Average Joe and the Extraordinaires

Average Joe #1

by Belart Wright

On a dark and balmy Floridian night, a strange and mysterious dark haired woman stalks the shadows of the local college football stadium, on the prowl for secrets buried deep beneath the Earth. These secrets, she knows, may change everything including this small town.

While knocking back illegal drinks with his friends at the hallowed Orangetown Pickers' college football stadium, average kid Joe Black finds himself desperately trying to save the life of a beautiful dark haired woman after a deadly explosion violently interrupts his fun and games. While trying to fathom why he would even do something so reckless he soon finds himself entangled in a dangerous game of terrorist plots, mistaken identities, hard boiled detectives, the criminal underworld, and of all things magic as he tries to escape with his life and make sense of it all.

Joe faces many challenges from all new enemies, assassins, and even his own friends. Can Joe navigate all this danger, escape with his life, and handle his biggest challenge to date, finding something about himself that is truly extraordinary? Find out within the pages of Average Joe and the Extraordinaires.

Genres: Fantasy

347 pages, ebook

First published December 18, 2014

About the author

Belart Wright is...

A huge fan of martial arts and self mastery

A big time gamer with favorites including the Legacy of Kain Series, Borderlands Series, Resident Evil Series, Metal Gear Series, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, and a plethora of others too long to list.

A wannabe philosopher and understander of things.

Fascinated with the occult and other unexplainable occurrences

An uncle of many since 4 years old.

A lover of kindness, intelligence, and strength of character.

(Not so)Secretly wants to be historian, linguist, and mythologist.

...and all these things heavily feature in my writing you'll notice.

Reviews

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to author Belart Wright.)

This wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t for me.

I didn’t really feel anything for the characters in this book other than a bit of irritation. I don’t know why this was, but I just couldn’t relate to them at all. I’d have been getting out of the stadium not following some random woman around!

The storyline in this was a bit confusing, and I had trouble following what was going on. I think this was partly because I didn’t find the story all that interesting, but I just didn’t really enjoy this one, and had to force myself to finish it. Apologies to the author that I didn’t like this more.



5 out of 10

[Jasmine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I don't like the story very much. Believe me, I did try not to fall asleep when starting the first 5 or 6 chapters but honestly, when I saw how the story was formed and the way it laid out, an inner voice inside me whispered, "Uh, oh. This can't be good." So yeah, I ended up skipping some parts of it and couldn't wait to finish this. ><

For me, this isn't a story. It's like reading manga or comics because there are just simple dialogues and brief descriptions about the setting. What's worse, I had a hard time picturing whatever the author was creating so basically, my brain was blank the entire time. *super guilty* Moreover, since there are "simple" conversations, it's also not easy to relate to the characters. Thus, all of the above reasons made me feel sleepy when turning the pages. :P

Although I didn't enjoy the story, I truly appreciated the extras in the end of the book, which told us the original ideas from the author for writing this book. With those perspectives, I gained better understanding of the concept and personally thought his ideas were actually brilliant. Disappointedly, he didn't manage to convey them in his work, imo.

I won't recommend this book to you due to the bland plot and disappointing characters. Still, thanks to the author's generosity for offering me such a chance. :)

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I received a copy from the author, In exchange for an honest review.)

Actual rating - 2.5

I didn't love the characters in this, but they were alright.

I can't say I enjoyed this very much unfortunately. I spent a lot of the book feeling bored, and it dragged for me because of it. It wasn't awful though, It just wasn't a book for me.

[Donte McNeal · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I’m being honest (which I am more often than not), even though I attempt to support promising indie authors, I most likely wouldn’t haven’t even discovered this book if not for certain recommendations. The premise didn’t really jump out at me, but I suppose that’s due to my book before last having a similar premise (in that extraordinary people had shown up, there were secret organizations and magic). Minor spoilers ahead…Now then, let’s jam!

Pros:
• The humor in this book flows so naturally between the characters. I found myself literally laughing out loud (not that phony lol you put in texts when you don’t really know how to respond to something) at most if not all of the comedic lines, which there are a ton of. Comedy is my second favorite genre behind horror, so you can imagine my delight when I came across so much of it, and it was believable! I can’t tell you how irritating it is to read a book that tries to do comedy and it falls as flat as the chemistry between the leads of the Fifty Shades film (Yes, I went there).
• Joe’s reactions to the sudden and drastic changes in his life are realistic and believable. I understand some people are more adept at adapting, but most of us would react the same way that Joe does (though if I saw a person changing what they look like, I would run away as fast as I could…then run back to them to see if I could be taught to change as well). Plus, I doubt I would have tried to save Beauty in the beginning, though the power of boners is indeed strong, so who knows?
• Mod. Need I say more? That guy is a true friend, and hilarious as hell.
• The execution of the story was simple. There aren’t any instances of Wright attempting sound smarter by using a thesaurus every other few words, which is something I absolutely abhor. Apart from poor grammar/punctuation usage, trying to “smarten” up your writing by inserting words that disrupt the flow of the read….that’s something I can’t, don’t and won’t endorse. Wright treads the line between simple and sophisticated conversation expertly.

Cons:
• Though while the simplistic writing style allowed for a quick and easy read, I did expect a little more sophistication in the dialogue than was presented. For instance, there are secret organizations and underground crime groups in this world, so I thought there would have been more backstabbing, double meaning in conversations and things of that nature. Not that this lack of sophistication took away from the experience but it definitely could have benefited from more backdoor dealings and betrayals (who doesn’t love a good betrayal, right?).
• Subpar character development can hinder the immersive capacity of a book, and it did for me hence the three stars (which could have been four). When it comes to Joe, our main character, we learn about him through his actions, reactions and thoughts, but I couldn’t tell you that I really cared about what happened to him. I cared more about Mod and Melissa (who we know even less about than Joe, though maybe I just have a protection complex when it comes to children). I understand that Beauty, Dahlila and Melissa are secretive and can’t reveal much about themselves to Joe, who we’re supposed to relate to, but I don’t know much about a character, it’s that much more difficult for me to make a connection with them and care about what happens to them. Maybe the sequel will touch on more backstory, which I understand, because no author wants to give away everything in a series in the first book. I just hope that more is revealed about these characters that have begun to grow on me.

All in all, Average Joe and the Extraordinaires is a fun, quick read from a promising indie author. With a re-readability score of 3/5, this debut was ok, and it has a solid foundation to build on. I look forward to what Mr. Wright has in store for us next.

[Kelly Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this copy on a read to review basis.

This book is quirky and fun and fantastic. It's not often I feel a children/young teens book fully captures the humour and storyline which this age bracket loves. As a child, I loved the kookiness and the radical storylines of Roald Dahl, Margaret Mahy and Enid Blyton and this book is in a similar (albeit more modern) strain.

Good vs. Evil, magic, shape-shifters and more. Each chapter holds some exciting twist or subtle piece of humour and the author's style is direct, with enough challenging words to help educate without overwhelming the story.

The dialogue is not set out as typical, though technically correct. I actually can see this being enjoyed by younger audiences (If they noticed the difference) It certainly doesn't take long to get used to.

Favourite quote:

"Joe was so tired that he had slept through first hour Spanish, second hour history, and most of third hour English. The English teacher, Mrs. Lane, hadn't taken a liking to that. She decided to send Joe to the principal to discuss why he was so sleepy, which Joe hadn't taken a liking to."

Suitable for ages 9 and up.

Average Joe and the Extraordinaires

[Rai-mar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surprised me with how it changed over the course of the story. What started like a simple, easygoing action, turned into a fantasy adventure with its own world and concept. I don't know what I liked more, the beginning that kept me reading for hours *I read the book in just two sittings*, the middle that told me more about the characters and added more suspense, or the ending that was totally awesome and promising. The way the characters kept showing new sides was interesting and left me wanting more. I like when I get to explore them, when nothing is forced on me from the beginning and I get to form my opinion on them throughout the book the way I do it in real life. The whole story was very life-like, without any lame epicness, exactly how I like it, when an ordinary kid meets with magic and in the end he's still a kid only with something cool about him. Witty dialogues made me smile a lot, and kickass girls hopefully will have more spotlight in the next book) it was such a page turner, I had to stop myself from reading too fast because I didn't want to miss anything important to the plot. If you like fast paced, funny fantasy stories, you should try this one!
ps. Liandra is just... I don't have an English word for it ;)

[Yeng · Rating 1 out of 5]

*A copy was provided by the author for an honest review.*

Joe, his best friend Mod, and his girlfriend Kate were watching a football game when an explosion turned Joe's life into multiple crazy adventures.

I struggled with this book, mainly because there was nothing keeping me interested. The characters were the flattest cardboard cut-outs that I've ever read. The dialogues were written as scripts, which I think was the reason why I didn't feel any emotion coming from them. Plus, there was no character development. Joe is still Joe, with or without his new friends. It didn't help that I was constantly confused with what's going on. I don't know if it were my fault that I don't know much of the "fantasy" element of the book or it just really wasn't explained. If it was the latter, then Joe's stupid. I mean, who would ally himself with people he didn't know and has no relation with, people who won't explain and tell him the truth or the entirety of what's going on. I also thought that there were a lot of unnecessary details that made the book unnecessarily long. And lastly, it was painfully predictable.

Still, I wanna thank the author for letting me read and review this book! :)

[Mei · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 45%

See, I don't DNF books not until I reached the 50% mark. Let me also make this clear that this book wasn't terrible. The premise sounds intriguing, and there was nothing eye rolling about the characters, plot, narration or the idea execution. I just couldn't get into it. It felt dull, and because I put it off for probably 2 days to read another book, and picked it back up again, I couldn't remember much what happened. And that's my sign: if I can't remember enough what happened, I wasn't invested enough to continue. I also found myself confused while more characters, or groups of characters were introduced. I didn't know who the villain was, not even sure what side each were on. It was too much to keep up at such an early time in the book, so the story telling might be the problem. I can't even create a summary or background, because I, too, wasn't sure what's really happening, or expect to happen.

I tried, though, and I sincerely apologize.

This book was given by the author in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Belart Wright.

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe may be your average guy, but this young one sure got a lot that made him extra special. He was level-headed and always looked out for his friends. He even volunteered to help a stranger whom he thought was a damsel in distress. A beautiful dark-haired woman he called Beauty. But Beauty wasn't really a damsel in distress. On the contrary, she was one heck of a woman capable of doing things beyond the norm. What Joe discovered about Beauty had him gripping and questioning about reality versus magic.

This book got me enthralled and surprised too. Belart Wright had crafted a world that even Harry Potter would want to live in. Joe Black was a compelling character, very realistic and admirable. His encounter with Beauty and Dahlila sure had me stuck lying in my head from the first page up to the last. A perfect and highly-recommended read this Christmas!

[Joannes Rhino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a page turner for me. I'm saying that because normally takes me a month to finish a whole book. But that's not the case in Average Joe and the Extraordinaires. I found myself lose track of time, and the result I finished reading this in less than a week. That's how powerful this book to me. The storyline isn't complicated, and the characters are easy to remember. Basically, it's a light reading but full of ideas. The conversations are refreshing and realistic. It's a fun reading for me, but not fun enough when I realize I have so many pending tasks when I finished reading this. It's worth it though!

[Christina McMullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe may be an average guy, but with a giant BOOM (no really, its in the book), Joe's life no longer is. This is an adventure that begins with action and ends with action. In between there is a lot of mystery and even more humor. The narration is done in a way that keeps the story light, even as Joe is running for his life or stopping assassination attempts.
I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to Joe's next adventure. Highly entertaining and suitable for both young adults and older readers.

[Matt Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today’s review is ‘Average Joe and the Extraordinaires’, the debut novel by Indie Author Belart Wright, and the first in his ‘Average Joe Series’. I came across this one after I spoke to Belart about reviewing my own debut novel, WICK. He subsequently gave me the opportunity to review this one and I was more than happy to oblige.
Background: Detroit born Belart Wright originally released ‘AJatE’ on December 18th 2014, so it’s been out there for around a year at the time of writing this particular review. It stars Joe Black, the titular Average Joe, who finds himself thrown headlong into a mish-mash of terrorist plots, hard boiled detectives, criminals and magic. The setting places the book into the Urban Fantasy genre, but the way the plot plays out means that it leans just as much towards Science-Fantasy. You could also argue for a YA classification based on Joe’s age.
As a side note, first novels are difficult, especially for Indie Authors. Even in today’s more accepting world, Indie Novels can be tarred with the ‘no publishing deal = no good’ brush, which leads to sometimes unfair criticisms. I will attempt to be far more objective than that in this review.
The Good: Joe has a lot of different characters to interact with and play-off here, and I am glad to say that Belart avoids one of my least favourite books traits: characters that are all too similar. The cast of AJatE is suitably varied and Joe’s relationships with each are usually a joy to read. In particular, his relationship with his girlfriend Kate and her little brother Mod really shine. Their interactions are natural, fun and full of the sort of humour that will make them relatable the vast majority of potential readers.
The story itself flows well and moves at a good pace with the action coming thick and fast. The character development never feels forced, and the overall plot has enough twists and turns to keep you coming back when you should be doing something else.
While it would be fair to say that some of the characters fit standard character types, I’ve never really viewed this as a bad thing in books. Some familiarity helps give a good jumping on point to care about the heroes and villains we’re reading about. And if you’re not generally into standard tropes? Well, you’re still in luck. Creativity has been applied with full force, meaning that Belart has been able to weave something interesting and fresh feeling in spite of any comparisons you may want to draw.
The Bad: While mostly well written, the dialogue is presented in a script style as opposed to the normally expected novel style. This will potentially take a little while to get used to, which may put some readers off. From my own standpoint however, I would say that not sticking with it would be unfair as once the style beds in, it becomes easy to follow.
While we’re on the dialogue and how this affects the story, I would say that there are the odd moments where the speech can feel a little stilted. They don’t happen often, but if you’re like me then you may find yourself rereading short sections when it does.
If you prefer to have all loose ends tied up by the end of the book, the ending will disappoint. While some questions are answered, some are intentionally left open for the sequel. Again, this is not an issue for me as I like things to keep building for the next book, but it will come down to personal taste.
Final View: Viewing this in the context of being a debut novel from an Indie Author, it would be difficult to be disappointed. Action, adventure and a likeable cast of characters help build a fun story that deserves to be read. If this had not been a debut novel, I would have been tempted to drop the rating to a four on account of the occasional speech issues detailed above, but as the groundwork for future work, this is a great piece. For that reason, full marks are a fair appraisal.
Final Score: 5 / 5

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 Stars!

I was given a free copy of the book by the author.

The story revolves around Joseph Remington "Joe" Black, an average  sixteen year old. Well, there is no distinct description of Joe, which I have later on discovered why at the Fun Facts part of the book. The author wants us to imagine our own average Joe. Well in my mind, Joe is a not so tall, not so thin pimply black-haired teen.

Joe with his friend Mod and girlfriend Kate are watching their favorite team, the Orangetown Pickers, when an explosion happened. As they are trying to escape the stadium, Joe found himself trying to save a brunette being chased by men with guns.

That is when Joe's average life has been turned upside down. He became involved in a mission worthy of James Bond; helping to save a badly bruised blonde and a little girl in a midst of around a hundred men with guns. And after that crazy extraction and jumping, literally, some of the outside guards, he has been falsely accused of terrorism by bombing the town's collegiate football stadium.

Joe's life was never the same after that. He became involved in more action-packed adventures and witnessed supernatural abilities from some extraordinary people.

The book has me engaged so much I've been eagerly anticipating what would happen next! It has that distinct characteristic of a fantasy book that makes you crave to witness more adventures.

Joe might be an average teen but his big heart to help others is what made the big difference.

I am recommending the book for fans of HP and Percy Jackson out there (ehem my brother and sister). Another book to devour!

Thank you so much Belart Wright.

[Alexandra Engellmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of the book from Belart Wright for the purpose of review.
I'm thoroughly surprised with this book. Usually I spend a week on a new book, slowly savoring all the details, characters, and the world in it. But this one didn't leave me a choice.
The excitement was so strong, I'd probably just read it in one sleepless night (if I didn't pass out after 4 hours). It reminded me of my teen age years when there was no goodreads and such, and to find a good action novel like this one was a true miracle. Especially, when the ending actually makes sense and brings more magic into reading. I think it's a perfect book for both kids and teenagers, with no excessive violence and yet interesting, but what's more important is that it can be a fun reading for adults, too.
The characters are realistic and believable, the writing is remarkably descriptive for such a fast-paced book, so there's no chance for boredom once you start reading. The ideas behind it never fully unfold, and it's mysterious and fascinating, never satisfying your curiosity about the world that the author has created. The plot that seems simple in the beginning, grows complex but not overly complicated by the end.
I can't remember the last time a story had my full attention like this one and can't wait to read the second part of it!

[Belart Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

AJE is my first published book and holds a special place in my heart. I have poured a lot of hard work into the characters, world, and plot witnessed inside the book’s pages. I can say with confidence that AJE is a quality product. I made sure to craft something that was great enough to read and enjoy by my own standards. It’s a strange book, a book that doesn’t always follow the rules, and in that way it’s just like me, but ultimately it’s a book with a full year of quality testing and review under its figurative belt. I know that it isn’t the perfect book but I also know that it is a really good and fun book. And so here I leave my honest rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

[John Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Average Joe proves to be much more than just an awkward teen. The action is fast-paced, fun, and thrilling, with lots of witty lines and dialogue. Joe will react on instinct, fighting bad guys, saving lives, and going for a girl he calls "beauty", who is more than feisty. This story is great for young readers and the author's style is unique, with characters that will stick in your mind for sometime. Recommended.

[Les · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story has a lot of potential. Both the first 25% and last 10% of the book moves at a good pace. However, the majority of the book gets lost in a lot of noise about high school bullies and details of things that don't contribute to the story.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book from the author, in exchange for a review.

So here goes an honest review:

Average Joe and the Extraordinaires is about an average guy, Joe, who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. We follow his adventures (and his new found friends) as he tries to basically just stay alive.

Let me discuss the writing style first. The dialogues are written in a script style, like I was reading from a play. At first, I didn't appreciate it, but as I was reading it, I realized it was actually working for me. It gave me a vibe like I was reading from a comic book and it made the reading experience easier, lighter and more enjoyable. A little consistency would be nice though. Some of the lines were in script style and some were not. But the main thing I would like to point out is that there's room for improvement for the way the sentences are constructed. I felt that some of the sentences were very casual, to the point that it lacked a certain finesse. I mean, I understood that the dialogues were written that way, given the age of the characters and the setting. But a little flavor to the narration would be nice.

I was disappointed with the protagonist. I didn't find anything special from him. He truly was an "average" Joe. Nothing special from him - no talent, no wit, etc. But that's actually a good element for the story. The challenge is how to turn an average guy into an interesting protagonist. I kept waiting throughout the story for him to do something interesting (does he have hidden powers? is he gonna turn evil? is there some secret mystery stuff connecting him to the antagonists? etc.), but it did not happen. I felt that he wasn't interesting enough as a character and he didn't actually have a role in the turn of events. He just happened to be there. I probably would have liked it if we had a prologue of what his life was like before the incident at the stadium. At least then we have a proper view of how the incident changed him. I guess that was what I was looking for. I was hoping for a character development from him. Next book maybe?

The setting was actually pretty good. It was set in a modern world, but there's some people with extraordinary powers. Now that magic/fantasy aspect wasn't focused on and I think that's a pretty good element of the story. Instead, what we got are the bullying scenes, which I could honestly do without. I would have wanted to dwell more on the action side, considering that I felt a comic book vibe with this book. More action, more of the "extraordinaires". The initial chapter featured a badass shapeshifter and that was a great opener! But it went downhill from there, except the epilogue (which I loved, and I'll discuss in the next paragraph). I felt that it was promising, but it wasn't executed well.

I enjoyed the unexpected twists in the story! Having a shapeshifter really takes things on a different level and it really opens up a lot of possibilities to the story. But most of all, let me commend the epilogue. That was really nice! It provided a mystery and makes readers intrigued what's next. I mean, sure we have those "Villain Views" which adds a bit of mystery every now and then. But the epilogue especially made things interesting.

[Sally Balboa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for a review. There is so much humor and creativity in this novel. The writing is very simple, and the story flows without too many bumps. But the writing is part of why I can’t give this the four stars I want to give it. Even though I really did enjoy this story, and recommend it to anyone looking for something original and funny.

Average Joe and The Extraordinaires is about one young man becoming 'Inspired' during a baseball game, by a beautiful young woman just as a bomb is set off in the stadium. He follows her into an unknown area of the stadium and from there his life becomes a whirlwind. First he's accused of setting the bomb, then he finds himself becoming friends with people with powers, and on top of that he's battling high school. Not to mention all the other twists and turns this novel has to offer.

There are some seriously hilarious parts to this book. There's an on-going prank war between Mod and the Bad-Azzes. Including but not limited too cheese falling from the ceiling, throwing mystery substances, and humiliating family video's. Not to mention Joe's hilarious reaction to things.

More than once I was confused as to what was going on. The writing just rushed right past me. Now it just might be that I was distracted and missed a sentence or two, but it did happen more than once. The other thing about the writing is that while it was funny, it was also just a little too simple for my taste. And it was probably used for humorous effect, and it worked. Unfortunately, it just didn’t keep me engaged that way I wanted to be.

This is a creative novel with a little bit of magic to it. Literally magic wands are used, and are considered weak to those who really know magic. There's other cool gizmo's in this too that make it almost seem like a sci-fi novel. Including invisibility, changing your face at will, and skipping through area's really quickly. The way these things are incorporated make the novel very original, somewhat because these things are used by some Bad-Azz characters. Also evil corporations.

[Rachel Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Confusing the enemy greatly contributes to their defeat.” (Kindle Location 1375).

Joe is your average guy in everything but putting himself in harm’s way to save someone in need. When it comes to helping or saving others, Joe does not hesitate. When he sees ‘Beauty’ in trouble at the local Orangetown Pickers game, he jumps in to help. But Beauty is not your average damsel and she isn’t really in distress, but Joe came at the right time and she uses him to help her save a different damsel. In the days and weeks that follow Joe’s life will be anything but average because that one decision to jump in and be a hero puts him at the top of some not so nice lists, least of all with the local bullies at his school.

I loved Joe. He was weak. He was ignorant. He was clueless and hopeless and decidedly average but even average people can be heroes. Even average people can rise to a challenge and be extraordinary. Joe shows us that with determination and strong-mindedness, even in the face of cluelessness, one can do amazing things. And get caught. And get shot at. And stay calm. And be saved. Joe isn’t just one thing in this story but overall he doesn’t stop to think about helping another when the consequences for his own self could be severe.

The “Damsels” as they might be called were not your typical damsels in distress. Though Joe calls the first damsel Beauty and the name sticks, she is more than this nickname would lead you to believe. It is not her beauty that sticks out, it is her extraordinary abilities, her fighting spirit, and the way she is tough and kicks butt through it all. Dahlila was just as tough as Beauty though she did get herself more stuck in bad situations than Beauty.

The tech element in this book was fun and didn’t detract from the believability of the story. Why not have the good guy be extraordinary?

[Gracie S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this from the very nice author, hence this honest review.

First up: this isn't my genre, and I feel like I'm definitely part of the target audience (age-wise) for this. But I'm all for supporting indie authors, so my goal for this review is for it to be constructive.

The story itself - plot, setting, and timeline - is laid out well. It's cohesive, with very little holes to poke through, and that's the basic foundation for a good book. I can imagine the attempts for humor working for the younger teens (male, predominantly). The bullying/anti-bullying message is cool, too. There were several interesting characters, although Joe isn't one of those, unfortunately. I actually like Mod better than the main protagonist. Joe is just too... Joe Average. Which is probably intentional, I know, but I'm not used to having a main character that I care not even a tiny bit for.

The writing is simplistic, casual to a fault. The script-style of dialogue could probably work for some, but when I first read it I honestly thought I was reading a primary draft, and had to make sure I had the published/publishable version on me. It could be easily changed into the usual dialogue from, which could make reading feel a little more fluid, in my opinion. I know this is the debut work of an indie author, but I think a good editing job could have improved this vastly. But for a first outing, this scores an A for effort.

[Rajalakshmi Prithviraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first thought once I had finished reading the book was whether I was an average Joe myself. I must admit, this book kept me hooked onto it since the beginning.

I had always thought that action was not my kind of genre, but Belart ensured that I underwent a change of thought. This book is very addictive from the very beginning. In fact, its very well written in spite of its simplicity. The language is simple, yet powerful enough to keep to wanting to know whats up next. 

This book has mass appeal. It does not use any objectionable language, no embarrassing scenes, and has nothing in it to prohibit youngsters from reading it. It has humour, magic, and witty conversations. Hence, a perfect combination of an exceptionally well-written book. To admit, I could not help smiling most of the time as I kept reading.

The best parts are the descriptions used throughout. Very apt, adequate for the described situation with no overdoses, and with the ability to trigger all imageries, especially those connected with visual, auditory and tactile senses.

To sum up, I loved the book from beginning to end. A definite must read for every avid reader.

P.S- Belart Wright has converted a non-believer into a believer that action can be addictive without blood and gory descriptions. Kudos!!!

[Adriel Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Belart Wright’s Average Joe and the Extraordinaires is a wonderful adventure story. Wright is incredible at creating vivid characters and putting them through their paces in a fast-paced adventure. There were a few instances where a clique was misused, the way someone learning a foreign language might use a phrase they hear a lot, understanding the meanings of individual words, but not the implications of the phrase as a whole. This would be helpful in creating foreign or alien characters, but it seemed to occur outside of dialogue as well. Some people might take a little while to get used to the script formatting of the dialogue, but I enjoyed that very much. Overall, this book was a great adventure that I would love to read aloud of a middle school class. I love that Joe had to make a decision about what kind of person he was going to be, and then worked hard to follow through with that decision. I highly recommend this.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

( Source I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review. )

Average Joe and the Extraordinaires. ( Average Joe Book 1 )

This wasn't for me hence the start rating. Saying this I can't say it's a bad book, just not my cup of tea. Belart Wright has quite a unique writing technique, and it was one I found quite difficult to connect with.

I found the whole book, characters and story line very hard to connect with and stopped reading just under half way through, this for me rarely happens. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't connect with or have the urge to finish it.

I may come back to Average Joe in the future, as I hate to leave any book half read!

I think this must be the shortest review I have ever left, but I'm unsure of why my feelings towards this book are as they are. hence, this has left me with very little to say until I give it another go in the future.

[Karyogini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun read. It's more for teens than New Adult. They're just applying for college. I am abit frustrated at our Average Joe. He seems so below average sometimes to the point that the other characters are treating him like he is real slow... Um in other words stupid. The other characters are interesting though. I would like to read further because of them.

This is more of an introduction to the world of extra-ordinaries. Seems like there is a lot of potential here.

Spoiler Alert... Don't open this if you haven't read it. I can't believe they let the principal back... What kind of school does that?

[Mehreen Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mehreen Ahmed's review: PDF copy

Belart's Average Joe and Extraordinaries is not the average run of the mill kind of a story at all. In fact, it is quite extraordinary how average Joe transforms into something that the world does not think he is likely to become - an accidental hero. This book is about perspective, a bit like what Shakespear always thought that a fool might speak of wisdom far greater than the so-called wise, the blind may have more vision than those who can actually see. There is always a fine line between courage and cowardice. Only circumstances can unfold peoples'mettle and their leanings.

[Wanda Hartzenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. What a cover.

Ok why not 5*?
Well the dialogue is written in a script style which for me did not work at all. The humor ever present in the book saved and almost made up for this though.

Much of the book is about average high school life which bogged down and took away from the original plot. Making the story feel disjointed. However. The book is a fast read and written in a plain no nonsense language making it a fast and over all an enjoyable read.

Most YA books transcends the age barrier. This one however do not. So yes. Younger readers will have a fun read in this book but if you tick off that little block saying 20 + then think twice.

WaAr

[Ana Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with fun dialog and creative characters this novel is a fun read. It definitely fits the young adult genre and can be enjoyed by the younger audiences. I also think many adults would find it entertaining. Average Joe feels like a new kind of superhero for masses to enjoy, without feeling like a rip off of any other comic book character. Full of action and adventure Average Joe will not disappoint. It is a great start to a series and I am really looking forward to the next book.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a wonderful surprise for me. I love these books about good and evil and everything in between. I think this book is great for my niece and I will tell her about it. I want to thank the author for such a great book. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

[Chocomeiske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review here as part of a Virtual Book Tour : https://chocomeiske.wordpress.com/201...

Overall, an entertaining , intriguing, action-packed read which, because of the lack of indecent language and explicit scenes, makes it appealing to all ages.