Oh man this is a hard review to write. You must know 2 things about me before I let you know how I feel about this book. I love Amy Harmon. Her writing touches me deeply and I love to escape into good fiction not reality. My favorite books of hers are the ones where there is a magical element even if it is contemporary. This was very raw and real, the writing was beautiful and heart wrenching, but I almost put this book down I didn't want to read anymore. It just was too much. This review will have content spoilers because if you are like me you need a warning before going into a book like this and if this book had a rating it would be R. It felt like Dances with Wolves, very realistic and a show I would only watch once and almost regret watching. The love story was beautiful and raw. The trek west with these people was hard and awful and wonderful. The book goes down a dark hole for a while and it just was hard for me. I didn't cry, I was just mad. Amy even mentions in the end notes that she didn't like where the book went but it was real life. So my 3 stars are not for the writing they are for the way I feel (a little lost) and how I almost put it down and for not expecting this level of depravity from Amy, I was a little shocked she went where she did. I understand, but it was not for me. I have read all of her books and my least favorite is From Sand and Ash and this one.
Spoilers in the content warning:
Language: There is a couple light swear words. Some crude comments. Racial comments
Violence: Killing, people get beat up, animals die, Lots of death from sickness and natural elements. Knife fight, Scalping. slavery, Rape.
Sex: 1 sex scene. Nudity . Child molestation, Rape that is described. This had more sexual content then her other books.
Drugs: Some alcohol use