Stephanie Sullivan: Review - The Forest of Vanishing Stars

August 18, 2021

TITLE: The Forest of Vanishing Stars

RATING: ★★★★

Summary (from Goodreads): The New York Times bestselling author of the 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.

REVIEW: What a beautiful story! First of all, the amount of research Kristin Harmel put into this book is simply incredible. The details are so amazing and really bring the story to life. The main character, Yona, is courageous and someone to be admired. I don’t want to give away too much information or spoilers. I will say the plot is one of the most unique I've ever come across, but it all comes together so beautifully, and I would gladly recommend this book to everyone. I look forward to reading more of Harmel’s work in the near future.