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cassalsace's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Genocide, Antisemitism, Violence, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Grief
lit_with_lauren's review against another edition
informative
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Murder
erma_z's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Murder, and Sexual content
leweylibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm an absolute sucker for a Holocaust story, and this one was superb. It's based on real people and events even though the main people are fictional which opens up the door for this amazing, badass main character Yona. She has a birthmark in the shape of a dove and one green eye and one blue (definitely some symbolism going on there) and is stolen from her Nazi parents when she's two by an old Jewish woman who lives in the woods. Yona gives major Katniss Everdeen vibes, teaching the runaway Jews she encounters how to survive in the wilderness on their own but ends up finding family along the way. She truly is one of the most badass female characters I think I've read in a while, and I really appreciated that I don't think anyone, especially the love interests, told her how beautiful she was. The compliments were about how strong, capable, and impressive she is (because she is).
The blurb on the summary says it's great for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, but I can assure you this book is LIGHTYEARS better than that monstrosity. It's way better researched and the romance parts are soooo much less cheesy. It's still not award-winning, gorgeous prose, but it moves quickly, and has some pretty great twists near the end. I also absolutely love the symbolism that comes from the book's title.
It's also an aspect of the Holocaust that I knew nothing about and haven't see this perspective before. The author mentions in her author's note that the main group she based a lot of the story on was covered in a 1993 nonfiction book and a 2008 movie, but I've never seen them. Basically, there were thousands of Jews who hid from the Nazis in the woods, and some were really successful, including giant communities. I also haven't learned before about any of the ways that the Jews fought back, so that was a really refreshing change of pace from the other Holocaust novels I've read that are primarily straight up depressing. I love depressing in a book btw, it was just nice to see this population that always gets shit on get some revenge and be shown as more than victims.
Quotes:
The blurb on the summary says it's great for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, but I can assure you this book is LIGHTYEARS better than that monstrosity. It's way better researched and the romance parts are soooo much less cheesy. It's still not award-winning, gorgeous prose, but it moves quickly, and has some pretty great twists near the end. I also absolutely love the symbolism that comes from the book's title.
It's also an aspect of the Holocaust that I knew nothing about and haven't see this perspective before. The author mentions in her author's note that the main group she based a lot of the story on was covered in a 1993 nonfiction book and a 2008 movie, but I've never seen them. Basically, there were thousands of Jews who hid from the Nazis in the woods, and some were really successful, including giant communities. I also haven't learned before about any of the ways that the Jews fought back, so that was a really refreshing change of pace from the other Holocaust novels I've read that are primarily straight up depressing. I love depressing in a book btw, it was just nice to see this population that always gets shit on get some revenge and be shown as more than victims.
Quotes:
- She was not Jerusza's--she never had been, and she knew that now. But neither was she her German father's. She belonged only to herself, a dove of the dark forest, the forest that called to her now. (270)
- Full dark had fallen, but the sky was clear, and a half moon lit their way, the stars tiny pin pricks of light and a blackening sky. The children all looked up and awe, and even Leon, who at 70 was the oldest among them, side and contentment. "It has been many months since we've fully seen the stars," He said, and the group murmured their assent. "You can hardly make them out above the trees. They disappeared even the forest, don't they?"
"So do we, if we're lucky," Moshe said, and a few of the others laughed.
"Yes," Leon said, tapping his trust, we're once upon a time, the star of David had marked him as a lesser citizen, as a target for elimination. But the forest knew no difference when it came to race, religion, or gender; it smiled and frowned upon all of them in equal measure, sometimes providing protection, sometimes peril. "By the grace of God, maybe we all be vanishing stars." (293) - "Who are you here?" He touched her chest, just above her left breast, and then he left his palm against her skin. She could feel her heart beating against his hand..."You are a warrior. You are a hero, and a fighter, and a savior. You are a caretaker and a lifegiver." (321)
- She hadn't it was happening, but somehow along the way, they had all become her family, each and every one of these refugees. She had thought she was teaching them how to live, but now she realized that in many ways, she had been the student all along. (336-37)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Genocide, and Murder
cc0906's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Violence, and War
Moderate: Infidelity and Pregnancy
rainkatzanddogs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Antisemitism, Death, and Murder
funkylitchick's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: War
tays_books's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Deadnaming, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
bohemianrhapsodyreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Bullying, and Animal death
Minor: Deadnaming
teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
I always look forward to a new Harmel book, because I can always guarantee learning something new from a different perspective. Having read almost all of Harmel's backlist, I would say this one take a different route and tone that we are used to from her, but it was still a worthy read. There was definitely more mystery and adventure to it than her previous novels.
What I enjoyed about this one was that the main character, Yona, was still learning about herself and her past while still fighting to support the Jewish community in a very harsh time period. Yona is navigating her own story and coming to terms with her story and this I really enjoyed. It was sort of a historical fiction coming of age. Yona's character was quite well developed, the most developed and enjoyable in my eyes. Despite her own struggles, she continues to support others in need where she has developed skills.
I also really enjoyed the portrayal and importance of the forest and the land in this story. It almost felt like its own character. I would argue that the forest was my favourite character. There was a lot of intrigue to it and it was an essential component to the story overall.
The writing was detailed, but also straight forward (not flowery), which helps the reader become more immersed in the story. The story had twists and turns, but was never slow or sluggish. The though and research that went into it was strong.
The significance of the title to this story is something else. It was a really beautiful piece of the story and tied it together in a wonderful way. This story is about redemption, survival, community, forgiveness and much more. I think many readers will enjoy it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
What I enjoyed about this one was that the main character, Yona, was still learning about herself and her past while still fighting to support the Jewish community in a very harsh time period. Yona is navigating her own story and coming to terms with her story and this I really enjoyed. It was sort of a historical fiction coming of age. Yona's character was quite well developed, the most developed and enjoyable in my eyes. Despite her own struggles, she continues to support others in need where she has developed skills.
I also really enjoyed the portrayal and importance of the forest and the land in this story. It almost felt like its own character. I would argue that the forest was my favourite character. There was a lot of intrigue to it and it was an essential component to the story overall.
The writing was detailed, but also straight forward (not flowery), which helps the reader become more immersed in the story. The story had twists and turns, but was never slow or sluggish. The though and research that went into it was strong.
The significance of the title to this story is something else. It was a really beautiful piece of the story and tied it together in a wonderful way. This story is about redemption, survival, community, forgiveness and much more. I think many readers will enjoy it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, Violence, and Antisemitism