The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for David: God's Chosen Crucible
Because David was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.
Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.
This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.
Ekta Kumari
The book reflects on a significant historical Biblical event, and it's David's story of becoming the king of Israel and achieving all the worldly success. The storyline documents his victory against all odds while also evading narrow encounters with King Saul. The narrative was engaging and hooked me right away. However, I wouldn't have read the book based on its genre and the blurb because I wasn't interested in reading a religion-related book. I liked its colorful cover page quite a bit, though. The first few pages depict the anointing of David by Samuel, the prophet. What I like the most is that the author takes good care of geographical details while writing. I believe this will help Christian readers relate to the book and also confirm the accuracy of its narrative with the Biblical account. I also noticed the beautiful use of the Old English language without any errors. While I have decided to not read the whole book due to my lack of interest in the genre, I believe it would definitely interest those who enjoy indulging in the study of Biblical history. I consider this to be an entertaining read based on what I've sampled so far. I was only able to find errors in the following sentence: "God commanded Samuel the prophet to journey to Jesse the Bethlehemite’s house, and there he would separate and then anoint the next king of Israel." There should be a comma after 'Samuel' and 'prophet'. Otherwise, the text looks clean, and I don't think there's anything that I can suggest for improvement. I saw a detailed official OBC review, and, while it was useful, it didn't affect my decision to not read this book further. The text should be edited again because of the errors I found.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2023, at 11:58 am by Ekta Kumari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Manang Muyang
I was excited to see that this book was about David, an important figure in the Old Testament. I would have looked into the book even outside the program. The book's 476 pages almost dissuaded me, but the author's immersive writing style won me over. I will read the rest of the book. I noted some errors, though. On page 1, "'Coming, my prince,' replied the everobedient priest" needed "ever-obedient." On page 2, "We need the gold and the gemstones that Adorn the breastplate of judgment..." miscapitalized "adorn." I don't remember reading David's story in full in First and Second Samuel. I enjoyed the accessible language in the sample and believe I will relish the rest of the book. I have no suggestions for improvement. The flattering official OBC review bolstered my decision.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2023, at 4:59 am by Manang Muyang.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Rodel Barnachea
Following my poring over the book’s official OBC review and Amazon page, I opted not to purchase the title. I am not fascinated by the modern retelling of David's life. I am not intrigued by the lengths David would go to just to avoid King Saul. I am not interested in finding out if David would be safe from King Saul as he takes refuge in the land of the Philistines. Sampling the title failed to change my mind. I would not acquire it because nothing in the Amazon sample convinced me I would enjoy perusing the rest of the book. The first ten pages contain a prologue, the first chapter, and some pages of the second chapter. What I liked most is when Samuel anointed David to be the next King of Israel. I did not note any errors in the sample. The book seems professionally edited. I have no advice to offer to the author.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2023, at 4:56 am by Rodel Barnachea.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ntokozo Joy Ndlovu
I would not have read or sampled this book if it was not part of the First Ten program. The title and cover were not appealing to me and it had no blurb. The editorial and customer reviews were mixed, some complimenting the fictitious part of the story, some condemning the contradictory use of the source material. The sample itself was not impressive. In the first chapter, a messenger arrives at David's camp to alert him about the approaching Israeli army. I found nothing to like about the text and no errors either. As a non-Christian, I fear the rest of the book might be overwhelming with constant biblical references. The OBC review called the book a great expansion of the famous tale. Regardless, I will not be reading the rest of the book as a result of my lack of interest in religious fiction.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2023, at 4:10 am by Ntokozo Joy Ndlovu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sou Hi
Without this program, I wouldn't have read this. The official review from OnlineBookClub, the cover, the blurb, and the ratings on Amazon are fine, but the book's premise is not my cup of tea.
I like nothing in the bit I read. Since I'm not a Christian, I don't understand the issue between David and Saul. I also have no interest in David's life. Thus, I won't buy this book. The OBC review was helpful in making my decision. The editing is alright, and I have no suggestions for improvement.
Error example: Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him amid all his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. -> I think it should be a comma after "his brethren" instead of the colon.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2023, at 1:54 am by Sou Hi.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Annelore Trujillo
I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, OBC review, cover, title, editorial reviews or customer reviews. Historical fiction isn’t a genre I read often, and the religious aspect of this one didn’t seem to be for me. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I liked that the author wrote well with good descriptions. However, the religious aspect still isn’t for me. It starts with David praying right away for a solution for his men. I am not into biblical stories, so I did not find myself drawn in. The book did seem to be professionally edited; I didn’t notice any errors so far. There wasn’t anything specific that needed improvement.
First Ten review added on April 4, 2023, at 12:19 am by Annelore Trujillo.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shanesha Sammerson
The Amazon summary and OBC review piqued my interest and compelled me to peruse it. The title was also intriguing, and it drew my attention because I appreciate reading Biblical stories. After reading the first ten pages, I would purchase it because the beginning was very fascinating and I want to know how the battle between Saul and David ended and if David was able to escape Saul's army. I discovered no mistakes. There is nothing I dislike or would alter about the book.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 11:24 pm by Shanesha Sammerson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
OTrain Disene
Judging by the cover, title, and lengthy synopsis, I would not have selected this book outside this programme. The book is based on biblical events, and as a nonbeliever, it holds no interest to me. This is the reason why I will not read the book past the given ten pages. The first ten pages are about David’s exploits, how he got to be where he was, and where he came from. What I liked was that the writing was flowing and readable. The official OBC helped me reach my decision. I didn’t see any errors. I don’t have suggestions for improvements anywhere.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 7:35 pm by OTrain Disene.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Mayang Bature
When I read this sample, I liked how descriptive the environments were and how engaging the dialogues seemed. Even though they were in a very formal structure, given the setting of the story, I wasn't bothered by it. When I first read the description of this book, I knew it would be a good read, and the official OBC review confirmed my suspicions. I would have liked to read this book if I wasn't in this program. There was nothing I didn't like about the sample I read, and it was free of errors. I'd want to continue reading this book eventually.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 6:02 pm by Mayang Bature.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Diana Lowery
I would not have chosen this book based on the title or the cover because it is the second book in a series. I was shocked that in the blurb the word Bible was not capitalized. The OBC review did not convince me to read the book because the recommendation was to lovers of biblical history, and I am not one of those. I did not like reading the prologue because of the writing style. The first chapter was written in a more contemporary style, but the conversations felt unnatural. There was a capitalization error on page 2, " . . .that we may do Your will . . ." I did not like that there were unfamiliar words such as 'shofar.' I am not going to finish reading the book because it is not a genre that I enjoy.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 11:01 am by Diana Lowery.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Owuamanam Eberechukwu
The book features the stories of the Christian bible about King David. The beginning pages introduced David in the wilderness of Ziph. He was hiding from king Saul who was pursuing him to end his life. David prayed under the sun's scorch as his men were about to face starvation. The author narrated the story in a manner that any reader can comprehend, and I love it. The pages I read were exceptionally well-edited. It is difficult for a non-Christian to know this is a biblical story because of the author's unique narration. I, therefore, do not have any recommendations for the author. The cover design and title are fitting. If the decision to buy and read the book were based on the cover design and title, I would buy and read the book. However, my reading interest at the moment is metaphysical theories. Relatively, I will not buy and read this book. These are my personal thoughts and were not influenced by comments, blurbs, reviews, or comments on OBC or not.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 8:10 am by Owuamanam Eberechukwu.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Pauline Parnell
Even if I hadn't been a part of this program, I would have read the sample pages of this book. The book’s cover and title caught my attention. I would buy the book and finish reading it after reading the first ten pages. There were no errors observed. I admire the biblical stories. There are always lessons to be learned. The author is quite a storyteller. The way he interweaves the different elements of the story is extraordinary. There is nothing I dislike. The OBC assessment proved to be quite helpful.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 7:27 am by Pauline Parnell.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Theresa Moffitt
I was not drawn to the cover of this book. The title and the cover art did not pique my interest in reading the book. The title tells me this is a biblical story about David. However, the cover art reminds me of a romance novel. I would not have picked this book up based on the cover alone. The onlinebookclub.org review that I read was very positive and recommended the book to readers with an interest in historical fiction or Bible stories. The OBC review increased my interest in reading the book. I didn’t read any additional customer reviews or blurbs. The first ten pages begin with a detailed background of David from the Bible. It described his brothers and how he was the youngest. He was required to take care of the sheep on the farm. The first chapter begins with David and his group of warriors traveling through the wilderness in pursuit of King Saul. I saw some errors in the first ten pages, so I don’t believe the book was professionally edited. I think the author could have improved the book with some additional editing. For example on the second page of the first chapter, it states “‘Coming my prince,’ replied the everobedient priest.” In this sentence, “ever” and “obedient” should be two separate words. I liked the amount of research the author conducted to write this book. Sections of the Bible are quoted and expanded upon. However, I don’t have an interest in this subject, so I will not finish reading this book.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 6:50 am by Theresa Moffitt.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sanju Lali
The OBC official review gave me the most needed information about this book. A number of customer and editorial reviews also praised this book. I liked David's act of praying to God, enduring the pain of the pebbles hurting his skin. I learned that Abiathar was David's ever-obedient priest. Since I could not visualize the scenes clearly from the description of the scenes, I will not buy and read this book today. My suggestion to the author is to consider describing the scenes with all the necessary information for clear visualization. I would have read the sample outside The First Ten program because the reviews, cover, title, and genre of this book appealed to me. When I sampled this book, I realized that this book was not professionally edited because I found several grammatical mistakes. For example, the sentence, "Food and fresh water were scarce, forcing a fast lasting the entire voyage." This sentence could have been as follows. "Food and fresh water were scarce, forcing a fast, lasting the entire voyage."
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 3:42 am by Sanju Lali.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Vidhi Adhikari
The book makes a decent first impression with its attractive cover design, straightforward title, detailed description, and multiple customer and OBC reviews. Since the book is an interpretation of Bible narratives, I was reluctant to read the sample. The OBC review spoke about the mention of God's ways, which dampened my interest. That said, I loved the simple writing style of the author. There were some minor grammatical errors, but nothing that would affect my reading experience (I hope that the reader will confirm my understandings for themselves, {remove comma} by searching out the scrip- tures, and so delve deeper into the mind of God while developing an underlying ap- preciation for Biblical history.). Sadly, since the book was not available for purchase on Amazon in India, I won't be able to buy and read it. I would suggest that the writer add pictures to better grab the reader's attention.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 3:00 am by Vidhi Adhikari.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Anna_Hernandez
Had I not been part of this program, I would not have sampled this book based on the title and cover, because I do not enjoy reading religious books. After reading the first ten pages, I will not finish the book, as I do not like the depiction of religion from ancient times, as it is not in favour of women and follows archaic traditions. I found one sentence with capitalization errors, "We need the gold and the gemstones that (a)dorn the (B)reastplate of (J)udgment, necessary to feed and supply our men to thrive and fight another day." After reading the first ten pages, I appreciate that the book is an easy read, giving more people the opportunity to learn from the Bible and hopefully take away some good messages. I see no reason for improvements in the first ten pages. The official featured review of David by Joseph Ganci on OBC did not change my decision to not read the book. I simply prefer not to read religious books due to personal reasons.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 1:42 am by Anna_Hernandez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Shrabastee Chakraborty
Had I not been a part of this program, I would not have read the book based on its genre and published reviews. The OBC review and the first ten pages did not change my mind. I found a single error (location 2%: the closing quotation mark should be placed after 'next' and not 'glory'). The book started exactly where the previous book had ended. David was pursuing King Saul through an uncharted forest. I liked that the author took the readers into the heart of the action from the first page. However, I would have suggested providing some recapitulation of the earlier events. Based on my reading experience and genre preference, I would not read the whole book.
First Ten review added on April 3, 2023, at 1:17 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Hazel Arnaiz
The cover art appears to be historical fiction, but the title and blurb indicate that the book is religious. Customer feedback is a mix of enthusiastic and critical. Outside of the program, I don't usually read faith-based books, so I'll pass on this. I liked the information in the sample's prologue. It sets the stage for the story, letting readers know what to expect. A graphic timeline depicting the generations and succession of families and leaders would be an excellent addition. A map will also come in handy when discussing territories and land conquests. However, I do not intend to read about it at this time. As a result, I'll be passing. On the sampled pages, I didn't notice any editing issues. The insights from the official OnlineBookClub review provide context, which is helpful.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 11:09 pm by Hazel Arnaiz.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kelsey Roy
I was initially intrigued by the title “David.” The book appears to be historical fiction from the cover, which I always enjoy. The cover page art is off-putting. It looks like a man’s face patched onto cartoon artwork. This detail makes the book seem low-budget and juvenile. The blurb confirms the genre and discusses the topic of David in the Bible. The OBC review mentions the close attention to Biblical detail and narrative, which I find appealing. I’m excited to sample this book.
I found no errors within the sample pages. I enjoyed the fictional narrative style of this Biblical story. The author has taken liberties to create an entertaining and logical storyline while staying true to the source and period. I found nothing in the text to dislike. My only recommendation is to please consider revising the cover art of this book into something more congruent with the adult storyline. I will finish reading this book because I enjoy historical biblical fiction.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 10:40 pm by Kelsey Roy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Mariana Figueira
If I wasn't part of the First Ten program, I wouldn't have read the book because nothing on the cover or the title got my attention. After sampling the book I don't want to continue reading it because I'm not religious so a book based on the Bible doesn't interest me. I like that the author states exactly which part of the Bible inspired the novel. This book seems professionally edited, I didn't see any typos; plus, it has an official Online Bookclub review but that didn't affect my opinion about not reading the book. I didn't see anything that needed improvement.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 10:10 pm by Mariana Figueira.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Ari Martinez
If it wasn't for this program, I wouldn't sample this book based on its title, cover, genre, blurb, OnlineBookClub review, or other reviews because I don't tend to enjoy books that deal with religious topics. From what I know about the book, I really liked that it stays true to the Bible, and doesn't try to change the original story. From what I read, I liked the way the author portrayed Eliab – it always did seem like David's brothers did not like him much. After reading the first ten pages, I will not read the whole book because I believe the Bible tells me everything I need to know about King David, and I don't feel I need to know more than that. I can't think of any way to improve the book, and I didn't find any errors in the text.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 8:33 pm by Ari Martinez.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
MsH2k
The email notification of the BOTD did not include the subtitle, and since it was a historical-fiction novel, I wondered if it was about King David. The cover confirmed my suspicion, and my curiosity was piqued because the illustration looked like that of a graphic novel, or at least one with illustrations. I liked the nod to the Hebrew alphabet in how “David” was presented on the cover; at first glance, I thought it was in Hebrew. I enjoy historical fiction and love reading the Bible, but I am not a fan of fictional biblical accounts. The blurb revealed a story that seemed to be mainly biblical, and the author had respect for the Word, so I would have sampled this book even if I were not part of this program. I connected with the author from his introductory notes. I appreciated his references to his Hebraic heritage and his belief in Jesus the Christ. As a Christian, I embrace the Hebraic roots of my faith, so I felt an instant affinity. The first ten pages presented an engaging story of one of David’s many instances of fleeing from Saul’s attacks. I also enjoyed getting a different look at Eliab’s resentment of David. The story read smoothly, and I will finish this book. It appeared professionally edited, but I noticed a very minor grammatical error at loc 136, where there is an unnecessary capitalization of “biblical” in this sentence: “I hope that the reader will confirm my understandings for themselves, by searching out the scriptures, and so delve deeper into the mind of God while developing an underlying appreciation for Biblical history.” It appears the author references the King James Version of the Bible in the quotes. A suggestion for improvement would be to mention the Bible version he uses at the beginning of the book. The featured OnlineBookClub review was positive, but neither it nor any other reviews or ratings had any bearing on my decision.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 7:44 pm by MsH2k.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Kajori Sheryl Paul
"David" is written by Joseph Ganci. It is the second book of the "Empires of Israel" series. It follows David as he flees King Saul's army. The book begins with David and his band of warriors being ambushed in the wilderness of Ziph. After Malek warns David of King Saul's approach, he takes the tough decision to travel to the barren Maon lands. I like how Ganci gives a thrilling and adventurous vibe to David's story. The writing style makes the biblical story relatable to young people of today. I did not find any errors. There is nothing that needs improvement. The OBC review and the reviews on Amazon are helpful. I would read this book based on the cover, title, genre, customer reviews, editorial reviews, and blurb as I like the blurb. I will continue reading the book as I want to know David's story as he ascends the throne of Israel.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 7:00 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Timothy Rucinski
Certainly, this is one of the most professional-looking covers I've seen doing these exercises. It's nicely done, and undoubtedly eye-catching, enough to have prompted me to take a closer look had I come across a hard copy in a bookstore. However, despite the glowing Official OBC Review, I didn't think this book was for me. This is a genre I don't like, which is odd because I like watching biblical epics on the big screen. I've never really cared for reading biblical retellings. After reading the first ten pages, I will not continue for the above reason. Also, I didn't like the dialogue very much. It was very "biblical," I guess, somewhat stilted and stodgy. I didn't like anything about the book other than the cover. I believe the book was professionally edited, as I found no errors. I don't have any recommendations for improvement.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 6:16 pm by Timothy Rucinski.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Kaitlyn Canedy
If David hadn't been the OnlineBookClub's book of the day, I would have checked it out based on the description on Amazon.com. I like reading books based on Bible stories, which is why I knew I would likely be finishing it. If there is one thing to improve, it would be in the description. This book takes stories from the Bible to create a fictional story, but the description passes this book off as a real Bible story; this is only partially true. The author could add something in the description about the book being based on events from the Bible but is a work of fiction. I liked reading about David's anointment; I was able to take the stories in the Bible, along with the author's perspective, and really humanize David, his father, and his brothers. There were no grammatical errors in the first ten pages. Even though there is an official OnlineBookClub review, I knew I was going to finish reading it because of my love for Bible-based novels.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 5:51 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Stephanie Runyon
I would have sampled this book because I enjoy Christian faith books. I liked how the author gave a reference to the Biblical verses he based the story on. This allowed me to follow along with my Bible. I noted a minor error. Beyond editing, I have no suggestions for improvement. The OBC review did not influence my decision to continue reading. I did not read anything online that would alter my decision. I would like to continue reading this book since I liked reading the perspectives of David and King Saul.
Error: "Coming, my prince," replied the everobedient priest
Correction: ."Coming, my prince," replied the ever-obedient priest.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 5:16 pm by Stephanie Runyon.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
Nemanja Jankovic
The title of the book refers to the main character, and based on that, I would choose to read the book. The book's cover also clearly refers to the central figure, but I don't like how it is designed. I read the blurb, the Official OnlineBookClub review, and the customer reviews, but they did not influence my decision. Michael J. Carson's editor reviews emphasized the book's entertainment component, which influenced my decision. I'm not going to read it because I'm not in the mood for books about the Bible right now. I found no errors or typos, so the book appears to have been professionally edited. Malek's explanation of his retreat strategy to David struck me as authentically military. Nothing in the book, in my opinion, needs to be improved.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 4:59 pm by Nemanja Jankovic.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Amy Luman
There were several editorial reviews of this book, and they were good. There were also several customer reviews, and they were also good, with only one giving it a single star. The cover really shows David as a fighter, and the title just tells what the book is about. I won’t be finishing this novel because I don’t really like historical fiction; I prefer contemporary fiction as a rule. The OBC review mentioned how the author presented war techniques of the day, and that did nothing to make me want to read this. My favorite moment was when David took the advice of Malek and traveled to Maon to avoid Saul. I didn’t really have a least favorite part, but I was concerned by Eliab’s distrust of David’s plan to go to Maon. There were no errors to be found in what I read, and I wouldn’t change anything.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 4:50 pm by Amy Luman.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Olga Markova
But for the First Ten, I would have been attracted by the very impressively crafted cover but I would not have sampled this book because the title, the blurb, and the editorial and customer reviews suggest that this is a religious historical fiction novel, and I prefer the Bible itself for religious matters. Sampling the first ten pages, I liked the author’s writing style. I did not find errors and I have no suggestions for improvement. The OBC review was very informative and it helped me to see the sample from the perspective of the book as fictionalised Biblical story. After reading the first ten pages and the OBC review, I will not buy and read the whole book because I prefer the original Bible to its fictionalised versions.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 4:48 pm by Olga Markova.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Patty Allread
If the OBC program had not prompted me, I would not have chosen to sample this book. The title and cover art told me this was a Bible story or about David in the Bible, which is not a genre I would choose. The Amazon blurb confirmed the story's premise and described how the author embellished the details to create historical fiction. The story sounded interesting, and the editorial and customer reviews were pretty good.
I sampled the book and found it hard to read because the locations and peoples or tribes mentioned were unknown to me. I also didn't enjoy the "BiblicaL" speaking style of the characters. I appreciate that the Bible has many great stories, such as David's, that would be great material for historical fiction. I didn't see errors in what I read, but I want to mention the cover art. The cover art has the style of a romance novel cover, and I suggest a book of this caliber deserves cover art that conveys more emotion and a sense of purpose. Perhaps a better choice would be a close-up of David with his sword featuring a dedicated, brave look on his face and leaving the woman out.
I decided not to buy and read this book because I don't think I can appreciate it very well since I do not study the Bible. The OBC reviewer showed her appreciation of this book and obviously knows more about the Bible and the story of David. This would make a difference, I think, in which readers will truly appreciate this book.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 3:40 pm by Patty Allread.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Chinazo Anozie
I was initially interested in this book from the title, cover, description, genre, customer reviews, and the official OnlineBookClub review. However, I changed my mind after reading the first few pages, so I’ll not buy and read this book. Although I enjoyed reading about the famous story of David, I didn’t enjoy the archaic dialogue used by the characters; it made me feel like I was reading the archaic version of the Bible. I understood that the author was trying to be authentic to the setting, but this was just a personal dislike. However, I liked that the author incorporated David’s prayerfulness into the book. This book seems professionally edited because I didn’t notice any typos.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 3:35 pm by Chinazo Anozie.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Abdul-Malik Hassan
Regardless of my participation in this program, I still would have read or sampled this book based on its title, cover, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews. I think it's essential to navigate your way through BOTD books, so as to gain the knowledge and insight they share. I like what the storyline entails but I don't feel the need to purchase this book. There wasn't a single error to report within the first ten pages. I liked the fact that I was able to relate to the genre of this book. Historical fiction novels are one of my favorites. However, the thing that I disliked about this book was the fact that the storyline wasn't as compelling as I thought. I wasn't intrigued by its concept. This book has an official OBC review. OBC reviews play a critical role in determining how influential a particular book might be.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 1:21 pm by Abdul-Malik Hassan.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Sushan Ekanayake
David: God's Chosen Crucible by Joseph Ganci belongs to the Historical Fiction genre, which I usually do not read. The title and the cover page were self-explanatory, though not particularly eye-catching. The blurb revealed that this book offers a fresh take on the well-known biblical story of David. The editorial reviews and customer reviews spoke highly of the book. Based on the above facts, I would not have sampled this book if I had not been a part of this program.
Then, I read the first few pages, which included the prologue that quoted relevant biblical passages, followed by the first chapter that described David's communication session with God. The author did an excellent job in creating a background story that we did not see in the Bible. However, since I do not prefer reading either historical or biblical stories, I decided not to read the rest of the book after completing the first ten pages.
I did not detect any errors or areas in need of improvement within the opening pages. Additionally, I found the official OBC review, which commended the book. Nonetheless, it was insufficient to change my mind.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 12:54 pm by Sushan Ekanayake.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Bertha Jackson
This book’s cover and title drew my attention because I enjoy reading Christian historical fiction books. The blurb, customer reviews, and editorial reviews did not influence my decision. I enjoyed reading the first ten pages because of Joseph Ganci’s writing style. Although it is a biblical story, he does not come across as preachy and only tells a story. The world would be so much better if people followed God’s example of looking at an individual’s heart, not their outward appearance. I am not sure I agree with David’s opinion that God favors those kneeling in pain on stones more than those who pray in comfort. Joseph’s descriptive writing style made it easy for me to see the serpents and bats in the barren wilderness of Maon. I disliked nothing in the first ten pages, but I recommend that the author have this book professionally edited. The first error I encountered was on Page 1: “Coming, my prince,” replied the everobedient priest. It should be “Coming, my prince,” replied the ever-obedient priest. The OnlineBookClub review reinforced my desire to read this book when it revealed that this book includes love and marriage. I will eventually finish reading the free copy of this book because I am interested in David’s story.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 12:33 pm by Bertha Jackson.
Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!
María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda
The cover is fine, but it looks like a religious comic, and I don't really read comics. I'm not very religious, either. The blurb is too long, and, as I said, I don't really read biblical stories unless they have a twist. The ratings are mixed. I wouldn't have bought the book based on my first impressions.
I didn't like the first ten pages. The whole family tree part of the Bible is something I've always found boring, and later on, when Eliab is talking to David, the dialogues are too long. There are some interesting images (e.g., "He knelt in silence for what seemed like a time without end in the unforgiving sun") but also plenty of mistakes:
-Incorrect capitalization: "and the gemstones that Adorn the breastplate of judgment." (p. 2).
-Misplaced quotation marks: when a dear friend asked me, "What happens next? After reading part five of Gideon: The Sound and The Glory." (Location 132)
-Misspelling: "Coming, my prince," replied the everobedient priest. (p. 1)
I suggest fixing the edition and shortening the blurb. I also suggest explaining this is not a graphic novel or comic. The official OBC review didn't change my mind.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 11:54 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Hannah Hampton
I read the OBC review for this book, and it influenced how I read the first ten pages in a positive way. I think historical novels are really cool, especially retellings of classic stories that a lot of people are really familiar with. The way that the author writes makes me really curious about the rest of the book, as they are covering ancient concepts with a modern tone. I am not going to buy and read this book, but this is mainly because this is a sequel, and I am more interested in reading the series from the beginning than picking it up in the middle. I did not notice any errors in the first ten pages. I do not think I would have sampled this book if I were not doing the first ten program, but that is just because I do not often read historical fiction.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 11:52 am by Hannah Hampton.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Nisha DSouza
I would not pick this book going by the title and the cover, as I am not a fan of historical fiction. The blurb and the official OBC review did not help much either. There were a few positive Amazon customer comments. I did not enjoy the sample, maybe because it had too many historical names and background stories, which were incomprehensible to me. Perhaps readers who enjoy historical fiction based on the Bible might enjoy this. Unfortunately, this book isn’t for me. Truthfully, I might not have even sampled it; had it not been nominated as OBC’s BOTD. That is probably, because of my disinterest in this genre. I found one error in the first ten pages; I have provided the details below.
Page 1 of 476
Error 1: “Coming, my prince,” replied the everobedient priest.
Explanation: It should be ‘ever obedient’ instead of ‘everobedient’.
First Ten review added on April 2, 2023, at 10:18 am by Nisha DSouza.
Do you plan to read the whole book? No
Total ~ 27%
David earned a score of 27%.
In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 27% plan to read the whole book.
IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.
Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.
Go to main Bookshelves page for David
