when she encounters strangers who tell her of the atrocities they’re fleeing from she helps them learn to survive and evade the Germans in the forest.
The story is beautifully written and extensively researched, with many passages that you’ll want to savor and share with others. It is an amazing tale of survival, human connection and the resiliency of the human spirit. Highly recommend this unforgettable story that should not be missed.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While fictional, it is clear the author devoted significant time to research the forest it is set in and real Jewish people who were forced to survive there. It was beautiful. Pairing optimism with the difficult reality of being Jewish during WWII. Furthermore, the story excelled at bringing one to the brink of despair without being completely lost to it.

Oh my stars (see what I did there? Lol) This book. So many emotions! I haven’t had a five star read in a while and this one I would give more stars if I could.
In 1922, an old woman steals a 2 year old from her bed in her German parents home. For the next 20 years, the old woman raises her in the forest, teaching her everything she would possibly need to know to survive in the safety of the wilderness on her own so that when the old woman passes away, she can take care of herself. Which she does, when she turns 102 and Yona, the girl she kidnapped is now a grown woman and self sufficient under cover of the forest away from the Germans.
In 1941, Yona meets some Jews in the forest as they are fleeing from where their families have been killed and she decides she must use her skills to help them. And then more people join and she comes to realize that this is why she was taken from her family, to help all these people. At one point, her past comes back to haunt her, and she finds that blood doesn’t make you family.
I loved this story so much and I thoroughly enjoyed the authors notes at the end that covered a lot of her research and conversations with some of the people the characters are based on. They survived so much that we could never possibly even imagine and it was fascinating to see how much they depended on their faith to get them through.
Thanks to Gallery Books and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

The Forest will provide. A woman so old that she moves unnoticed steals a baby and raises her to survive in the forest. A place of deliverance, sustenance, and protection. Drawn against the Nazi regime and WWII you are given a look at those who fled to the forest. It tells the harsh realities through different characters and their effect on our young heroine. A girl raised by a harsh but noble seer , who could see the future of her life and others. In so doing she prepared the girl , who in turn helps groups of refugees she finds trying to survive in the forest. It is a unique look into the occupation from those running from the tyranny of Nazi Germany.

Anyone who has read Kristin Harmel’s books knows that she has a gift for historical fiction. The Forest of Vanishing Stars is an interesting twist on this genre during WWII, and I really enjoyed it. The Forest of Vanishing Stars is complex and emotional. And that cover!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

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I was excited to read The Forest of Vanishing Stars based on the glowing reviews and beautiful cover. I loved the premise of a woman helping Jewish refugees flee the Nazis and live in the forest in Poland. Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark. It was such a weird book where everything about it felt strange, cringey, or implausible.

The story follows Yona, a woman who was stolen from her parents at the age of 2 and raised in the forest by an elderly prescient woman. Yona learns to live off the land and is highly educated, speaking multiple languages and learning about all kinds of topics (politics, religion, science, languages, medical care) from the elderly woman. All of this comes in handy when she needs to help Jewish refugees hide from Nazis and live off the land.

Riddled with stilted dialogue, bizarre romance, and a plodding plot, this was a boring read. It was also very preachy and repetitive with religious themes.

So many refugees were introduced that I stopped paying attention to all the names and relationships. The initial theme of magical realism was largely abandoned. Why was Yona considered special? The storyline with her father was disappointing.

I wish Harmel had written the book from one of the refugee’s perspective. The magical realism made a very real human suffering story seem like a fairy tale.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars
Impressive writing, based on a true story. Caught up in the book, it was hard to put down.

I loved this book. The characters were well developed and the author makes the forest come alive.

At two years old Inge is taken from a Jewish family by an old woman because she has a vision that her parents were bad. She renames you Yona and raises her in the forest teaching her how oto survive through winters and defend herself. After the old woman dies World War II starts and Yona finds a group trying to survive in the forest and she joins them to show them what they need to do to get through the winter. She feels that she doesn't fit in with the Jews. Even though she knows a lot about religions and speaks many languages including Yiddish she has never been raised in one faith. Yona is such a strong character and the people surrounding her are too. The forest comes alive with Ms. Harmel's descriptions. I could picture life in a zemialanka even though i have never seen one. The ending was one I didn't expect but was satisfying.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me with a copy of this book.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is a different type of WWII book. While the knowledge of the Holocaust and the elimination of Jews is indeed a key element of the story line, it is an element. The storyline follows Yona from her kidnapping at the age of 2 until the end of WWII when she is a young adult.

The story starts with Yona being kidnapped from her home by an older woman. She then takes Yona into the forest - keeping her always on the move - and teaches her all about the forest and eking out a living in the environment. Once the older woman dies, Yona is left on her own and realizes that she needs people in her life. To me - this is when the story gets interesting and Kristin Harmel's wonderful writing showcases the true part of the story. Yona’s dedication toward helping people survive and understanding how to survive in the forest is so important.

I did know that many Jews who escaped the ghettos hid out in various places. I had no idea until I read the ending of the book how many survived in the forests in Eastern Europe. The strength of this storyline is Kristin’s writing and the main character Yona. While the first couple of chapters were weird, once the story started to roll, the reader was all in. The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel was a good read and will stay with me.

4.5 ⭐️‘s
This book is an intriguing twist on the usual WW2 tale. A young child is kidnapped by an old lady who lives in the Black Forests of Germany. For many years as the girl grows to womanhood she is schooled by the old woman in the ways of survival and adaptation to the forest around her. When the old woman dies the young woman is left on her own until she meets a band of Jews that need her help. It is a story of love, what being a family really means, the brutality of the Nazi regime and the will to survive in the most difficult circumstances one can imagine. I was even more intrigued when I found out that the story was based on several actual bands of Jews who lived in the forests of Germany and survived to tell of their ordeal.

I received a free electronic ARC of this historical novel from Netgalley, Kristin Harmel, and Gallery Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read 'The Forest of Vanishing Stars' of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Kristin Harmel is an author to follow. Her works are consistently first-rate, her story told with heart and soul, her facts well researched.

Yona was a child of two in 1922 when she was kidnapped from her hardline Berlinese parents by Jerusza, a hardened loner woman now pushing 80 years old, and taken to live the life of a regimented forest traveler, in summer moving every few days from hollow tree to handmade shelter, avoiding humankind, and living off the land. It is the only life she can remember, and Jerusza is despite her faults an excellent teacher of maintaining the basics and avoiding everyone else. Summers were times to gather and dry and store fish, mushrooms, acorns, and 'borrowed' staples and clothing from area farmers, and winters were spent in a dug-out, the weather making it not necessary to continually change their location. There were rules - moving about only with beginning snowfall, keeping fires limited to nighttime to avoid visible smoke, storing creek water or snow for liquid needs. The number-one rule according to Jerusza, you must always keep the universe in balance. Summer and winter, day and night. Sustenance and poison, good and evil. You must know the darkness to appreciate the light.

It was a very confining lifestyle, and lonely for a small girl but she knew nothing else. And then through the rumbles of approaching WWII, Jerusza dies. Yona is grown, and well trained. She can maintain her lifestyle just as it was. But she will make changes - and include people in her orbit. People hiding from the Nazis, Jews looking for escape in the forests- she can help them. She must help them. And so she does. It's an awesome tale, told quite well. I loved it. Hope you will, as well.

In Berlin on a dark night an old woman snuck into an apartment and took a small girl. They hid in the forest. The woman Jerusza taught the girl,Yona all she knew about surviving in the wild. The girl was very quick to learn how to hunt, what plants to eat and how to build shelters. The most important lesson Jerusza taught Yona was to trust her instincts and to listen to herself.
One day after Jerusza was gone Yona saw some men running through the forest. After observing them for a while she decided to approach them. They were Jews running away from the Nazis. After hearing about the fighting and murders Yona knew she had to help them.
This is a very intriguing look at the war. It was good and thought provoking.

Having read The Book of Lost Names, I knew The Forest of Vanishing Stars was a must read for me by Kristin Harmel. She writes such fantastic historical fiction. World War II stories are always hard to read because of how terrible of a time it was for everyone, but even more so for those who were hunted like animals by the German’s and had to live through dire circumstances. Harmel has a way of writing that pain and tragedy where you feel it deep in your bones, but you fall in love with these characters and their strength.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars was very different from other stories of Jewish survival. I have read stories where people hide in houses, barnes, sewers, and more. But this is the first one I have heard where people had to learn to survive off the land and steer clear of German soldiers at the same time. If I am being honest, this story started out slow for me. I struggled for the first 20%. Not because it was boring, but because it just meandered along. I’m a person that needs things to focus on and interesting aspects to keep me connected. I struggled at first. But once I passed that 20% mark the book picked up and I have zero complaints.

There were a lot of characters in this book as groups of Jewish people fled into the forest. You met a lot along the way. I loved many. I disliked some. I even hated a few. I love when a book pulls out strong emotions regarding my feelings towards characters and this one did it. I was not a fan of Aleksander and found him emotionally abusive and taking advantage of Yona many times to a point where I was angry every time I had to read about him. I loved the children and how their characters brought the other characters joy in times when they were at their lowest. I love how Harmel gave descriptions of the characters, but not really in depth ones. I had my own images of each character in my mind, which likely would be different from others vision of them. It was just enough information to set the scene and then I was able to imagine the rest. A good author doesn’t have to overexplain. The reader is able to create a world out of the description given.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars may have started out slow for me, but quickly because a heart wrenching story of survival, family, personal growth and love. This is a must read for 2021. It might be a World War 2 story, but it’s so much more than that.