Burning Sky: A Book Review

 Hello all! Today, I'm reviewing Burning Sky by Lori Benton. I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review. 

From the back cover: “I remember the borders of our land, though I have been gone from them nearly half the moons of my life. But who there will remember me? What I have seen, what I have done, it has changed me."

 Abducted by Mohawk Indians at fourteen and renamed Burning Sky, Willa Obenchain is driven to return to her family’s New York frontier homestead after many years building a life with the People. At the boundary of her father’s property, Willa discovers a wounded Scotsman lying in her path. Feeling obliged to nurse his injuries, the two quickly find much has changed during her twelve-year absence—her childhood home is in disrepair, her missing parents are rumored to be Tories, and the young Richard Waring she once admired is now grown into a man twisted by the horrors of war and claiming ownership of the Obenchain land.

When her Mohawk brother arrives and questions her place in the white world, the cultural divide blurs Willa’s vision. Can she follow Tames-His-Horse back to the People now that she is no longer Burning Sky? And what about Neil MacGregor, the kind and loyal botanist who does not fit into in her plan for a solitary life, yet is now helping her revive her farm? In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, strong feelings against “savages” abound in the nearby village of Shiloh, leaving Willa’s safety unsure.

Willa is a woman caught between two worlds. As tensions rise, challenging her shielded heart, the woman called Burning Sky must find a new courage--the courage to again risk embracing the blessings the Almighty wants to bestow. Is she brave enough to love again?

~

This book. What to say? This is the first book I've gotten from WaterBrook Multnomah for a while, and I chose it because the idea of a Mohawk captive returning home intrigued me. But it was so much more than that.

 The cover is beautiful. The depiction of green land, and a river cutting through it, with the fiery sky and a mysterious woman above it is breathtaking. The story is equally beautiful. Apparently, Lori Benton is an artist, and she is an artist of words as well. You can almost see her painting the words across the page, filling your mind with colors and description. 

 The description is awesome! (As stated!) Lori Benton blew me away with her attention to detail and historical accuracies. I still cannot believe she is a first time author. Seems crazy. You can tell she takes her writing serious and wants it to be the best she can make.

The characters! From Willa, who you might want to grab by the shoulders and shake a few times, to Neil MacGregor, the adorable, sweet, godly botanist Scotsman (one of my favorites), to two part Mohawk/part white settler children, the story will sweep you up with it's deep characters who all add something important to the tale. Other important characters are Francis, and Richard, who you will learn more about as you read.

This story has heart, and will touch you. Such sadness abounds in these pages, and it may make you a little teary eyed, but along with the grief, there is light, love, and joy! The continuing theme about the bruised reed shall He not break will give you hope.

I love stories about Native Americans, and find them so interesting. This has a large part to do with the fact that I have quite a bit of Cherokee blood in me from both sides of my family. It makes you think, what would life be like back in those days for you?

I recommend this book to any historical fiction lovers, or anyone who wants to give the genre a try, though I suggest the reader be at least fourteen due to themes discussed because of the horrors of war.

Pick up this book, and you will learn so much! Highly recommended.

Amazon link.

Also, I'm considering adding another day or two to my blogging schedule, and mixing things around. Something like... Tuesday: Book Reviews, Wednesday: Writing, Thursday: Life and drama. What do you think? Would you like to see more on the blog, with a more structured system? Let me know! (Also, these may not be the exact days, but I'll figure that out. :D)

~ a rambling author