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    On a Dark Wing
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    On a Dark Wing
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    On a Dark Wing
    Ebook312 pages5 hours

    On a Dark Wing

    By Jordan Dane

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook



    The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn't prepared for. And Death would be my willing teacher.

    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 Deathby taking the hand of an ethereal boy made of clouds and skyshe 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 HoldenAbbey's secret crushstarts to climb Alaska's Denali, the Angel of Death stalks him because of her.

    And Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin
    Release dateJan 1, 2012
    ISBN9781459219106
    Unavailable
    On a Dark Wing
    Author

    Jordan Dane

    Bestselling, critically-acclaimed author Jordan Dane’s gritty thrillers are ripped from the headlines with vivid settings, intrigue, and dark humor. Publishers Weekly compared her intense novels to Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner, and Tami Hoag, naming her debut novel NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM as Best Books of 2008. She also pens young-adult novels for Harlequin Teen. Formerly an energy sales manager, she writes full time and shares her Texas residence with two lucky rescue dogs.

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    Reviews for On a Dark Wing

    3.5/5

    29 ratings11 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Abbey is obsessed with Nate Holden, but as her best friend Tanner likes to remind her he doesn't know she even exists. So when Abbey goes out of town for the weekend with her Dad to their cabin to remember her Mom on what was her birthday, she doesn't think it will make much of a difference. But she has noticed some strange things lately, these creepy ravens that have been watching her. Also, Abbey is struggling with the guilt of knowing it was her fault that they were on the road the day of the crash that her Mom died in - oh yeah, she died too. The only difference is that death let her go and she'd never figured out why. Abbey is an outcast because of her Dad being an undertaker and she's considered a weirdo. Right before she leaves town a website is posted, GoFarkYourself.com, that has cruel and explicit photoshopped pictures of her and her paralyzed best friend Tanner. Nate is on his way to a climb of Mount Denali with his Dad and his friend Josh. He's been waiting for this for years, but he's been having uneasy feelings and bad dreams. He's scared something will go wrong. Death reaches out to Abbey while posessing Nate's body so she'll trust him. Death also longs to feel humanity once more and no longer wants to collect souls. But posessing Nate comes at a price and that price just might be Nate's life. Can Abbey save him before it's too late? Are they really meant to be together or is it just a crush? I liked this book in some ways and not at all in others. It was really hard to relate to Abbey though, because her obsession with Nate came across as creepily unhealthy. It was almost like that of a stalker objectifying the person they're after. Also, she acted like a brat a lot of the time toward her Dad as if she was the only one suffering from her Mom's death. Tanner was awesome, but I felt like Abbey took him for granted and I didn't understand what he saw in her. I will commend her for being awesome enough not to ditch him when he became paralyzed the way his other friends did. Nate was pretty one-dimensional and I felt like all I really knew about him was his name and that he liked mountain climbing. I finished it because I wanted my answers and to see how it ended, not because I cared about anyone in the book all that much. It was okay, but definitely NOT my cup of tea. VERDICT: 2/5 Stars*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money was exchanged for this review. The expected publication of this book is December 27th, 2011.*
    • 4/5
      This is the second book I've read by Jordan Dane and she is fast becoming one of my favorite new authors. I love her writing style & her character development is amazing. You know who these characters are right away, something I always appreciate. She also creates diverse & unconventional main characters. In this story, one of the main characters is in a wheelchair, but he's definitely no victim. Just a normal teen who happens to be in a wheelchair. With the two YA books I've read by Jordan Dane, she combines a fantastic coming of age story with a touch of paranormal to create an unforgettable story. I encourage everyone who likes YA to read this (as well as In the Arms of Stone Angels).
    • 2/5
      On A Dark Wing is obviously eye-catching and interesting novel, just judging by looks alone: from the vaguely foreboding tone of the title itself to the scattered murder of ravens across the letters of the title, and the ominious, "Death never forgets. . . " ominously taglined in front of the Grim Reaper, this is a hard to miss title. It's a readable book that veers from normal to supernatural to creepy thriller almost: one thing that can be honestly said about On A Dark Wing is that it is never predictable. This is the story of a girl named Abbey, yes like Abbey Road of Beatles fame, her obsessive crush, her mom, a paralyzed but lovable hacker and Death. Yes, Death with a capital "D" - the Man himself appears and is the crux around which the rest of the book - and characters - must revolve.Abbey is from Palmer, Alaska. It's immediately clear that miss Chandler is fairly damaged goods: her guilt and issues over her mom's death is immediate and obvious from the get-go. I had to shave off rating points for such a heavy-handed introduction: I like when the author eases the problems in so it's not overwhelming every page. She's also constantly around death: her dad runs a crematorium so death and dying are more personal and familiar to Abbey than most people. By page thirty, Abbey has begun obsessively regaling the reader with her obsession with a boy named Nate. From the way Abbey talks and acts, it's obvious her feelings veer into stalker territory: she plans openly, without any kind of embarrassment, to radio-eavesspydrop on a trip of Nate's that he doesn't even know she knows he is going on, not to mention the tiny fact that Nate has no idea who Abbey is. It's fairly uncomfortable to read Abbey waxing lyrical over a guy who literally couldn't pick her out of a line-up. I mean saving, "Nate, give me strength" when in a bad situation? Just.. what? Who does that? I certainly wanted to like Abbey - I definitely came closer the closer to the end that I got in the book and she grows up quite a bit- but her stalker tendencies, coupled with her piss-poor treatment of her father made it nearly impossible for much of the novel. Other than Abbey, there is of course, Nate himself. I felt no real connection with Nate as an individual character, nor is it apparent for a while why we are supposed to care about a random boy going on a trip for the first few chapters. Nate is far too generic, too perfect for me to really buy into: I want a flawed man over a too-good-to-be-true archetype any day. His plot-line, though I liked how it intersected with Abbey's eventually, just failed to garner my interest from the start. Even his scenes on Denali failed to catch my eye - they were too bland and encompassing to create much emotion. I was much more interested in the paralyzed, funny and smart Tanner Lange than Nate. He is a much more flawed, real character than Nate, and carried the pages he appeared upon. Even when I found his cooperation with Abbey's stalker plans to be bemusing, I liked him immensely. He doesn't rag on Abbey for substituting food for love, he doesn't constantly rehash her guilt over her mother, he's just a best friend: supportive, loving, kind, there when he is needed the most.The random shifts in POV, from Abbey's personal and most often-used first person to the third-person omniscient for any other (Nate, Jackie, Tanner, Bob) were very very annoying. I'd have prefered it all be first person: Abbey, Nate, Tanner, everyone, or all third person. It's disconcerting and just weird to be in a characters head one minute and passive observer for another the next. I also felt that some POVs visited, like those of Jackie, were needless filler instead of advancing the plot further. I would've taken more action/adventure and less insight if that was the trade-off there. It's also worth noting for me, an admitted over-hyphenator and enthusiastic parenthesis user, that Miss Dane uses ellipses a lot . . in her writing. . . for stress. I can understand the urge: it's a useful tool to convey stress and importance or hesitance, but it was way way overdone.Using Death as a character seems like a fairly risky gamble for a writer. It's hard to create empathy and sympathy for such a feared and unknown and unknowable force, but like Markus Zusak's triumphamt The Book Thief, (admittedly to a much, much lesser extent) On A Dark Wing makes its Death.. human, if not exactly humane. Touched by Abbey's tragic past, this world's version of Death seeks to experience more: love, loss, life, death, happiness. I'll leave it to you to see if/how he does, but other than his relative humanity, I was intrigued by Jordan Dane's version of death, dying and what happens after. While I can't say this incarnation of Death has been my favorite in literature (Terr Pratchett's DEATH will win that contest hands down, any/every time), he/it is understandable, even inspiring sympathy and pity from me. I felt he dragged on a bit too much into the ending, but Death pulled off the feat of coming across as more than just the Grim Reaper of legend.I wish I could hand On a Dark Wing a higher rating than a mere 2.5 out 5 stars but numerous problems with the novel overwhelm the good. Some elements are handled quite well (Death himself, his personal wants, his individual mythology) while others lacked authenticity (the whole Nate-stalking fiasco) and yet others felt unfulfilled (Abbey and her father). I wasn't a fan of the climax/resolution of the book at all: for all the drama and the tears, it seems both too easy and too simple. It's at least an interesting read, and one that is surprisingly creepy and dark for young-adult novel, but I'm not sure if this is an author I'll keep reading in the future.
    • 4/5
      I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.3.5 stars/5When I saw the synopsis for this book I couldn't wait to read it. Now that I have, I'm having a hard time writing the review because I have such mixed feelings! There were parts of the book that I really enjoyed, and other parts that just annoyed the heck out of me! Five years ago, Abbey Chandler almost died in a car accident. She lost her mother in this same accident. She saw a white light and an ethereal looking boy, and when he reached out his hand to her, she took it. Then her mother called her name, the connection was broken, and she lost consciousness. Now, we learn that that boy was basically Death itself, and when Abbey touched his hand he felt such a connection with her, and the love that her mother had for her, that he comes back to inhabit the body of a boy so he can experience love for himself. OK - I have no problem with that part! This was a very unique twist on the usual angel/demon/death theme. I think the book could have been a very interesting one, but for some reason it just kind of fell flat more often than not. I think one of the main reasons for this is that the main character, Abbey, is just plain annoying most of the time! She has a very weird stalker vibe going on with regards to a boy in her class named Nate, someone who she has never officially met, and never even talked to! You wouldn't know this from her fantasies and the way she talks to him in her mind ALL the time! She has a very strained relationship with her father which I think is mostly because she acts like a brat toward him throughout most of the book. She does grow a bit through the book, which is great, but it's rather hard to feel connected to her. When some kids at school pull a very mean prank on her, then you can feel real sympathy for her, but it doesn't take long before she's back to fantasizing about and mentally stalking Nate, and then she loses you again!The most compelling character in the book is Abbey's friend, Tanner, who is awesomeness itself in a wheelchair! He is truly a good friend to her, but she doesn't seem to even notice this as she is totally wrapped up in Nate. This is one of the problems that I had with the book - shouldn't the most compelling character be one of the main characters as opposed to a secondary character? Both Abbey and Death seemed kind of lame next to Tanner, and Nate didn't even compare!There were parts of the book that had me interested and had me turning the pages quickly to find out what was going to happen next, and it was definitely unpredictable. For this reason, I will certainly read more of Jordan Dane's work because I like her writing style, and I think with different characters, I would enjoy reading her books :D
    • 2/5
      Synopsis:The choices I had made led to the moment when fate took over. I would learn a lesson I wasn't prepared for. And Death would be my willing teacher.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 stalks him because of her.And Abbey finds out the hard way that Death never forgets.Review:This is one of the hardest reviews I've had to write. Mostly because if it hadn't been under the Harlequin Teen banner I probably wouldn't have picked it up. Saying that, I'm surprised Harlequin DID add this one to their portfolio. The story not only doesn't feel like a Teen Romance, it also has adult POV's and an awful lot of waffly jargon about mountain-climbing that I'm sure will put off most teens who think about reading this.Firstly the main protaganist is Abbey. She's 16 years old, very insecure. Her Mum died in a car accident 6 years ago and Abbey's still obsessing over it. To the point of making it a boring read that you have to flip pages and pages of analysing each scenario just so the story picks up a little bit. The over-analysing carries on throughout the book, especially near the end, literally dragging out the story for an unnecessary 16 pages.Her obsession is Nate. A boy clearly older and more mature than her. Oh yeah, and he doesn't really know that she even exists. HIS obsession is mountain-climbing. In fact, thats really all we know about him.When the story takes us to the climbing part, I think my brain went a little numb. I found it incredibly dull. But if you like climbing then, hey, this book is for you!We have lots of different POV's throughout, all 3rd person except for Abbey. I had a feeling that this was why the book didn't really gel well mostly because instead of being a little more creative the author chose just to switch characters. For me it lost the flow of the story and depth of the key people.Plus there was the awful: one minute later....one hour later...several minutes later...headers which really were annoying and not necessary. Again creative writing could have included this. It just gave a feeling of laziness.Now for the hard part. This whole book is about Death. And yes, there's lots of depressing talk about it all the way through the book. Which kind of makes the whole thing extremely depressing. I can't say that this book was enjoyable at any one time. It really didn't even have any romantic tender moments. Even when Nate/Death kissed Abbey it just felt a little too creepy. Overall, I'm sorry to say that this book really didn't do anything for me. I read the book description and thought the story might lead somewhere else but sadly it didn't.
    • 4/5
      Review: On A Dark Wing by Jordan Dane 4 STARSThis book to awhile for me to be in the mood to start reading it. Once I got into the book the characters seamed real I wanted to talk back to them. Say whats going on with you all the ravens? Look at Tanner he is a real friend right in front of you. I would be tempted to leave town to if that happened to me.Abbey 5 years ago missed the bus to take her home and on the way home was in a car accident that killed her mom. Abbey has a lot of guilt over that. Abbey best friend is Tanner Lange. Abbey has a crush on Nate and is stalking him. Tanner had a four wheeler accident that has left him in a wheel chair. He is a reallly great character. He got a radio to listen to Nate climb for Abbey. He has his learner permit to drive a special van his family has.Nate holden and his friend Josh trained and planned to climb Denali with his father team. Nate did not know Abbey exsisted really.The evening before the last day of school Abbey climbed into Tanner bedroom to vent over her father taking her to their cabin for their annual trip to remember Abbey mother. If she went she could not follow Nate's climb with Tanner.Tanner was upset with something he did not want to show her but he had to. He showed her a website that had pictures wearing today's outfit showing her having sex with guys and other pictures. they had taken her head and put it on different bodies. She was upset and ran home. Abbey talked her dad into leaving for the cabin a day early and missing the last day of school. Abbey looked at the website and realized someone had put Tanner up saying he was gay with fake pictures too. Abbey felt worse over Tanner's pictures. Their is a lot of drama in this book and it draws you in that you don't want to stop reading. Their are no sex scenes. Shows a lot of friendships that mean a lot.Talks a lot of death. Shows how girl's get crushes behaves sometimes. Would recommend this book.I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest reviews from Netgalley.12/27/2011 PUB Harlequin Harlequin Teens
    • 3/5
      When I first read the synopsis of On A Dark Wing I honestly didn’t know what to expect, and 100 pages in, I also didn’t know what the book was about. Don’t get me wrong, after the initial slow start of the book, it gets VERY exciting and thrilling and I honestly wasn’t able to put it down. The story is mainly centered around Abbey Chandler, Abbey lost her mother 5 years ago, and she blames herself, there is some guilt she can’t clearly explain but she feels that she cheated her mom by living and her dying. Abbey is considered a weirdo, a loner. She only has one friend, who is in a wheelchair due to an accident he survived when he was 12. She however pines and fantasizes over Nate Holden, who we only know as a guy who loves mountain climbing, and his dream is to climb mount. Denali. Nate was a big part of this book but I honestly didn’t know anything about him, I would have really liked if I knew more about his character, but throughout the whole book I only knew him as Abbey’s crush. There is a twist in the romance in the story, *spoiler* We all know how much Abbey is in love with Nate and I was rooting for both of them, but towards the end Abbey somehow comes to the conclusion that who she truly loves is actually her friend, and Nate was just an infatuation, I don’t know why the author switched sides, since both showed no interest in each other, but at the end it was a cute romance, I only wished it developed earlier in the book. Death has always remembered Abbey from the time he went to collect her mother’s soul when the car accident occurred when she was ten years old. By using Nate, he wanted to get closer to her; you could say he wanted a chance at humanity, but because of his selfishness he is risking the lives of both Nate and Abbey. This is where Nate’s climbing experience turns to a nightmare and Abbey has to finally confront her guilt she had pent up for the last five years.I really enjoyed Nate’s POV, especially him trying to survive and save his friend when they both got avalanched. I still didn’t learn anything about him, but it was interesting to read about. Abbey was frustrating at the beginning, especially the relationship with her dad, but I get why she treated him that way, she still had to resolve her guilt and problems. I’m glad they finally opened up to each other, while this wasn’t the happily ever after ending, they were on the road to getting there.Overall the book was slow at the beginning but when the questions I had finally start to get answered, and lives were on the line, I couldn’t put the book down. The book was full on mysterious, creepy, and thrilling at the end. Even though I had some issues with it, overall it was enjoyable and gave me the shivers!3/5 stars
    • 4/5
      After reading In The Arms of Stone Angel I fell in love with Ms. Dane's writing. Not only did she tell a great story, but gave me a wonderful reading adventure. Death. It's something everyone will come to pass sooner or later. I really like how the plot of the story gave a different aspect to death. Most of the time in books he is always gloomy and well...death. On A Dark Wing, Ms. Dane unfolds of a story of Death never told. One that surpasses anything beyond normal.What I liked most about this story is the great plot line. I loved it when a new story, out of the box creation is told. Death is not some other thing but a person with feelings. I admit that anything to do with the afterlife always fascinates me. I like how well the story unfolded before the readers eyes capturing the reader from the very beginning. There are several plot twist that kept me on the tip of my toes. I adore the chance at pursuing the character of Death and getting to know his story.There is not really a love interest but more of an obsession. This is something totally different and new to me. I loved reading and watching the characters grow with more knowledge of what exactly brought them together. I love that Ms. Dane created a great back round history to both characters, making the story much more fulfilling. If you want a great dark story with something more than just death, read this book. Ms. Dane present the reader with a story that is beautifully written. The ending of the story was beautifully weaved, leaving the reader satisfied. With a great dramatic plot, On A Dark Wing is an fantastic read!
    • 4/5
      For the last five years Abby Chandler has had to deal with the loss of her mother to a deadly car accident; an accident Abby feels responsible for. She lives a fairly quiet life, with most of her time spent with her best friend, Tanner, and the other time spent pining over Nate Holden, a guy Abby has had a crush on for years.Almost five years to the day of the accident, Abby starts to see ravens; flocks of them fly by her house and though she feels she may be imagining things, they appear to be stalking her. Abby puts her fears aside and begins looking forward to the last day of school, hoping to avoid her and her father's annual trip to their cabin to honor the memory of her mother. Abby wants to stay at home and listen in as Nate and his father attempt to climb Denali, a dangerous mountain in Alaska. Abby's plans change when a cyber-bully targets her and Tanner, and she decides she should get out of town to avoid the embarrassment. When Abby sees the ravens again while at the cabin, she can't help but think that something big is about to happen. What Abby doesn't realize is that Death wants something, and she is the only one who can help him, and in the process, he is willing to risk Nate's well-being to get it.I was sucked into this story from the first paragraph. Not only is the story compelling, but as always, Ms. Dane's writing picks the reader up and places them smack dab in the middle of the action. She not only tells you a story, she effortlessly shows everything, making the reader feel as if they are right there with the characters. Whether it be on the treacherous mountain with Nate, lounging by a fire while the wind and snow blows, or experiencing Abby's first kiss, you feel every flake of snow, every gust of wind and every raw emotion. Another aspect that I especially liked is that even though the book alternates between Abby's first-person POV and third-person, each POV was precise, and the voice distinct. I've read a few books where the narration flips between viewpoints, but rarely do I feel such a distinction. Most times it just feels as if the same narrator is telling the story, but speaking in third-person. That is definitely not the case here.I loved all of the character's. Abby is a little fireball and her best friend Tanner is not only a hoot, but a sweetheart any girl would be lucky to find. I also loved her portrayal of Death. The grim-reaper is almost always the villain, but Ms. Dane gives him a lot of depth, and you can't help but feel for the dude.Fan's of Jordan's will not be disappointed in this book, and I, for one, will patiently await her next.(Review based on an Advanced Reader's Copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley)
    • 4/5
      On a Dark Wing is told from various points of views as needed to keep the plot moving. There's our heroine Abbey's viewpoint, and I really enjoyed being able to look through Nate and Tanner's eyes. It made me appreciate them more. Especially Tanner. Nate may be the golden boy, but Tanner's the cool one. He's one heck of a Silver Scorpion (for lack of a better expression)!Initially, I didn't like Abbey. She doesn't get along with her dad, she's overly sarcastic, and she says things to him that really sting. Even when he's nice, she gives him a hard time. It irked me that she asks to leave for their trip early and then goes and makes sure he knows that she doesn't care about the trip. I also couldn't understand her obsession with Nate Holden (though I can't question her choice in guys).Abbey grows tremendously over the course of the novel. I am glad that I didn't stop reading because of her attitude because I grew to love her spunk, especially after she finally begins to open up to her dad (and stops being sarcastic all the time).Funny story about the romance. I was wondering why Abbey obsesses over Nate Holden, and then I saw this really great guy and asked why she couldn't like him when... voilà! She opens her eyes to the right guy. And they are so cute together! I am sorry for the first guy she kisses. He isn't a bad guy, and I wish there could be a happy ending for him. Who knows? The ending is left open for musing, and I'm going to believe that there is hope for a guy like him.I didn't guess who the pretty boy of cloud and skies was until Abbey asked him who he was. He is a really special boy and, in a roundabout manner, gives Abbey the strength to heal and grow to appreciate her second chance at life. I love how the story played out. On a Dark Wing is an amazing story about death, life, and healing. Jordan Dane is a brilliant writer who took me on an emotional ride where I empathized with the characters, cheered for them, and cried my heart out for them.
    • 5/5
      I was: Captivated by the exploration of the human capacity for love and it's effect on Death himself. My thoughts:On A Dark Wing plays out pretty much the way it's synopsis reads however, I suspect, that like me, you'll be surprised and fascinated with the depth and emotion of this story. I wasn't sure what to think going into it. Stories around Death as a main character are usually really great or really bad for me. I guess I have my own notions on how Death should be portrayed. I was more then happy to realize that Jordan must have gotten into my head at some point because her Death? Pretty much spot on.Loved Tanner! He is sweet and genuine and he really would do anything for Abby and sure, he might be a tad unrealistic but that's what I love about him. More boys (in books and real life) should act like him!It took me a little while to warm up to Abby. I couldn't believe some of the things she did, or thought. I guess some of it could be classified as typical teenage behavior but sometimes I really wanted to yell at her. She does figure it all out though - and I don't know if I would have been able to do that. Final verdict:On A Dark Wing was a unique read for me. I love paranormal tales but sometimes they can be a bit heavy. The elements of the fantastic in this book were realistic to me. No complicated 'you aren't what you think you are' revelations. Death is a constant in everyone's life and whether you view it has a concept or as conscience being, it isn't too far fetched to believe that depth of human emotion could have an effect on 'him'. My second Jordan Dane book, and defiantly not my last.