This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

A powerful, evocative story of a tragedy that shouldn't be forgotten. I appreciated having heroines from different backgrounds, each giving their perspective and journey. And that title and book cover? Beautiful.

As the reviewer and editor, I designated this book as an 'Editors' Choice' for The Historical Novels Review.

Historical Novels Review, November 2021
The personal stories of two young women representing clashing cultures, white settlers and Native Americans, are told in two viewpoints. We meet Emma Heard and Oenikika in the months leading up to the Dakota-Sioux War in 1862 and see the tragic impact of the war’s aftermath on their lives. Emma’s family has settled near the town of New Ulm, Minnesota, along with other settlers lured west by promises of land by the government. Emma gains independence by helping out in her father’s law firm, and learns to see the good and bad in both sides. Oenikika is the daughter of Chief Little Crow of the Eastern Dakota tribe. She is a proud member of her tribe and struggles to accept the changes forced upon her by white men.

Oenikika’s father has returned from Washington, DC, after talks with Abraham Lincoln. The tribe must move to a reservation. In exchange for the loss of their hunting and gathering lands, and way of life, they will receive annual compensation in gold and supplies. They are forced onto increasingly smaller lands, and the promised gold and provisions do not arrive. They are starving. The fear, hatred, and conflict between the native people and settlers escalate. As the tribe’s patience runs out and the desperation for food escalates, disaster is inevitable. The result is a massacre of hundreds of white settlers with a revengeful public hanging of 38 Dakota Sioux men, the largest mass execution in U.S. history.

The Native Americans’ unity with nature and the land that sustains them is told in lyrical language. The author acknowledges that she is non-Native. Her goal was to gain understanding of the complexities on both sides, and acknowledge the many wrongs that occurred. She accomplishes this goal. This extraordinary novel is thought-provoking and heartbreaking, and should be read by all.

I cannot believe this was based on a true story. How horrible. One of the things I love about historical fiction is the ability for untold stories from history to find a voice that resonates with readers. To read facts in books it'a had to remember the details, it's even harder to capture the emotional magnitude that exists in difficult times from days past. Very little Native American literature (up until recently) has been published and I'm grateful indigenous stories are finding their well deserved voices in literature. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book.

What a tremendous story this is. I felt saddened on each page at the injustice of what occurred. There is a mix of fact and fiction, and on the final pages, a list of characters mentioned from history and fictional ones that make it heartbreakingly real. Each reflects the time. It is hard to believe that this is the author’s first outing, as there is passion on each page.

The story follows two young women, one a teenage girl, who has just finished school and lives with her family as settlers in Minnesota, the other the Indian Chief’s daughter, another teenage girl. From the start of the story you know that the ending is a tragedy, but from the pages between you know it could have been much worse.

As more settlers are dangled carrots to travel west and become homesteaders, the Dakota -Sioux Indians are driven further off their lands. Huge sums of money and a promise of a better life are offered if they will move. If only promises would have been kept what happened would not have been a massive loss of lives on both sides.

As the story is told through the lives of the girls, it is more the figures of how many are lost rather than the actual fighting that they hear about. Both girls are exceptional and just. One wants to continue the traditions she has learned while the other seeks justice. Both are strong women. I enjoyed the story coming from them and how each family reacted. Each of the women’s futures is centred around the same man. Another stand out character.

It is a time in history that is not to be proud of, but one that should never be forgotten. Super writing, Recommended reading.

I wish to thank the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I read through the first dozen or so pages and had to stop. There were so many grammatical errors that it was distracting. Many times words were completely missing or misspelled so bad that I couldn't decipher what it was supposed to be. I'll try to read it again when it is proofread and released.

This book was inspired by the true story of the thirty-eight Dakota-Sioux men hanged in Minnesota in 1862. It follows two women; one white woman who's town is attacked Dakota-Sioux warriors, and one Dakota-Sioux whose tribe has been forced onto a reservation under false promises from the white men which have led them to starve to death. Both females are connected by the fate of one man.

This book is POWERFUL. The females leads had many trials where they had to decide between survival and family loyalty. So much injustice in this story, but it's truly beautiful how the we got to see both sides of this. There is a lot of American history that is glossed over in school, and bringing light to this time in history is so important so we do not forget.

Thank you Spark Press for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. Pub Date: August 24.

I didn't know this was based on a true story going into this, and was horrified when I learned that fact. But this book was an excellent read and a superb portrayal of the relations between settlers and Indians from two different perspectives, yet aren't people just people? We all want the same thing.
The characters were well done, and I raced through this book.
Excellent!

Many thanks to Author Samantha Specks, to Spark Press publishing and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC giveaway. This is my honest review.

The complex relationship between the Dakota who have recently been forced into a reservation, and the white settlers of the prairie unfolds through the eyes of Oenikika and Emma Heard, two young women in Minnesota in the 1860's.
War breaks out as the Dakota must face winter without their promised annuity. With very restricted hunting and gathering grounds and with no means of buying food they are literally starving.
This war impacts both Emma and Oenikika and confronts them with conflicting moral values and difficult decisions.
Oenikika and Emma lead completely different lives, yet they are so alike. Each one of them struggles with a strong sense of duty and each one of them makes her own journey to find her unique and true voice.

This novel is so well written and so interesting, I had a hard time putting it down.
I will definitely be looking out for Ms. Specks' next novel!

Based on the true story of the hanging of 38 Dakota men, this historical fiction compares the lives a two young women, one white whose village is attacked by the Dakotas, the other a Dakota whose tribe has been forced onto a reservation and is starving to death.