Book Review: Burning Sky by Lori Benton

Willa is a woman caught between two worlds …

Is she brave enough to love again?

I’d heard so much about Burning Sky, the debut novel from Lori Benton, I had to read it. I first read The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn, and you’ll find my review of it here.

Willa Obenchain is abducted by Mohawks at age 14. Twelve years later, in 1784, she returns home. In many ways, Burning Sky, as she’s known to the Mohawks, is a broken woman. She’s lost her husband to war, her two little girls to disease, and her adopted family to the need for survival. Near the end of her journey home, she comes across a wounded Scotsman. Reluctantly, she takes him with her and nurses him to health. 

Life only gets worse for Willa once she returns to the land belonging to her German parents. She’s threatened with losing the property to auction because her parents were suspected of being loyalists during the Revolutionary War. Willa’s struggle is one of faith: in God’s care, in others, in the future. Her desire to give up wars with her desire to survive and even thrive. But the last thing she wants is to love again—whether it’s Neil MacGregor or the two orphans brought to her.

Honestly, the back-cover blurb for Burning Sky is spot-on, but I still wasn’t sure what to expect in this story. What I received was almost four hundred pages of beautiful writing, strong characters, and a deep, compelling plot. Yes, it’s a long one, made longer by the small print :), but well worth the hours you spend with Willa, Neil, Joseph, and the children. 

I highly recommend Burning Sky.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have no material connection with this book since I checked it out of the library. There was no requirement for me to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed above are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.