A wonderful World War II story! Yona is taken as a young girl from her parents and raised in the forest. As Yona gets older she discovers Jews who have escaped and are fleeing for their lives. She must decide whether to help them survive.

I enjoyed Kristin Harmel's writing style. It was easy to fall in love with the characters.

Kristin Harnett is an author I found via bookstagram and I'm so glad I did. She writes historical fiction in a way that keeps me interested throughout the story, wanting to learn more about each character.

What a story. I suggest reading the author's notes in between reading the story. I had no idea about the Jews hiding deep in the forest. This story was told beautifully. A page turner. Character's were so real and full of every emotion you can imagine in the time of war and not knowing from day to day what life was going to give you. Loneliness, fear, death, forgiveness, hatred, starvation, and love.

I love historical fiction and I love Kristin Harmels other books. Her writing style is fluid and gripping. The Forest of Vanishing Stars, while still a great read, was a bit of a let down. I went in with such high hopes. This one fell a bit flat for me.

Yona is a woman of the woods. She was kidnapped from her parents at the age of 2 by a woman who taught her to live off the land and fear other people. After her captor dies, Yona is left to survive on her own. When the war forces Jews into the woods to hide, Yona decides she has to help.

Yona’s story is intriguing and I found myself cheering for her success. But, I felt this story was slow and repetitive. Over half of the book felt like it was just Yona teaching others how to survive (hunt, fish, forage etc). I wish there was less of that and more story.

Overall, this was another great book from Harmel. For those that enjoy a touch of history, this would be a win. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have three different opinions of this book. The beginning was meh, the middle I liked, and the ending I really liked. So I landed on that I liked this book.

This is a part of WWII history I have not read before. Set in the forest of Eastern Europe, Yona is a young woman who was stolen from her wealthy German parents at a young age and raised in the wilderness. After her defacto mother figure dies, she comes across some Jews fleeing the Nazis and feels the tug to help them survive. I found this premise fascinating. But the back story of Yona felt stilted and I didn't feel connected to her as a character. Once she met the Jews she was trying to save I started to like her more but still I felt that I was lacking a connection to her character. In the end she became more fleshed out and I began to understand her more. Now, I know that the connection to her character progressing like this over the novel is in fact probably a writing choice and acts as symbolism for the growth of the character, but it made me feel disconnected and it was hard to keep reading in the beginning. 

The author's note at the end was perhaps the most fascinating part of the book, but I was missing that spark of authenticity until I read that author's note. I think more of that feeling could have been infused in the story.
*Shallow quibble. This title and the cover do not fit this book at all. Great title, but does not work for this book.

Harmel possesses an undeniable talent in sharing historical fiction in a way that can be adored by historical fiction lovers and really everyone. Her book has a fantastical air about it, nearly fairytale-like.

This is a book about a young woman who was kidnapped as a child and grows up in the forests of Poland. During WWII she shares her talents to help those fleeing through her forests by sharing everything she had learned on surviving on the land.

I appreciated how once again Harmel inspired me to want to learn more, to do more. I loved the unique perspective making it distinct while still about a topic that's quite prominent in literature. I highly recommend it to history lovers and those that just want to do more.

A Light Shining in the Darkness

Each time I read a book by Kristin Harmel, it is like being reunited with a long-lost friend. Her characters are instantly relatable, even though their lives are vastly different from anything I have ever experienced. She builds her historical backdrops with precision and care, showing deep respect for the real people who lived through horrific periods in history, such as World War II and the Holocaust. The Forest of Vanishing Stars is no exception to this, with its depiction of life on the run from the Nazi ghettos, that drove some Jews into the wild, unforgiving forests of Belarus and Poland. The name of the book itself seems to point towards the fact that the Jews, with their yellow Stars of David stitched onto their clothing, had to do their best to vanish into the wilderness in order to survive, where they might go months without seeing the stars or sun due to the heavy foliage. The heroine of the story, Yona, was raised to survive in the harsh conditions of the forest by an old Jewish woman who was guided by mystical voices to kidnap her from her privileged life, in order to prepare her for her extraordinary destiny. Whether the old woman was guided by God, or by the forest is an open question, that is finally resolved towards the end of the book when Yona observes that the forest was created by God, so perhaps He was always present after all.

Yona begins the book as a somewhat naive, and thoroughly inexperienced young woman, who knows nothing of matters of the heart, or how to forge connections in a community. Despite that, she has an unshakable desire to help others; and she quickly begins to feel responsible for the Jews fleeing unspeakable violence, into her forest, where she realizes that she is uniquely equipped to keep them alive. As she learns to love, and labor alongside others, she also learns first-hand about heartbreak and betrayal, which is what ultimately sets her on a collision course with her past, and the destiny foreseen by her kidnapper. Yona’s character arc is well-done, and as previously mentioned, entirely relatable, even though I have never had to fight for survival in the depths of winter in a forest, or run for my life into a swamp, as Yona does with those under her protection. And when she experiences the power of redemptive love, it is a balm to the soul, reminding readers of the innocent value of a true, soul-deep connection.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars delves deep into questions of God’s will, life plans, and how Christian and Jewish doctrine can exist side-by-side. I personally enjoyed these spiritual aspects of the book a great deal and saw many of my own answers to life’s questions reflected back at me. At its core, this is a book that serves as a reminder that we have an obligation to our fellow man, and that truth and love are important values to fight for, and to preserve. This is not a light reading book, but it is a thought-provoking and enjoyable one.

Excellent tale of two year old Inge, renamed Yona, being take from her bed by Jeruza to be raised in the fores in Poland. Yona was taught all the ways of forest living, including how to listen to the forest and her intuition. Jeruza died when Yona was a teen who used the skills she knew to thrive at forest living. She had been taught to avoid towns and people, particularly men. She did meet a man, which led to her taking a group, which expanded over time, deep into the forest, sharing her knowledge of forest living.
There are twists and turns in the story that are page turners. I like Kristin Harmel's notes about her research, the connection to her own heritage, and meeting the man who inspired her to write the book.
I enjoy her style of writing and flexibility of story telling. Historical fiction is my go to choice but not limited to that genre.

Not just another WWII novel. Full of richly painted chapters that dive into who we are regardless of who we are born to or even how we are raised. Loved this novel and made me wonder how someone can grow up to be so kind and caring when being raised there was just a matter of fact, no real love shown type atmosphere. Very well written.

Author Kristin Harmel instantly captured my attention and held it until the last syllable of her latest novel. Her research is impressive: not only did she dig into how Jews evaded the Nazis by hiding in the wilderness, but she also took a deep dive into how to live off the land — what foods to eat, how to make and use holistic medications, how to build camouflaging shelters, and how to forage and hunt — while running for your life. It is evocative, haunting, and heart-wrenching, but ultimately triumphant. Highly recommended. 4.5 stars. Not perfect, but pretty darn close.

Genre: Historical fiction
Read-alikes: The Black Swan of Paris (Karen Robards), The Last Train to London (Meg Waite Clayton), Dragonfly (Leila Meacham), The World That We Once Knew (Alice Hoffman), A Boy in Winter (Rachel Seiffert), We Were the Lucky Ones (Georgia Hunter), The Girl from the Channel Islands (Jenny Lecoat)

Another great book by this author WW2 theme. Kept me interested. very well written. Thank you NetGalley for letting me review this book. #NetGalley #The Forest of Vanishing Stars

After being raised in the woods of Eastern Europe by an old woman Jerusza, who is not her mother, Yona finds herself alone after her guardian dies. It's the days of World War II and she comes across groups of Jews fleeing Nazis. She helps these people to survive in the wilderness and forms connections with them. Yona learns more about her own past and who she wants to be. She learns that she was kidnapped from a wealthy German family when she was a young girl, though Jerusza raised her to know Jewish traditions. Yona, therefore, identifies more as Jewish than as German.

This is a coming-of-age story about a young woman learning more about herself while helping others around her survive the atrocities of war. Yona is an admirable protagonist. The novel is based on true tales of Jews surviving in the woods of Poland during World War II. This was definitely an interesting read.

Any fan of Kristen Harmel will love this book. Riveting and outstanding. If you love Historical fiction you will love this book.

I have been an uber fan of Harmel's since her book, The Sweetness of Forgetting. How she manages to write these amazing stories and still come up with more astounds me.

Always impeccably researched, Harmel is a force to be reckoned with in the world of historical fiction. In Vanishing Stars, she gets you close to her characters. She immerses you in their life as they go through it. You are right there with them. How will they survive? WILL they? You will be there, with Yona, at every turn. Through her kidnapping, her life, and the turns it takes.

This book is suspenseful, harrowing, riveting, and captivating. You won't be disappointed.

Historical Fiction - 4.5*

What a wonderful surprise this book turned out to be. I am mad at myself that it took me this long to read it. My problem is that I'm a little bit exhausted from all the WWII books and this book started off slow and a little bit strange. I kept picking it up and putting it down, but after about 50 pages, I was off to the races because it got so good.

Yona was kidnapped by an old woman from her family when she was about 2. The woman raised Yona in the forests in Poland and Belarus. She educated her very well and taught her how to survive alone. The old woman dies leaving Yona alone. It is approximately 1942 and the woods are now filled with fleeing Jews as well as Russian and German soldiers. Yona tries to help the fleeing Jews and is eventually welcomed into a group.

This story is so powerful as Yona, who has lived without love and much companionship her whole life, now must deal with people. It's about love, kindness, sharing skills, community and overcoming obstacles in the face of horrific circumstances.

I loved learning a little bit about the groups that took to the forest. It created a thirst to learn more, which always makes a book successful in my eyes. Reading the afterward is a must as Harmel details some of her interview with a member of the Bielski group. They were an encampment of 1200 Jews that almost all made it through the war by living in the forest. This book was simply fascinating!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this one! I feel like the author did a wonderful job at setting the tone form the beginning and creating interesting and lovable characters. Thank you!

Another fantastic novel by Harmel! A look into the other side of the war after absorbing The Nightingale and the resistance side of World War II. The Jews who stayed in hiding and survived this time in extreme cold and hot with little food but foraged and hunted their way through months and years until the war ended is unimaginable. Harmel's tale is woven together from fiction but follows the heartache and truth so many endured in those years. Her research for these novels is above and beyond and makes the feel as if they are reading every bit of a true tale. The lives of these characters are deep and emotional and each individual carried burdens and loss like the true survivors. It's hard not to want to run and pick up the next Harmel novel as I read her last page.

Kristin Harmel easily became one of my favorite authors after reading The Book of Lost Names. I decided after finishing that novel, that I would read anything and EVERYTHING by her. The Forest of Vanishing Stars DID NOT disappoint. I found myself in that same realm of escapism while reading this as her previous novel. Yona's character is amazing, and you will find yourself cheering for her in your heart from the get-go. I HIGHLY recommend this book! So well written, and the cover art is amazing. 5 stars!!!

Loved this book so much! I did read other reviewers that thought the plot was unconvincing, but I wholeheartedly disagree. I thought it was very much realistic, especially considering this is historical *fiction*. I thought the main character was strongly written and very much relatable. This book was phenomenal.

What a remarkable book! I am such a fan of Kristin Harmel and her latest fits the pattern.
I have read many books about the Holocaust and an always amazed at the ingenuity and manners in which the horrors of history are presented. This is such an important and necessary addition to Holocaust literature.
The obvious research concerning people who had to immerse themselves in the forests in an attempt to survive annihilation from the Nazis is so realistically portrayed and well-documented. The characters are average people who have been uprooted from their lives in an unimaginable way.
.What's fascinating about this book is the infusion of mysticism which even enhanced the story more. The sensitivity, perseverance, and determination juxtaposed against unbelievable evil was so deftly described. This is a must read!