H D Gordon never ceases to amaze me with her ability to spin a tale. Joe reads as if it is a character study of people just living their lives. Her characters are superbly developed, with individual personalities that we can all relate to because they are like the people around us. There are six main characters, but I came to know some of the others pretty well. One person led into the next to the next. H D wove them together so naturally, I could see how we are all connected, creating a continuity of life. Each character has wishes, desires, hopes, plans and problems.

Don’t forget to live for today, it can all change in a second. That is the feeling I have while reading. There is tension, suspense and a feeling of doom. I know something bad is coming and I’m waiting for “the shit to hit the fan”.

“Evil is not just a thing of fairy tales. Evil is real and it walks among us.”

“That’s life baby and that shit ain’t always fair.”

My name is Joe and I draw my visions and premonitions. Some people think I’m strange. Well, who isn’t? I am a bit paranoid and mistrustful. I am a recluse, because of my stutter and gift. I write because I need to tell my story. I am 21 and just an average girl, except for my gift. I am taking the semester off from UMM – University of Midwest Missouri State. I am not hero. I only step in because of guilt. (But she puts her life on the line repeatedly over and over for others).

John became Joe’s friend after meeting in class. They were not in love, just friends. John had lost his love, Jade. Was she lost forever? She was back and wanted to see him on Monday. Monday a new day, a new week and new hope for John.

Nikkie and Claire – her sisters – are as different as night and day. Nikki is the black sheep of the family. She lives as if there is no tomorrow. Claire feels trapped. She is the good girl, the one expected to succeed. Claire would have loved Nikki’s freedom. She smoked pot, but only her roommate knew. What would everyone, her family and peers, think of miss-do-gooder if they knew? Claire was always planning for tomorrow. Claire is weak. She’s so afraid of life, the thought of retirement is terrifying.

Claire says to Nikki, “I’ll tell you this, you’re not going to be lying on your deathbed wishing you had spent more of your life working.”

Nikki “When you become aware of people’s natural inclinations and limitations, you can understand them and if you don’t expect from them what their nature doesn’t give, you’ll never be disappointed.” Great words to live by.

Best friends – Kayla and Kyle, sound a bit like Barbie and Ken. Giving and did not like or want attention. They were underestimated by others and like it that way.

I have a very good feeling about Mr. Landy.

Merion is one of Joe’s college teachers. He was going to let her retake her test on Monday, even though she had not planned on being at school that day.

Eric had an important appointment on Monday and needed permission to be out of town. He had worked so hard for this moment. What do you think will happen?

Michael is intrigued by her. She stood apart from others.

The Decider saw a raven sitting on top of the jaguar that is situated on the slight rise overlooking the Quad. Yet, it wasn’t there. Ravens are known to denote foreshadowing. Joe called him the shadowman.

Psychopath – he wants to leave a legacy of dead bodies. He feels he is greater than Hitler. He feels that others think him simple, but he thinks he is smart. He is meticulous. He has a face that hides the monster inside. He hates everyone. He believes in the “Survival of the Fittest.”

Joe – I see visions and I draw. Motherfucker. I have an awful obligation to do what I can. What to do? Would she fail in this also?

I love H D Gordon’s writing style. I don’t think it would matter what genre she wrote in. Her ability to spin a story is of the highest caliber, as are the stories themselves. I have read numerous books by her ====links. Book II now out.

I received the ebook in return for an honest and unbiased review. Thanks H! ( )

What I liked:

the story was fast paced and flowed beautifully-this felt much more natural than the first book by the author

the concept was pretty interesting & kept me engrossed

the indiscriminate hate that the Decider had for everybody-he didn't need a reason, he just hated.

What I didn't like:

the multiple POVs were fine but at the end of each such POV, the author hammered the upcoming events into the reader-delicate foreshadowing, I'm all for it but this wasn't it.

after reaching the last quarter of the book, the POVs suddenly began with a quote or an excerpt from some book-that might have worked, if the author had done this from the very start.

Steady storyline & an interesting MC-if Joe can be called that-you might want to try out this YA novel.

Also reviewed at:

Shelfari
Amazon ( )

H D Gordon never ceases to amaze me with her ability to spin a tale. Joe reads as if it is a character study of people just living their lives. Her characters are superbly developed, with individual personalities that we can all relate to because they are like the people around us. There are six main characters, but I came to know some of the others pretty well. One person led into the next to the next. H D wove them together so naturally, I could see how we are all connected, creating a continuity of life. Each character has wishes, desires, hopes, plans and problems.

Don’t forget to live for today, it can all change in a second. That is the feeling I have while reading. There is tension, suspense and a feeling of doom. I know something bad is coming and I’m waiting for “the shit to hit the fan”.

“Evil is not just a thing of fairy tales. Evil is real and it walks among us.”

“That’s life baby and that shit ain’t always fair.”

My name is Joe and I draw my visions and premonitions. Some people think I’m strange. Well, who isn’t? I am a bit paranoid and mistrustful. I am a recluse, because of my stutter and gift. I write because I need to tell my story. I am 21 and just an average girl, except for my gift. I am taking the semester off from UMM – University of Midwest Missouri State. I am not hero. I only step in because of guilt. (But she puts her life on the line repeatedly over and over for others).

John became Joe’s friend after meeting in class. They were not in love, just friends. John had lost his love, Jade. Was she lost forever? She was back and wanted to see him on Monday. Monday a new day, a new week and new hope for John.

Nikkie and Claire – her sisters – are as different as night and day. Nikki is the black sheep of the family. She lives as if there is no tomorrow. Claire feels trapped. She is the good girl, the one expected to succeed. Claire would have loved Nikki’s freedom. She smoked pot, but only her roommate knew. What would everyone, her family and peers, think of miss-do-gooder if they knew? Claire was always planning for tomorrow. Claire is weak. She’s so afraid of life, the thought of retirement is terrifying.

Claire says to Nikki, “I’ll tell you this, you’re not going to be lying on your deathbed wishing you had spent more of your life working.”

Nikki “When you become aware of people’s natural inclinations and limitations, you can understand them and if you don’t expect from them what their nature doesn’t give, you’ll never be disappointed.” Great words to live by.

Best friends – Kayla and Kyle, sound a bit like Barbie and Ken. Giving and did not like or want attention. They were underestimated by others and like it that way.

I have a very good feeling about Mr. Landy.

Merion is one of Joe’s college teachers. He was going to let her retake her test on Monday, even though she had not planned on being at school that day.

Eric had an important appointment on Monday and needed permission to be out of town. He had worked so hard for this moment. What do you think will happen?

Michael is intrigued by her. She stood apart from others.

The Decider saw a raven sitting on top of the jaguar that is situated on the slight rise overlooking the Quad. Yet, it wasn’t there. Ravens are known to denote foreshadowing. Joe called him the shadowman.

Psychopath – he wants to leave a legacy of dead bodies. He feels he is greater than Hitler. He feels that others think him simple, but he thinks he is smart. He is meticulous. He has a face that hides the monster inside. He hates everyone. He believes in the “Survival of the Fittest.”

Joe – I see visions and I draw. Motherfucker. I have an awful obligation to do what I can. What to do? Would she fail in this also?

I love H D Gordon’s writing style. I don’t think it would matter what genre she wrote in. Her ability to spin a story is of the highest caliber, as are the stories themselves. I have read numerous books by her ====links. Book II now out.

I received the ebook in return for an honest and unbiased review. Thanks H! ( )

I received this book for review from H.D.Gordon's agent, Nicole, who is a friend of mine on Goodreads.

First thing I want to say is, that JOE isn't a YA book. Not due to any sex scenes, but because of the language. There are too many expletives, that could really bother a person. They sort of bothered me too, but then again, I think they were written all in the right places. Without those offensive cuss words, I don't think that the same effect could be accomplished.

And second, I just want to say a HUGE thank you for letting me review JOE. This novel was beyond my expectations. I truly didn't expect it to be so amazingly well written, judging by the style I was used with from the Alexa Montgomery Saga.

But.

The difference is indescribable. The writing style is UNIQUE, in a Tahereh Mafi sort of way, but it's nothing alike. It's just completely Heather Gordon, and I just LOVED IT!!!

The story itself was totally absorbing. It was impossible to leave the book. It was full of action, thrill, psycho elements. And it was obvious that Heather did more than enough research in order to write JOE. I think that this is like an author's rebirth :) I'd love to see a second installment - at least I was left with the impression that there could be one.

Anyway, this story is told from the POV of JOE, and a third person POV of several more characters. I didn't expect to see the uniqueness of each character's mindset and all, but it was there. There weren't two characters for whom I could say that they were alike. They were all different, with all sorts of personality traits. Some of them I loved, others I hated. That, I think, is a great thing - having real feelings for fictional characters. It means the author did her job very well.

*Joe was simply amazing. She was no hero - as she pointed out in several places. But she was brave, hard-working and selfless. She knew her limitations, she lived with her past mistakes, and she didn't want to continue living with guilt. So, Joe decided for once not to be an observer, but a doer. And I was simply impressed by the steady character and hand of this girl. It takes real guts to do what she did.

*Danny, the Decider was a psychopath of a higher class than I had thought at first. *Thanks Heather for describing the difference between psychopath and sociopath, I had no idea.* He was organized, calculating and cold-blooded. I didn't understand his motives, and urges, and honestly I thought he was a complete nut. I hated him, but I loved how well he played his role. The mass-murderer profile was complete in him.

*Michael was a guy to kill for. And I was excited that found Joe not only likeable, but loveable. She was, truly, and I loved Michael for not ever even thinking about her speech impediment as a negative trait. I loved him for appreciating her.

*Mina was a brave girl and loving mother, and I think she had every right to be happy. She and Russel were just great for each other.

*Eric - I kinda liked that guy, he was someone who wanted to change his life. I enjoyed his story very much.

*Claire - I sort of hated her at first, until she realized that what she'd been planning at first was not what she really wanted. Glad she opened her eyes to reality.

So, I would totally recommend this novel to any thrill seeker. It's truly an amazing ride. ( )

deleting reviews if you want to take a look at them you can do so on my blog, link on my profile ( )