When the Sky Burned by Liz Tolsma Review

 

When the Sky Burned by Liz Tolsma is one of six books in the A Day to Remember series. Historical fiction stories based around real life tragedies. I'm sure most people have heard of the Great Chicago Fire that took place in October of 1871. However, I had never heard of the fire that takes place in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. And that is the fire that is the focus of this book. Though we do get a bit of a look at the aftermath in Chicago as well as part of the story takes place there. As horrible as the Chicago fire was, the Peshtigo fire was just devastating. 

I loved getting to know Mariah, Jay, and the little girl Angelina. Mariah is actually engaged to Angelina's father, Hollis. However, from the get go I could tell he was no good. And then we also get to see part of the story from his point of view and that makes is 100% clear that he is a villain. I couldn't stand the way he treated not just Mariah, but Angelina as well. 

We get to know the characters prior to the fire. However, fire has been threatening for days. The hot, heavy, smoky air is something the characters have been living with as they go about their daily lives. I loved hearing about the paintings that Mariah created. And then there was the embezzelling that Jay was learning about as he worked on the books for the railroad company. 

The scene of the conflagration was heartrending. So emotional I found myself quite disturbed and in tears. Especially knowing this was an actual historical event that these fictional characters were living through. Seeing so many loved ones, friends, and acquaintances dying. And then the hardship that Mariah had to live with with her blindness. Add to that the suspense of the embezzeling storyline and the danger Jay was in, and there was so much that kept me invested in this story and these characters' lives. 

I needed to know how the author was going to resolve all the different situations. Definitely a powerful, faith-filled book. And one I highly recommend.