In the Arms of Stone Angels - Jordan Dane

Paperback, 320 pages

Published March 22nd 2011 by Harlequin Teen

     We start our journey with Brenna, a 16 year old girl with a deeply troubled past. Brenna enjoys long walks in the cemetery at night and sleeping on graves. The author wastes hardly no time at all and shares Brenna's backstory, her best friend and first crush, White Bird. A year of friendship had brought the two close and Brenna felt like she knew everything about White Bird, until he started pushing her away and, soon after, found him knelt over the dead body of one of the most popular girls in school, muttering incoherently and clutching a bloody knife. Brenna was the one to turn White Bird over to the Sheriff who believed Brenna had something to do with the murder. After being questioned, with no incriminating evidence, Brenna was let go. All of Brenna's "friends" believed she helped White Bird murder the girl and ostracized her. Her mother's real estate business goes to shit shortly after, and blames Brenna. With nothing to lose, they moved to North Carolina.       
     Now with the death of her grandmother, Brenna and her mother must return to Oklahoma to empty the house and sell it, confronting the endless barrage of harassment and hatred from those who still believe Brenna is partly to blame.  

   
     With her mother's insistence, Brenna attends a party at an old "friend's" house, and to say the least, does not have a good time. Between the teenagers from her past terrorizing her, and having visions from White Bird, Brenna is determined to find out what really happened and help her friend. 

I absolutely loved the relationship between Brenna and her mother. They started out at odds, and when Brenna starts getting in trouble again, her mother reaches out to her and they begin to mend their broken relationship. In most YA novels, parents are MIA, the better to date a werewolf vampire zombie dude, or whatever, and get eaten.

     Brenna's mother tries to understand what Brenna is going through and tries to support her beliefs. She allows her to follow her instincts (maybe a little too readily, maybe she's trying really had to gain her daughters trust back?) and uncover what really happened that horrible morning two years ago. 

     I can't tell you how much I loved this book. Jordan Dane incorporated so much background knowledge about Native American tribes and beliefs. She also was not afraid to incorporate the racism that White Bird experienced, which I feel many authors would have left alone. This book is amazing, amazing, amazing. 5 stars all the way, and I highly recommend this book. I can't believe it's 4 years old! This book deserves much more attention and I fully intend on reading more by this author.