Monday, May 16, 2016

Book Review: A Flight of Arrows, by Lori Benton

Now that I'm a full-time writer, I have less and less time to read books for pleasure. But there are a handful of authors I absolutely will not miss. I read all their releases, sometimes putting my life on hold for a day or two, because I cannot put their books down...

Lori Benton is one of the authors on my must-read, cannot wait-for, refuse-to-miss list.

Last year I read The Wood's Edge, by Lori. It was my favorite book of 2015, but it was the first of a two-book series, so I was left wanting to know what happened to the characters I had grown to love! It was a hard year to wait for the second book in the Pathfinder's Series, and when it finally arrived, I was as giddy as a child on Christmas morning.

http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Arrows-Novel-Pathfinders/dp/1601427344/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463445671&sr=8-1&keywords=a+flight+of+arrows

A Flight of Arrows is a deep and complex story that picks up right where The Wood's Edge left off. My one regret is that I wish I would have re-read The Wood's Edge before starting A Flight of Arrows, simply because there are so many characters and threads, and it had been a year since I read the first story. I found myself lost for part of the book as I tried to recall all the characters and their role in the story.
A Flight of Arrows is a rich tale of love and hatred, faith and fear, loyalty and betrayal, hope and doubt, loss and restoration. I was so emotionally connected with the characters, I felt everything they felt.

Lori Benton is a master at creating rich details, heart-tugging love stories, and vivid storyworlds. By the end of the story, I was fully satisfied with the outcome for every character, though not everything turned out the way I had hoped--but that only made the story more realistic and beautiful. The historical details are outstanding and I was left amazed at Lori's ability to weave in authentic history with fictional characters. Some of the battle scenes were a bit drawn-out, but again, that adds to the realism in the story.

I loved A Flight of Arrows, and I will definitely re-read both books in the Pathfinder's series. I fell in love with the characters and the world they inhabit. I cannot wait for Lori's next story.

Here's the description from the back of the book:

Hearts are Divided Loyalties Will Be Tested
The Fates of Two Families Hang in the Balance

Twenty years past, in 1757, a young Redcoat, Reginald Aubrey stole a newborn boy—the lighter-skinned of Oneida twins— during the devastating fall of Fort William Henry and raised him as his own.

No one connected to Reginald escaped unscathed from this crime. Not his adopted daughter Anna. Not Stone Thrower, the Native American father determined to get his son back. Not Two Hawks, William’s twin brother separated since birth, living in the shadow of his absence and hoping to build a future with Anna. Nor Lydia, who longs for Reginald to be free from his self-imposed emotional prison and embrace God’s forgiveness— and her love.

Now William, whose identity has been shattered after discovering the truth of his birth, hides in the ranks of an increasingly aggressive British army. The Redcoats prepare to attack frontier New York and the Continentals, aided by Oneida warriors including Two Hawks, rally to defend it. As the Revolutionary War penetrates the Mohawk Valley, two families separated by culture, united by love and faith, must find a way to reclaim the son marching toward them in the ranks of their enemies.
You can buy a copy here.

*I was given a copy of A Flight of Arrows for my honest review.