Jordan is the story of a woman who's an allegory based on a man that often used allegories.

OK, that makes it sound like a very dry and academic story, which it certainly is not. Let's try this again: Jordan is a contemporary adaptation of the Gospels with a gender twist.

Yeah, that's a bit better, but still doesn't quite fit. This story definitely has a hook: It starts with a shop-owner who takes in an amnesiac woman that heals people. Add in word-of-mouth, spin it on social media, and insanity ensues.

While the action and pacing of this book are quite gripping, author Victoria Landis employs an accessible writing style. The characterization and the dialogue are crafted in a manner that allows the story to unfold naturally and at an intriguing pace. The interaction feels genuine and conversations flow naturally, instead of feeling overly-scripted or too choreographed. The characters are dynamically crafted with personality traits and flaws, without making said characters intentionally unlikeable. Even the central character Petra is often abrasive and stubborn, but at least has sufficient self-awareness to retain sympathy. Other intentionally unlikeable characters like Jordan's parents are still portrayed in a humanistic manner, which elevates them from simple antagonists to very real, flawed persons.

Although Landis is obvious about her characters symbolic connection to Jesus and his disciples (she even has characters specifically cite/reference that inside the story), her novel coyly avoids admitting any direct, contemporary comparisons. For instance, the uber-powerful and crazily-connected Teigh family seems like a stand-in for the Koch brothers. (Teigh is a homonym for "tea," Koch is a homonym for "Coke" ... OK, maybe I'm stretching the beverage-related symbolism, but it's worth considering, right?)

On that note, the weakest aspect of this very entertaining novel are the symbolic/allegorical connections. This story is overt in how it's a contemporary adaptation of Jesus's story and Apostles (Petra/Peter, her brother Andrew, Mattee/Matthew, etc.); however, the potential to delve deeper is frequently at the surface but never explored any deeper. When an opportunity for a deep dive into faith, philosophy, belief or any other consideration presents itself, the story takes a dramatic twist or turn, distracting both the reader and the characters from further considering the ramifications of what Jordan is doing or has said. In fact, one time Jordan makes a bombshell claim, it's directly swept under the rug by someone. That was probably my most frustrating moment -- wouldn't anyone else be intrigued enough to interject, "Hold up -- what did you just say?!" Curiosity is present in this novel, but doesn't take precedence or importance to as strong of a degree as it should.

Even if "depth" isn't a descriptor for Jordan, the term "entertaining" certainly suits. As does "accessible" and "engaging." While it falls short of Gospel, there is still a bit of good news: it's worth the time and consideration, as it provides an intriguing story with complex character and approachable dialogue.