The Forest of Vanishing Stars
By: Kristin Harmel
277 Pages
✨ Release Date: July 6, 2021

“The forest will provide….The forest will always provide.”

This story first takes place in Berlin, 1922. A 2-year-old girl is taken in the night from her wealthy German parents. She is then raised in the Naliboki Forest near the northwestern border of Belarus by her kidnapper to a new name, Yona.
Her kidnapper, Jerusza teaches her the ways of the forest, how to survive and fills her with all her wisdom – always keeping her safe in the forest, never to return to the outside world. But when Jerusza dies in 1941, her solitary life comes to an end when she encounters a Jewish family fleeing from the Nazi’s.
Never having been allowed to learn about the current news and events around her, Yona is astonished to learn of the chaos of the outside world. It is here that Yona vows to help and teach the Jews how to survive in the forest. Finding her ability to love, and the many risks she takes along the way, Yona fights to find herself and find where she belongs. But will Yona’s past come to haunt her in the present?

Having read many WW2 and historical fiction novels, I was so impressed with this unique twist to a side of history I thought I was familiar with. The immersive nature of the writing anchors you to the forest, as if you’re right there in the middle of everything that’s happening. And the character development with Yona has you so emotionally connected and invested. I’m truly at a loss for words, beautiful. 💕
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This book was simply beautiful. It was so amazing that I finished it all in a single sitting. Kristin Harmel is one of those few amazing authors that can give you a story that is truely brilliant, and where the words will stick with you far off the last page.

This book was a total page turner for me. I loved everything about Yona and was rooting for her the whole way through.

Kristin Harmel does such a great job of blending in historical facts along with the fiction part. I truly felt transported to the deep, dark forests that kept them hidden and mostly safe. She is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors of historical fiction.

This story had a lot of sadness as would any book written during this era of WW2. There was also happiness and love along the way. And sweet revenge at the end (no spoilers here but so good). My only disappointment is that the story ended quite abruptly and I wanted it to go on for 100's more pages so I could find out what happened in the intervening years.

Highly recommend this book to everyone once it is released. Thank you to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy of this book. What a treat it was to read this one early!

Beautifully written story. Hauntingly sad. Wartime stories are not my usual forte but this was interesting and held my attention. A tear or two was shed. Kristen Harmel is a master.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

I have to admit, I was skeptical about this one going into it. I have read SO MANY historical fictions about WWII, and I was thinking, what else could possibly be talked about? I was wrong. This story was everything. A completely different story, and one that's based on amazing true events.

I thought that I would be bored by the story. I didn't think that living in the woods could be so interesting and fast-paced. It is anything but boring. This novel played with all of my emotions, numerous times. I felt angry, thrilled, sad, disappointed... all of it. And girl, why did you have to do me like that on that ending???

Highly recommend, this is one amazing story.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I love Kristin Harmel's writing, she is a very talented storyteller. This is a unique perspective on a WW2 story, telling about how the land cared for individuals fleeing danger. This is a very different type of WW2 historical fiction, so I would absolutely recommend it to anyone with an interest in that genre. Lovers of wilderness or nature survival stories will also enjoy this book because there is a significant emphasis on that. I would like to read more from this author when she ventures from WW2 stories.

I first discovered the talented Author named Kristin Harmel, last spring during a Friend and Fiction web episode (on Facebook), I read her last three books and found them to be really captivating. The Forest of Vanishing Stars is fascinating since it evokes how the land provides food and shelter for people. A few years ago, I read Where the Crawdads sing which I absolutely loved. Some parts of The Forest of Vanishing Stars remind me of it. The main character, Yona, was raised in the woods and was taught everything that could keep her alive. It is a emotionally powerful story very well written.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars will appeal to a lot of readers, There are many powerful scenes in the book and it was definitely suspenseful. It was also a very original look at WW2 and didn't spare the reader the horrors people faced at the hands of the Nazis. I also have to say that the ending was really well done. However, despite these strengths, overall it fell a little flat for me. I didn't feel connected to the story and I think I struggled with the tone. At the beginning, which really hooked me, it had a fairy tale or folklore feel that felt much older that WW2, so when German soldiers started showing up, it felt out of place. I also expected Yona, the main character, to have a greater destiny than she did based on the beginning of the book. Yes, she helped save some people but I expected she was going to prevent something more major from happening. I also thought the religious aspect was overdone for a mainstream book. I think the numerous mentions of God and his plan will turn some people off. I gave this 3 stars because I think it's a fascinating story and will appeal to many, unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance copy.

Just finished this beautiful story by Kristin Harmel. I have read most of her novels and she has quickly become one of my favourite historical fiction authors!

This story tells about the Jews who escaped and hid in the woods from the Germans during Ww2. I had never heard this story told before so I found it so fascinating. To learn that entire groups of people camped out for years in the wilderness was mindboggling.

I loved the mystical element with Yona and her 'gift', it gave it a unique feel compared to alot of other historical fiction. I wasn't sure at first I would enjoy it, but Yona grew on me quickly and I felt her story really added to the historical elements.

If you love a good war story and are looking for something a litte different then I would recommend this one! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy!