The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. The story of Yona who was stolen as a 2 year old and grew up in the forest during WW2. This story captivated me from the first sentence. I love the characters and how real they seemed. I was surprised the father showed up at the end. I could tell a lot of research went into this story. There were some typos...an Eva instead of a Yona I think. A sentence that repeated some words. Thank you for allowing me to review. I will recommend to friends!

Review of “The Forest of Vanishing Stars” by Kristen Harmel Submitted by Shirley Weidner May 10, 2021

How can a story be so harsh and yet so beautiful at the same time? A baby is stolen from a family that loved her for too short of a time. The unusual woman who stole the baby renames her Yona and keeps her in the forest while teaching her to survive Yona knows nothing of the world, dangerous times of war & brutality. However, she shares her gifts with lost, hiding Jewish men and women in the Polish forest. Many challenges face them, and they also teach Yona about kindness, betrayal, love, and redemption. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two-year-old Yona is stolen from her childhood home and parents at the age of two by an elderly neighbor with strong faith and a belief in seeing the future. Yona is raised in the forests by Jerusza. Jerusza teaches Yona all she knows of the forests, of survival, history and religion, but she leaves out how to interact with people. Yona is left on her own when her teacher passes on. Shortly after Jerusza's death a group of Jews find Yona as they flee through her forest from the Nazie forces. Yona has to quickly decide her position in life and now a conflict she knows only little about.

I found this novel very moving and a really quick read. Having read a lot of novels about WWII, I was surprised by how new this sort of storyline was and how much I enjoyed it. Great read!

A very heart gripping tale of a part of WWII history that isn’t as well known. Hiding those whom the Germans sought to slaughter is most popular through hiding places in homes, resistance groups leading the hunted to their next safe place, cellars, even tunnels as was popular in American Civil War time. But this story helps you grasp the enormity of hiding large groups of people in forests, knowing Germans or Russians are looking for you. The author gives an incredibly detailed version of how it was possible and how many lives were saved by salvaging off the land and stealing from villages and even Germans to survive the wretched years of war.
Along with the details, come the turning of pages to see who escapes and survives.

A Jewish survival story from WWII like none other. Yona is stolen from her parents at age two by an old woman named Jerusza and brought up the forest. I found this book almost mystical at times as Jerusza conversed with nature and God. She is an unusual character that will capture readers attention. Yona, having been raised to survive at all costs is in a sense warrior-like. The survival skills the Jewish people had to learn to hide deep in the forest is astonishing. This story is based on true stories which make it even more fascinating.

Readers will find this book hard to put down. The forest and characters are so well described that readers will feel the story come alive. Highly recommended!

Yona is taken from her home at a very young age and lives with her captor in the forest for the next two decades. When her captor dies, she is truly alone and lives in quiet solitude. When Jews start fleeing to the forest to escape from the Nazis, she has a choice to make. Does she help and risk her physical and emotional safety or open her self up to vulnerability? Her choice is not an easy one and her decisions have consequences for herself and others. The author has given us a true heroine who often questions her own worth. I loved this story, Yona, with her quiet strength and her longing for acceptance and family, will stay with me for a long time.

One of the things I love about historical fiction is the history behind each story. I always seem to learn something new from every book I read. This book The Forest of Vanishing Stars opened my eyes to the history behind the Germans invading Europe and killing the Jews. the heroine Yona is a young women taken from her family as a baby by a women claiming to have saved her from evil people. As Yona is growing up she lives in the forest with Jerzanana her sol called mother and learned to live by her wits and love of the forest. Enter the Germans who destroy everything in their sight. Then Yona loses the only family she ever had and realized shes on her own and must never enter the world of danger.
Once she finds out what is happening in the outside world Yona learns to care for many Jews who are escaping the German killings and she helps many family out of danger. Along the way she falls in love, feels heartache and finally finds out why she was taken from her family as a baby. The only constant in her life is the forest. It gives her peace and safety. She finds out that this is the only place that is truly her safe haven. The outside world brings to much pain and heartache. Especially once Yona finds out where she truly comes from.
The ending to this story surprised me.. I truly did not know that there were families escaping the Nazi hold by living in the forest and having someone like Yona help them.
Thank you Kristin Harmel for writing a truly compassionate , human and eye opening book that brings out many emotions in you as you leave. Her writing is so vivid that you feel the emotions of each character. The forest is brought to life with its descriptions. Truly a beautiful book. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys this time in history. Thank you Netgalley and Gallerybooks for the ARC. Wonderful book.

What a great book......from Net Galley.....I learned much about WW2 reading this book.
The author kept my attention with great descriptions and word pictures.
This historical fiction had me emotionally involved and gave me a better picture of what war and hopes can be birthed during the worst of times.

The fact that Kristen Harmel managed to keep me engaged was amazing.

Read and enjoy.
#NetGalley#Goodreads#The Forest of Vanishing Stars

I’ve read a lot of WWII historical fiction and this is definitely the most unique take I’ve read in the genre and I LOVED it. While I am not usually a fan of a coming of age story, this one felt flawless to me. The struggles and grief were palpable while the brief glimpse of hope and happiness made my heart sore. I cried like a baby at the end. Hands down recommend to anyone, one of my favorites of 2021.

I received an advance reading copy from Net Galley, all thoughts are my own.

I recently read The Book Of Lost Names and didn’t think she could write another outstanding read but she did. The forest of vanishing stars will draw you in from the first page. You will root for Yona and all the poor people that she encounters. I never knew of this piece of world war 2 history. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it will stay with me for a long time. Very interesting part of history. I wish I was a tenth as song as Yona was

This story is packed with beautiful prose, and its protagonist, Yona, is a caring young woman who is both admirable and likable. The Forest of Vanishing Stars thoughtfully explores the injustices and inhumanity of the Holocaust, approaching it from the unique angle of a girl who has been placed in a lonely position to do God’s work and save innocent, persecuted people. I wish this novel had been written with a young adult audience in mind because of the contribution it could have made to that genre. I still would have recommended it to young readers except that it became too explicit for me about a third of the way through the novel at which point I stopped reading. This novel is best read by adults who don’t mind such scenes.

Great reading. It made me want to search for more information regarding the Jews hiding in the Woods.

Poland was a major battle ground in WWII and thousands of people hid in the forests to survive the war. This story is about a woman who helped Jewish people survive in the wilderness. I would recommend for readers of Kristin Hannah.

This book is different from all the other WWII fiction I consume with joy and regularity. It begins by introducing us to Jersusza, an elderly woman who stalks a family in 1922 Berlin. The first chapter concludes with Jeruska kidnapping their almost-2 yr old daughter, and our adventure begins.
What makes the book different from many others in the genre is the mysticism of Jerusza and Yona/Inge. The “wind and forest” speak first to Jerusza, and eventually Yona learns to hear them as well. Though Jerusza clearly teaches and trains her pupil, it is equally clear that Yona was born with something...extra. One implication could be that we are all born with something extra, but Yona was taught that above all else she must listen to that inner voice, trust it without question. How many of us do that?
Jersuza provides metaphysical guidance (listen to the voice) but also, importantly, very practical knowledge. The forest provides everything. We just need to work for it and learn how to make use of it. This is a gift, not just to Yona.
Yona grows up, is on her own, and encounters others in the forest. Relationships are formed, broken, and formed. We meet Jewish refugees, Nazis, villagers, nuns. I won’t include spoilers here. :)
“The Forest of the Vanishing Stars” explores notions of identity as well as community--what makes us *us*? Are we born, or are we made? Choices have impact, on ourselves as well as on others, and they each lead us in a certain direction.
One thing I really loved about the book (though I do believe it was a bit anachronistic)-- several characters share the notion that there are many paths that lead to God; we are all searching for him.
I finished this book in a day, couldn’t put it down, and I highly recommend it. I am grateful to Netgalley for providing me a free electronic copy which enabled my review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Kristin Harmel for the opportunity to read The Forest of Vanishing Stars as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am a huge Kristin Harmel fan so I was so excited to begin to read another one of her novels. Although I enjoyed The Forest of Vanishing Stars, The Book of Lost Names will always be my favorite.
Set during WWII, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a great fast-read for the Historical Fiction lover. It was a heartbreaking, well-developed story. The main character, Yona, was taught how to survive in the forest at a young age. She then goes on to help many Jewish people, who were escaping from the Germans, survive in the forest. Yona was such a strong woman, who I loved reading about.
Thank you Kristin Harmel for another amazing book - so excited for your next one. Pub Date: July 2021

I was so excited to have the opportunity to read the latest from Kristin Harmel, and this was her best yet. This book touched me on many levels, and the research came through on every page. Yona, as a toddler, was stolen from her home by Jerusza, a woman who felt called to take her and raise her in the forest, literally living by the guide of nature. Yona finds her past, her present and her future all combining together at the worst time. The unique plot weaving all of this together is the most original I've seen yet. Kudos to the author and than you to NetGalley for this title in exchange for my honest review. .

Well researched and beautifully written, Kristin Harmel has once again brought a little known piece of World War II history to life.

Kristin Harmel is a stunning storyteller. Her writing is so comprehensive and well planned, that the plot flows smoothly and effortlessly. This is a book you won't want to miss reading.

Yona is born in Berlin, but kidnapped from her parents by an older woman (Jerusza) at the age of two, to "save her" from future disaster. She raises Yona in the woods - living off the land; her survival skills become impeccable. She does this until the older woman dies, leaving Yona a young, lonely woman in the woods. The timing, however, is WWII, and Jews are fleeing towns and homes for the safety of the woods, but they don't have all the skills they need to survive. Yona begins to encounter some of these groups and sees it as her destiny to help them, to teach them what they need to know to live in the forest and evade the German soldiers. The experiences, both of survival and humanity, are very touching and keep you turning the pages to see what will happen next. The reader is allowed a glimpse into the horror that many Jewish families endured during this dark time in history, along with hope, as many risked much to help them and each other. This story's use of the woods as a shelter/home/hiding place during this time was new to me, showing again how far some went to have a chance at life.

I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Gallery Books) and/or author (Kristin Harmel) via NetGalley, so I could give an honest review of this book. Thank you! This book is scheduled to be released on July 6,2021. #gallerybooks #kristinHarmel #TheForestofVanishingStars

A unique pleasure to read!
I was at first confused as to whether this novel was a historical war novel or not because it started out like a fantasy novel. But the initial chapters lay the groundwork for the rest of the story and is done very well.
I thoroughly enjoyed the way Ms. Harmel laid out the background of Yona’s upbringing which helps us understand why she is such a kind and good person when facing adversity.

The author did extensive research for this novel. Make sure you read the true history at the end of the book!
A genuine treasure which does Ms. Hamel proud! I’d give it more stars if I could!!

I was intrigued by this book from the very beginning. Yona is an unforgettable character and through her, the reader gains an in-depth understanding of those fighting for survival in the forests of Poland during World War II. Each character is fully drawn and the author's level of research brings this story to life. There are touching interactions, detailed descriptions and a beautifully outlined plot. I could not put this book down. I learned so much and I want to read more by Kristen Harmel.