Many thanks to NetGalley and Turner Publishing Company for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of three struggling families in Strawberry Flats, Alaska. The first is a pack of wolves who surviving in the wild and growing their pack. The second is the family of Salt D'Arlene, a trapper doing the best he can taking care of his family and his son with muscular dystrophy. Last is the family of Kes, who is a young girl hoping that her father will return to himself after coming home from Afghanistan. All the worlds will be brought together when there are plans to build a road and bridge in the area.

The author touches on controversial issues of religion, war, and environment, which is ok but it felt forced. It came across as if the author was pushing his own agenda. Also the 3 different POV just did not come together for me. Honestly, I struggled to stay engaged in reading this one and had a hard time finishing it. Give it a read and see what you think.

A wilderness adventure, On Heaven's Hill (2024) by Kim Heacox has a trio of narrators of life in Strawberry Fields, a remote Alaskan town. A group of veterans’ camp in the wilderness, as Salt D’Arelene raises his family and eleven-year-old Kes’s dad recovers from his military service. This is a languid tale, failing to garner much interest apart from Silver, the young wolf enchanting the world. At times, a seemingly long read that drifts along as a pretext for acknowledging the plight of veterans, lupin management and ecological values. Despite its promising premise, this novel was humdrum and a disappointing two star rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Turner Publishing Company and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

This story is told by 3 different viewpoints. One is by the wolf, Silver, one by Salt, a former trapper and the young voice of Kes, waiting for her dad to get home from war.

The concept of asking veterans to live in Alaska to heal and better themselves after returning from war was very intriguing and I do believe it was a good storyline.

My one con, was I was expecting more in-depth knowledge of the life of the wolves, yes it covered some but not a lot. This one comes in with 4 stars.

I thank Turner Publishing Company along with NetGalley for providing this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review.

This was a very interesting story. In some parts of the book it made me think of the show Yellowstone - because you have people coming in wanting to change everything and disrupt everyone's peace.

While I really enjoyed the book, it did take awhile to get used to having an animals POV in the story. It wasn't bad, just different. I think it added a whole lot of different aspects that I would have never thought I would read. I really enjoy that this book was based in Alaska. Alaska is one of my dream destinations (but while it's warm!)

The author does an amazing job at getting the readers attention and keeping it throughout the entire book. I was not able to put this book down, I needed to know what happened next. But as soon as the book was done, I thought to myself "well now what do I do with my life?" I didn't want it to end, I wanted more of the story.

Will be buying a physical copy of this book and will recommend to all my friends and the book club that I am involved in.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 55%.

The writing was decent, the characters were loveable, and the Alaskan setting was cool, but I couldn't see where things were going. Nothing was compelling me to keep reading or making wonder what would happen next.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was unable to download this file on my laptop or on my netgalley shelf app. Therefore I cannot give an honest review of this text.

Thank you to Net Galley for my ARC.
This novel is controversial at times. I expect that the author wants us to question our own stand in the importance that we place on environmental issues versus development.
It is set in Alaska so therefore wildlife and natural beauty abound. I loved the young crusader, Kes, who fights for the wolves and against the development of the new bridge. This will mean the end of life as the townsfolk know it. She is wise, well before her time, albeit a little reckless, most likely due to her immaturity.
This novel is well written. It has a lot of characters but they all are interwoven together. I did like the part where it was told from the perspective of Silver wolf. He could sense change.

This title kept coming to the top of my pile and for whatever reason there was always one that grabbed my curiosity just a little more. But in fairness it was time to tackle Kim Heacox’s well written, hard hitting, told in the softest way story of broken and healing.

Told by different narrators, Kes, Silver and Salt - Silver, the wolf is never far away, even when it is across the river, hungry, always, hungry. Kes will struggle to save it, Salt will struggle to trap it and Silver will struggle to maintain its place in the wilderness.

There are many elements to this story, not the least of which is Christianity and the Bible, which is quoted frequently. I never felt as if I was being beaten over the head but I was gently made aware of the significance of the references. I wonder how the story would have held together without it. No matter, I enjoyed the book with its many characters and their interactions. The descriptions of the settings, both Texas and Alaska were superb. Children play a large part in this story and for the most part they are attributed with strength, intelligence and integrity. This is an important and informative book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks to West Margin Press and NetGalley for a copy.

In “On Heaven’s Hill,” Kim Heacox masterfully weaves a tale of resilience and community set in the tranquil town of Strawberry Flats on Alaska’s remote coast. The peace is shattered by plans for a controversial road and bridge, thrusting former trapper Salt d’Alene into an unexpected battle as he strives to care for his son Solomon, who has muscular dystrophy. Eleven-year-old Kes Nash yearns for her father’s return to normalcy after his deployment in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a wolf named Silver and his pack silently observe the unfolding drama.

Heacox tells a moving story that is full of humor, compassion, and the continuing spirit of hope and rebirth in the face of suffering through alternate points of view. This moving tale honors the compassionate and untamed spirit of America. Some people may find it off-putting, but this novel touches on many of the contentious attitudes and opinions that have emerged in recent years regarding religion, war, the environment, and other topics. I had a good start to this book. I don’t usually read in this genre, but I immediately felt a connection with every character.

The wording is poetic and even fanciful, yet it’s always understandable and never corny. All the more amazing is the fact that Heacox can write convincingly from numerous points of view, something that is not usually the case. I did like a narrative where people oppose developers, and the general message about the restorative power of nature struck a chord with me. It is a poetic monument to the beauty of Alaska, the value of nature, and the extraordinary resiliency of the human spirit. I thought it to be quite engaging and well-written.

What a unique perspective! I love wolves and I enjoyed reading through the eyes of the wolves in this book. The author wrote this experience in such a way that made it seem like he was studying wolves for the book. His environmental activism was a key part to this book that brought a sleepy little town in Alaska awake to save their town, to save the forest and to save the wolves.

With the faith aspects along the journey it made this not only about how we are trashing our planet and killing animals, but enjoying what God has giving us. The ragtag family of veterans brought humor to a sensitive topic and Kes and her family brought humanity. Solomon was a joy in such a dark family.

Truly an exceptional tale. The author manages to work in timely causes and political issues without it being histrionic or preachy. A very enjoyable read, meaningful and awe-inspiring. It’s always nice when a book feels like time well spent.
Will return with a longer review shortly.

On Heaven's Hill is a captivating story from the outset. Told from three perspectives, there is much to learn about the groups these three belong to. Kes is a twelve-year-old girl who wishes she could have her old dad back – the one before his National Guard troop was sent to Afghanistan. In juxtaposition to Kes is Salt, a man who works hard to provide for his family but is now up against a problem he can't fix – he would do anything to have his old son back, the healthy Solomon before he was struck by muscular dystrophy. The third perspective is an engrossing one – Silver, the young wolf trying to grow big and strong to support his tribe and one day head a tribe of his own. These individuals live in or near the idyllic small town of Strawberry Flats, whose peacefulness is about to be shattered. 
     Kim Heacox is a master of depiction, painting a vivid and awe-inspiring picture of the Alaskan wilderness. The reader is drawn into this glorious landscape, which encircles and interacts with the people of the small town. His characterization is magnificent. There are quite a few people in the novel, and each is a thoroughly developed individual. The secondary characters add supplementary information to complement the main story's background, surroundings, and personalities. These side characters add more than a little humor. 
     I highly recommend this novel. 
    Thank you to NetGalley and West Margin Press. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by West Margin Press via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was not for me. And I’m also very sorry that I did not finished this book, because I mentally couldn’t go on.
Let me explain everything:

I was on one of my first searches on NetGalley when I found this book.
The plot was not very attractive but I literally said: Surprise me.
It really did, because the plot didn’t tell a lot of things.

I can’t criticize this book other than saying: it was not for me. In the plot no one told me that people quoted the Bible in dialogues and that Christianity was so present. I am an atheist, I don’t have problems with Christians but at a certain point It felt weird reading Bible quotes out of nowhere, also because I didn’t understand them, I’ve never read the Bible nor anything religious. Let me specify: it felt weird to me because I’m not used to.
Another thing that I couldn’t understand and therefore it made the book not for me were the political reference. Again, I’m European, I know very little of American politics.

I’m sorry to say this because my review wouldn’t exist if these things would have been said or even just mentioned briefly in the plot. Because I’ve wouldn’t have read the book and just the people who are the perfect target would have read it.
To completely understand a book like this for a person like me, it would had need a lessons about american politics and a christian lecture.
It felt obvious that the author knew very well both topics and therefore spoke about it taking everything for granted. This is not a bad things, but it makes the book for just a few people.
And I’m sure that the people of the right target would appreciate this book.

Putting aside this incomprehension I unfortunately found other things that I didn’t like.
Basically: I couldn’t identify with any character but in a very particular way. I felt like I was watching a play but the actors were made of wax and the stage empty of prompts.
I felt something, like a supernatural force putted between me and text. I was not in the narration, not even part of the audience. This feeling even scared me a little, I’ve never had such feeling. This is mostly why I did not finished this book.
It’s ironic to say but the chapters where I felt mostly comfortable were the ones narrated by the wolf Silver, and also if the book would have been more about Silver and his pack and the human had a very little part, maybe I would have really liked it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Turner Publishing for a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

I really struggled through this book. I found the characters to be pretty flat and one-dimensional, the dialogue felt forced and inauthentic, and the desire to make Christians the villains of the story felt really unrealistic. Not that there aren’t bad people from all faiths and beliefs, but this was to such an extreme, with no back story, no complexity to said villains, that it was not at all written in a believable way.
Maybe that IS the way Christians behave in Alaska. I guess I wouldn’t know, but this book screamed of an author with a political agenda, which many do, but this just wasn’t executed well.
Kes’s father’s back story made ZERO sense. He had just broken into the music business and hit his stride with his band selling first 10,000 and then 30,000 albums, and his brother then convinces him to enlist in the service for extra money? What? Why?
I liked the small bits of the story that followed the wolves, and would have loved more of that. The wolves kept me from giving this book only one star.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at about 30 percent in. I loved the idea of this book but couldn’t get into it. There were too many characters and three seemingly different POVs to learn about so it felt a bit confusing. I am not sure I truly understand what the book was supposed to be about and what I thought it was about still didn’t really feel explained at about 30% in. Some parts were beautifully described and some felt choppy, vague, or confusing.

You can see how much Kim Heacock knows about Alaska and that area, and for that reason, I appreciated so much of the descriptive writing of the land. It just didn't connect me to the characters or the plot enough.

This story is a poignant tale set in the remote Alaskan town of Strawberry Flats, where the tranquility is threatened by controversial development plans. Through the perspectives of former trapper Salt d'Alene, young Kes Nash, and a watchful wolf named Silver, the novel intricately weaves together themes of family, resilience, and the beauty of the natural world. With heartfelt storytelling and vivid imagery, the author captures the essence of hope and healing in the face of adversity, making this a compelling read filled with warmth and compassion.

This was as interesting story. It's always enlightening when you get an animal POV and that definitely added another dimension to the story. Would definitely recommend.

I would rate this book 3.5 stars. The story was about an Alaskan town that became divided when a fracking company came wanting to commercialize the area. The story was told by 3 characters including Silver, a wolf. It was interesting hearing the perspective of the wolf as people started to take over its land. I didn't realize this was Christian fiction. There are scripture references sprinkled in however I found them forced. A character would be speaking and suddenly give a quoted line from the Bible. At times, I appreciated the references, but how they were included didn't seem realistic.

I also appreciated the author's stance on a number of current issues. Although I agreed on the message, it sometime felt preachy. I would have like to see more character development with these lessons learned throughout the book. It was an interesting read and not something I would typically have chosen on my own.

***Thank you NetGalley, Kim Heacox, and Turner Publishing for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Thank you to NetGalley and Turner Publishing company for an advance copy.

On Heaven's Hill is a novel about family, the role of religion on our view of the world, and the importance of standing up for what you believe to be right. Chapters alternate between perspectives of a young girl named Kestral who has had her world turned upside down, an adult man named Salt walking a moral line to support his family, and a member of a wolf pack called Silver that is pivotal to the story. While the animal perspective was unexpected, and only appears occasionally throughout the book, I really enjoyed those chapters.

This book started out really nicely for me. It's not a genre I typically read, but I connected with each character right away. I appreciated the fairness with which members of different walks of life, religion, and politics were represented. I kept waiting to see the author's personal biases bleed through the narrative, but now I don't think I can say for sure where they stand. Much respect to Kim Heacox for that. Each character was represented very fairly regardless of their opinions and perspectives.

I gave it three stars because the story lost its hook from me around 75% of the way through. I think it cared more about the characters personal lives than I did about the major event in the book which connected them all. Once the foundations were laid for each character and the plot moved on to the event, I stopped caring. And I would have loved more of Silver.

Please see my complete review on this book, “On Heaven’s Hill” on my Goodreads.
There I talk about how this story is about the humans but also the story from the wolves perspective. This is a must read.