On a Dark Wing by Jordan Dane

Release Date: 27th December, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 384pgs

The Story

Five years ago Abbey Chandler cheated Death. She survived a horrific car accident, but her lucky break came at the expense of her mother's life and changed everything. After she crossed paths with Death - by taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and sky - she would never be normal again.

Now she's the target of Death's Ravens and an innocent boy's life is on the line. When Nate Holden - Abbey's secret crush - starts to climb Alaska's Denali, the Angel of Death is with him because of her.

Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.

The Review

A big thanks to Harlequin on netGalley for accepting my request in reading this book early!

Prior to reading this book, I absolutely loved Jordan Dane's young adult novel In the Arms of Stone Angels and you can read my raving raving review of it here. Now for Dane's second young adult novel, ON A DARK WING, a book I've been looking forward to for quite some time, it is an eye-catching and a very interesting novel that deals with the heavy issues of grief, loss, death and love. While I enjoyed this book and every bit of content inside it, however it doesn't beat the author's first YA novel. But it's still a great read.

In the book ON A DARK WING, Death is everywhere. It's seen in the ravens across the sky. It's felt in the presence of the dark shadows. No matter where you go or where you are . . . death is not too far behind. For the main character, Abbey, Death took away her mother in a car accident five years ago and she too should've died along with her. Only she miraculously survived but with several consequences following the tragic incident. As she struggles with her own personal grief - and with the loss of her mother - Abbey begins to feel even more withdrawn from the world and other kids prey upon her with much teasing and bullying because of her sudden seclusion from the world. The only true friend she has is Tanner - a boy who had serious injuries from an accident he was involved in - and his relationship between him and Abbey was very strong and realistic. But due to their neared deaths with Death itself . . . everything is about to change.

One of the things I deeply admire about Jordan Dane's writing is how she brings the real depth and emotion to her novels. She deals with some of the most uncomfortable issues in this young adult setting and writes them in a way where all of her readers - teenagers and adults - will enjoy and have some heart for. On another note, one of the other things I admire is how Dane wrote about Death himself. But Dane didn't portray him as the "ghost" of our stories with the common perceptions we know of today. She portrayed this main character with far more human emotion than one reader would expect from her and from Death himself - and I love to be surprised and I was. And I must say she was pretty spot on in the details of Death and he's what I imagined him to be like. So two thumbs up for that!

When it comes to the characters themselves, they were all pretty great in their own unique way. Abbey, the main heroine of this tale, took me a long time to warm up to and some of the things she did . . . I personally wouldn't do if I was in her position. But for Abbey's character, she's the kind that has a little bit of brat with a little bit of whine blended into her and I admit it's hard to like a character drowning in her own sorrows. But once you get to know this character and learn more about her, you will soon understand and form some respect for her, and I love the way her maturity grows towards the end of the story which completely redeems her character. Overall, she's a great character to have. As for Abbey's best friend, Tanner, he was the best friend you want for this particular story and main character. He was super supportive, super sweet and super genuine in many ways you wouldn't believe a boy to be, and he would do things for Abbey as any best friend would - only he did so much more which I adore. Then there's Nate, Abbey's long-time crush, whom Abbey can't stop talking about . . . but he'll never beat my love for Tate. Never ever ever.

On a whole Jordan Dane's second book ON A DARK WING starts off slow but eventually builds up to a dramatic and epic conclusion, leaving everyone satisfied. With unique mythology, some creepy and gritty darkness in its mists, this book has definitely shown Jordan Dane's talent. It may not have beaten my super-duper love of her novel In the Arms of Stone Angels, but it follows close behind.

The Rating

3/5 stars