Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah

So much so that I had to read the last few pages twice to even understand what was going on. The ending was disorganized, fantastical (in a bad way), and felt so rushed in an effort to tie up all the loose ends in just a few pages that it left me a bit disoriented. So much so, that as I was reading the last 10%, I was wondering if I had switched to a different book and a different author.

I would have given it 3.5 stars up to that point.īUT.the book fell completely flat in the end. As a research wildlife biologist myself, I related to both the biologist side of Jo, but also to the complex, agoraphobic Gabe.and to the awkward, fumbling relationship dance they endured with each other. I think that the premise and the characters were actually quite unique and built on a solid foundation. I read through it very quickly - it is that kind of book (and I took a 'read' day this past weekend for myself). This was an amazon first read selection for February '19. In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore? But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay-just until she learns more about Ursa’s past. The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises. After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah