ARC Review: In The Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane

See this book just prove that being different doesn't always mean it's automatically bad.

This book is different, I just have to say that. But it's a delightful kind of different, and I'll tell you, this story is not bad at all.

Title: In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane
Pages: 384
Release Date: April 1st 2011
Published by: HarlequinTeen
Source: publisher via NetGalley!
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary (from Goodreads):

Two years ago I did a terrible thing. I accused my best friend of being a killer after seeing him kneeling over a girl's body. That moment and that outcast boy still haunt me.

Now my mom is forcing me back to Oklahoma and I can't get White Bird out of my mind. But when I find out he's not in juvie—that he's in a mental hospital, locked in his tormented brain at the worst moment of his life—I can't turn my back on him again.

No one wants me to see him. My mom doesn't trust me. The town sheriff still thinks I was involved in the murder. And the other kids who knew the dead girl are after me.

I'm as trapped as White Bird. And when I touch him, I get sucked into his living hell, a vision quest of horrifying demons and illusions of that night. Everything about him scares me now, but I have to do something. This time I can't be a coward. This time I have to be his friend.

Even if I get lost, as well…

That one phone call to 911 changed Brenna's life forever. Seeing the only boy she'd ever love, White Bird, crouching over Heather Madsen, covered in blood, with knife in his hand and muttering words Brenna couldn't understand. Two years later, Brenna was more lost than ever, wasting away in pain, depression and guilt. In an unexpected twist of fate, she found herself going back to Shawano, the place where all the pain and betrayal came from. And this time Brenna knew she wouldn't be able to run away. Discovering she and only she alone can help White Bird "come back" and solve the murder he's a prime suspect of, Brenna must fight her own demons and learn to embrace herself for what she really is.

I was a bit apprehensive and skeptical when I started reading, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I wanted to stay away from books dealing with a lot of heavy emotional complications, but I'm glad I gave this book a chance. I was overwhelmed by how well-written it was and how much of an emotional read it can be.

Brenna is a complicated character. I can't even begin to imagine how a sixteen year old girl was able to pull through such a devastating phase of her life. The living shunned her and she found solace in the dead. Brenna had always thought she was different, and all she wants is to feel that she belongs, like White Bird, who wanted to be in a clan of his own. Because it's what makes them happy. It's what will make them feel complete.

My heart went out for the both of them. Brenna thought she did the right thing when she called 911 and now, 2 years later, White Bird is stuck in a mental institution, trapped in his own mind. The guilt that was eating her inside more than doubled and Brenna just couldn't forgive herself for what she did.

The kids in the small town of Shawano weren't too kind to both Brenna and White Bird, and the bullying escalated when she came back. The humiliation and cruelty the teens were capable of shocked me. The people of Shawano is a perfect example of how cruel and judgmental we all can be. Brenna and her mom were strangers in a community that once embraced them. And White Bird? Worse.

Brenna's journey to healing was exceptional and beautiful. After a long and harrowing two years, she was able to forgive herself and found the strength inside of her to help the boy she loved, to bring him back and to right the wrongs she did.

Part thriller part psychological and philosophical, In The Arms of the Stone Angels encourages the readers to think and examine themselves deep inside. Do we really need to belong to something to feel loved? Is popularity a reason enough to kill? It's a story that attempts to explore the dark side of a human's emotions like obsession, power, cruelty and love.

In The Arms of Stone Angels is an evocative story that will captivate everyone. Woven through the story is an entire world of shamans, spirit guides, of rich and mystical beliefs and traditions that encourages us all to have an open mind and accept things that we couldn't explain. Jordan Dane was able to create an intense, emotional read that will get the readers hooked from the first page to the last.

Content (plot, story flow, character):

Stunning: Worthy of a Goddess' Praise!

Book Cover:
Eerie, lifeless, dark and grey, the cover captures perfectly the theme of the story.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.