Willa Obenchain was kidnapped by Mohawk Indians when she was 14 and given the name Burning Sky--but unlike most Indian-abduction novels, this book picks up Willa's story as she returns to her parents' homestead 12 years later. Upon crossing the boundary marker, she discovers an unconscious Scotsman and, further on, the Obenchains' abandoned farm. Although she appears fearless as she fights to discover the truth about her parents and hold onto the land they left behind, her greatest challenge is to let herself love again after experiencing so much loss.
I wanted to dislike this book, to complain that many of the characters lacked depth and to otherwise nit-pick it to pieces. But it captivated my emotions, even to the point where I cried tears, laughed out loud and furrowed my brow in worry. And that is what a good book does: it grasps the reader's attention and draws her into the story as a by-standing character.
Lori Benton researched well not only the politics of that time period but also the Mohawk culture, and the faith aspect of this story was beautifully and unobtrusively woven in.
The characters did lack enough depth for my taste, though they were at least satisfactorily developed. And the love triangle. I despise love triangles. They are annoyingly predictable and distracting, especially when all three participants are extremely likable. But, alas, what's a good romance without some conflict of interest?
4/5 leaves
(Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing group for sending me a free e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!)
Great review! I like books that make me cry, laugh and get caught up in the story and worry too!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your rating system with the leaves. So cute!!!
Debbie