Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy of this novel!

I thought that the premise of this book was different than traditional WWII historical fiction. It really appealed to me to get the perspective of a young woman (Yona) who was surrounded by the war and yet removed from it due to her isolated upbringing in the forest. Kristin Harmel's attention to detail was excellent, and I truly felt the loneliness and confusion of Yona's early existence.

I really wanted to like this book! But I have to be honest that I did not. My stomach was in knots for first 20% as Yona's verbally abusive upbringing was described. The fact that she was continuously dismissed and criticized by her caretaker, Jerusza, was appalling. Rather than making me feel emotionally connected to Yona, it simply made me sick to my stomach. The complete lack of warmth for the first quarter of the book was tough to get through. I often read characters that I don't agree with, but as long as they seem realistic and I can understand WHY they are making their decisions, I can still connect with the story. I felt that both Jerusza and Yona were very one-dimensional. It was difficult to relate to either of them as their motivations were never fully explored. They felt like characters rather than real individuals. I was initially intrigued by the spiritual, mystical element of the story, but as I continued reading it made the plot and characters feel less realistic.

I think it is wonderful that the author drew inspiration for this book from one of her ancestor's experiences. You could tell, through her descriptions of life in that part of the world, that she had thoroughly done her research. I wish I had enjoyed the storyline more!

Yona (Inga) has been abducted by a wise woman who seems to be able to read the future. Yona (Inge ) is raised in the forest and becomes an expert in survival. Yona too seems to have the gift of premonition and feeling danger. These skills serve her well as she must survive and help others to survive in the forest that is filled with dangerous Soviet partisans, Nazis, and collaborators. This book was the perfect combination of historical fiction, magical realism, PG romance, war, and survival. It explores the role of God, questioning God, and whether we or not we indeed have free choice. There are fundamental distinctions as well commonalities between Judaism and Christianity that may be explored.

It would be a challenge to find a current reader whose favorite genre is historical fiction who hasn’t read and adored one of Kristin Harmel’s many book gems before — From THE BOOK OF LOST NAMES to THE WINEMAKER’S WIFE to THE ROOM ON RUE AMÉLIE...her canon of beloved novels goes on and on. Thus without a doubt, I foresee her upcoming THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS (releasing July 6) being on the lips of many readers this summer as well as being an instant or early NYT Bestseller. For those readers who haven’t heard the buzz about this new book yet, this book may be the next book to add to your TBR summer stack if you enjoyed THE LOST APOTHECARY by Sarah Penner and THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE by Diane Ackerman or the movie DEFIANCE starring Daniel Craig based on the book.

But how does this particular new release stand out in a genre where many of its novels center around the same time period and setting of WWII Europe? I believe the inclusion of the element of magical realism, the book’s primary setting of the Nalibocka forest, and Harmel’s personal family connection to the story all add a special unique touch and shining beacon of light to her newest literary offering. I have been on a bit of a magical realism/fantasy reading kick myself lately with its intriguing style and luring enchantment. The book’s magic is heightened by a protagonist that has two different color eyes, a dove shaped birthmark, a prophetic sense, foreshadowing dreams, a connection to the sounds of nature and the departed, the knowledge of how to take another’s life if needed, and is also versed in natural herbal remedies for healing or harm. Both she and her mentor are guided by the light of stars and auras and the calling to make all things right in addition to being educated in all the religions and languages of the world.

At the same time, the novel still remains true to one of the main reasons readers and authors gravitate to and are so moved by WWII novels as Harmel asserts in her own author’s note — these novels provide visions of hope, assurances of the future, and fuels dreams of good prevailing over the evil in the world. These novels also act as continual reminders and reflections of history, that not only help to preserve legacies but will survive long after its subjects- lest one forget their memories! Harmel has written several WWII historical fiction works, however, this one particularly hit close to home due to its particular story location. This famous forest in Poland provided a home of refuge and escape for Jewish individuals and families fleeing the Nazi enforced ghettos and ravaged towns along the forest edges. The cover of night allowed for these ‘stars’ to ‘vanish’ and elusively hide from the Germans amidst the forest tree cover. Through a discovery made by ancestry sleuthing on her brother’s part, the siblings discovered their great-great grandparents had immigrated to America from a place not far from this same forest setting well before the War. Essentially their ‘move’ and the decisions they made assured the lives of future generations and generations of Harmels, not unlike what Aron Bielskis, a key inspiration to Kristin, did for his family lineage. It was a horridly grim battle to survive in Poland where the Nazis had almost completely decimated the Jewish race. Harmel is also able to masterfully create main characters that represent and pay tribute to real life counterparts from during the War, immortalizing their place in history.

I would be remiss if I didn’t laud Harmel’s great attention to detail and her extensive research that only further enrich her latest novel in its depth of authenticity and substantial validity. Examples include her determination for complete accuracy of the various featured languages in the book and their translations, as well as in the depiction of the natural forest resources that could be used for shelter and food. These minute details and touches further deepened and tied together the mystical connections between the forest setting and magical realism of the book as well.

Finally, another message that rang true in the book then and still rings true today was the call to “love thy neighbor” and not forget one’s fellow brother or sister in humanity in times of strife — to find the common bonds and shared similarities in each other, appreciate and respect each other’s differences, and to help your community. There will always be leaders and forces set on fracturing and dividing people and countries, but this novel offers and supports the aforementioned message and goal instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an advanced e-copy of The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. This book comes out on July 6, 2021. I enjoyed this book! It took me until the third chapter to get into the story but from then on it moved very quickly for me. I had not read any books previously dealing with the Jewish community running and hiding in the forest to avoid the Germans. If you read this book I would highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end as it provides a lot of detail/insight. I think if you are a fan of historical fiction then you would probably enjoy this book.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel begins in Berlin in 1922. An old woman, Jerusza, takes a two-year-old girl from her home and raises her in the forest. The girl is called Yona from that time on. Yona means "dove" in Hebrew. The girl has a dove birthmark on her left hand.
Jerusza taught Yona everything about surviving in the forest: what you could eat or not, herbs that were medicinal, how to track. She also taught Yona other subjects like religion, languages and a hundred ways to kill a man.
After Jerusza passes away, Yona is alone in the forest somewhere in eastern Europe. She learns about how the Jewish people are trying to escape from the Nazis. She vows to help people survive in the forest. Yona teaches many people how to survive.
At one point, she hides with a group of people on an island surrounded by a swamp. This part is based on a story that actually happened.
Yona has seen the best and the worst of people. She finds love and heartache.
If you want to see the good fight against evil, then you might like this book. I wish that more people were like Yona. She is so kind and knowledgeable.
If you are anti-Semitic or a Nazi sympathizer, then shame on you. You need to change your evil ways before you read this book.
I received this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

I know I'll be in the minority, but I really did not care for this book. At first, I wondered if it was just the heavy, heartbreaking material of the book. But Harmel has written other books of the same nature that are so enjoyable even though they cover such heavy material. This book, however, was very slow-moving and 100 percent predictable. Most of the first half of the book was a back-and-forth of "should we trust each other or not" and an ultimate decision every time of "well, we dont have a choice, so I guess we should trust each other." I honestly skimmed the second half of the book and said, "yep, could see that coming a mile away" with every event. And then the book just stops.

I found the main character confusing. She honestly doesnt make any sense. She has hardly been around a soul and has been taught to fear and distrust other people. And as soon as she meets other people, she automatically trusts them and falls into bed with them. I would expect the psychology, emotions, attachments and social behavior of someone who was isolated from other humans from a young age to be different from the behavior of someone who was raised in society, but she wasnt. Maybe that speaks to the fact we all as humans are more the same than different, but I have a hard time grasping that Yona would be so similar to others with a more traditional upbringing. Again, she just didnt make sense.

I think the mystic who takes Yona to the forest in the first place is the most interesting part of this book. And her character is frustratingly not explored. There is very little information to have us know how well Yona knew about survival except we are told she found mushrooms, she wove a net, she helped hunt. We are told a lot of things in this book and not shown.

I thought Harmel's trademark beautiful writing was a highlight. Her structure of the book is polished and her word choices are always so precise. She is a talented writer and storyteller. Maybe that's part of what was so frustrating about this book for me - it wasnt as good as her previous books.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel
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Kristin’s evocative new coming-of-age World War II story will be in stores everywhere on July 6, 2021 from @gallerybooks. Mark your calendars
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Thank you to @gallerybooks and @kristinharmel for my copy of this book
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This is yet another World War II story, oh but it as a delightful but bit of a twist .
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A child is stolen thought never to found.the two year old daughter of Siegfried and Alwine Juttner. Her abductor is a mystical woman named Jerusza, who takes her deep into the forest. Secluded away from civilization she is called Yona, and the older woman raises her with knowledge of the woods. In a series of events that causes the world Yona has known to tilt. Jersusza dies at the age of 102 leaving Yona alone, although she can still hear and feel the older sage whispering to her in the wind.
Stumbling upon a group of people in flight from an enemy that Yona know nothing about. She helps those that are fleeing for their lives as the become adjusted living within the forest.
This a wonderful memorial storyline that I really enjoyed reading and had a hard time putting down.

#kristinharmel #theforestofvanishingstars #historicalfiction #wwii #gwendalynbooks #gallerybooks #nytimes #bestseller #summer #summerreads

“Even in the darkness, they still existed.” I think that beautiful, heartbreaking sentence wonderfully encapsulates the theme of this book. Even in darkness, even amongst pain, even amidst the most horrific loss, these characters (and the Jewish people they were inspired by) still existed. In fact, they did more than exist--they left an inspiring legacy behind.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars follows Yona as she grows up in the forests of Eastern Europe right before and all through World War II. Yona’s life ends up much different than the one her parents intended for her, when as a baby she is stolen from her crib by an old woman named Jerusza. More of a guide and teacher than a maternal figure, Jerusza raises Yona in the forest, teaching her languages, theology, and survival skills. Jerusza is positive that Yona is destined for greatness and that she will be instrumental in the saving of others’ lives--an inkling that will prove to be more true than Yona could ever have expected. The story continues to follow Yona as she finds and assists Jews hiding from Nazis in the forests of Eastern Europe. Compelled by the goodness in her heart and sustained by her wisdom and strength, Yona not only helps the Jews she meets--she also finds herself.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars is another wonderful story by author Kristin Harmel. The book felt more like a fairytale than a novel at times (albeit a dark one). Set almost entirely in the forest, this book took a much different approach to the World War II novels I am used to reading. I love learning new things about historical time periods, and I had absolutely no idea that there were camps of Jewish people hiding amongst the trees for years during the Holocaust. Harmel gives voice to a subset of Jewish victims and survivors that are rarely discussed. The light she shines on their courage and bravery is what makes this book as lovely as it is.

I would absolutely recommend The Forest of Vanishing Stars!

This book is both uplifting and heartbreaking. Kristin Harmel writes excellent, well researched historical fiction. Whenever I read her books, I want to learn more about the facts behind the stories.

I was wowed by The Book of Lost Names and jumped at the opportunity to read and review The Forest of Vanishing Stars.

As someone who's read a lot of WWII fiction, I feel like I learn something new from author Kristin Harmel's books. This one centers around a young woman who is stolen from her parents and raised in the forest. Her skills and knowledge help many when she crosses paths with Jewish people fleeing Nazi terror.

This book had adventure and action, heartbreak and horror. It is clear that Harmel did an incredible amount of research. Her writing is beautiful and I felt deep empathy for the characters she brought to life. I love her strong female leads and with this one, she has cemented herself as an auto-buy author for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book. I didn't know anything about the Polish refugees who hid and lived in the forests during WW2, so it was fascinating to learn about everything they had to do to survive, and the societies that they built deep within the trees. The story was beautiful, engaging (really picks up speed in the second half), and, despite the sad subject matter, was a great vacation read, because it was easy to read in either short snippets or long stretches.

My first 5 star book of 2021 - finally!
I am usually not a huge fan of historical fiction, but this one was amazing.
World War II, near the height of the ghettos and Holocaust, a young girl who ran away to the woods outside her village is taken in by Jerusza, who has lived in the forest most of her life. She raises Inge (now known as Yona) and Yona learns how to not only survive in the forest, but to live. Along come a group of fleeing Jews whom Yona takes in and passes on her knowledge of life in the forest and in hiding and they teach her lessons in love, family and relationships.
There are so many layers to this book, and when I realized that the Stars of David that the Jews were forced to wear were parallels to the "Vanishing Stars" in the title - wow. Just wow.
I devoured this book quickly, and it will linger with me a long time. Beautifully written and well done.

I love historical fiction and was happy to receive the book from Netgalley. For me it was a slow moving book and a bit strange at times, especially the beginning.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is an incredible work of historical fiction that grabs the reader from the first paragraph and doesn't let go until you turn the last page.

In 1922 a young toddler named Inge at the age of two is taken by an elderly Jewish woman, Jerusza, a mysterious seer able to predict future events before they happen. Sensing this same ability within the young child, who she renames Yona, Jerusza has only a limited amount of years to teach her all she knows before she leaves this earth. As a result she demands much from Yona. She is taught how to hide and shelter in the woods, as well as forage for food and medicinal herbs. She is educated and becomes fluent in several languages. She is taught how to protect herself from harm, even to the point of taking a life if her life depends on it. This knowledge and same sixth sense will come to serve Yona well as events in Europe take a dark turn after the old woman’s death and Hitler’s rise to power decimates Europe.

What was never explained to Yona and what she never fully understood was what she is expected to do with all this knowledge and skill for survival until she meets a group of Jewish refugees in the woods in desperate need of help. Pushing the warning voice of Jerusza always present aside, Yona becomes determined to help this group of sad and desperate Jews to survive and thrive in the woods. As this becomes Yona’s life mission and work for the next several years, many questions will be answered for her; who she is, where she comes from and where does she truly belong. As the war rages on in Europe and times become more dark and dangerous for her and her band of survivors, she will rely on her instincts, inner strength and the skills she’s inherited and discover the courage and love she so desperately needs in order to accomplish the mission she is born to do.

This book is incredible. I love historical fiction, especially fiction based during WWII and this book did not disappoint. The action starts from the very beginning and never lets up. The characters are wonderful and there are many different personalities in the book, some you will love and some you will dislike. I love the character of Yona. She is loyal, dependable, fierce and a genuine leader. My second favorite character is Zus. Honorable, loving and dependable despite all the sorrow and pain in his life, All the supporting characters are amazing in their own way, especially Jerusza, Chaim, Sister Marie Andrzeja and the despicable Juttner. Even those characters who are disagreeable or dispicable at times all serve a purpose in making the book come to life. If you like WWII fiction, this is a book you will definitely want to read.

In addition, I really appreciated the author tying in the true story of the Bielskis in this novel. I also appreciated the Author’s Notes at the end of the story which served the reader well to know how the writer generated her ideas for this novel. The historical facts are not only interesting to the reader, but facts that still beg to be told in this day and age. We must never forget what happened to the millions of Jews and other Europeans that perished needlessly and ruthlessly during WWII.

If you like historical fiction, especially stories that take place during WWII, then The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is the book for you. It’s an amazing novel with a story-line you will not be able to put down once you pick it up. Suspenseful, intriguing, sad, and triumphant this novel has it all for any reader.

I want to thank Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. “The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.”

I love reading historical fiction. I learned so much reading this book. I was not aware that some Jews had to survive in the wilderness. I loved the characters and found myself in tears several times. I have many patrons that read wwii fiction and I will be sure to order this for the library.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a unique take on a WWII novel. Yona is a young woman living in the first of Eastern Europe during the time of WWII. She was taken from her German parents as a toddler and raised by a mystical woman named Jerusza in the surrounding woods. Yona and Jerusza lived a nomadic life never venturing into civilization unless necessary. After Jerusza's death, Yona find herself unsure of what to do, especially with a war going on around her. After witnessing the tragic events occurring to the Jewish population around her, Yona makes it her mission to help those that have escape the Nazis by teaching them how to survive in the forest. Along the way she is saved in return by these Jews who show her how to live in the world and the meaning of family.

I honestly was a little disappointed in this book. I was excited to read about WWII in a different setting, one I had heard of but never really considered. I had heard the stories of Jewish people living in the forest and setting up hidden communities to escape the Nazis. This is the first fiction book I have read to dive in to that setting as inspiration. The story, however, fell flat for me. It had so much potential. Instead it was a story of a naive young girl with little substance. I wanted Yona to really be the strong character that she was made out to be in the beginning. While I understand she had very little to no interaction with other people outside the forest, the author seems to exaggerate her inexperience and naivety with her romances. Instead of being the strong, confident woman in her 20s, she is portrayed as though she were a lovesick 14 year old.

I also didn't get the sense that this novel had an real historical reference to guide it. While it takes inspiration from those that really did hide in the forest to survive WWII, the story just seems so unrealistic. If the author had not included her research in the Author's Note at the end of the book, I would have thought she had completely made the whole thing up. Even the Jewish people hiding in the forests of Eastern Europe.

This book may be a great, fun read for some. For me it was just OK. If the book was categorized as a Young Adult novel I might have tasted it higher than 3 stars. As a novel for an adult, I want more depth than this one can provide.

I received an ARC of this novel from #NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to love this book given it's premise but once I got to reading I was not as pleased as I wanted. The story its self was of good intentions, but got so bogged down in verbiage and detail I found my self skimming. While there was much interest in the forest training for Yona in her early years and much truth to the story line, I think the story could have been better.
I am always in wonder and how some details such as Inga's mother are just so convenient, and of course the required and unnecessary love story/romance. The endless tears, and passionate/hate looks. I think the book could have been streamed line and would still have been a wonderful story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Forest of Vanishing Stars" and all opinions expressed are my own. I love when books are unusual and unique, like this book. The characters were great and you really felt like you were there with them. I was interested in the story line from the first page to the ending. I thought it was well put together and offered the reader a whole different experience of what happened during the war. I didn't want the story to end.

Kristen Harmel is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and she did not disappoint with her newest book that has an added bit of magic into her story about Yona. When Yona was 2 she was taken by a women destined to teach her the way of survival and whom will raise her in the forest until her death. Yona soon crossed paths with Jews fleeing from horrific circumstances and Yona realizes it’s her destiny to help them. The story is so interesting with the details of how they survived and sacrificed. I highly recommend this wonderful story and thank Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review this book.

The story of Yona, snatched from her bed in Berlin when she was still Inge, raised by a mystical wanderer in the forest of Belarus and Poland. Yona learns to survive in the forest during World War II where she eventually helps rescue fleeing Jews from Poland’s ghettos. It’s a compelling historical fiction novel of part of the war I didn’t know much about. The heroine performs remarkable tasks and meets determined and incredible characters and somehow (a little surprising considering she had almost zero contact with people for twenty years) manages to maintain her conscience and relationships with new people in her life. There are so many WWII historical fiction books out there, but this one was different than so many others, with a unique topic and characters. Despite the horrors in the book and these fictional characters’ lives, the book felt honest and completely engaging. Thanks to #NetGalley for a great ARC.