The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for The 19th Bladesman

Aubrey Lewis

The overall appearance of the book is neat and very eye-catching, in my opinion. When I read through the official OBC review, I felt that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the book since I'm not very fond of reading medieval fantasy books. When I finished sampling the first ten pages, I decided not to read the rest of the book. The contents seemed professionally edited so far, and Vraymorg and Kaell's dynamics were quite interesting. From my understanding so far, it seemed that Rozenn found Kaell while he was wandering around and brought him back to Vraymorg. Unfortunately, the genres just aren't my cup of tea and it's been difficult for me to keep up with the names and their confusing conversations, so I don't think this book is for me. Since my reason is due to my own personal preference, I don't think there are any improvements the author needs to make.

First Ten review added on January 25, 2020, at 3:38 am by Aubrey Lewis.

va2016

The title and the cover are indicative of the theme of the book. There are 84 Amazon customer ratings, which is great. The Amazon summary gives a clear description of the theme of the book. As I am not interested in medieval stories, I would have skipped sampling the book if not for the First Ten program. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing Vraymorg hesitating to signal the attack to capture the lady. As I got interested in the narration, I am going to read the book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors. What I like most about the book is its narration. I could not find anything that can be improved with book. Although I found one OBC review of the book, my decision to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.

First Ten review added on January 25, 2020, at 3:32 am by va2016.

Jeremie Mondejar

I sampled the book, but I couldn't understand what's going on. All I can grasp about the story are the following: horses, archers, bow, Lord and a battle. I will not read the rest of the book because I have a tough time reading on this genre. The book seems full of exciting twists and turns as I notice it in the beginning of the story. I like the writing style and the concept of kingdoms, but a fantasy book isn't for me. Fortunately, the book is written well, I did not spot any errors in the bit I read. The OBC review as well does not influence me to read the book.

First Ten review added on January 25, 2020, at 1:40 am by Jeremie Mondejar.

winecellarlibrary

I truly enjoy epic fantasy novels. When I read the Online Book Club review of this book, I was a bit intimidated. It seems like the book is very complex. I also checked out the Goodreads and Amazon reviews on this book and they are overwhelmingly positive. The synopsis on Amazon provides surprisingly little information given the length of the novel (633 pages). I was a little hesitant to start this book because of its length and because I really do not know much about the plot besides the fact that Kaell is the 19th bladesman and he is prophesied to die young, which Val Arques is determined to prevent. However, after reading the first ten pages and seeing how well-written it is, I have decided to finish reading the book. I only found two minor errors, which are more of a stylistic complaint. Page 1: "'Well, where is he?' A rider at the woman's side shouted up at the guard walk." (The "A" following the quotation should not be capitalized.) Page 2: "Yet for all the spells woven with blood and bone into its stone, she dared ride..." ("Yet" should be followed by a comma.)

First Ten review added on January 24, 2020, at 11:10 pm by winecellarlibrary.

Howlan

The cover is quite appealing. The synopsis is quite long but builds interest in the story. As I am an avid mystery reader, this book is hard to miss. Also, the sample was quite a page-turner. The tale depicts Kaell as he lives on with a cruel fate, a prophecy which ends in his demise. The first ten pages were good, it was confusing in the beginning when the main focus was on Vraymorg an Isles bladesman, but once the story followed Kaell, it became quite a clear ad was quite interesting. In particular, the sword fight between the ghoul and Kaell was memorable. I loved the writing style and the setting of the story. I really liked the sample and will definitely buy the book and read it. No typos were found in the first ten pages. The Official Review is present, and the reviewer rates it highly.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2020, at 4:45 pm by Howlan.

Laura Lee

The blurb on Amazon was very attention-grabbing and I liked it. The book's cover, likewise, is exceptionally well-done. I did not see an OnlineBookClub review, although I would have enjoyed reading it. Not reading it does not change my decision to not finish reading the book. The sample pages were very clean. It looks to be professionally edited.

What I liked best: the vivid descriptions. The world-building was very well done. I also liked the unexpected bits of humor. For example, when someone calls Kaell a "bastard," Kaell just grinned and responded: "Probably." LOL I liked that.

One thing that could be improved is that the exchanges of dialogue would be more interesting if there was some action inserted. Even if it's nothing more than "Blah . . .Blah . . . Blah," he slammed the goblet down.

Or, "Blah, blah, blah . . ." she squeezed past the dun mare.

Having sentence after sentence of just dialogue is fine, but it would be made more interesting with "showing" what action is taking place during the conversation.

I won't be finishing reading this book simply because this isn't my preferred genre. I did get it, though, as it sounds like something my son would really enjoy.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2020, at 11:51 am by Laura Lee.

MarisaRose

I haven't read a sword and sorcery novel in a long time, mostly because I find novels in this genre are usually follow fairly similar tropes. Due to the usual lack of uniqueness found in the plotting, characters and setting of these types of books, I don't tend to want to read them. After reading the blurb for Hartland's "The 19th Bladesman," I wasn't interested in purchasing the book. The blurb promised many similar themes found in the genre, as I suspected. The blurb indicates an important prophecy, ancient gods, a falling kingdom and a brutal war. None of these topics seemed unique are particularly interesting to me. An OBC review would not sway my opinion about this book because the blurb and focus of the book simply did not pique my interest. After reading the first ten pages, my initial opinion about "The 19th Bladesman" didn't change. The book begins with a scene about a woman looking for a swordsman at a castle and not being able to find him. The sample was filled with strange names that were difficult to keep track of and information about local politics, which was also difficult to keep track of given the lack of knowledge about the characters and setting so early on in the story. However, I thought the sample was well written. I didn't notice any grammatical errors, and the dialogue between the characters seemed to capture the feel of the Middle-Ages-type setting. Unfortunately, the solid writing was not enough to get me hooked on this book. Based on my lack of interest in the story and characters I read in the first ten pages, I don't plan to purchase this book today.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2020, at 6:53 am by MarisaRose.

Mrunal Tikekar

I do not enjoy fantasy novels. So I would have not sampled the book if it hadn't been a part of this program. The cover and the title are both intriguing, though. I had loved the official OnlineBookClub review but it made it further clear that the theme of the book was not something I like to read. When I sampled the book, the first thing that appealed to me was language. The author seems to have a natural knack for creating suspense and keep the readers engaged. In the bit that I read, there were no grammar errors. So the book seems well-edited. Content-wise I did not have any complaints about the book. But in general, I would have liked it if the story was based on this planet instead of an alternate universe. For this reason, I don't feel inclined to buy the book.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2020, at 5:11 am by Mrunal Tikekar.

Shrabastee Chakraborty

The cover is quite alluring, although I cannot say the same about the blurb that sounded choppy and could not convey the feel of the book properly. The official OBC review gives a good insight into the book, though. From the first ten pages, I could not gather much.The conversation between the characters during the search for Kaell hinted at the existence of many twisted strategies and upcoming wars. Although the writing was flawless, it did not appeal to me much. For this reason I decided to skip the book.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2020, at 4:15 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.

Verna Coy

Had I not sampled this book through the First Ten program, I probably would not have picked it up because I don’t usually go for gothic style novels. I do intend to read the whole book as I like to sometimes step out of my comfort zone, and I received a free copy through the Online Book Club, thanks! Reading the first ten pages didn’t change my first impressions of the book in that it is gothic in style, but I find it seems to be a fast-paced novel. Based on what I read, the book seems professionally edited. I didn’t see errors in the first ten pages. What I liked most about what I read is the author’s way of describing action scenes in a way that keeps a reader’s attention. I know that readers who like dark tales and adventures will certainly enjoy this book. As far as improvements, I could see no need for any in what I read. I did see the Official Online Book Club review and found it insightful.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2020, at 3:24 am by Verna Coy.

LeDiplomatique

The title and cover illustration drew me in like a moth to the flame because they are captivating and they inspire curiosity by just looking at them. After reading the first ten pages, I found the story a little bit confusing due to the poetic language of the author. I did not come across any errors and there is nothing to improve. I liked most that the language S.J. Hartland has used is timeless, that is, one can read and reread this story without getting bored due to its language. I also fell in love with the character of Kaell because his youthful rebellion portrays his courage to follow his own heart. I came across a well-written official review by sriviyag1 and it confirmed that this is an amazing read.

First Ten review added on January 24, 2020, at 3:13 am by LeDiplomatique.

Sanju Lali

The cover and the title gave an exact idea of the content in the book. I read the official review and got valuable insights about the setup, story-line, and character building. I usually keep such a book on my second priority list. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that the official review and the title of the book are accurate about what I can expect in the book. The sentences are dense enough, packing as many details. For example, "Wind whipped auburn hair across a surly, young face Vraymorg at once disliked.", which makes me read such sentences at least two times to understand the exact meaning. It looks like the book is professionally edited because I found errors rarely, except for the sentence given above, as it does not convey a clear meaning. Moreover, I also feel this book may take a lot of time to read due to such sentences. I will not buy and read this book today. However, I may wait until I make my mind to read such a nice piece of art, created with very hard work.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 11:12 pm by Sanju Lali.

Melchi Asuma

From the get go, I was not interested in reading this book owing to its length. However, the official review seems to praise it very highly which momentarily led me to reading the sample. I was not impressed. The story starts out by not revealing the woman who wanted to wreak havoc and only revealing her opponent -Lord Vraymorg. However, I felt that the author was too set in detailing and describing the scene rather than actually narrating the action. However, it was very professionally edited as I saw no grammatical errors. The cover page is nice but the title does not do it for me. I don't think I will read it.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 10:50 pm by Melchi Asuma.

AvidBibliophile

The cover art is magically mesmerizing and appears professionally designed. The Amazon product description is entertaining and separated into easily digestible tidbits of thought that have been presented in a visually appealing format. The story instantly pulls you in with armed riders on horseback and lords on castle walls. I loved descriptive statements like: "fiendish bladesman who's deeds maudlin poets spin into legend" and "cold foreboding hammered down his backbone." This book appears to have been professionally edited, although I did struggle somewhat with trying to keep all the character names and groups of people straight in my mind. The one official published OBC review is extremely positive, as are the majority of the 80 plus Amazon user ratings. While I am intrigued by supernatural beings, magic, curses, sorcerers, ghouls and wraiths, I'm slightly less inclined to enjoy blood rituals, bondage, alternate worlds, torture, rape and uninhibited promiscuity. Since fantasy books with inhuman followers and invincible lords do not generally fall within my preferred reading genres, I will be passing on this one, but I have no doubt this tale is a great start to a series that's steadily growing in popularity!

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 10:26 pm by AvidBibliophile.

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

The cover of the book and the blurb are very well executed and I think they will be very appealing for readers of this genre. I liked a lot how the main players of the plot are presented in the blurb. Unfortunately, with very rare exceptions, I don't enjoy fantasy books and much less dark fantasy so, from first impressions, I wouldn't have read it. Reading the first ten pages didn't change my mind. I found some commendable things, like the subversion of gender roles, showed early in the disguise of Kaell or the congruence and complexity of the character's psyche. For example, the fact that even though he has power, Vraymorg feels trapped by his duties. The use of language is too convoluted for my taste. This is a double-edged sword. The author provides us with almost poetic lines, such as: "Its scents of dried mud, dying wildflowers, and distant smoke stank of emptiness, of the wild, steep hills and lonely hollows of this remote wasteland—unsettling to a man born on the sea cliffs of the Isles." The problem is that a whole book with this kind of language is tiresome and almost unreadable for a non-native speaker like me. On top of this, the plot is not of my taste, so I won't read the book. It does seem professionally edited and I don't think anything needs improvement. It has an official review that didn't change my mind.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 8:12 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.

Brenda Creech

Based on the cover and title of this book, I would not have chosen to sample it if I wasn't doing this review. After reading the official review, I knew I would not be reading the entire book. The review revealed the magical and supernatural contents of the story, which I avoid in the books I choose to read. The first ten pages of the book are exciting because I love Medieval themes. Rozenn, Queen of Cahir, confronts Vraymorg as she returns Kaell to him after finding him wandering. After Rozenn tells Vraymorg, she knows who he is, and seduces him, and she leaves a note on his pillow telling him he had brought on the "very storm he feared." I did not find any errors in the first ten pages, so I believe the book has been professionally edited. I am not a fantasy novel fan, but the storyline of this book is intriguing, and the writing flowed smoothly and eloquently. However, I am not comfortable reading anything that has magic and ghouls, similar to vampires. I will not be reading the rest of the book for those reasons.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 7:59 pm by Brenda Creech.

MsH2k

I like the cover of this book, particularly how the light illuminates the sword. Given the sci-fi/fantasy genre, I would not have sampled this book if I had not been part of this program. From the first page, I appreciated the writing. The author moves quickly through scenes, but captures even the smallest detail in the characters. The featured OnlineBookClub review highlighted the author’s attention to detail in developing the many significant characters as well. This feels like the start of a great series. I could picture young Kaell trying to get the approval of his father Vraymorg. And Rozenn appears to be quite the formidable frenemy! I appreciate this well-written story, but I will not finish it because it’s not my genre of choice. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 7:39 pm by MsH2k.

Washboard

I enjoy reading books in this genre. The title and cover art are both eye-catching. The official review makes the book sound beautifully written. The sample I read did not contain any errors. The opening chapter of the book introduces Vraymorg, Queen Rozenn, and a young Kaell in a tense meeting after the queen rescues the young boy and returns him to his guardian. I am enjoying the book so far, and am already captivated by the story. I will be adding this one to my list of books to read.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 6:46 pm by Washboard.

Nikolas Farmakis

This book is a fictional novel that contains magic, adventure, and is based on medieval times. I would not have read this book based on the cover, the title, or the genre, as I do not like fantasy novels. I will not read this book, due to its profane language and its lack of realism. The sample I read did not contain any errors, so the book has been professionally edited. What I liked most about this book was that the author utilized descriptive techniques and dialogue that engages the reader in the story. To improve, the author should remove the vulgar language that distracts the reader, but he should also make his story more realistic. The book had an Official OnlineBookClub review, which did not affect my opinion.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 2:30 pm by Nikolas Farmakis.

Kaitlyn Canedy

I loved the cover art on The 19th Bladesman; it reminds me of Star Wars for some reason. I chose to read the sample because of the artwork and the customer reviews that were on Amazon.com. I liked the author's creativity in using supernatural elements in this book; vampires can made an excellent storyline as long as they don't use a storyline similar to the Twilight series. However, due to the length of the book, I will be passing on it. I do not think that I would have the patience to read through the entirety of it. The sample did not appear to have any grammatical errors that I could find. I don't think that anything needs to be done to improve the book; it is just too long for my liking. The Official OnlineBookClub Review was longer than any other BOTD review that I have read, but it did not influence my decision not to read the book.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 2:20 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.

Erin Dydek

The cover of this book appealed to me because I enjoy fantasy novels and this seemed to fit the category. The writing was very descriptive and began with the return of Kaell, a feisty 9-year-old who thinks he’s ready to fight ghouls. Rozenn has brought him back to his mentor Vraymorg, who is disappointed with the boy’s arrogance in thinking he was ready to fight on his own. The OBC review promised it would be a book of morally gray characters, torture, philosophical pondering, romance, rape, and vampire-like creatures. While some of these elements appeal to me, the book is also over 600 pages long. I had a hard time getting into the book from the first ten pages so I’m not interested in reading the rest. As the book is highly rated, I recommend it to people who enjoy lengthy fantasy novels but, unfortunately, this one is not for me. The book seemed to be well edited and I found no errors in the portion I read.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 1:48 pm by Erin Dydek.

Kaylee Elmer

The 19th Bladesman is a fantasy novel. Fantasy is a genre I typically don't read. After reading the first ten pages I won't be making an exception for this book. The language was very flowery and it was hard to stay focused on what I was reading. I didn't notice any errors and it appeared to be professionally edited. The review I read gave the book extremely high praise so I'm sure people who enjoy fantasy would like to read this book. But, I definitely won't be finishing it.

First Ten review added on January 23, 2020, at 1:12 pm by Kaylee Elmer.

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