The Forest of Vanishing Stars: 'A powerful story of survival and resilience'

Beautifully written sensitive and emotive book about the Jews who fled to the forest from the ghettos and desperate struggle to survive helped by Yona stolen at 2 and raised in the forest by a wisewoman.

The start was a bit of a struggle but I persisted. It was full of twists and turns as the reality of life for the Jews in Poland unfolded. I found it to be quite emotional but thoroughly enjoyed the story. Reading the writers piece at the end was enlightening.

Brilliant book as always from Kristin Harmel. I read this book in one week! I love how she weaves history with fiction.

A different perspective on WW2. Thoroughly enjoyed this and will definitely be reading more from this author.

Another brilliant book by Kristin Harmel. Love these books hard to put down once you start reading them. On to the next one.

Abducted as a toddler from her German parents by a strange Jewish woman and brought up virtually living a life of survival in the forest, Yona’s life is not what you’d call normal. However her ability to sustain herself, creating shelter, using plants for their healing properties and trapping prey for food, stands her in good stead for the events that are to come. On the passing of Jerusza, her teacher and abductor she faces the uncertainty of life alone and the story highlights the plight of the Jews during WW2 from another perspective as well as Yona’s ability to trust fellow humans whilst feeling like an outsider.This piece of historical fiction whilst an interesting read, felt more of a cross over fantasy novel for me, I enjoyed the strength and resilience shown by the main character and the use of nature in the novel.

Loved this story very sad and brutal

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.The information provided explains this book is about Yona who 'helped hundreds of News escape from the Nazis'. The book starts with a child being stolen from her home, under the nose of her parents, by Jerusza, who sees a light over Berlin to guide her to their home. This seemed fanciful and I wasn't sure if it was a hint of the paranormal or irreligious. The book continues to highlight the child, who becomes Yona, as something special with a destiny to fulfil once she is suitably prepared by Jerusza. The story progresses through the war years with details of how the groups of Jews hide, and descriptions of how they live and war atrocities are vivid and credible.The book is historical fiction based in facts, and is written well enough to picture and understand events, thoughts and feelings of those involved. However, I did not think it matches the publisher description and although I found it interesting I thought it meandered through the romantic and relationship subplots rather than being a fast-paced historical novel. Overall my one-word summary has to be 'average' as I believe some readers will enjoy it whereas others, like me, will think it far from the best book I've read recently or ever.

As expected, Kristin Harmel did not disappoint! What a wonderful book of mystery, the horrors that the Germans inflicted on the Jewish people and the things they had to do to survive. This book is detailed enough to keep it factual but also interesting!

This is such a good book! I couldn't put it down! It's based on what really happened to some of the people at that time. Absolutely amazing!

I loved everything about this book. All of the characters come to life as you share their journey.The book is very poignant. Evoking so many feelings for the reader.I would recommend this book for those who love historical fiction and book clubs.

I considered reading The Forest of Vanishing Stars for several months, but vacillated because one, it was in hardback and those things are expensive. Two, the market is absolutely saturated in World War II fiction at the moment. But when I finally found it in paperback, and at the local price club no less, I could resist no longer.I'm glad I stopped resisting. The Forest of Vanishing Stars is not only a great story, but truly unique in the plethora of World War II fiction available today. That is yes, the Nazis are the enemy. Yes, the protagonists are Jews in hiding, and yes, those Jews are part of the resistance. But this is not your typical World War II story. This is not The Paris Library or The Book of Lost Names or The School for German Brides or any other current book. It's not Night or Schindler's List.There's truly nothing like Forest of Vanishing Stars out there right now. Here, the protagonists are resisting not through writing pamphlets or running an Underground Railroad-type operation or blowing up bridges. They're resisting purely through surviving, continuing to breathe, continuing to live. Here, the main hero or heroine is not a librarian, university student, soldier, nurse, or unwilling civilian. She's a literal forest dweller, a woman who has grown up knowing nothing but the woods, who finds safety and love in them almost like a nymph or fairy (except she's a billion times smarter and tougher). Here, the enemy is not just a random Nazi or collaborator. It's actually a person with a deep connection to heroine Yona, who will force her to make impossible choices--or are they impossible for her?That plot alone kept my pages turning at a clip I never expected. Additionally, I grew to enjoy the characters. Except for Yona and a couple others, not many of them are fleshed out, simply because there are so many. However, that's mostly okay. I loved getting to know and rooting for Yona, both as an individual and as a leader of her group. I loved her intelligence, her toughness, her tenacity, and her humanity. That is, I cringed when she did some selfish or foolish things, like leaving Chana's family or walking away because of what Aleksander did. Then again, would I have done anything different? Characters who make me ask such questions always stick in my mind because they're human.Speaking of questions, I loved the questions and ethical dilemmas of this book. I especially loved how Kristen Harmel presented them. That is, as a reader, you think you know the answer to certain questions like, "Was Jerusza wrong to take Yona from her parents just because of a premonition?" Or, "Was Yona right to confront Juttner in the ways she did, and make the final choice that she did?" But as the book goes on, as the scenes unfold, you find there are layers to the ethical dilemmas. I think readers will come to different conclusions depending on their personal ethics, as I did. But just the fact that a World War II story plumbed these depths, when so many don't, kept my attention.I also enjoyed Kristen Harmel's spiritual threads. Now, I normally read Christian fiction, some of which is subtle and some of which is more overt, and this is not a "Christian" book. It's not a "Jewish" book, either. In fact, there's a lot of talk about all roads leading to God or people finding salvation in different ways, which is not my belief. However, I deeply respected the Jewish and Christian faiths in this book, and how they worked together. I respected Yona's spiritual journey, and how her encounters with both these faiths, plus Jerusza's version of Judaism, plus her insistence on education in all religions, played into that. I also liked the idea of God speaking to Yona and Jerusza through dreams or spiritual messages, such as Yona's dream of ravens. I didn't always agree with what they did in response to those messages, but again, I respected where these women were coming from and the spiritual thread itself.If I could have anything I wanted from The Forest of Vanishing Stars, I would have wanted a bit more character development for some of the other characters. I also personally would not have chosen to give Yona a romance with anyone; the romantic threads personally didn't do much for me and took away from who she was as an independent person focused on survival. Maybe if that had been left for an epilogue or something, it would've been okay. I also wanted to know more about the twist with Yona's birth mother. Maybe if there had been more clues and more foreshadowing, or maybe if Yona had embraced Judaism a bit more. With all that being said however, Forest of Vanishing Stars truly is a unique and remarkable book. It gets my hearty recommendation.

There are hundreds of WW2 novels out there but this one has a unique perspective. A truly intriguing tale of a young girl stolen at a young age who was taught self sufficiency in the forest. She is to avoid all interaction with people outside the forest to remain safe but she is unable to resist using her skills to assist others in peril. Together they form a community where she feels safe until a sudden twist brings back her past which conflicts with all she knows. This is a well written and well researched book told with fresh perspective that draws you into the tale right to the end.