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| Photo Credit - Amazon |
Besty Zook never questioned her family's strict rules or the affections of her beau, Hans. She never had a reason to question her life until she is taken captive during an Indian raid. During her captivity, Besty endures brutality and hardship but, she also experiences unexpected kindness and kinship. She befriends a native named Caleb, who encourages her to find God during her time of need. Betsy finds herself torn between her loyalty to her family and Caleb.
Hans is distraught that the love of his life, Besty has been captured. He turns to Tessa Bauer for comfort and friendship. Tessa has been in love with Hans for many years and eagerly accepts his companionship as a sign of love. Tessa is over the moon with her feelings for Hans that she ignores the warning signs that Hans's might be out for revenge.
The novel is inspired by true events and it was an emotional read. It gave readers a glimpse of the hardships faced during the early years. At first, I was torn between Tessa as a character. I felt like she was a very complex character and different from other characters I normally read in Amish novels. She seemed naive but, also had a streak of maliciousness that isn't normally shown in Amish literature (at least the ones I have read). I felt like the author did a good job of showing things are not always black and white. I have not read the other books in the series but, I didn't feel like I was missing anything. I was, however, a bit dismayed by the ending. I felt like it was left off on a cliffhanger and this was the final book in the series.
