Author: H.D. Gordon
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Release Date: January 1, 2012
Book Summary:
From the author of the Alexa Montgomery Saga, comes a book that will take you into the mind of a genuine psychopath, the lives of six ordinary people, and the world of a very special girl named Joe.
Joe is seemingly an ordinary college student. She works, studies and reads. But in between these activities Joe has a gift that promises to add a dose of color to her life at any given moment. Joe sees things before they happen. Bad things, and the worst thing she has ever faced is just around the corner. Someone is planning a massacre at the college university that Joe attends, and the only person with a hope of stopping the psychopath is her.
Oh, the beauty of foresight. More like a curse. Joe has four days to figure out the mystery, make plans to take down the psycho, and save the lives of people. People like you and me. Ordinary people.
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This was an interesting book that left me feeling both satisfied and unsatisfied on an equal level. Given the title of the book and Joe being the main character of the story, I thought there would be more focus on her, but I found it a little hard to connect with her because I didn't know enough about her. I knew more about some of the other characters than I did about Joe, and that was disappointing as I found Joe to be an intriguing character and wish there had been more development with her character.
I thought the story lagged in some parts, particularly in the first quarter of the book. I did like the chemistry between Joe and Michael even though it did feel one-sided on Michael's part, but Joe did have a lot on her mind, so it was understandable. The pace picked greatly in the last quarter of the book. The adrenaline was high, which was needed considering the event taking place. I liked the way the author transitioned from character to character during the shootout in the Quad, giving the readers a little insight into what was going through each character's mind while The Decider was marking them off.
While I'm not a huge fan of multiple POVs and it was hard at times to recall who the characters were and the story surrounding them, I found it to be a pleasant addition to the story. Without the multiple POVs, I couldn't see Joe leading the story in a way that would make the journey both enjoyable and satisfactory. I like John's character the most. I connected with him right from the get-go. I liked how approachable he was with Joe. He didn't make her stutter seem as though it was an obstacle, and I got the sense that Joe appreciated that about him.
The need to repeatable reiterate certain aspects of the story - Joe not considering herself to be a hero, for one, or that what each character were doing on a particular day was the way to spend that day - did grate on my nerves somewhat. The constant foreshadow was a buzzkill. The only thing I didn't know would happen was the fate of the characters - who was going to live and who was going to die.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Joe. I think certain aspects could have been better executed, but it was a quick and fun read. Right now, I'm undecided as to whether I'll continue the series or not, but I certainly won't rule it out.
VERDICT:
MY REVIEW
This was an interesting book that left me feeling both satisfied and unsatisfied on an equal level. Given the title of the book and Joe being the main character of the story, I thought there would be more focus on her, but I found it a little hard to connect with her because I didn't know enough about her. I knew more about some of the other characters than I did about Joe, and that was disappointing as I found Joe to be an intriguing character and wish there had been more development with her character.
I thought the story lagged in some parts, particularly in the first quarter of the book. I did like the chemistry between Joe and Michael even though it did feel one-sided on Michael's part, but Joe did have a lot on her mind, so it was understandable. The pace picked greatly in the last quarter of the book. The adrenaline was high, which was needed considering the event taking place. I liked the way the author transitioned from character to character during the shootout in the Quad, giving the readers a little insight into what was going through each character's mind while The Decider was marking them off.
While I'm not a huge fan of multiple POVs and it was hard at times to recall who the characters were and the story surrounding them, I found it to be a pleasant addition to the story. Without the multiple POVs, I couldn't see Joe leading the story in a way that would make the journey both enjoyable and satisfactory. I like John's character the most. I connected with him right from the get-go. I liked how approachable he was with Joe. He didn't make her stutter seem as though it was an obstacle, and I got the sense that Joe appreciated that about him.
The need to repeatable reiterate certain aspects of the story - Joe not considering herself to be a hero, for one, or that what each character were doing on a particular day was the way to spend that day - did grate on my nerves somewhat. The constant foreshadow was a buzzkill. The only thing I didn't know would happen was the fate of the characters - who was going to live and who was going to die.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Joe. I think certain aspects could have been better executed, but it was a quick and fun read. Right now, I'm undecided as to whether I'll continue the series or not, but I certainly won't rule it out.
VERDICT:
SILVER
Award: Silver
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Source: Review copy via Xpresso Book Tours
