Fantastic book! I couldn't put it down.
I will be recommending this to my friends as well as library patrons.

LOVED THIS BOOK!!
Bought my own copy for my shelves!!

Description
Parade “Best Books of Summer” pick * Real Simple summer reading pick * SheReads “Best WWII Fiction of Summer 2021” pick

The New York Times bestselling author of the “heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism” (People) The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis—until a secret from her past threatens everything.

After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author whose writing has been hailed as “sweeping and magnificent” (Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author), “immersive and evocative” (Publishers Weekly), and “gripping” (Tampa Bay Times).

I love Kristin Harmel’s books. The Forest of Vanishing Stars does not disappoint. I love the complexity of the characters. I think this one might be a bit better as an audiobook..

This book could be brutal to read at times but was extremely well written. Well researched and based on true events, it tells of a group of Jews from Poland who hides in the forest to escape being killed by the Nazis. I love the writing of this author and I recommend this one. I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I loved loved this book. The story line and writing style kept me hooked from the beginning. I loved the characters. This is a historical fiction novel that takes place during WWII. Its plot is one I have never read before. I feel that it had a magical realism quality to it. This is only the second book that I have read by Kristin Harmel.

I was unable to read Kristin Harmel's The Forest of the Vanishing Stars. I was never able to get it to download correctly to my kindle. Sorry.

I absolutely loved Harmel’s Book of Lost Names (above), and tore through it in one night, so I was really excited to pick this up. Yona is kidnapped as a toddler from her German family, and grows up with her captor in the woods; when her kidnapper dies in 1941, she happens upon a group of Jewish refugees trying to escape the Nazis. The story is somewhat based on real events, and Harmel does a great job describing in the afterward which parts are fact vs fiction. However, while I loved the story, I was a little frustrated by the elements of magic and mysticism (e.g., Yona’s ability to perceive future danger) that made it a bit less realistic. I would still highly recommend this book.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel 4.5 
A coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis—until a secret from her past threatens everything.

Kristin Harmel is one of my favorite historical fiction authors and she nailed it with this unique take on a WWII story. The beginning has a touch of folklore as we learn about Yona's upbringing in the forest and transitions into a coming of age story about finding community and love as she helps Jewish refugees survive in the forest. 
The Forest of Vanishing Stars is beautifully written, with passages I bookmarked to look back on. There is a depth in the characters' interactions, all the while building up suspense creating an engaging story. 
The author's note at the end shows the level of research she did, not only about the historical events but the geography, survival skills, and flora/fauna that would be found in the forest and their respective purposes. The detail and accuracy enriched the story tenfold. 
I highly recommend it for historical fiction lovers looking for a different spin on WWII stories.

"In the times of greatest darkness, the light always shines through, because there are people who stand up to do brave, decent things."

#kelseareads #bookstagram #historicalfiction #TheForestofVanishingStars #WWIIbooks #kristinharmel #

When Yona was two years old, she was taken from the home of her German parents by an old woman, who raised the child in a forest in Poland. The old woman taught Yona everything she needed to know to survive living in the forest. The old woman had a special sense that told her Yona would have an important role in the forest in the future. After the older woman dies when Yona is a young woman, she finds herself in the position of helping others survive in the forest as Nazis attempt to eliminate all Jewish people from Poland.
The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a beautiful work of historical fiction written by Kristin Harmel. I highly recommend it to all who enjoy historical fiction.
I was given an ARC of The Forest of Vanishing Stars by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

#theforestofvanishingstars
#netgalley
#kristinharmel
#wwII

Wow, Kristin Harmel does it again. She is one of my absolute favorite historical fiction authors, and I think Forest of Vanishing Stars is her best book yet! The story is about Yona (a young girl) and her caretaker Jeruzsa and Yona’s jouney to discover who she is and where she came from. This story takes place during WW2, and is perfect for readers that enjoy reading about books that take place during this time. She will be an auto buy author for me after reading this!

A WWII story set in the forests of Poland about a girl kidnapped at a young age from a wealthy German household and raised in the forest. While Yona's kidnapping was not meant as malice, yet to keep her safe. Yona uses her skills to help a group of Jewish people escaping ghettos. But she has always been curious about her father who comes to her in her dreams. Facing the past helps her realize where she really belongs.

Such a heartbreaking read that I could not put down. Highly recommend this read!!

In a genre that often feels regurgitated and oversaturated, this story shines with originality and a unique perspective. Wow. This was like nothing I had ever heard. And while all of the stories of this time period and any war time books are heartbreaking, it was also beautifully done. It was a little difficult for me to get in to. I was kind of confused by the almost magical realism feel that the opening had. Almost like a Tangled back story…a baby stolen from parents by an old woman. But in this case the woman is trying to do something good, saving a baby from bad people who are parents. And in a bigger way, she saves her…not only her life but raises her and teaches her how to survive in the first and stay away from the enemies of war. And so she does. So many in fact that it felt slightly repetitive. But in the end, truly beautiful and heroic story.

This very well researched WW II tale taking place in the forest in Poland was quite well written and a compelling story. Based on facts but fictional, #theforestofvanishingstars kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. It was never clear that there would be a satisfying end to the tale beyond the end of the war. I really like reading WW II tales and this one featured a completely different area and premise than most.
I received this arc courtesy of #netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review and I am grateful to have had the chance to read this book.

I've read a great deal of WWII historical fiction. I had not read a story about Polish Jews hiding from Nazis in the woods of Poland/Belarus. This is that story. Based on real events and real people, Harmel has added her own touches to bring the story to life. Centering around a young woman who was stolen from her German parents at age 2 and raised in the woods, the story pulls at your heartstrings and brings to life her story and those of the people she encounters.

I liked the story and read it quickly. There were moments of suspense, horror, sadness, and joy. This is usually the type of book I really love. I did like it, but it did not impact me the way some others of this genre have. It's an important story, not often covered despite the plethora of WWII era books being published currently. For that reason alone I would recommend it. In addition, this story has a wide range of emotions for the reader to experience. A good, solid read, just not the best ever.

Love a historical fiction book and Kristin Harmel does not disappoint. I was drawn into the plot and couldn't put it down!

If it’s written by @kristinharmel I’m going to love it. Just give me the book. The Forest of Vanishing Stars held up to those expectations.

In 1922, a two-year old was stolen from her bed in the middle of the night. Yona, originally Ihne, was then raised by Jerusza in the forest for the next 20 years. Yona learned how to live off the land, protect herself, detect enemies and steal when needed. Not long after Jerusza dies, Yona comes across a group of Jewish refugees who escaped into the woods from the Nazis in Poland. Yona takes this group under her wing to teach them how to survive, when to move and when her instincts sense danger. There was some controversy within the group and with Yona.

I really enjoyed that the book featured a strong female character who didn’t need a man to survive. But she also realized some of the things she was missing by being alone. The author had great character and relationship development. I also loved the fact that this historical fiction featured a different storyline and location than most of the other books I’ve read during the WWII timeframe.

I highly recommend this book!

5 Stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

This newest book by Kristen Harmel is another great book of WWll. I did not know that Jewish people fled to the forests during the takeover of Poland by the Germans during the war. Every book by this author that is historical, is always different then the one before. Her books never get boring. The subject may be the same, but she always finds a different story to tell. . I was never much for the historical genre until I read one of this authors, and can now say I’ve read them all! I now I look forward to each new one.
Thanks to Netgalley, Gallery publishers and Kristin Harmel for this ARC

I don't read a ton of historical fiction, but I truly enjoyed this read by Kristin Harmel. I particularly love WWII stories so I was hoping I would love this one and it did not disappoint. This book was powerful and heart wrenching. Would recommend to others for sure.

Thank you so much for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. Right away, I absolutely love the cover & would definitely pick this up on my own volition at the store or library. This historical fiction follows the character Yona. In this coming of age story set in WWII, the main character deals with her past of being stolen from her wealthy German parents and thus resultantly being raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe. She finds herself alone after her kidnapper dies. Yet, despite her solidarity, she eventually comes in contact with groups of Jews fleeing Nazi regime (this is in 1941). When she finds out what's going on, she utilizes her skills/knowledge to help those hiding out. This story is inspired by incredible true stories of survival against crazy odds.

My thoughts about this book stem really from my view that this book's storyline is very unique. There are SO many WWII historical fiction books to the point where I feel like they may be running out of ideas! Yet, this one is unique and I like that it is based on true stories of survival. I appreciate the extensive amount of research that went into this book which thus makes it even better than just a fictional tale. It is insightful, well-written, and historically relevant. I really liked the book.

THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS

This is the story of Yona, the German born daughter of Siegfried and Alwine Jüttner, who was stolen as a baby by Jerusza. Jerusza, a mysterious old woman with visions of the future, raises Yona in the Nalibocka Forest of Eastern Europe. She teaches the young girl how to live in the wild and learn the ways of survival far from civilization.

As war expands throughout Europe, Yona begins to encounter groups of Jewish escapees. She uses the skills that she has developed as a youth to help them learn how to survive in the woods and evade Nazi pursuit. They in turn help her to learn how to interact socially and provide her with a sense of family life.

Through lessons learned of love, loss, and accomplishment, Yona develops into a strong young woman. But the present has a way of intersecting with the past, and Yona is immersed in danger.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book is that so much of it is set in the forest. The author’s descriptions of the beauty of nature are vivid and at times mesmerizing. Another thing that I really appreciated was, as was mentioned in the author’s notes at the end of the book, much of what Yona and the Jewish refugees experienced was based on real life events.

I would’ve liked a little less emphasis on the romantic relationships, and a little more focus on the tension that I’m sure was felt in those situations. But the mystical and spiritual qualities of this book alone elevate it to a throughly satisfying level.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Kristin Harmel, Gallery Books and Simon & Schuster, Inc. for the opportunity to read and review this book.