Anna Wiley has 12 orphaned children in her care and for whom she must find 'good Christian' homes. Whilst heading West, by train, a war party of cheyenne warriors attack. She and the children are spared because earlier Anna had saved War Cloud's younger brother who had been abducted by the 'whites'.
War cloud reluctantly takes charge of her and the orphans because his younger brother will not allow him to kill them! This is where their journey starts. There is also a curse involved but I won't say anymore otherwise it will spoil the story!
When I started reading the book, especially about the massacre that took place on the train, I thought how on earth are these two going to come together? Here we have a bunch of ruthless warriors who would not think twice about killing women and children. How will Anna Wiley overcome the barriers that separate them? How does she conquer his hate for the 'whites'?
This story totally amazed me. The author lets you see and feel how, maybe, a warrior would act and feel; his mannerisms and gestures; his speach. The way he, at first, ignores Anna showing her his back and only grunting when she speaks to him! Even though he speaks perfectly good english he makes out, at first, that he does not understand her!
Karen Kay makes you understand the plight of the indians, how they suffered at the hands of the'whites' in that era. A story certainly told from the heart. Its very hard to describe how well the book is written. Sometimes I find it easier to review a book that is not very good or lacking in depth/concept. You know exactly what you are going to say but with this book there a so many good points that its difficult to put down on paper.
To me this is a great book with characters that have depth and meaning. Thoroughly enjoyable. I found that I didn't want to put the book down and certainly didn't want the story to end; now to me that is a sign of an excellent read! Well done Karen Kay!