Review ~ On A Dark Wing ~ Jordan Dane

Title: On a Dark Wing

Author: Jordan Dane

Published: 27th December 2011

By: HarlequinTEEN

Source: netgalley

First line: I had countless excuses for missing that bus five years ago.

Last line: And now, neither would I.

Fave Line: It sounded cool like we were in a megabowl of punch with ice floating around us, but I guess the folks on the Titanic might have thought the same thing.

On a Dark Wing is a fantastic new book by author Jordan Dane. At the beginning of the story we are taken back five years to the death of Abbey Chandler’s mother in a crash that Abbey survives. Five years later Abbey is still weighed down with guilt over the loss of her mother and her mood certainly isn’t lightened by her still grieving father or the dead bodies in the basement (her father is a mortician). At school she spends most of her time with her friend Tanner all the while carrying around a huge crush on Nate, one of the more popular kids in school.

Every year Abbey and her father spend a few days in a cabin in the wilds of Alaska where they take time out to honour her mother’s memory around the time of her death. This year however, whilst Abbey is away Nate and his friend Josh are on an adventure of their own climbing Denali, the biggest mountain challenge they have faced yet. However, as the weather turns bad Nate and Josh find themselves trapped in a ravine the victims of an avalanche and it seems as though their deaths is inevitable. It is during this time that Abbey starts to receive ‘visits’ from Nate and then gradually over the course of the story we find out more about the crash in which Abbey’s mother died as well as the hold that death has over all of the main characters.

I found myself gripped by this book. The storyline devoted to Nate and Josh being trapped is tense and well written, the visits that Abbey receives heart warming yet tinged with darkness and the way that the story eventually unfolds keeps you turning the pages. The character of Tanner, I thought, was utterly endearing, especially his devotion to Abbey which is apparent throughout. I also liked the teen fantasy world inside Abbey’s head when it comes to Nate. It’s certainly a world I recognise from my teens! Figuring out what is reality and what is fantasy is one of the elements that make the final few chapters of this book a really enjoyable read. I also enjoyed the vulnerability of Abbey in as much as whilst she may be vulnerable she certain doesn’t come across as a weak or a victim, indeed, by the end of the book she is as strong as most of the female protagonists I have read about.

I love the way that Dane can set a scene. From the cabin where Abbey and her father stay while they mourn to the harshness of Denali, everything is so easy to picture and the emotions portrayed easy to relate to. Her writing can pull at the heartstrings and freak you out at the same time! The ending I think, rounds the book off really well. Well, it made me happy anyway!

Rating: 4 out of 5. Really enjoyed this. I look forward to reading more of Jordan Dane’s work!