Taken by Mohawk Indians at fourteen and renamed Burning Sky, Will Obenchain returns to her family's New York frontier homestead after many years of building a new life with the People. Willa finds a wounded Scotsman lying in her path to her father's property. Feeling obliged to help him with his injuries she takes him in, they both find out that much has changed during the twelve-year absence— her childhood home is in disrepair, her parents are missing and rumored to be Tories, and the young Richard Waring she once admired is now grown into a twisted man because of the horrors of war and he is also claiming ownership of the Obenchain land.
Milla's Mohawk brother arrives and questions her place in the white world, the cultural divide blurs Willa's vision. Can she go back with Tames-His-Horse to the People now that she is no longer Burning Sky? Also what about Neil MacGregor, the king and loyal botanist Scotsman who doesn't exactly fit into her plan for a new quite life, yet is still helping her to bring her farm back to life?
The aftermath of the Revolutionary War spurs strong feelings against "savages" in the nearby village of Shiloh, leaving Willa's safety unsure.
Willa becomes a woman caught between two worlds. Tensions start to rise, and Willa's shielded heart is challenged, the woman called Burning Sky must find a new courage—the courage to risk embracing the blessings the Almighty wants to bestow. Also, is she brave enough to love again?
My Thoughts
The author, Lori Benton, has such a gift for writing. It's outstanding to know that this is her first novel. Burning Sky's writing was full of honest raw emotions and such a vivid imagery that as a reader I felt I could feel the seasons changing as were the characters.
The fact that Willa was such a strong yet broken character was honest, and I loved that through the book Willa conquered her fears of living again with people and opening her heart even after all of the hurt and loneliness she had experienced by herself. Truly, Willa was such a beautiful character and such a delight to get to know. I loved reading her thoughts and how she discovered it was alright to be herself again. She is a likeable character that starts off timid and closed off to the world, but its the kind botanist and the two Indian children that bring her out of her shell and give her a glimpse into a life that could have happiness again.
The love-triangle in this book at times was gut-retching. I couldn't help at times by cheer on both men that wanted Willa's attention. Yet, Benton does such a great way of demonstrating sacrifice and the hardship of doing things out of love even when one doesn't receive the same type of love they would want.
There are an abundance of components to this book that make it multilayered in depth and humanity. There is no such thing as a one sided character in this book. So many characters have back stories that only enhance this story and give the reader even more than anything they could ask for.
This book is rich in history, references to scripture and growth in spirituality. I highly recommend this book for your 2014 reading list. Also I can't recommend Lori Benton enough to be an author that you should keep on your radar. I am certainly looking forward to her next book.
Rating: 5 out of 5 bookshelves
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Link to Author's Website: http://loribenton.blogspot.com/
Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes and Noble Christian Book
Click here to download chapter one of Burning Sky.
Happy New Years! Let the 2014 Reading Begin!
For His Kingdom,
Taylor Reid
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