Reviews

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

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weyheyitsrachel's review against another edition

adventurous sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The ending of this book gave me chills. So good! I loved the story of Yona and her life long survival in the forest and how she used her skills to help Jews.
The only reason I'm giving this book 4.5 and not a full 5 is because the pace only started to pick up about halfway through the book. Other than that, this was such a captivating story! Kristin Harmel has such a way with words. I can't wait to read the rest of her books!

bookdataszup's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

catreader18's review against another edition

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5.0

What an amazing book! It tells a story of people who fled the Nazis by living in the forest. The lengths the people went to in orders to survive is unbelievable. I loved how Yona maintained her humanity even living in forest away from others for so long. She has a strong desire to help others when she has nothing to gain and everything to lose.

I loved this book and could not read it fast enough.

arvena's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

There is much to learn in this book and it is heartbreaking to read. I found this to be a unique story, very inspiring. This book is beautifully written and well researched, creative, and tells an important piece of my history.

daralexandria's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

karaklos's review against another edition

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2.0

I was excited to read The Forest of Vanishing Stars based on the glowing reviews and beautiful cover. I loved the premise of a woman helping Jewish refugees flee the Nazis and live in the forest in Poland. Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark. It was such a weird book where everything about it felt strange, cringey, or implausible.

The story follows Yona, a woman who was stolen from her parents at the age of 2 and raised in the forest by an elderly prescient woman. Yona learns to live off the land and is highly educated, speaking multiple languages and learning about all kinds of topics (politics, religion, science, languages, medical care) from the elderly woman. All of this comes in handy when she needs to help Jewish refugees hide from Nazis and live off the land.

Riddled with stilted dialogue, bizarre romance, and a plodding plot, this was a boring read. It was also very preachy and repetitive with religious themes.

So many refugees were introduced that I stopped paying attention to all the names and relationships. The initial theme of magical realism was largely abandoned. Why was Yona considered special? The storyline with her father was disappointing.

I wish Harmel had written the book from one of the refugee’s perspective. The magical realism made a very real human suffering story seem like a fairy tale.

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