On a Dark Wing

by Jordan Dane

[inlibrisveritas]

I find this to be a difficult book to review. There were some really great aspects to this but then there were also some fairly irritating or displacing aspects as well.

Abbey, the main character, is not someone I could connect with...at all. I did understand her grief over her mother and I understood having a crush, however she seems to amplify both of those things to a point where I just didn't get it. She was very self absorbed when it came her 'feelings', to the point of being down right rude to her father and ignoring her great best friend Tanner. I get that people do that, but with the P.O.V being first person you get a feel for how little she cared about the others and it was just unlikable. The crush thing was, without a doubt, creepy. She was like one tiny step away from being a full on stalker. I think I would have dismissed it a little more if she had some sort of relationship with the guy, but alas they have never even talked. She also didn't have very "smart" reactions to the things she faces with "Nate". She's capable of telling you why it's wrong but does it anyway and that makes for a very frustrating read. Tanner was by far my favorite character, he seemed to have better depth to him. He was definitely a great friend to put up with Abbey's tunnel vision for so long, and I felt bad for him. Nate was...kind of just there. He is the object of Abbey's fascination but other then the few P.O.V's from his angle you don't get too much from him .

Character's aside the deeper meaning in this is pretty strong and I thought it was a great look on Death as a "person". It makes you think some; about how loss effects us, and how Death is much more then just the end of something. Also about how a person can transition from a state of grief to being happy. I did think the overall plot, once you got passed the boy obsessing and "poor me", was really interesting and intriguing. I also really enjoyed the writing style that Dane used for this, I found it to be crisp and really fun to read. The first person point of view was done really well, and I enjoyed seeing the story from three angles.I think the ending was done really well, even if I don't like the whole lead up to it.

I can't say I would out right recommend this, but I would never dissuade someone from reading this. It has a good message underneath it all, and it's certainly not a terrible book. This is one of those books where I've seen a lot of great reviews, and I can understand them. However for me this was just an okay book.

I received this from Harlequin and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.