Synopsis 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…”

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This was a really great read!  Now, I’ll admit that I was bored in the beginning.  I wasn’t sure where the story was going, and I didn’t know the characters well enough to care about their plights.  My first impression of Brenna was that she was a selfish brat, but as the story and the characters developed and I began to understand them, I soon changed my mentality and became hooked; I read this novel in one sitting, whereas I had planned on just perusing it before bed.  In other words, don’t write this novel off it you aren’t drawn in right away; it won’t take long for the story to take hold of you!

I love the subchapters Dane included that tell the reader the place and time.  Knowing how much time has passed, and the location of the story, really helped me follow the plot and stay interested.  I didn’t have to guess, and I wasn’t confused, even when two stories were going on at once, since each section had its label.  I think more authors should follow Dane’s example and include this information within their novels.  I just want to enjoy what I read, not try to decipher a timeframe, and Dane did a superb job with this.  I also loved that the story jumped between the past and present, giving the reader snippets of information to further peak interest in the mystery that revolves around Heather’s death.  Just enough information is given to spur the reader on without giving away too much detail. 

There are major plot twists throughout the novel and Dane kept me guessing as the plot unfolded.  I had many theories about the murderer as I read, constantly changing my opinion, but Dane still surprised me in the end.  I do think the murderer’s identity was given away too soon, but this is just personal preference.  I like the major twist to be at the very end of a novel, leaving the reader whirling and trying to grasp the new information after the book is complete.  While Dane doesn’t reveal the truth until very close to the end, there were a few chapters left, in which Dane concluded the love portion of the story, and the reader has time to grasp and digest what they’ve read.

As far as the characters go, it pains me to say that Dane created a very real cast of characters.  The sheer evil within some of the characters is not overdone; neither is the racism within the novel.  I found myself livid at times as I read, and the evil characters within this novel have no redeeming qualities, but that is a high note because I feel justified in hating them.  I wish that the actions of the characters were far-fetched, but they really aren’t, and Dane does a beautiful job portraying the evils that encompass racism and hatred for others.  The extreme hatred that permeates this novel is a wakeup call to all who read it, and it will leave you questioning society’s views what is acceptable and what is not.  Four stars.