Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Book Review: Burning Sky by Lori Benton

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Back cover:
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?

The Positives:
I loved this book!! I thought it was amazing for the author's first novel. The historical elements were very well done. I did not see a single historical element out of place. 
I loved Willa and Neil's romance. I thought it was extremely well done. I loved how Neil took down the wall around Willa's heart, brick by brick. He showed his character and his love through his actions. 
I never thought this book was long in parts. I love long books. If I had had more time, I would have read this book all the way through in one day. 
The ending was very well done. I felt the author didn't leave any threads loose. She tied it up extremely well. I usually like epilogues or sequels to books. But I felt this book didn't need it. I was completely satisfied with the ending. (Which is a bit of a rare thing for me.) 

The Negatives: 
This book had hardly any negatives for me. Maybe just the beginning, because I wasn't sure what to expect. The author slightly threw me head first into the story, where Will first finds Neil. Now that I have read the whole book, the beginning didn't take anything away from the book at all. 

Overall:
This has probably been one of the best books I have read this year. I highly recommend it!

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Author Website