On a Dark Wing by Jordan Dane
Expected publication: 12.27.2011 (Harlequin Teen)
Pages: 384
Final Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Source: E-ARC from NetGalley
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.
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.
My Review
In On a Dark Wing, we meet Abbey, a girl whose life has been irrevocably touched by death – starting with her mother’s demise during a car accident involving Abbey, and continuing into her father’s work as a mortician. It’s been five years since her mother’s death, and it’s clear that losing her mother has marked Abbey’s life in a major way. My heart went out to Abbey because of the way Jordan Dane showed us Abbey’s grief; it was palpable, it was real, and it breathed life into Abbey’s character. However, I remain conflicted about this book, for several reasons.
I think the main issue I had with On A Dark Wing was that, unfortunately, I never clicked with any of the characters, save for Tanner, perhaps. Abbey was a likeable enough character, and I could certainly understand her, but I never sympathized with her, never really found myself connecting with her, nor with Nate, whose point of view we saw as often as we saw Abbey’s. The lack of kinship I felt with the main characters was a disappointment for me, but try as I might, I couldn’t do it, and because of that, although yes, I wanted to know what happened next, and ultimately how the book ended, I had to force myself to finish it.
The multiple points of view threw me off in a big way; I thought the book would have flowed much better solely from Abbey’s point of view, instead, Jordan Dane gives us chapters from Abbey, Nate, Tanner, and even occasionally, Nate’s parents. Instead of moving along the story or being effective, for me, this was majorly jarring. About the time I got used to where we were with one character, the book careened into a different point of view, which I think added to my inability to connect with the characters.
That’s not to say that I didn’t like anything about On a Dark Wing. Abbey’s crush on Nate was endearing, because I think at some point, every girl was her – unsure of themselves, but sure that if that one certain guy will just give them a chance, life will improve. Abbey was searching for that validation in Nate, but I was relieved with the direction Jordan Dane took that arc in the end of the book. I also really loved Abbey and Tanner’s friendship, and how loyal they were to one another. At times I felt incredibly bad for him, and wanted to shake Abbey, because it was obvious how much Tanner cared for her, while all she could see was Nate. However, when Abbey finally opened her eyes to Tanner, it felt rushed and forced.
I wanted more interaction between Abbey and her dad; interestingly enough, of all the points of view we saw, his was never included, and I was intrigued by him. I really enjoyed what scenes we did get between Abbey and her father, and though those were the most powerful of the novel.
Overall, although I so wanted to love On a Dark Wing, I couldn’t. Jordan Dane has a very down-to-earth writing style, that’s easy to follow and enjoy. I accepted the premise to this book easily enough but felt it lacked follow-through. Characters were under-developed at times, and unfortunately, because I couldn’t form a connection with the main characters, I couldn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as I wanted to.
Disclaimer
In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No money or compensation of any sort exchanged hands. I review books with no intention of monetary gain; rather, I review books out of my love of reading.
