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In the Arms of Stone Angels

by Jordan Dane (Goodreads Author)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 398 ratings · 135 reviews

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 mo...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published March 22nd 2011 by Harlequin Teen

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Jul 08, 2011 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Jordan Dane is one of the best YA story tellers I've come across, her book In the Arms of Stone Angels is inventine, emotional, myyserious, hypnotic its like you cant put the put the book down until your done and in the end you'll still be wishing for more. The characters where so real the air of mysery was tangible there where several time where I found myself breathless in antisipation. She brings the stroy life giving the characters depth and insight. I loved her mixture of the supernatural w...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Andrea at Reading Lark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-stars, arc, kindle, mystery, native-american, netgalley, read-in-2011, young-adult

Review Posted on Reading Lark on 2/12/11: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2011/...

Jordan Dane has reminded me why I love mysteries and should read them more often. She has created a dark and twisted world in which a young Native American boy, White Bird, is accused of murdering the teen queen of the small town of Shawano, Oklahoma. To make matters worse, his best friend, Brenna Nash, is the one that calls the police after she finds White Bird standing above the dead girl holding a knife and cove...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Emespre rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, crime, romance

I was conflicted over what to rate this book. Rating is always difficult as your criteria (or is the plural criterion?) may change between books, rendering the process not entirely accurate. For example, at one stage five stars meant to me that I loved the book, at another time that it, on top of being amazing, provided some insight, and now I'm not sure.

I rated this three stars because I definitely liked it. The story was interesting, and while I believe (I can't actually remember who exactly m...more I was conflicted over what to rate this book. Rating is always difficult as your criteria (or is the plural criterion?) may change between books, rendering the process not entirely accurate. For example, at one stage five stars meant to me that I loved the book, at another time that it, on top of being amazing, provided some insight, and now I'm not sure.

I rated this three stars because I definitely liked it. The story was interesting, and while I believe (I can't actually remember who exactly my suspicions were about) I had suspicions about where the mystery was going, it was well executed. While there were things that bothered me, I only felt like putting the book down near the end and was interested in where it was going.

However, books or films with drugs in them always seem weird to me as neither myself nor my close friends have ever had any interest in them, so the drug usage in this book seemed to be just thrown in there randomly until I resolved to just accept that these kids for some reason wanted to use them. YA main female characters being different from everyone else in quirky ways, like clothing choice, comes across as fake to me, but Brenna grew on me. The final reason that I considered giving this a two was my issues from a Christian perspective. I enjoyed the exploration of Native American culture, but Brenna's 'gift' tipped this novel to paranormal for me and the misusage of God's name constantly brought me out of the story. However, while this was my main annoyance as the other two lessened or disappeared throughout the book, I felt hesitant to mark this two stars because of it as it is something with which non-Christians would not have any problem.

And so this is a case of possible rating discrepancy striking. My happiness at relaxing and reading this after a busy (but fantastic) week could have very well tipped it to three stars; it's something that I'm just not sure about. I should, however, finish this review and move on as every few lines sways my mind on my rating. Speaking of, my mind just changed to two stars after flipping through it slightly. I did enjoy it and I'm very appreciative of the fact that it looks into another culture in a way that's deeper than having a minor character be of that background, and if you don't mind the aforementioned issues you'll probably really like this book, but for me it's going to be a two (and a half if they were possible). (less)

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Jun 26, 2012 Ani rated it 4 of 5 stars

okay so i picked this book up last summer after i had finished reading some other angel-paranormal-romance schutff. yes a year. ago. so when i initially started reading it i was in that state of mind where you're waiting for an awesome book to come out and you pick something up to hold you over. well i started it last summer and after reading up to chapter 7 the book i'd been waiting for came so i put this aside and read my other book. i left it on my bedside table untouched until two days ago w...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Misty Baker rated it 4 of 5 stars

It’s not often that I think of a movie when reading a book. A song yes, I have even encountered the exact opposite and thought of a book while watching a movie, but with “In The Arms of Stone Angels” the very first thing that popped into my head was “The Cell” from 2000. While the plots are similar (not enough to say either copied each-other) that is not what caught my attention, the imagery was.

In short “In The Arms of Stone Angels” is a murder mystery (don’t be fooled by the very YA Paranormal...more It’s not often that I think of a movie when reading a book. A song yes, I have even encountered the exact opposite and thought of a book while watching a movie, but with “In The Arms of Stone Angels” the very first thing that popped into my head was “The Cell” from 2000. While the plots are similar (not enough to say either copied each-other) that is not what caught my attention, the imagery was.

In short “In The Arms of Stone Angels” is a murder mystery (don’t be fooled by the very YA Paranormal cover art – which is beautiful but a tad misleading)

Brenna catches (or so she thinks) her best-friend (and 1st love) in a very compromising situation…hovering over a dead girl with a bloody knife in his hand, and in a moment of pure panic she calls the cops and turns him in. Now, 2 years later she is back in town and (realizing she made a huge mistake) is determined to find out who the real killer was. But… her being in town isn’t exactly the healthiest of things for her or the people around her. Why? Because the real killer is very desperately trying to drive her out of town (or…at the very least drive insane like her now psychologically comatose friend.) The book follows Brenna (her very unique ability to see dead people) and how she struggles against convention (and herself) to find out the truth and set her friend free.

Now, back to the imagery…Jordan Dane did an absolutely breath-taking job of describing dream-state in this novel. At one point the reader is asked to step outside of their comfort zone and enter a state that is considered “real” when actuality it is all inside of her friend’s mind. While this could have (very easily) read as hokey or ridiculous it instead reads as original and unflinchingly creative. I had no problem visualizing the scenarios that were introduced and that (in my own opinion) is the mark of a very good storyteller. Even more importantly was the twist at the end of the story which until the last 20 or so pages you couldn’t see coming. (A must in any murder mystery)

Overall, A very original story with hidden lessons and great writing.

Highly recommended for lovers of both mystery and YA.(less)

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Nov 23, 2011 Larissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Two years ago when a girl died, she betrayed the boy she loved and she lost everything. Although cleared of any involvement in the murder by the police, that didn't stop her small town of assigning her the guilt. After all it was well known that she was close with the Indian boy who had committed the crime. A white girl should have known better then to get involved with an outcast half-breed Indian, so any trouble she got she brought on herself.

Having spent the past two years in Carolina she had...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Aliya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Brenna Nash has a secret, she can see dead people. She left Shawano, Oklahoma two year before when she found the boy, White Bird, who she was in love with, at a gruesome crime scene wielding the murder weapon. Now she is forced to return and finds that White Bird has been in a mental hospital trapped in his own head since she betrayed him to the authorities. Brenna is having problems with bullies and police officers now that she is back, and she also has doubts about White Bird being the murdere...more Brenna Nash has a secret, she can see dead people. She left Shawano, Oklahoma two year before when she found the boy, White Bird, who she was in love with, at a gruesome crime scene wielding the murder weapon. Now she is forced to return and finds that White Bird has been in a mental hospital trapped in his own head since she betrayed him to the authorities. Brenna is having problems with bullies and police officers now that she is back, and she also has doubts about White Bird being the murderer. Can she convince everyone that White Bird is innocent? And if she succeeds, can she bring him back after the trauma of that night two years ago?

Some of the events that happened and pieces of information they attained during their attempt to help White Bird were far fetched. Sometimes that's not a bad thing, but the random details they noticed made it unrealistic. Not only was it unrealistic, but I could easily see how the ending would play out from in early point in the book. The ending was being set up from the beginning and I had hoped Jordan Dane was tricking me and that the obvious solution would not be flipped around somehow, but the story played out the way I imagined it would. It seemed as though the Jordan Dane was afraid the beginning and middle would not set up the ending well enough, so she then prepared for the climax too early in the book. I felt there should have been more of a build up at the end, the entire book felt like a build up and the climax felt no different from the rest of the book. There were horrible events and struggles, but it was predictable.

I did not feel as though I had a connection to the character, I didn't even particularly like them. Brenna was irritating and I did not fall in love with White Bird the way I usually love leading male characters. Even though the story provided background information on them I don't feel I know them very well after reading the entire book. Sometimes it's hard to explain why you don't like a character. The characters grew and changed into better people, they struggled and got through whatever was thrown at them, they even sounded realistic, but I still didn't like them.

I don't know much about native Americans, but it appeared as though Jordan Dane did a great job with her research. I'm very picky when it comes to dialogue. Some authors can't get the YA voice right. This story was on the verge of bad YA dialogue, but it was bearable to the point that I'm unable to point out specific problems I had with the dialogue. The book was written from several different views. It was mostly from Brenna, other teenagers and two police officers point of views. The story was created around that, but at first it annoyed me. The other teenagers were such angry people they felt one dimensional from it and the police officers left nothing to the imagination. If the reader was uncertain how the officers and other teenagers were feeling and thinking it might not have made such a predictable story.

I don't like giving bad reviews, but I didn't like this book!

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Jul 17, 2011 Mary Chrapliwy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine

After recently reading a book with a whiny young adult character, this book was refreshingly good with a strong character coupled with a superb plot and great character development.

Jordan Dane weaves a tale about two teenagers who care deeply about each other, drawn into the after effects of an evil plot to kill a girl at the top rungs of the local mean girl click - but it is so much more than that. The main character, Brenna, can see spirits and has a touch of sixth sense. The boy she grew to...more

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Jul 12, 2011 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reviewed by Shannon for RexRobotReviews.com

This book is really interesting. I read it very quickly because I kept wanting to see what would happen next and where it was going. The story is fast paced and really makes you empathize with Brenna. I generally don't enjoy "sulky" characters, but her pain and reaction to it seemed real. Brenna and her mother are both a little insufferable at the beginning but as I began to learn all that had happened in the past two years, I began to understand why sh...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review originally posted at: http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com...

Actual rating: 3.5/5

MY THOUGHTS
In the Arms of Stone Angels is a story both saddening and disheartening initially, drawing our attention to a darker side of humanity where certain individuals take gross pleasure in the pain and suffering of others as a way of ensuring their own misery isn't without ample company. Because we know people like Brenna's peers are unlikely to express any type of guilt or remorse over their actions, i...more Review originally posted at: http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com...

Actual rating: 3.5/5

MY THOUGHTS
In the Arms of Stone Angels is a story both saddening and disheartening initially, drawing our attention to a darker side of humanity where certain individuals take gross pleasure in the pain and suffering of others as a way of ensuring their own misery isn't without ample company. Because we know people like Brenna's peers are unlikely to express any type of guilt or remorse over their actions, it becomes agonizingly clear that they will only steadily increase the intensity of their assault on her, a realization that causes are fingers to itch with the need to skip ahead to the end to hopefully relieve some of our stress and give us the strength to endure whatever atrocities are likely to occur. Even if we did flip to the end and find the opposite to be true– things with Brenna only getting worse instead of better–at least we could take a small comfort in being able to prepare ourselves for what's to come. We therefore wrestle with ourselves the entire time we're reading, wanting a definitive emotion, either happiness and relief or anger and hurt, to latch on to as a lifesaver to keep us afloat in the tempest of hate found in this little town.

Brenna is a hard young woman, an attitude of indifference firmly in place as she shuns a world she feels shunned her first. She's shrouded herself in so many layers of simulated feelings it's almost impossible to get to the heart of her, and we falter repeatedly as we attempt to decipher her true emotions from those she merely projects as a diversion from the truth. Her relationship with her mother is strained to a truly spectacular degree, so full of holes she doesn't even know where to begin patching should she wish to, so she instead decides to do nothing and allows those holes to slowly widen. Luckily for us though, Brenna exhibits some truly impressive growth as the story progresses, expanding her Brenna-centric world to eventually include her mother and us as she fights for the life of a friend to whom a grave injustice has been done.

Though the story is powerful and compelling and Brenna is a strong young heroine, the events toward the end seem to get resolved rather easily for the strength of the hatred and discrimination infecting both the teenagers and adults in this tale. For hundreds of pages we are tied in mental and emotional knots of increasing complexity, but then just as our determination to see wrongs righted reaches its peak, the ties unwind and slip free of their own accord and we're given a neatly wrapped-up resolution. People who have been truly awful seem to change their attitudes with little argument or opposition, causing the sincerity of their repentance to remain suspect with us given the quick nature of their turnaround. Perhaps if we were given a little extra time in the town itself and with Brenna and White Bird as well instead of being cut off fairly immediately after the truth comes to light, the changes might not have been as questionable. Overall however, In the Arms of Stone Angels is a darkly entertaining read, angering and pleasing us equally as we see a slow attitude adjustment start with one young woman and then spread like wildfire.

Rating: 3.5/5 (less)

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Jul 06, 2011 Theresa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Teems through adult

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, native-american, review-copy, paranormal-fiction, romance, teen, thriller, suspense, young-adult

This young adult novel is darker than most with an intense edge that left me with three unforgettable characters that will be burned in my mind for many moons to come.

Written from Brenna's point of view, one quickly becomes involved with her pain and guilt over her decision of calling the police when she found her boyfriend, White Bird, standing over a girl, holding a knife and covered in blood. Then the understanding of what happened when Brenna and her mother left that small town to start ove...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Heather rated it 2 of 5 stars

I received this book courtesy of Amazon Vine.

Our main character, Brenna Nash, was 14 when she stumbled upon her best friend and almost boyfriend kneeling of the dead body of a fellow classmate. Brenna turned in the boy she called White Bird but it didn't save her from being implicated in the crime herself. There wasn't enough evidence to arrest Brenna but the animosity of the town forces her and her mom to move away. It's now 2 years later and they've returned to the town to settle her grandmoth...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Jennifer Morrill rated it 5 of 5 stars

I received this book through Amazon Vine for review.

This book REALLY drew me in. Jordan Dane has written all of the characters so intricately and full of emotion and realness, that they are completely believable. Not only the main characters, but also the supporting characters. I cannot give enough praise in that area.

Brenna Nash is what I guess you would call a necromancer. She sees dead people. She is a social outcast but doesn't really care. Besides her ghostly "friends" she had one true frie...more

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May 05, 2011 Lindsey Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, vine-books

For the first 3 or 4 chapters of this book, I was so certain I would never rate it above 2 stars. Once the story actually started unfolding, it was much more interesting and I was actually able to get through the entire book. (I was having some serious doubts that I'd be able to force myself through all of it.) The story itself was interesting. I don't think the author really knew where she was going with the story, it seemed it took half the book for her to decide what she was going to do with...more

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Apr 29, 2011 Bookmom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sixteen year-old Brenna is being forced to go back to Oklahoma after her grandmother’s death to help pack up the house and put it on the market. She and her mother had been driven out of town after Brenna’s best friend, a half-breed named White Bird, had been arrested for the murder of a girl. The awkward thing is Brenna is the one who called the police after seeing him bloody with a knife in his hand, chanting over the dead girl’s body. She’s horrified when arriving back in town that he’s been...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Beverly rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane

My thoughts:
Wow! I don't even know where to start or what to say about this remarkable story. I finished reading it with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.
I have a friend who likes to ask me, "Bev, what have your read lately that was profound and thought provoking?" to which I usually answer, "Nothing Doug, you know I read fluff for pleasure." If he was to ask me today, my answer would be different. This story touched my heart and I will rememb...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, paranormal

Brenna is a troubled teen. Firstly she sees dead people and feels more at home amongst cemeteries and graves than in her own bed. Secondly she found her friend over the body pf a murdered young girl and she turned him into the cops. So it’s no wonder that at the start of the book Brenna is self-obsessed and feels sorry for herself. Returning to the town she grew up in after two years she discovers that White Bird has never stood trial and has been locked inside his head ever since. For the sake...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Kate McMurry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-thriller, young-adult-thriller, ya-paranormal-mystery, young-adult-paranormal-mystery

YA supernatural, murder-mystery thriller for older teens age 17 and above

Two years ago, when she was fourteen, Brenna Nash stumbled upon her best friend, Isaac Henry AKA White Bird, of the Euchee tribe in Shawano, Oklahoma, in the aftermath of a brutal murder of a white, teenage girl. Though Brenna had known Isaac for over a year and had never seen him act in any but the gentlest manner toward animals and people, she instantly assumed he had committed the murder and turned him into the police. I...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Pam rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

Brenna Nash grew up as a loner in Shawano, Oklahoma. Not one to follow the latest trends and fads, she dressed funny and spent time in the cemetery, probably because she could see dead people. Raised by a single mother, an outcast of her peers, she develops a friendship with White Cloud, an orphan Indian boy who longed to be adopted by the local Euchee tribe. They form a bond as only those who have been alone can but it all falls apart when Brenna finds White Cloud over the bloody body of a dead...more Brenna Nash grew up as a loner in Shawano, Oklahoma. Not one to follow the latest trends and fads, she dressed funny and spent time in the cemetery, probably because she could see dead people. Raised by a single mother, an outcast of her peers, she develops a friendship with White Cloud, an orphan Indian boy who longed to be adopted by the local Euchee tribe. They form a bond as only those who have been alone can but it all falls apart when Brenna finds White Cloud over the bloody body of a dead classmate.

Fast forward two years. Brenna and her Mom are returning to Shawano after having been forced to leave because of the rumors surrounding the killing. Her grandmother has died and they need to settle her estate. Brenna learns that White Cloud has been hospitalized in the local sanatorium, catatonic since his arrest for the stabbing of the local girl. Heartbroken and feeling guilty about accusing him without knowing the whole story, Brenna decides to investigate what really happened the night Heather Madsen died. The mystery that unfolds is truly gripping and had me guessing until the very end.

Every once in awhile you run across a book that proves to be a rare gem. Twenty pages in and I knew I had found such a book - something readers long for, a book that you can curl up on the couch with and disappear into for hours of pure pleasure. The book is sprinkled with colorful characters, the best being Brenna Nash. Anyone who has ever felt on the outside of the in crowd will recognize a piece of Brenna. Her loneliness, pain and strength came together to form one of the most unforgettable characters I have seen in a long time. I was rooting for her and more than once my heart broke for her. The growth she displayed over to overcome her personal demons and love herself was remarkable. The other characters are equally compelling, from the town bully to the local Sheriff. The small town was painted as a rural place where prejudice still lived and colored the opinions of those who live there. The incorporation of Native American lore and mysticism was just magic and so well done that you could tell the author did her homework on this one. The mystery of who killed Heather Madsen was compelling and I was surprised at the identity of the real killer. The wonderful combination of mystery, unforgettable characters, friendship and the power to overcome personal obstacles makes this one of the best books I have read in over a year, and one of the few books that have a permanent place on my bookshelf.
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Mar 21, 2011 Trisha Wolfe rated it 5 of 5 stars

I honestly feel I’m going to do this book no justice. Words are failing me as I’m wracking my brain to express how much I love this book. Brenna Nash, the MC of this story, brings us inside her haunted reality of how she views her world and herself through a dark and edgy first person narrative. For once, an author truly captures the teens of today—their talk, their swagger; their distorted and spot on perceptions through how they see their world. I was so connected to Brenna. She was as real as...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Young Adult paranormal murder mystery

Recommended to Krista by: Netgalley

I almost didn't pick up this book, wasn't sure what I thought of the synopsis. But I am so grateful I did. I couldn't put it down, so many twists and interesting paranormal snippets. In the acknowledgments the author says it was meant as a "dark, edgy YA Novel" and I could not agree more. I loved the main character Brenna, she's a little on the weird, quirky side (clothing from curtains and can see ghosts, visions etc). Whitebird is a very endearing boy you just want to hug him. The other high s...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, net-galley, received-to-review, young-adult

You know a book has made an impact when you can't find the words to describe it.

This is a darker YA book. It deals with a young girl who saw the boy that she loves holding a dead body and chanting over it. She called 911 and he was arrested for the crime. She was never able to get over it, even after they moved away from the small town.

Two years later she comes back with her mother to clear her grandmother's home and get it ready to sell. Her grandmother had recently passed away. She was met wit...more

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May 03, 2011 Karen Keyte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-girls-adventure-mystery, teen-girls-realistic

Brenna Nash never really fit it, even before it happened. And the funny this is, she didn't really care. Even when she was just a kid, Brenna knew who she was, knew what she wanted. If other kids didn't like her, she wasn't going to worry about it. She still feels that way, mostly. But finding White Bird did change her some. Because with him, she did fit in and it was wonderful. Knowing how that felt and not having it anymore is worse than never fitting in at all. With White Bird, Brenna felt li...more Brenna Nash never really fit it, even before it happened. And the funny this is, she didn't really care. Even when she was just a kid, Brenna knew who she was, knew what she wanted. If other kids didn't like her, she wasn't going to worry about it. She still feels that way, mostly. But finding White Bird did change her some. Because with him, she did fit in and it was wonderful. Knowing how that felt and not having it anymore is worse than never fitting in at all. With White Bird, Brenna felt like she was really, truly connected to another soul. That's what makes what happened, and what she had to do, so difficult for Brenna. Because she loved White Bird back then. And she still does.

When she was fourteen, Brenna Nash stumbled upon her best friend White Bird - soaked in blood, clutching a knife and kneeling over the body of a murdered girl. She tried to do the right thing, even though it tore her heart out. She called the police. She turned White Bird in. You would think the people of Shawano, Oklahoma would realize how difficult that was for her. But they didn't. They all believed Brenna had a part in the murder. With whispers and turned shoulders and outright cruelty, they drove Brenna and her mother out of town.

Two years have passed and Brenna has gone from outsider to deeply troubled teen. She has no relationship with her mother, she sleeps in graveyards, she cuts herself. When her grandmother dies and her mother informs her they'll be spending the summer back in Shawano fixing up Grams' house, Brenna flips out. She cannot go back there. She can't face those people or think about what she lost. Then her mother drops another bombshell. White Bird is not in juvie, as Brenna had always imagined. He's in a mental hospital, has been since his arrest. Locked in his own tormented mind, White Bird can't leave that horrific night behind. And suddenly Brenna knows the truth. She's been just as trapped as he has. If she can see him, if she can just reach him, she might be able to set them both free.

This is Jordan Dane's first foray into Young Adult fiction and there is a whole lot here to like. The story is riveting, the atmosphere tense and moody. Brenna feels real, both in her thoughts and in her actions. Her voice is raw and honest. The narration switches occasionally from Brenna's first person point of view to a third person account of other characters and I found that disconcerting at first, but by the time I was into the second third of the book the switching points of view seemed natural. If I had to nitpick, I would point out that some of the secondary characters - the sheriff, the doctor, the bully, the mean girl - are fairly one dimensional, making their actions and reactions seems a little unreal at times. Still, I enjoyed this book very much and I got so caught up that I finished it in one sitting. It's the kind of story that keeps you hooked until the end.(less)

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Mar 10, 2011 Stephanie Cowart rated it 5 of 5 stars

I received this from the publisher via Netgalley.com. It is available for purchase on March 28, 2011.

"In the Arms of Stone Angels" completely blew me away!

Brenna Nash’s betrayal of her best friend White Bird has ruined her life. She can no longer look forward, only backwards to the horrifying past when she saw her best friend standing over a murdered girl, bloody knife in his hands. Unfortunately she can’t escape her past. Her mom forces her back to Showana, OK and back to the memories that hau...more I received this from the publisher via Netgalley.com. It is available for purchase on March 28, 2011.

"In the Arms of Stone Angels" completely blew me away!

Brenna Nash’s betrayal of her best friend White Bird has ruined her life. She can no longer look forward, only backwards to the horrifying past when she saw her best friend standing over a murdered girl, bloody knife in his hands. Unfortunately she can’t escape her past. Her mom forces her back to Showana, OK and back to the memories that haunt her every moment. They’re going to take care of her recently deceased grandmother’s affairs but for Brenna the nightmare she’s been living in now gets worse as her return to town causes a stir among the residents.

What really happened to Heather Madsen? Does Brenna truly believe that White Bird murdered her? When she learns of White Bird’s current circumstances all the old feelings of love and friendship are too much to ignore and she has to see him. But that meeting sets off a chain of events that keep the reader on the edge of their seats. It’s a thrilling and emotionally draining ride as Brenna chooses to press through her terrifying ordeal and help her best friend.

I love Brenna Nash! She is such an intricate and deep character. I ached along with her as she constantly punished herself for her act of betrayal. I was sympathetic to her difficult relationship with her mother. I was intrigued by her ability to see the dead. She completely and utterly pulled me in.

Here are some favorite quotes of mine from her:

“Anytime something bad happened to me, I always assumed it was my fault. That’s how my brain was wired – then and now…”

“He [White Bird] could make me bleed with just a look. He still could. Everything he felt was in his eyes. And that made him beautiful.”

“And all that I wasn’t, and would never be, stared back at me through the blackness.”

“And now I had to have faith in something I’d never believed in before. Me.”

I just really identified with Brenna.I was so glad to see her triumph over her personal demons and gain a level of freedom that came from loving herself for the first time. There was wonderful healing and redemption in both her relationship with her mother and White Bird.

I was so impressed with this book and encourage everyone to pick it up and read it. It’s a compelling murder mystery but more than that, a story of redemption and the power of love and friendship
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Jan 31, 2011 Chibineko rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: harlequin, netgalley

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I finished this a few days ago but waited to post the review because I had to stop & kind of chew over what I was going to say about this book. The reason behind that is mostly due to the fact that I had quite a few criticisms with the book but still enjoyed it as a whole. If you don't want to listen to my criticisms (which I will warn you, are a little spoilerish) & just want to know if this is a good read, then I'll just say it right here: it's a good read & I do recommend it for t...more I finished this a few days ago but waited to post the review because I had to stop & kind of chew over what I was going to say about this book. The reason behind that is mostly due to the fact that I had quite a few criticisms with the book but still enjoyed it as a whole. If you don't want to listen to my criticisms (which I will warn you, are a little spoilerish) & just want to know if this is a good read, then I'll just say it right here: it's a good read & I do recommend it for the most part. Now on to the more full review.

As far as the plot goes, this had a pretty intriguing hook. This does deal with spirits & ghosts, but rather than just be another "girl sees ghosts & does some sleuthing" type of book, Dane tried to bring in elements of Native American mysticism & work slightly out of the box while still stick to the tried & true trope. (Not that there's anything wrong with the trope- being common does not equal being bad.) This part works out fairly well & Brenna's a nice spunky enough heroine in that she refuses to give up despite a lot of obstacles in her path.

That's where some of my spoiler criticisms come in. A few of the obstacles were far too underdeveloped. After turning in her friend & moving to another state, Brenna supposedly takes up cutting. This is a very huge thing, yet in the book it's very suddenly brought up & very suddenly dropped. We're pretty much given no hint that Brenna does this earlier in the book & after burying her cutting blade, that's really where the mention of the cutting stops. It's not brought up again later, something that I really found hard to believe- especially since Brenna's been given such a hard time by so many people in the town. I would have been happy with a few sentences sprinkled here & there about how Brenna had the temptation to cut or maybe more harassment by the local mean teens about it, but that's not here. For that matter, the way the local bullies discover that Brenna cuts is a pretty traumatic event. I'm not going to list what happened during or immediately after the event, but needless to say it's something that would cause many to curl up into a tiny ball & Brenna bounces back from it a little too quickly & cleanly. I also couldn't help but wish that we'd gotten a little more description about how Brenna learned about her abilities & how she'd dealt with them during her time away- it'd have made her cutting have more of an impact & given us more of an insight into her character.

Elements like these were woefully underdeveloped while other parts such as the Native American elements & her interactions with White Bird are far more fleshed out. It just made for a somewhat uneven reading experience.

I don't want you to think that this was a bad read, though. Despite my criticisms I managed to speed through the book pretty quickly & found it an addictive & easy read. It's something that I'd definitely recommend for you to read, but I'd probably suggest checking it out from the library or borrowing a friend's copy to glance through first. It's no Soul Screamers but it's still well worth reading.

(ARC provided by Netgalley) (less)

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Jan 24, 2011 Lacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished this book, I found my waunding and thinking about this story. I first chose this book to read by the title, I thought it was just so unique and cool, don't you think? Anyways I grabbed this book at my first chance and dug deep withing the pages expecting it to be about angels, boy was a dead wrong.

In "In the Arms of Stone Angels" we are seen through the persepective of Breanna Nash who found the boy she loves bloodly and holding a knife, a girl lying at his feet. So what would yo...more

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May 13, 2011 Suspense Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jordan Dane’s, “In the Arms of Stone Angels” is an unforgettable young adult story that will leave you sleep deprived as you soon come to realize this is a new, fresh take on the paranormal.

Brenna Nash, an unpopular loner, finally finds a boy she only dreamed about. They soon become best friends, that is, until the night that changed everyone’s lives in their small Oklahoma town for good. Brenna has accused her best friend, an Indian boy named White Bird, of killing the popular girl at school. F...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read

In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane

Thanks to netgally.com for the early look at the is book.
Available 3/28/11

Summary:
Brenna has done a terrible thing. She called the police when she found her boyfriend standing over a murdered girl with a bloody knife in his hands. That was two years ago. She hasn’t gotten over it. She is stuck in that fourteen year old mind never moving forward. Her mother took her away shortly after and she never knew what happened to White Bird, his preferred Euchee na...more In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane

Thanks to netgally.com for the early look at the is book.
Available 3/28/11

Summary:
Brenna has done a terrible thing. She called the police when she found her boyfriend standing over a murdered girl with a bloody knife in his hands. That was two years ago. She hasn’t gotten over it. She is stuck in that fourteen year old mind never moving forward. Her mother took her away shortly after and she never knew what happened to White Bird, his preferred Euchee name. But now her Grandmother has died and they are returning to the small town where it all happened. Brenna and her mother will spend the summer there fixing up her Grandmother’s house to sell. She isn’t happy about being back and it seems that the teens in town aren’t happy about seeing her either. The only welcome that Brenna receives is from the stone angels in the local cemetery, where Brenna spends her nights. Oh and she can see dead people.

My thoughts:
When I read the summary with the book, I wasn’t sure about it. I wrote my own above that I think suites the book better. Really the book is more about Brenna and the town where the murder took place. White Bird is a huge part of it too. The idea that Bre is different is also a part but not necessarily because she can see dead people. That talent doesn’t play a big role in things beyond the fact that it is a symptom of Brenna’s “gift”. I love paranormal but not so much with ghosts. But while there are some ghosts in this book, they aren’t major players. What I love about this book was the world that Jordan Dane created; a small town with a sheriff that thought he was doing the right thing but was really the classic small town sheriff, the really mean girl that ran the local group of kids, the ridiculous prejudice that is out of control, and the girl Brenna who doesn’t put up with any of it. I loved how we got to know White Bird even though he was catatonic. His sweet gentle personality was fascinating. I found myself wishing for more flashbacks so I could spend more time with him. I also loved Joe. Joe is the Euchee healer and Brenna attempts to get his help for White Bird. All of the characters create a dark and brilliant mystery.

There are some unresolved questions in the book that are still plaguing me. They’re just little things but it makes me wonder if there will be a sequel. I wonder a lot about Brenna’s dad. Is he the reason she has this “gift”. And what will she do with this “gift” now? A couple of other things are too spoiler to say but I am hoping for a sequel to resolve them all.

Pick this one up, it’s a great read.

Enjoy the read.
(less)

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Jun 08, 2011 Jennifer (Fictitious Musings) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rarely do I have the chance to sit and chat with an author at great lengths about their novel but this was one of those rare moments. Jordan discussed her break-out YA novel in great detail, driving my need to read it through the roof. The cover alone was quite intriguing, with a mysterious quality that beckons you to flip to page one and beyond.

So... it begins with a girl making a choice that leaves her in complete turmoil. Brenna battles with her decision for two years, until she has no choice...more Rarely do I have the chance to sit and chat with an author at great lengths about their novel but this was one of those rare moments. Jordan discussed her break-out YA novel in great detail, driving my need to read it through the roof. The cover alone was quite intriguing, with a mysterious quality that beckons you to flip to page one and beyond.

So... it begins with a girl making a choice that leaves her in complete turmoil. Brenna battles with her decision for two years, until she has no choice but to face the choice she made and her friend, Whitebird, that was on the negative end of the choice. She returns to the small town of Shawano, Oklahoma where, almost immediately, she finds her welcome in the town has run out. Facing the past is becoming more dangerous with each breathe she takes. Will she survive the obstacles before her?

I’m down for a good mystery suspense with paranormal qualities, and Jordan Dane has delved out a portion of each, blended together so well you are transported into the story yourself. Brenna is an unbelievably strong character. Every book has one but Brenna takes the cake; she rocks strength like I’ve never seen it before. The things she faces throughout the 313 pages will shock you and have you reeling for more.

The events that take place can be split into two categories. The first would be the magical qualities that deal with the Indian culture that gives the story a uniqueness that will blow your mind in the end. The second is that human beings can and will do just about anything to each other for reasons that will definitely make you shake your head in disgust.

Jordan Dane is the queen of suspense in my opinion. She created a YA novel that has the flare of an adult suspense/mystery novel with the heart of YA. I’m still completely stunned by the ending. Trust me when I say you won’t see it coming. I thought I knew how it would all end. I was wrong. I can only say that “In The Arms Of Stone Angels” should be on everyone’s must-read list, passing this one up would be a huge mistake. You Rock, Jordan!!(less)

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Apr 08, 2011 A Beautiful Madness rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

I had trouble reading this book. I just couldn’t get into the story. There was something that just kept me from really liking it, and I don’t know what it is.

The story is slow, but interesting. The ending is nicely written, and it goes well with the story. Yet, I couldn’t get into it. There was something that I can’t identify that makes me not enjoy it. I spend 4 days on it, and I stopped way to many time (for City of Fallen Angels and Where She Went.)

I couldn’t identify myself with the charact...more

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About Jordan Dane

Avon/HarperCollins launched Jordan Dane's debut suspense novels in a back to back publishing event in Spring 2008 after buying the 3-book series in auction. Pursuing publication since 2003, Jordan had received awards in 33 national writing competitions and was an energy sales manager in the oil and gas industry prior to selling. Now she is following her passion and writes full time.

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Quotes from In the Arms of Stone A...

“A journey takes time. And the lessons we learn best, they come from the journey, not the destination.” — 11 people liked it

“In the stillness of headstones,
Darkness is my blanket.
And forever is my song.
In the arms if stone angels, I'm not afraid.
Because finally and completely,
I belong.” — 7 people liked it

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