Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Burning Sky by Lori Benton



From the publisher:
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?

_____

Having never read anything by Lori Benton I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received this book in the mail.  But since reading it I have found my mind going back to the story and shifting through different elements and scenes the book brought forth.

Burning Sky is an artistic historical fiction piece.  Lori Benton’s Willa is a perfect character to tell the story because she is a woman who has grown up with Mohawk Indians after being abducted by them at fourteen.  Her unique view shares both sides of the story, and an understanding that will help the reader grasp both sides of that historical time.

Beautifully written the reader will be taken into the story and into the community and lives of the characters.  Lori Benton weaves a layered story of trust, prejudice, grief, forgiveness, and freedom.  I found myself wanting to hear each character’s point of view to better glimpse the story.

Willa or Burning Sky’s character will continue to move readers after the book has been closed.  Her pain and struggles will touch readers in their own grief and loss, and then not to leave the there in pain, but show the path of hope and freedom.

There is a verse that Lori Benton shares throughout the book and I believe that is the message that she was trying to tell us about God and His care for us.  Read it. You won’t regret it.


I received this book free of charge and give my honest review in exchange for it.

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