Reviews

The ending was abrupt, as if Kristin Harmel had gotten through the meat of the story and was burned out, but otherwise such a great book! I was impressed by her level of research, and shedding light on a lesser known aspect of the Holocaust that made me want to read up more on the forest-dwellers of WWII.

jess_mango's review against another edition

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4.0

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.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!

adalton's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

donnadeck's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

jansbookcorner's review against another edition

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5.0

There are so many WW2 books out there, that I often put off reading a book when that is the subject, This is one of those books, but I kept seeing high ratings so I dove in. I'm glad I did. Ms Harmel tells this story of Jews hiding out in the forest in a way that felt realistic with out manipulating emotions. (She doesn't have to, because as you read, those emotions are there.) Using Yona to develop the story and to give details about how to survive was the perfect protagonist. Overall, a touching story that made the plight of these people real.

amachonis's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

mtzbookworm64's review against another edition

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5.0

Great historical fiction book - based on true events on how a group of Jewish refugees escape German persecution and hide and survive in the forest during the Nazi terror.

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