The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Roan: The Tales Of Conor Archer

Because Roan 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 centers around a teen who discovers the secrets about his bloodline and Celtic ancestry. The storyline follows him as he unravels the secrets and tries to find his links with the mystery of the 'Dark Ones'. I wouldn't have read the book as the blurb didn't engage me in any way. However, reading the sample completely changed my opinion. I found the sample to be a great read, and what I liked the most is that the sense of mystery, mythology, and paranormal, which are central themes of the book, are pervasive from the very beginning of the book. I also found the writing to be vivid. I do not have any suggestions for improvements based on my read so far. I saw an official OBC review prior to sampling the book. I would just recommend another round of proofreading as I found two errors. One error is in this sentence, "Walter was sure the Great Cat would bequeath him wisdom, but more importantly, would give him status with the folk in Tinker’s Grove." There's a comma missing before 'more importantly'. I'm definitely going to read the whole book now as I've enjoyed the sample so far.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 5:37 am by Ekta Kumari.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Manang Muyang

This book has been BOTD a number of times, and I know that it is a fantasy read. That's a genre that I don't read much of, so I wouldn't have sampled the book outside of the program. The reviews at the front of the book compare it to Potter and the Tolkien books, which will surely excite fantasy fans. It is a longish book at almost 600 pages, another reason that dissuades me from reading it. Some of the errors I found follow: At 20% of the sample, "600 foot bluffs that made up this section of the great United States" needed "600-foot." "Signing postcards of her in her pretty bead worked costume" at 22% also needed "bead-worked." At 36%, "The boss is no where around" should have used "nowhere." I could see the similarity to Tolkien's work where the author intersperses the narrative with verses. The depiction of the creature Piasa was so vivid it scared me. However, this is not my genre, so I will pass. The official OBC reviewer has high praises for the book and the author. Apart from addressing the petty errors I found, the author could add chapter numbers to help keep the reader in place.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 4:59 am by Manang Muyang.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Asma Aisha Ansari

I wouldn't have picked this book up based on the title, the cover, the genre, the Amazon reviews and the blurb because I found nothing interesting about them. The OBC review is well-written and made me want to sample the book. As for the sample, I found the writing a bit hard to follow. There was anything that piqued my interest in the story. Walter's reminiscences didn't let the plot flow well.

The book seems professionally edited, as I found no errors in the sample. I have no suggestions for improvement. I'm not going to read the rest of the book because I didn't enjoy reading the sample.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 4:58 am by Asma Aisha Ansari.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Dzejn_Crvena

I wouldn't have sampled this book based on the cover and title because I couldn't read all the letters, and the art is a bit dark. The OBC review didn't convince me to read it after I learned that it's an urban fantasy with themes like Celtic mythology and Native American folklore that I'm not interested in. It's about a teen named Conor, who was prophecied to become either a warrior of light or a harbinger of darkness in his town. He is set to find out about his true identity after a family tragedy unraveled something about his past. I had trouble reading through the phrases in the sample because the writing style is not convenient for someone like me who speaks English as a second language. Thus, I won't continue reading it. I like the inclusion of the map that helped me visualize the fictional world in the story. The book seems professionally edited, so I don't have suggestions for improvements.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 3:52 am by Dzejn_Crvena.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Gabriella H

The cover looks very interesting. I like how colorful it is. I also like the title and the genre. The official book of the day review by OBC and the editorial review made me expectant. I wondered what Conor would choose, light or darkness? I also enjoyed reading through the customer reviews. According to them, this book beautifully blended different genres into one. I didn't see any blurb for this book. After reading the first ten pages, I was disappointed. I won’t be completing this book because I didn’t enjoy the writing style, and I was very bored. I was disappointed by the way the book started, and it felt like ramblings to me. Walter kept going on about things that made no sense to me, and this made for a confusing and boring start to the book. I would suggest a more interesting, engaging, and attention-grabbing beginning be used to capture the attention of readers. If I weren't a part of this program, I would’ve sampled this book because of the interesting cover, but I definitely wouldn’t have read up to ten pages. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 3:13 am by Gabriella H.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mercy Bolo

This book's cover didn't entice me to read it. The OBC review dissuaded me when it mentioned that the author narrates the story of a teenager returning to his hometown after the death of his mother. That storyline doesn't appeal to me, so I won't read the rest of the book. When I read the first ten pages, I liked that Walter kept looking for the silver catfish he was obsessed with as a child. I will conclude that the text underwent professional editing since I spotted no errors. There's nothing I disliked about the bit I read, and I wouldn't change anything about it.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 3:11 am by Mercy Bolo.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mutai Marshal

Both the cover page and title dissuaded me from reading this book. They hinted at science-fiction, a genre I don't find fascinating. Therefore, I wouldn't have read it outside the First Ten program. I liked the blurbs and reviews incorporated in the initial pages. They give a brief summary of what this fictional book is about. The OBC review didn't change my mind about it, and I will not buy this science-fiction novel. It wasn't exceptionally edited as I flagged a grammatical error ('Walter remembered that from geography class oh so many years ago.' The 'oh' shouldn't be in the sentence in location 267). I didn't notice anything worth improving in this novel.

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 3:03 am by Mutai Marshal.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sou Hi

Even without this program, I would have sampled this. Amazon's ratings are not very good, but the official review from OnlineBookClub and the blurb look good. The genre is my cup of tea, too.

I like the fantasy theme, and the editing is fine. However, the writing style is not to my liking. Besides, Walter's part is quite obscure and long-winded. I think the author should add more details to clarify the events, such as the monster's identity or the reason it appears. Since it can't pique my interest, I won't buy this book.

Error example: That's when she told him one scary, bad ass story. -> There should be a hyphen between "bad" and "ass"

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 1:54 am by Sou Hi.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

evraealtana

I have not seen urban fantasy done well very often, so I tend to avoid it. For that reason, based solely on the official OBC review, I would not have chosen this book for myself. I loved the character of Grandma Swift Deer and badly wanted to know more about her. I felt that having Walter recall the legends made them seem fake or exaggerated; I would have preferred that the old stories, particularly about the Piasa and its trek to the sea, were told as though they were happening in real time, possibly as a prologue to Walter's story. It would have been much more engaging and would have kept my attention better than Walter sitting on a river, fishing for the Great Cat and thinking about myths he once heard. I was so into the first chapter but much less into the second one. The second chapter, which introduced Conor, the protagonist, and changes the setting to modern Chicago, didn't really hold my attention at all, since I don't generally like modern fiction and Conor's backstory regarding his mother's heritage was unnecessary at this point in the book. If the whole book had been about Walter, I would have kept reading, but because I know it will be about Conor, I don't think I will continue. I found one error in the first ten pages: a typo in "the rattle snakes...kept in a wire cage" (rattlesnakes).

First Ten review added on February 23, 2022, at 1:26 am by evraealtana.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Gabrielle Sigaki

Roan by E. R. Barr is a novel that mixes Urban Fantasy with history. It contains magic, mysticism, Good and Evil, a bit of mythology, and mystery too. If I didn't sample this book, I wouldn't read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review and its customer reviews since I'm not interested in books that bring the battle between Good and Evil, or that bring mythology with magic. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind and I won't read the entire book because of the reasons I stated before. However, the book seems professionally edited, there's nothing to be improved in it, and I liked the fact that the author provides a map with some of the book's locations and already uses information on the map to portray the characters' locations. But my favorite aspect was how the author incorporated some myths in the characters' everyday lives through their habits. The book's cover, title, genre, and blurb didn't affect my decision.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 10:11 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jorge Leon Salazar

The title and cover look totally in keeping with the story and the fantasy genre. I think the target audience should feel attracted. In general, I'm not a fan of the fantasy genre. The blurb expresses the story focuses on Conor Archer, who has to discover who he really is and how he is tied to the mystery of the "Dark Ones." The plot includes an ancient river demon and a scientist from a biogenetics company. Conor finds himself in the middle of the struggle between myth and science. The numerous customer reviews are impressively flattering. Based on these elements, I am uninclined to try this book. The extensive Prologue tells about Walter Johnson when he goes fishing and meets Piasa, the hideous creature Grandma Swift Deer had told him about. She was the last survivor of the Winnebago tribe. What is told in the prologue serves to establish the ancient belief of the existence of Piasa, an evil spirit, who ruled those waters surrounding the River Wisconsin. The descriptions become more horrifying with the inclusion of willows whispering in the night and mounds in the shape of owls. The moment when Piasa morphed into a face like an old Indian woman and spoke to Walter produced much terror. Next, the first pages tell about Conor Archer, who plays tin whistle with bands in some pubs. All that happened with the stranger who gave Conor a drink generated expectations. Then the stranger told Conor that he was a "dark one" and had to go to the place of his people. In addition, his dying mother had told him that when she died he had to return to his place of origin. The theme of the creature Piasa and why Conor is important to the people of Tinker's Grove causes a bit of intrigue. The official review indicates that this novel is classified as urban fantasy and stands out for the author's complex and engaging writing style. Additionally, coherent world-building and character development are outstanding features. As for the editing, I did not see any typo or error. Overall, I didn't see anything that I believe could be improved. What I read was striking since it started defining the fantasy environment in which the plot will unfold. However, it didn't completely capture me, as I'm not a fan of fantasy. In summary, I will not read the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 8:19 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mariana Figueira

Before reading the book's first pages, I wasn't interested in it because nothing on the cover or the title got my attention. After sampling the book, I don't want to continue reading it because the story didn't captivate me. I didn't like that the book was progressing so slowly: nothing had happened in the first pages, and all I knew was that the part of the river where Walter was "held secrets." This book seems professionally edited and has an official Online BookClub review. There was nothing I saw that I particularly enjoyed. Neither the blurb, customer reviews, nor editorial reviews affect my decision not to read the book.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 4:31 pm by Mariana Figueira.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kirsi Cultrera

I did not like the cover picture of this book, but its genre and the blurb certainly managed to pique my interest. I haven’t read too many urban fantasy stories, but the ones I’ve read have been amazing. Therefore, I would have at least sampled this book even without The First Ten. The story pulled me in from the very first page. I loved the author’s way with words, and I loved the mixture of modern times and Celtic mythology. The author introduced a few mysterious characters at the beginning and got me hooked. I wanted to know what their meaning was to the story. In addition, Conor’s character was adorable. I found absolutely nothing to dislike from this book and was certain already before reading the Official OnlineBookClub review that I would read this book. The review did not change my mind. The editing seemed professional, as I found no mistakes from the sample. I can’t wait to dive deeper into the world of Conor.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 3:50 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Rosemary Owolabi

Had I not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would have chosen to read this book based on the blurb, customer positive reviews, and editorial positive reviews. Although it didn't look like the kind of book I was used to, considering the cover and title.

Reading the first ten pages didn't change my opinion of the original guess. Because of some technicalities in the book, I will not buy the book and complete it. The grammatical structure of the book made it hard for me to concentrate on reading it, though the storyline seemed interesting. But that wasn't good enough for me. Based on what I read, the book had some issues with formatting. I didn't notice any typos, but some grammatical errors were in the first ten pages. There were many sentences that were incomplete in the first ten pages, making it difficult to follow. I would like to write out some of the examples I extracted from pages 1 and 3.
'Too slow, not going to make it to work on time. '(See page 1).
'Just enough Guinness on top and enough lacquer on the..'
(See Page 1).
'Unless he chooses to be one of the faceless homeless, misplaced, or forgotten.'
(See Page 3).

What I liked about the bit that I read was the writer's way of building the touching story between Conor Archer and his sick mother. The sickness was beginning to affect his performance, promptness, and concentration at the Irish pub. I liked how the writer systematically broadened the story. The writer seemed to be preparing the readers' minds for some shocking revelations. In this sample, Conor didn't know his biological father and didn't seem to care.
The story was becoming more interesting as it progressed.

What could be improved would be the construction of the grammar. The writer should work on word choices and grammatical usage. But in all honesty, I was enjoying the storyline, but the unprofessional style of writing was too distracting for me to focus on it.

I didn't see any official OnlineBookClub reviews, but this didn't affect my decision.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 3:45 pm by Rosemary Owolabi.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Soraya Bayah

The prologue and first chapter were intriguing. It was nice to learn about some traditional poems and urban legends. I was shocked with what Conor witnessed. I believe he will go on to discover more about his heritage, only to ease his curiosity. I did not encounter errors. I would pick up this book from the reviews, title, cover, and genre, as I enjoy a bit of old folklore about foreign countries, as well as a thrilling read. I believe the story progressed nicely in a way that did not distract readers. It shocked me to know that Conor was Walter’s son, and that their story closely resembles that of Willie. I see nothing could be bettered, and that the OBC review made me even more interested in picking up this book.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 2:05 pm by Soraya Bayah.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Diana Lowery

I would not have picked this book based on the title or the cover because it looks like a genre that I do not read. The Amazon blurb was in an annoying bold print. It mentioned a dog named Troubles, which was ironic because I used to have a cat named Troubles. The OBC review was glowing, but I was not convinced to read about characters who had "evil dripping from their veins." I liked the Irish ballad at the beginning of the book. I did not see any errors in the pages that I read. I liked the writing style of the author and wished that he/she wrote something besides fantasy. I liked the story of the boy and the rattlesnake. I am not going to finish reading the book because of the genre. I do not have any suggestions for the author.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 8:53 am by Diana Lowery.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Eunice Geres

I wouldn't have checked the sample if it weren't on BOTD because the book doesn't seem like one I would enjoy. I don't usually read sci-fi. However, after reading the official review, I realized that this might be a good book because the review has nothing but praise for the book. The prologue is very promising. I love the way the author sets the vibe of the book. I can already tell that this would be a great fantasy novel. I also like the poems written in some chapters. Unfortunately, I find the story to be too fast-paced. It's like I don't have any time to breathe and enjoy the text even though it's still just the beginning. Like when Conor sang, I'm still trying to imagine the music, but then someone's already taking him outside. I would like a little narration after the music. I think it's a well-written novel for readers who like a fast-paced novel. Sadly, it's not for me. So, I won't be continuing to read this. I didn't notice any grammatical mistakes, and I have no recommendations.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 8:16 am by Eunice Geres.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

brooke oakes

I don’t think I would have sampled or read this book outside this program. I didn't find its cover or title interesting. Also, neither its OBC nor Amazon review appealed to me with the mention of family tragedy. The story starts on a foggy creek. Walter is fishing for some catfish. He thinks back to a memory of his foster mom and things she had told him. I liked the vivid narration of this book, but nothing else in the book appealed to me, so I won't complete it.I don't notice any errors, while I read. I don't think this book needs any improvement.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 6:55 am by brooke oakes.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sanju Lali

I was able to guess that this is a fairy tale book about a boy called Roan after seeing its cover and title. In light of it, I read the OBC official review of this book because I was curious to know more about Roan. The OBC official review helped me understand that this book has a mix of myths, legends, and folklore in a real-time setting. This information encouraged me to read the sample of the book before purchasing it. After reading the first ten pages, I realized that this book was not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, “Like an animal he sniffed her.” The sentence could have been as follows. "Like an animal, he sniffed her.” The thing l liked the most in this sample is the way Cecy, Fintan’s wife, showed a soft corner toward Conor, which he needed the most. What troubled me was the usage of some very short sentences without using a conjunction to join them. This writing style was hampering my pace of reading because I had to read some sentences twice to avoid any confusion. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and make this book easy to read. I am not going to read this book until the author addresses the above-mentioned problems.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 6:48 am by Sanju Lali.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Vidhi Adhikari

This book has an interesting cover and a title. The description is pretty straightforward and clearly describes the overall plot of the story. However, since I'm not interested in fantasy novels, I wasn't looking forward to reading the sample, even though the book had numerous positive customer and editorial reviews. Unfortunately, the sample couldn't change my mind and I shall not be reading this book further as its genre is not the one I prefer. I did find a couple of grammatical errors while reading, which should be looked into ('With the thickening fog, he couldn’t see that clearly, but whatever it was {add comma} headed {replace with 'was heading'} toward the banks of the willow grove.'). Although I liked the description of the creature that Walter saw in the water, I would suggest shortening the section where he remembers the folklore that his grandmother had shared with him.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 6:07 am by Vidhi Adhikari.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Hazel Arnaiz

The cover, title, and blurb look like teenage urban fantasy. Customer reviews are enthusiastic. I am not keen on this genre. Hence, I will skip this outside the program. After sampling, I appreciate that it revives interest in Celtic mythology and Native American folklore. I also like the fine details of the map and illustrations. I suggest adding more images, especially those that are symbolic or hold a particular meaning, like the brooch on the bandage. Readers can revisit the image as its meaning unfolds along the way. The recall makes the reading experience more visually engaging. However, I will not finish the book. It seems that I am not the target audience. Also, I prefer standalone, and I have some reservations if this opening book reads like one. As for editing issues, here are some examples.

Location 400. Spelling. Compound word. Consider adding a hyphen.

At night, the mist often collected around the river bottoms, sloughs, and 600 foot bluffs that made up this section of the great United States.

At night, the mist often collected around the river bottoms, sloughs, and [600-foot] bluffs that made up this section of the great United States.

Location 436. Spelling. Compound word. Consider adding a hyphen.

Spelling. Consider joining the words.

Couldn’t have been more than ten or eleven, but more than he hated the Burke or loved the service station’s ice cold Coke in bottles, he loved the rattle snakes that Delahanty kept in a wire cage right in the same garage where the cars were fixed.

Couldn’t have been more than ten or eleven, but more than he hated the Burke or loved the service station’s [ice-cold] Coke in bottles, he loved the [rattlesnakes] that Delahanty kept in a wire cage right in the same garage where the cars were fixed.

The official OnlineBookClub review is enthusiastic and insightful, which helps keep this book in mind. But, for now, I will pass.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 2:59 am by Hazel Arnaiz.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Ari Martinez

To say that a book will not let me go, not even "long after the last page has been read," is the best compliment I could ever give a book. Therefore, if it hadn't been for this program, I would still have sampled this book because the Official OnlineBookClub reviewer gave this book the best compliment I could think of. I must admit, however, that I did not like the book's cover - I simply did not find it pleasing to look at. After reading the first ten pages, I will read the rest of the book because I was left intrigued as to what the story in the prologue has to do with Conor. I would also like to learn more about Conor. My favorite part of the sample was the way the prologue ended with Walter clutching the tree. I thought it did a great job at intriguing the reader. This book does not appear to need improvement, and it seems professionally edited.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 2:22 am by Ari Martinez.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kira Bonita Reece

Judging from the official online book club review, this seems like an interesting urban fantasy. Realizing that you have magical powers can be very fascinating. I would choose to read this book based on the cover, blurb, and customer reviews.
The sample seemed professionally edited but the first ten pages didn't pique my interest. Most of the time I was confused as to what was taking place. I don't understand Walter's character. I would recommend making the prologue a bit clearer. I won't be reading this one because it is not a genre I like.

First Ten review added on February 22, 2022, at 12:15 am by Kira Bonita Reece.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Verna Coy

Roan by E. R. Barr seems to be a professionally edited tale with interesting foundations. I liked the research that seemed evident in the way that tales were told about days gone by. What I liked best about the sample that I read was the stories about Grandma Swift Deer. They added to the feel of the scene and depth of the storyline. I saw no obvious need for improvements to the book. It seems free of errors, and I know it will appeal to fans of urban fantasy as well as those who love adventure. It’ s not my usual style of reading, so I don’t plan to read the whole book. I enjoyed reading the insights in the featured 4 star Online Book Club review.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 11:05 pm by Verna Coy.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jennifer Garcia 555

I like the genre but the cover is not eye catching. I doubt I would pick this book to read. This book has a lot of good official OnlineBookClub reviews. This made me interested in reading the sample pages. I found no editing errors in the pages that I read, so this book seems professionally edited. I found the idea of the Wisconsin River being evil an interesting idea. I would suggest a bit more action in the beginning of the story. The old man fishing and talking about his past did not draw me in. For that reason I will pass on this book.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 10:58 pm by Jennifer Garcia 555.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rodel Barnachea

After I pored over the title’s Amazon page and official OnlineBookClub review, I decided not to acquire the urban fantasy novel. I don’t hate or dislike the urban fantasy genre, but I am not an enthusiast as well. I am also not intrigued by how Christian traditions, Celtic myths, and Native American folklore will converge in the plot. I am not interested in learning whether Conor Archer’s ultimate destiny will be as a “warrior of Light” or a “harbinger of Darkness.” Reading its Amazon sample failed to change my mind. I would not purchase it because nothing in the text compelled me to peruse the remaining chapters of the novel. I believe the story is not my cup of tea. The first ten pages cover a prologue, the chapter entitled “At the DerryAir,” and a few pages of the chapter entitled “At the Buckingham Fountain.” My favorite part is when Walter took one of Old Mike’s small snakes and cut off its rattle. I noted some errors in the text: There were instances when some words that should have been hyphenated were not. Such is the case in the sentence “...600 foot bluffs...” ("...600-foot bluffs...”) and in the sentence “...pretty bead worked costume...” (”...pretty bead-worked costume...”). Since the errors are minor, I still believe the book is professionally edited. I have no advice to offer to the author.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 10:41 pm by Rodel Barnachea.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Stephanie Runyon

I have seen this book several times on the internet and have been curious since it looks like it may be a fantasy novel. I would have sampled it based from my curiosity and interest in fantasy stories. The Irish Ballad of Willie Archer was a nice highlight for me. There were numerous grammatical errors; however, I believe they are intentional with Walter Johnson's expressive thoughts. Therefore, I am not counting them as true errors. I wouldn't change anything about the story. The OBC review didn't influence my decision to read the story. The dialect appears to be genuine and allowed for my connection to understanding Walter. There is also suspense regarding the story told by his foster mother, especially after he cut off the rattle on the timber rattlesnake. His thoughts about the evil rumored to be on the area he was fishing in added to the intrigue.

Only time he thought of it before this night was the next time he visited her.- ERROR, subjective grammar
The only time he thought of it, before this night, was the next time he visited her.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 10:14 pm by Stephanie Runyon.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Amy Luman

I don’t think I’ll read this entire book. The cover would not have drawn me in; the woman looks like a stereotypical witch, and I get the impression of a cemetery. The title made me think of a name (I guess because it’s our neighbor's) and not a place, and none of the reviews or the blurb that I read made it sound very interesting. I’m not really interested in fantasy novels. I am sorry for Conor that his mother died, but at least he had Cecy to help him get along in the beginning of the book. Even reading the first ten pages of this didn’t change my mind about reading it. I do think it was professionally edited, though, because I didn’t notice any errors. I like that Conor makes music like he has a passion for it, even though his boss, Finlan, is so gruff. Any changes that I suggest would be purely my personal preferences. The OBC review that I read covered the main points.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 6:32 pm by Amy Luman.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

markodim721

I would choose to read a sample of this book because of the cover and partly the title. I read the blurb, customer reviews, and Official OnlineBookClub review but they did not influence my decision. On the other hand, the editor review written by Ruffino Oserio stood out and influenced my decision to some extent because it pointed to supernatural undertones. The cover of the book is clearly designed and reminds me of adventure but also Celtic heritage. The title of the book somewhat fits with the cover of the book but is not particularly inspiring. I’m not going to read the book because I’m not in the mood to read urban fantasy right now. While reading the sample I did not notice any typos or errors and the book seems like it is professionally edited. Reading the sample somewhat changed my mind from my original guess. I like the author's description of "authentic" Irish pubs in Chicago because I think he got to the bottom of it and described the phenomenon in the right way. I also liked the protective relationship Cecy had with Conor. I don't think anything needs to be improved in the book.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 4:44 pm by markodim721.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Yvonne Monique

The book cover looks like a typical cover for a young adult's book. That is why I would not pick this book up if I would see it in a bookstore. However, the customer reviews, blurb and OBC review make this book sound a perfect read and made me look forward to reading the sample. The sample is well edited. I loved the fact that it started with an old Irish ballad. The first chapter started a bit slow but made a good attempt to slowly introduce the characters and some background information. As I love fantasy stories, and because of the great reviews, I have decided to buy and read this book. As an improvement, I would suggest to make the cover look a bit more 'grown-up' in order to attract a wider audience.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 4:16 pm by Yvonne Monique.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Rizki Pradana

I have chosen to read the first ten of this book based on Amazon reviews because of the title. I have seen an OBC review, and it affected me to read this book. I really liked the map illustration because it could help me understand the story better. Also, I loved the story that focused on unraveling the dark secrets. Because of that, I wanted to read the whole book. I don't have any recommendations for the author. I found no errors, which means this book seemed perfectly edited.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 4:03 pm by Rizki Pradana.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Chinazo Anozie

Fantasies are one of my favourite genres, and I was intrigued by the title, cover, customer reviews, description, and the official OnlineBookClub review for this book. The story drew me in almost immediately, from Walter’s chilling fishing experience to Conor’s midnight adventures with the strange man and woman. There were a lot of mysterious events that left me adequately intrigued. I will buy and read this book. However, it seems this book will benefit from another round of editing because I noticed a few typographical errors. An excerpt of one of the errors from chapter two (At The Derryair) is provided below. I cannot provide the exact page because the format I read on Amazon did not contain page numbers:
[“]Probably, a pervert,[“] muttered Conor under his breath.

The sentence is missing a couple of quotation marks.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 3:47 pm by Chinazo Anozie.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Shridhar Suryawanshi

If I had not actually sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would not have chosen to read or sample this book based on the cover, title, genre, blurb, editorial reviews, and customer reviews that I saw because I believe in "don't judge a book by its cover." I won't be reading this book because I did not feel any suspense or anything that would interest me in reading it. The writing style seemed to lack the entertaining factor. It is exceptionally edited since I did not find any errors. I liked the pace of the book, and I suggest adding personification or similies to make it better. An OnlineBookClub review did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 3:28 pm by Shridhar Suryawanshi.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Bertha Jackson

I would have checked out this book because of the artistic cover and title because I enjoy reading the genre. The blub, editorial reviews, and customer reviews did not influence me. I became intrigued with this book with the map of Tinker’s Grove and the Irish ballad, “The Ballad of Willie Archer,” at the beginning of the book. I became immersed with the Indian and Celtic folklore in the first ten pages. I am curious about the webbing between Conor’s fingers. I had already decided to buy and read this book before reading the OnlineBookClub review, so it did not influence me. I did find a couple of errors in the first ten pages at Loc. 282: “Couldn’t have been more than ten or eleven, but more than he hated the Burke or loved the service station’s [ice cold[ (ice-cold) Coke in bottles, he loved the [rattle snakes] (rattlesnakes) that Delahanty kept in a wire cage right in the same garage where the cars were fixed.” Other than these errors, the first ten pages appear to be professionally edited, and I have no recommendations for this author. I have downloaded the free copy of this book and will eventually finish reading it.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 2:25 pm by Bertha Jackson.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Astral Magi

The title and the dark and intriguing cover drew my interest. If I hadn't read the first ten pages, I would have read the book based on these. The official OBC reviews, as well as the first ten pages of the book, all alluded to a mystery involving Roan and the town, which piqued my interest. Roan was noted in the volunteer and customer reviews as being part of a prophecy involving magic, which provided a deeper understanding of Roan's role in the community. I liked how a rattlesnake was mentioned and how it influenced the course of events. I'm looking forward to finishing the book. There were no errors that I noticed, and there was no space for improvement. The book was professionally edited.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 1:14 pm by Astral Magi.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

AntonelaMaria

I read urban fantasy books, but this book's blurb and review gave an impression it is not a book for me. I don't read young adult books as much as I did before. I find my lack of connection with characters prevalent in those books. Other reviews I have read on retail sites didn't convince me either. The cover is something I would change, and it needs improvement. It seemed like it tried to be both illustrated and photographic cover. After reading the sample, I haven't changed my mind. I like that the author found inspiration in Celtic and Native American mythology. I couldn't tell that Conor was the main character at first because the author paid attention to side characters too. That is also noteworthy. There is an Official OnlineBookClub review that gives such high praises to this book. The editing was exceptional, and I didn't notice any errors.

First Ten review added on February 21, 2022, at 11:49 am by AntonelaMaria.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Lorraine De Vos

I would have chosen to sample this book based on the cover and genre. The author quickly managed to tug on my heartstrings and wishing for Conor to be a carefree young man instead of having the world rest on his shoulders. The cover suggests a magical adventure, so I am looking forward to adding this book to my reading list. The book does appear to be professionally edited. The official OnlineBookClub review was very well written and confirmed that I would enjoy reading this book. There was nothing I disliked or think requires any improvements.

First Ten review added on December 15, 2019, at 3:55 am by Lorraine De Vos.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Aubrey Lewis

The overall appearance of the book gives off an intriguing fantasy vibe which is fit for its genre. When I read through the official OBC review, I felt that I wouldn't be able to appreciate the book since I'm not fond of reading fantasy and science fiction 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 the writing style seemed to pull me into a new dimension within the book. Unfortunately, the major reason why I dislike reading fantasy/sci-fi stories is because I get easily bored and confused by new, foreign terminologies and world-building aside from the one currently existing in reality. The premise with Walter confused me a lot with his flashbacks and it didn't make me feel interested in the story. Because 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 December 15, 2019, at 2:44 am by Aubrey Lewis.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

OliviaLouise

Based on the review, I was not interested in reading this book because I didn’t know how well the identity issues were supported in the writing based on the reviewer's description. After reading the sample, I felt it was a bit awkward that the author described “an old Indian woman” (loc 292) but used stereotypical attributes if Native American figured, such as animal named (Grandma Swift Deer). I think if the author is going to write about another culture, they should ensure that they are treating it respectfully by correctly identifying it by the name its members have selected. I didn’t find any editing errors, but I probably won’t read the rest of this one.

First Ten review added on December 14, 2019, at 10:13 pm by OliviaLouise.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gen_g

I have come across a positive review of this book, and it has piqued my interest. However, there are a few errors present: on the acknowledgements page, "...love of story..." should either be "love of stories" (if the author were referring to his/her love for reading stories) or "love of story-telling" (if the author were referring to his/her love for story-telling). "Love of story" itself as a phrase is unclear and awkward. I would suggest another round of editing, as well as to insert line breaks in between paragraphs (for the print version) to facilitate ease of reading. I like how the author has given Walter a more rounded personality by speaking about his love for fishing, such as the one silver catfish that he has been chasing all this time, which he thinks must be over 170 pounds by now. However, I will not be purchasing the book today, as I'm currently not in the market for magical fantasy, and the errors are slightly distracting.

First Ten review added on December 14, 2019, at 6:33 pm by gen_g.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

unamilagra

Before sampling this book, I probably would not have picked it up due to the juvenile cover art. That said, the OBC review was very positive and the Celtic mythology aspect was intriguing. In reading the first ten pages, the author did a good job of describing a very picturesque wilderness area in Wisconsin, which I'm sure will be a nice setting for the plot. However, nothing really happened other than Walter reflecting on various memories and aspects of his life. There wasn't anything that really grabbed me and made me feel like I had to keep reading. I don't plan to continue reading this book. I didn't notice any errors in the pages I read.

First Ten review added on December 14, 2019, at 5:10 pm by unamilagra.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kaitlyn Canedy

I chose to read this Roan because it was the Book of the Day on OnlineBookClub.org. I liked how the author used several different folklores and traditions in this book; the variety is sure to keep the reader interested! I will be giving Roan a pass because the high level of suspense is too much for me. I will say that I didn't see any grammar errors in the sample. I didn't find anything that I disliked in this book at all, nor can I think of anything for the author to improve. The Official OnlineBookClub review raved about Roan, but it did not sway my decision to not read this book.

First Ten review added on December 14, 2019, at 3:07 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Howlan

I think the cover quite nicely defines what happens in the story. Its adventurous and mysterious. The synopsis is very alluring. The book starts on a low note. A monologue that is a little turn off. But the main story is good. The plot moves smoothly and the sense of mystery is prevailed. I would definitely read the book. Mystery fiction is something I enjoy and this book is definitely appealing. The sample seems genuinely interesting. I found one typo that is in the letter of Aunt Emily it should be "bury your mother", not "bring your mother." I really hope that it follows up and has a good ending. The Official review is present and mentions that it ends well.

First Ten review added on December 14, 2019, at 4:04 am by Howlan.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Shrabastee Chakraborty

The cover, the blurb, and the reviews all hint at an engaging fantasy story. I had already read the official review and the excerpt during a previous BOTD. This prompted me to add this to my TBR list. However, I liked the previous cover of the book better, that one was scarier while this one seems a little too colorful. The excerpt carries a sense of impending doom. It hints at a dark story where an evil force lurks around inside the misty rivers. I love the Indian myths this book is based on as well as the shape-shifting aspects. I am an ardent fan of fantasy books, and this story appeals to me endlessly. Moreover, from the excerpt, the writing seemed flawless. I am definitely going to read this.

First Ten review added on December 14, 2019, at 2:17 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kelyn

Even if I had not been a member of this program, it is highly likely that the cover and title of this book would have caught my attention. The title is the same as a high fantasy adventure I read years ago and remember enjoying. I would have wanted to see if it were the same one. (It isn't.) The cover clearly depicts that both magic and Celtic religion are involved in the book. Both of these areas are interests of mine. The author's name is not terribly familiar, but I believe I have at least heard of him, so that would have increased my willingness to give the gook a try. The clincher would have been that the genre is fantasy, which is one of my absolute favorite genres. The blurb was very intriguing in the way it hooked the reader into the plot of the story, and the customer reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The review I found from this program was a 'featured' review, which I found somewhat impressive. Reading the sample drew me in from the first chapter and held me so entranced that the moment I finished the sample, I went and bought the book so I could continue reading! My favorite part, of course, was the scene with Conor being healed under the willow trees, but his meeting his father (although he didn't know it) was almost as fascinating. His Dad is an entirely dislikable fae. At any rate, I will most definitely be finishing the book. The book seemed well-edited. I found no errors in the sample.

First Ten review added on December 14, 2019, at 1:28 am by Kelyn.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Juliana_Isabella

I might have chosen this book because I enjoy fiction, and I saw that it had a positive review. I didn't find any grammatical mistakes in the first ten pages, and I enjoyed the mystical air the author built. However, most of the section I read involved background on the protagonist, the fish, and the town. I didn't find that I could relate to Walter on his dreams of catching the fish, and there was no action to draw me in, so I won't be finishing the book.

First Ten review added on December 14, 2019, at 1:09 am by Juliana_Isabella.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

AvidBibliophile

Despite the subdued and muted color scheme, the cover art provides a sense of professional design with mass market appeal through the grouping of insinuated dark forces. The updated cover art that accompanies the Amazon product listing is equally well-designed. The Amazon product description itself is persuasively engaging and seems to be of adequate length with the appropriate amount of summarial details. It was nice to see the illustrated map of Tinkers Grove, although I wondered why there was no apostrophe used like in the other printed mentions of "Tinker's" Grove. I did appreciate the wealth of descriptive imagery and mentions of "moldy cheese balls" as bait, along with the sentence: "The memories were etched into the very landscape by Mother Nature." Alluring alliteration was had with the phrase: "heard the hiss in his heart" and plenty of believable emotion was woven throughout. This book appears to have been professionally edited. The published OBC reviews and Amazon user ratings offer an impressive array of high remarks and feedback. Despite the inclusion of Celtic lore, Indian burial grounds and wily water wraiths, I do not possess a general preference for fantasy novels. I will not be reading this one in its entirety, but I genuinely believe it has saga potential, especially with the evident outpouring of support from fans of this genre.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 10:43 pm by AvidBibliophile.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Brenda Creech

When I saw the cover of the book I felt I wouldn't be checking it out but
I went ahead and read the review. Based on the review I found the story intriguing, but the mention of magic and mysticism was a definite sign that I would not finish reading this book. I did read the first ten pages for this review and still have not changed my mind about reading the entire book. I am more convinced it is not for me. The narrative is very well written, the first ten pages were intense and a bit scary. I did not find any errors in what I read, and nothing I read suggested anything needed to be improved. I won't be reading the book for a reason mentioned above that it has magic and mysticism in it. I am also not a big fan of fantasy novels. I was able to feel a connection to the character of Connor right away, and the other characters were easy to be drawn in to. Without the inclusion of magic and mysticism, I might have been convinced to read this one.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 9:34 pm by Brenda Creech.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Nuel Ukah

The cover looks so catchy. I'd like to read this book, but the first ten pages were boring and a bit incomprehensible to me. According to the Official OBC reviewer, the book is an interesting read. Hence, I'd like to read the book. However, reading the first ten pages did not change my mind from my initial decision.

The book seems to be professionally edited. I didn't find any error. What I like most in the bit I read is the brief description of Grandma Swift Deer. The name sounds funny too. What I know about this book is that it's the author's debut book which is based on the premise of a young boy who discovers that he's of a mysterious Celtic ancestry. I think the plot needs to be improved so that the reader's attention is captivated right from the beginning.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 9:19 pm by Nuel Ukah.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

Based on the cover of the book I would've guessed this was, perhaps a horror story directed towards young adults and I wouldn't have picked up the book. The blurb is great and I like that it starts with a question for the reader, but I lost interest when the author introduces the gen-tech company. I read the first ten pages but I found the pace too slow for my taste. My favorite part was reading about Grandma Swift Deer, she seems like a fascinating character. But I will not buy or read this book because I think it goes too far into unbelievable territory with the gen-tech part of the plot. I didn't find any mistakes and the book seems professionally edited. It has a very compelling official review but it didn't change my mind. I think the cover could be improved and I would've liked to see faster action at the beginning of the book. Otherwise, some readers like me might lose interest.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 9:07 pm by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Juliet+1

Based on the title, cover, blurb, and OBC review, I thought it unlikely that I would enjoy reading "Roan." I only appreciate YA urban fantasy when it is very original and very well written.
Reading the sample confirmed my first opinion. The writing is very much at a teenage level, with simple words and simple sentences. Also, the novel begins with lengthy backstories from Walter Johnson and Conor, making it difficult to believe that anything of substance might occur. I don't intend to read the rest of the book.
The editing is excellent, not a typo or grammar mistake in sight. This is just not my kind of book.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 8:51 pm by Juliet+1.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

kperm

Before reading the sample, I thought that I would not like this book. My decision was based on the cover, the description, and the official review of the book on the website. After reading the sample, I chose not to read the book. The reasons for that are that the plot didn't seem appealing to me, and I was not too fond of the delivery. The beginning was a little bit boring. It seemed like the book was professionally edited, as I didn't find any mistakes. Adding more action and suspense would improve this novel significantly. However, I believe that many readers will enjoy it.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 8:23 pm by kperm.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Emy Katherine

The story follows the adventures and misadventures of a 17-year-old Chicago boy named Conor Archer, whose life changes completely after moving to Tinker's Grove, Wisconsin, a little town surrounded by an aura of mystery and secrecy. I am not a huge fan of urban fantasy novels, so I would not have read the book based on the genre. I did not change my mind after reading the sample and OBC review. However, I am sure those interested in Celtic mythology will enjoy this captivating story. I liked there was enough suspense, action, and mystery to keep me engaged throughout the sample. The writing style was quite descriptive, and I also found the characters relatable. I am not sure the book was professionally edited, though; I found some distracting spelling and punctuation errors such as misplaced commas, missing hyphens, and missing commas. For example, "big and broad shouldered" instead of "big and broad-shouldered." (location 772 of 1708 • 42%)

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 4:32 pm by Emy Katherine.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kajori Sheryl Paul

'Roan' is a book written by E. R. Barr. The title, cover, OBC review and Amazon review did a good job at convincing me to give this book a try.

The sample of the book leads me to believe that it is a book about Conner archer. The book starts off with Walter Johnson fishing for a sliver catfish in a creek in a small town in Wisconsin. He reminisces about his boyhood and his foster mother, Grandma Swift Deer. The book shifts to Chicago. Conner is loosing his mother to cancer. He is contemplating moving to Trinker's Grove in Wisconsin after his mother's death. I found some errors. For example, the sentence construction is faulty in “..she looked ancient of days.” I do not think that it is professionally edited. I will give this book a try as I like reading books of this genre.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 3:57 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Nikolas Farmakis

I would not have sampled this book, as I do not appreciate the title, the book cover, and I do not like the science fiction/fantasy genre. I will not read this book, so my guess did not change after reading a sample from this book. The reason for this is the fact that I found it unrealistic, boring, and far from my interests. I found an error in the book, where the author wrote 'rattle snakes' instead of 'rattlesnakes'. Therefore, the book is likely not professionally edited, so I recommend it goes through another round of editing. What I liked most about this book was the intense description of the surrounding, which places the reader in the story. To improve, the book must go through another round of editing, and the author must make the book more realistic, that is closer to real-life situations. The book had an Official OnlineBookCLub review, but this did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 3:19 pm by Nikolas Farmakis.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MsH2k

I would not have chosen to sample this book had I not been part of this program. The cover did not appeal to me, and it hinted at a sci-fi/fantasy book that I would probably skip. Reading the sample pages confirmed that I would not finish this book, but I did enjoy the story-telling talent of the author. I liked how he revealed the mysterious history of the area both in general terms and in the specific tales that his grandmother told him. The positive official OnlineBookClub review highly recommended this book. I can appreciate this book’s popularity among those who enjoy this genre. I noticed only one grammatical error in the sample: at loc 441, bad-ass should be hyphenate: bad ass story.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 3:19 pm by MsH2k.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Washboard

I sometimes enjoy books from this genre, but can be picky about it. The cover art and title are both eye-catching. The official review makes the book sound very well done. The sample I read contained no errors. The prologue introduces the local myth of the Piasa, as told by Grandma Swift Dear. I won't be continuing to read this one, as I am concerned about using Native American culture as a way to introduce urban legends. I don't know if it comes from a genuine source, so I am going to pass on it until I know more.

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 2:58 pm by Washboard.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Theresa Moffitt

I like the cover of this book it looks interesting and caught my attention. I am not sure the meaning of the title but I would have picked the book up based on the cover alone. I haven’t read a review of this book yet. I found the first ten pages difficult to follow. The book begins with the words to an old Irish ballad. The prologue tells the story of Walter Johnson fishing on the river. Some of the first ten pages seems to be folk lore and some current actions. The story then describes grandma swift deer who is described as his foster momma and a great storyteller. I didn’t see any errors in the first ten pages so I believe the book was professionally edited. I wasn’t drawn into the story by the first ten pages enough to want to finish this book. However I will read a review and may change my mind based on that review

First Ten review added on December 13, 2019, at 2:46 pm by Theresa Moffitt.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Dolor

Without The First Ten program, I wasn't sure whether to read or bypass reading this book. The cover speaks a thousand words, mysterious, and looks thought-provoking. Reading the first ten pages did not let me down. It made me decide to read on. I was enchanted with The Ballad of Willie Archer. It has a similar tune with ‘The Banks of the Bann’. It was a story song to listen to, a cheerful tune with a mournful message. The backstory of Conor's mother was sad, but it is full of lessons about love and life as well. I felt so sad that his mother was dying, and I felt hope that he recognized Willie Archer, his estranged father, in the bar where he was working. These were the errors I noticed:
*fragmented sentences*
Except Conor shouldn’t be there.

Too young by several years.

But he got away with it for two reasons.

Not on the day his mother was dying.

Different times.

*punctuation error*
Conor could see the bar from blocks away, one of those “authentic” Irish pubs beloved by Irish Americans and Celtic wannabes.

*grammar error*
He knew talent, so he asked the kid to play with the off-night band.

You leave him go.

The fragmented sentences were too many to list, so I just listed a few. The official OBC review had contributed to my decision to read this book until the end. I can't wait to finish reading the entire story. E. R. Barr's Roan: The Tales of Conor Archer is a #YA #UrbanFantasy book with a convergence of Christian tradition, #Celtic myth, and Native American #Folklore. It is a coming-of-age tale about a boy caught between making his own way and evolving into a destiny that was spoken over him thousands of years before his birth.

#ShapeShifter

First Ten review added on December 1, 2018, at 4:45 am by Dolor.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

OloladeO

Based on the cover and title, I would have read the sample because it looks interesting. From the sample, Walter Johnson has been obsessed, since he was a kid, about catching a particular catfish with silver skin. Despite the fog, he set out to fish. When he was 10 or 11, he had killed a rattle with green eyes and as it died, he could swear it hissed "Going to get you for that Walter Johnson, going to get you for that". Grandma Swift Deer, his Indian foster mama, sensed something had happened and told him of how an evil Manitou formed the Wisconsin River and warned him not to mess with its children. She took the rattle and buried it. Back to the present, Walter heard a loud splash. Then he saw it swimming, big and monstrous. When it saw him, he could have sworn its green eyes flickered in recognition. Its beast-like face took on the appearance of the old Indian woman. It opened its mouth full of rotten teeth and spoke,"mine is the life that is yours" and it backed away. The book looks well edited. The OBC reviewer gave it a perfect rating, which seals my wanting to read this book,

First Ten review added on December 1, 2018, at 4:19 am by OloladeO.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Fu Zaila

I am not a fan of paranormal books so the cover and the very descriptive blurb didn't interest me. The writing of the sample was fine, but the condescending tone wasn't to my liking. I liked how the author starts with description about the locality of Wisconsin. Walter fishing for 'the Great Cat' seemed like an odd thing to do, but I'm not surprised. There weren't any grammar errors I noticed, except that the sentences could have used a bit more commas. But I still think it is edited professionally. The story and narration did not appeal to me so I wouldn't read this book.

First Ten review added on December 1, 2018, at 12:23 am by Fu Zaila.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sharill Rasowo

If I had not read the sample, I probably would not have read the book. This is because both the blurb and official OnlineBookClub review did not hold my interest. Reading the sample did not change my mind. This is because it begun with a person stupidly fishing when it was foggy, in the hopes of catching a particularly elusive fish. Although that put me off, I was interested in the tale of Indians and the blackrobes story about “Piasa,” the Devourer of Souls. However, I would not buy and read this book as it did not hold my interest. I did not spot any errors, so I think it was professionally edited.

First Ten review added on November 30, 2018, at 11:16 pm by Sharill Rasowo.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Nelsy Mtsweni

The cover of the book looks scary to me, especially the man's eyes. So, judging from it, I would not have chosen to read the book. Having read the sample of the book and the review, l am still choosing not to read the book. The tales of Coner Archer begin when when Coner gets into the bus into his hometown called Tinker's Groove. He is still grieving the death of his beloved mother. He finds out that he is the son of Madoc, a mound dweller and something other than human. He also begins to change physically, and at first, he resisted this. I loved that when Coner arrived in his hometown, he got a lot of support from his extended family as he was gravely ill and had just lost his mother. It is important for one to have a support structure in times of need. There is nothing that I disliked about the book. The book was professionally edited. I am not planning on reading the book entirely because it is a fantasy read, and l am not a fan of this genre.

First Ten review added on November 30, 2018, at 7:15 pm by Nelsy Mtsweni.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Samantha Simoneau

Prior to sampling the book, I wasn't terribly interested in it. It looks like paranormal fiction, which I really don't enjoy except for a few notable exceptions. The blurb started to change my mind, but then it ran on so long I lost interest. It tells so much of the plot that I suspected this book was not the first in the series, so the blurb was serving as background for the benefit of readers who were starting well into the story. I scrolled up to find that this, indeed, is volume one. In that case, the blurb is hindering the book, in my opinion. It makes me lose interest rather than gain interest because so much is included that I would prefer to discover by reading the novel. There are one or two errors in the blurb as well, such as "seventeen year old" missing its hyphens. There are a lot of positive reviews, so maybe I'm prejudging incorrectly, but honestly, that long blurb would bore me away from buying or even sampling the book. On the first page, "600 foot" should be hyphenated. Walter's thoughts are not italicized, which confused me, but this could just be personal preference. This book has wonderfully descriptive language. The portion discussing how the land "remembers," is very absorbing, and I was sucked into the story almost against my will, since this genre is not my favorite. The compound adjective "bead worked" should be hyphenated. There should be a comma between "Why" and "that." It seems like "snarfed" should be "scarfed." There should be a comma between "that" and "Walter." "Bad ass" should be one word or hyphenated. "Mud ugly" should be hyphenated. Missing hyphens and missing commas lead me to think this book could use some more editing, although I've certainly seen worse. The concept of Piasa is very interesting. I like the mythical angle of the story so far. There should be a comma between "human" and "and," as well as between "and" and "though." I can say here that these errors would distract me in my reading, as they are now, and I wouldn't download the book simply to avoid the annoyance of them if I read further. The story being introduced is more interesting and engaging than I had anticipated from the cover, but I'm also not this book's audience. I wouldn't pay $3 for a book which is of a genre I don't like, anyway.

First Ten review added on November 30, 2018, at 4:40 pm by Samantha Simoneau.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

a9436

The cover did not entice me, as it suggested that Roan is a supernatural novel aimed at teenagers or in other words, not my style. However, as the very first words in the prologue were the name of one of my favourite bands, I decided to give it a go! Whilst Walter's story did turn out to be intriguing, overall I could not relate to the character on a level which encouraged me to continue reading, and I found the writing style quite irritating. Sentences written in the third person and second person were mixed in with the thoughts of the protagonist, without any clear distinction, the latter including fragments such as, "Shouldn't really be here though." For these reasons, I will not be purchasing nor finishing the book.

First Ten review added on November 30, 2018, at 2:47 pm by a9436.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

briellejee

Based on the title and cover, I think I wouldn't have sampled the book. Supernaturals aren't really my kind of characters in a book, especially vampires. Seeing the weird eyes on the cover, I thought it was Twilight all over again. However, based on the official OBC review, I thought to sample it as it stated that it has shapeshifters as the main character. I was intrigued. As for the first few pages, I found the author's writing style isn't for me. The way the author wrote the prologue didn't catch my attention. For me, it was tedious; a lot of unnecessary details that weren't my style. Walter's experience in seeing the shapeshifter wasn't surprising as it I think it was intended for. Conor's character, on the other hand, was intriguing. There's some sort of mysterious aura that the author made sure to surround him. A dying mother who barely told him his background and him playing in a band, and a stranger approaching him was all I needed to be curious about him. However, I will not be buying the book today because the author's writing style didn't suit me. The plot is overall interesting but the writing is such a heavy read that cannot hold my attention for too long. There were no noticeable errors. I'm glad a review was there since it told me that it is not a vampire-related supernatural genre.

First Ten review added on November 30, 2018, at 10:12 am by briellejee.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sahani Nimandra

Roan by E. R. Barr is an extraordinary read about a young boy discovering an unexpected heritage of his life and family on time of tragedy. This read concentrates on his uncertain future. I was totally blown away by the Old Irish Ballad. The hidden meaning excited me to a great extend, but I wonder how is it connected to this story. The start of this read was totally different from what I read from the official review. I noticed a significant amount of errors, for example: "Walt the kid felt really out of place there" can be written as, "Walt, the kid, really fell out of place"; then "Always had six or seven Timber Rattlers hissing and striking and rattling. Cool stuff" can be written, "Always has six or seven cool timber rattlers hissing, striking, and rattling". This story seems to maintain a smooth flow, but I believe this read needs another re-editing session. As for now, I wish to skip this read.

First Ten review added on November 30, 2018, at 9:59 am by Sahani Nimandra.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ObsessedBookNerd

Had I not read the sample as part of the program then I would have read the book based on the title, genre, blurbs or reviews because it seems interesting to me and I enjoy reading the fantasy genre. I don't like the cover because it doesn't seem professionally designed. The book seems professionally edited and I found no spelling or grammatical errors. The sample did not change my mind on reading the whole book because it is a good story and there was a lot that I enjoyed about the book. I like that the author put a ballad before the story and an anonymous quote from the Orkney Islands. I enjoyed the Native American stories and folklore. I think it makes the story interesting how the author put extra content into the story by adding in things such as songs. The Winnebago song makes me wonder if it is truly a Native American song. I was sad that Connor’s mom has cancer and is wasting away. I think it shows he has a good character for stepping up and trying to earn money while also taking care of things at home. I like how the author used the beginning ballad of Willie Archer and that is who is Connor’s father. The magic of storytelling of different cultures and music makes me want to continue reading the book. It was so sad that two strangers were being cryptic when Connor has so much going on in his life. The strange man seems to be trying to hurt Connor even though his mother is dying. I was so sad that his mother died in his arms but I was glad that he found out he has an Aunt to go stay with. I am curious about the secrets of Tinker’s Grove and what is going to happen to Connor. I thought it was funny how monks run Tinker’s Groves ambulance service. I was bored with some parts of the beginning chapter because of Walter’s fishing/drinking. Overall, I am definitely curious about what happens with Connor and the folklore/myths throughout the story. I can't wait to read the whole book.

First Ten review added on November 30, 2018, at 12:52 am by ObsessedBookNerd.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Allyseria

The title seems attractive but the book cover looks a bit odd to me. I would have stopped by and looked at the blurb though. However, the blurb on Amazon was so long, and I think I would have just passed it by. It felt almost like the whole story was being told to me. After reading the review and found out that there were a lot of children violence and odd twists and turns, I think I will have skipped the book. The sample also started with a character named Walter. As this is a young adult book, most of the audience would not care to read about a middle-aged (?) man and would have preferred the book to immediately start in the action with Conor, the main character. I also immediately disliked Conor since I felt that he should be with his dying mother instead of the bar. Overall, I will not continue to read the book. Note: The book had been professionally edited.

First Ten review added on November 30, 2018, at 12:14 am by Allyseria.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mercelle

Judging by the cover, I wasn't going to read this book, but the OBC review urged me on when it mentioned that it tells the story of a young man who is trying to fight a demon that is wiping out his hometown. When I read the first ten pages, I liked that even in sickness, Connor's love for his mother never waned. As I noticed no errors, I'll conclude that the text underwent professional editing, but I won't read the rest of the book because the story didn't appeal to me. As it is, there's nothing I would change about the bit I read.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 11:52 pm by Mercelle.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

FictionLover

I would not have read this book without the First Ten program. I am not a fan of this type of fantasy and the book cover makes it look like the book is aimed at a younger audience. The Amazon blurb was very detailed and the opening with Walter fishing seemed like a very different book. The scene where Walter flees from the water from the "mist monster" was well done, and I enjoyed that bit. The next chapter which introduces Conor at the Derryair was not bad, but I did not find myself engaged with the character. I can't say I didn't really like it, but it is just not my genre. The book seemed professionally edited. I didn't notice any grammatical or formatting errors.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 10:45 pm by FictionLover.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

LV2R

The book cover and title did not attract me to the book because it looked a bit scary. The Amazon Blurb gave an extensive summary of the book that made it sound like there would be a lot of details of the tale mixed with Native American folklore and Celtic mythology. It gave a background on the Tinkers from Ireland exiling to Wisconsin where the two rivers meet. Conor was bitten by a strange biker and was told by his dying mother to go to Tinker’s Grove, Wisconsin. There, he is healed and begins experiencing visions and shape shifting. I wasn’t sure about the book, so I read the sample. The best thing about the sample was the Ballad of Willie Archer because it gave the feel of the book and that it would have some old legends and stories. I also liked that the descriptions of Walter Johnson fishing on the Wisconsin River with all the stories running through his head that set up a scary scenario that matched the darkness and the mist rolling on the water. The book seems to be well edited, as I did not notice any errors. The dialogue used by Walter may not be in perfect English, but it reflects his character and way of saying things. I was still not sure about the book until I read the glowing OBC review. I decided to read the book because the review mentioned that the author used character and world building perfectly and that the story was fast-paced, complex, and engaging. This OBC review made a huge impact on my decision to read something that I normally would not be attracted to read.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 9:26 pm by LV2R.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

revna01

As Walter Johnson clumsily baits for catfish while drinking Brandy, he reminisces about his Native American foster mom and his upbringing in Tinker's Grove. I really enjoyed the author's writing style which flowed along nicely and provided a good backstory without being boring. I found no errors and nothing I could think to improve on. I don't really like the cover art but I do like the book's title. The Online Book Club reviewer absolutely raved about this book and that's about the only reason I would like to read it, as it's not my preferred genre. I'll go ahead and read this one though!

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 7:51 pm by revna01.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kristy Khem

It was impossible to guess what this book was about by simply looking at the cover design and title. The editorial reviews were vague and I would not have chosen to read this book based on these. However, the blurb highlighted an intriguing premise that teemed with refreshing, paranormal elements. The sample aroused my interest even more. Conor’s character is relatable, especially as his only parent, his mom, was suffering from cancer. Immediately, I felt drawn to Conor, as I went through something similar. When the stranger bit Conor’s hand and pronounced him a Roan, I became even more interested in the story. I was curious about the drink called ‘uisge’ in the silver flask, and the strange woman who bandaged his hand with a strip of cloth from her dress. These were just a few of the hooks which the author used to try to capture my interest. It worked. I will buy this book. There was nothing which I disliked in the book. In fact, the sample was so well-written, it reminded me of the TV series, ‘Siren’. I can see this book being adapted into a film in the future. In my opinion, this book was professionally edited. I only found one error which was an extra pair of opening quotation marks in the sentence, ‘ “Course they do, course they do,” bobbed the man’.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 7:40 pm by Kristy Khem.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

cpru68

I generally read only non-fiction, so I probably would not have found this title on my own. The cover seems to fit with the errie nature of the plot as this starts right out with Walter Johnson venturing out on “haunted” waters to try and catch the Great Cat. As he sips his alcohol, he recalls the storytelling of Grandma Swiftdeer, the old Indian woman from his youth, who told the scariest of tales. One time after cutting off the rattle of a snake, she told him not to mess with the children of the “Great Serpent” that her people and many others had come to fear. Missing people walking too close to the shore only added legitimacy to the tales of folklore. Walter Johnson comes face to face with the creature, runs for his life that night and barely escapes. Will anybody believe him? I liked the opening in that it helps readers get a good foundation of the myths surrounding the storyline. In the two percent mark of the book, I found an extra space between the n and the apostrophe in the word ‘won’t’ from this sentence: Catch the Cat, he thought, and they won’t think me a loser no more. I did not detect any further errors in the sample pages I read so it would seem it has been professionally edited. I am not going to be finishing this one as I said I do not read much for fiction, and while the intensity of the opening of this was great, it’s too much on the side of horror for my taste. The author has seemingly crafted a good tale, and I have no suggestions for improvements.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 6:58 pm by cpru68.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sonya Nicolaidis

I had seen the cover of this book a few times without venturing to give it a try. In spite of the dark and eerie cover illustration with its weird collection of green-eyed creatures, I was not tempted and was not sure what 'Roan" even was. As it is Book of the Day, I read the OBC reviews with interest and found myself curious as to what was so special about this book, to cause such excitement and enthusiasm for this author's work. I can say I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to read this sample, as the writing is exceptional. Seldom have I come across a writer who can craft images out of words as capably as E. R. Barr. The opening scene is atmospheric and appealing, with the fisherman out on the cold, misty water, reminiscing about his youth and the haunting tales told to him by his foster mother. I liked the encounter with the river creature the most, which was heart-stoppingly exciting, and I hope there is more of this tension further along in this book. There were no errors that I could identify and I was impressed by the professional editing. I have no criticism of this book and nothing that I would like to see changed as it is a most engaging piece of writing. My first thought was that I wouldn't like this story, but after having read the sample, my curiosity is aroused and I would love to sample more of this wonderful storytelling. I will definitely be reading it. Thank you for changing my mind!

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 3:16 pm by Sonya Nicolaidis.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

lesler

Looking at the cover, I am not interested in this book, except for the cute lab dog that's on the cover! Reading the sample, I enjoyed the story, but it was too scary for me to keep reading. This book appears to be professionally edited, with no grammatical errors or typos that I noticed. I really liked the overall story of Walter in the first chapter-I think it's a snake/bear hybrid that is terrifying and could kill him at any moment. It was very exciting. I did not like how scary it was-I do not like scary books very much. Because it is so scary, I will not be buying and purchasing this book.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 3:13 pm by lesler.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ReviewerDiksha

The title of the book is unique but I think the cover could have been something different. I don't know why but I don't like the covers with actual people on them! But, that's just my problem and probably why I wouldn't have bought this book. I hadn't read any reviews of it so I had no idea what it would be about. I read the sample and I understand why people say not to judge a book by its cover. The writing style of the author was excellent. He/she created a perfect atmosphere with their writing and it felt as if I was there on the river with the book's character. The author cleverly inserted the mystery in the story by telling about the obscure stories that the character had heard in their childhood. The introduction of a creature, something that I've heard nothing about before, is what made it more interesting. They also made a calculated move of leaving that portion at a critical point and starting another part of the story. I can't wait to read further and find out more about the story. I didn't find any grammatical errors.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 2:59 pm by ReviewerDiksha.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Laura Ungureanu

"Roan" is an Urban Fantasy book centered on Conor Archer. He learns about his Celtic ancestry and what that means for him. This book reunites Celtic mythology with Christian tradition and many more. In the beginning, we see an Indian picture through the descriptions. The book starts with Walter entering White Creek, a mysterious and dangerous place. I didn't like the writing style, it was too detailed and descriptive. I get bored by this sort of writing so I won't continue reading it. I wouldn't have tried this book without the program because I don't like fantasy books. It looks professionally edited.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 1:13 pm by Laura Ungureanu.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

sarahmarlowe randomeducator

Judging the book by its cover, I would not have chosen to read it. I got a teen vampire vibe from it, and I would have passed it up. However, after reading the sample, my mind has changed. Even though I don't normally read fantasy, this novel seems fascinating. I love the idea of old-school tales and spirit beings coming back up in modern times. And, I was so intrigued that I read an OBC review. The review even said that people who don't normally like fantasy should try this book. Well, here I go! I will be checking this book out. It also seemed to be professionally edited.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 1:00 pm by sarahmarlowe randomeducator.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

HRichards

I probably wouldn't have picked up this book based on the length and the fact that the blurb didn't really interest me. After reading the sample, I still won't be continuing on with the book, as the sample didn't interest me that much. The action in the prologue revolves around a fisherman who knows tales about the monster in the area that Native Americans have recounted in their stories. As he is out, he is attacked by a creature. The writing is very good, and I didn't notice any grammar errors. Those who like fantasy might find this book appealing. I simply wasn't that interested in the content. I have not read any other reviews of the book.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 11:24 am by HRichards.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Camille Turner

I don't believe I would have sampled this book without the program because the combination of cover images (boy, seal, tombstone, and dog) leaves me very unsure as to what the book is about. After reading the Amazon blurb, it's clearly a fantasy book, but I don't think the story appeals to me. After reading the first ten pages, I believe the book to be professionally edited as I didn't note any errors. I liked the author's attention to detail such as the fog distorting sound and the native tombs shaped like animals. I liked reading about the legend as well, and I would only consider moving the action (the beast appearing and chasing Walter) up a few pages to pull readers in faster. I won't finish the book because my impression remained the same, and I still don't think it's the right subject matter for me, but I can see how other readers might like it.

First Ten review added on November 29, 2018, at 10:38 am by Camille Turner.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Bianka Walter

After reading a few reviews on Amazon, I finally got a good idea of what this book was about. The majority of the reviews are a bit vague, and that helps with the intrigue of the book, but not with knowing if you want to read it or not. The sample of the book was really beautifully written (albeit a bit slow) and captivated me straight away. The editing seems perfect. I love the cover art, and from that, (and something mentioned at the beginning of the book after the acknowledgments) I know that seals must be a pretty important part of this novel. The first chapter lends to the mysterious feel created by the cover and paints a really consice picture. I feel like this is the type of story I would really enjoy. I love the urban fantasy genre and the reviews that I've read have all been pretty stellar. From that, I would have to say that I would give this book a chance.

First Ten review added on April 22, 2018, at 9:32 am by Bianka Walter.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Vickie Noel

On my own, I wouldn't have read this book because it doesn't draw my eyes in. The title is nice though. After reading the sample, I would like to read more since the gripping storyline had me in its clutches. I especially liked the vivid descriptions of Walter's encounter with the monstrous creature. I didn't spot any errors and have no suggestions for improvement. The glowing OBC review I saw was majorly responsible for my desire to check out the book.

First Ten review added on April 22, 2018, at 7:55 am by Vickie Noel.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

IsabelMay

An official review by OBC made me interested in sampling this book, but the description on Amazon wasn't that convincing. It didn't actually describe what would happen in the book, but rather gave useless general information that thousands of books share. What was quite ironic was the last line: ''The book avoids the clichés of the genre...'' At that point, I lost all the interest and was willing to spend my time sampling the book only due to this program. I didn't find it engrossing, thrilling or interesting as other reviewers. I was rather bored and couldn't wait to get to the end. The writing style isn't bad, it's just that the storyline is far from advertised in my opinion. In fact, it does look like there will be quite a few clichés in the book as I found a few even at the beginning of the sample. On the good side, the book seems edited. For all the other reasons mentioned above, I won't be buying it.

First Ten review added on April 22, 2018, at 2:00 am by IsabelMay.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

SPasciuti

I didn’t think I would be interested in this one based on the review and blurb, but boy was I wrong. After reading the sample, I’ve found myself rather in love with the story. The introduction was superb, and I am especially fond of the brief inclusion of Zebulon Pike and his hill. I will be finishing this book in the future.

The book appears professionally edited and I had a hard time coming up with an improvement as I just loved the writing and the story so much. I think, perhaps, the book’s introduction could use a little more dialogue. Other than that, I really enjoyed the fisherman’s story and our introduction to Conor.

First Ten review added on April 22, 2018, at 12:23 am by SPasciuti.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

RebeccasReading

This is not a book I would have normally read. The cover does not grab my attention, and I found the blurb confusing. After reading the sample, my opinion is the same. Nothing in the first 10 pages really caught my interest. I would suggest the author improve the official description. There's too much going on in the blurb and it's overwhelming for potential readers. I did enjoy the inclusion of the Native American culture. This is something I always appreciate. It seems to be professionally edited.

First Ten review added on April 21, 2018, at 3:35 pm by RebeccasReading.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ScoutWrites

I am interested in this book based on the blurb, customer reviews, and the official OnlineBookClub review, mostly because of the folklore it is said to involve. When I read the first ten pages, I was hooked as soon as Grandma Swift Deer was mentioned, a hint that Native American folklore would be involved. But the book began with an old Irish ballad, which shows that the folklore of multiple cultures will be represented within. What I like most about the book so far is the idea that the land itself has memories. I don't think there's anything I don't like so far, and I didn't notice any grammatical errors so I am excited to read the rest of this one.

First Ten review added on April 21, 2018, at 3:22 pm by ScoutWrites.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

ritah

Based on the cover and genre, I would have sampled the book because it captured my attention and appealed to me as a reader. I had read the official review a while back and decided I needed to read this novel. I'm happy I did because the book turned out to be a riveting, fast-paced adventure. I appreciated the author's writing style, world-building, and use of description; I also liked how the characters were well-developed. The book gave me the impression that it was professionally edited as I did not encounter any obvious errors.

First Ten review added on April 21, 2018, at 3:13 pm by ritah.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

BriennaiJ

I wasn't planning on reading this book before, because I did not have Kindle Unlimited. However, I have bookmarked this book and plan on reading it when I get Kindle Unlimited later on this year. The first ten pages really drew me in, with the memories of Walter's past mixing with the dreary current events of his life. When the monster arrived, the first ten pages were almost over, and I knew that I have to wait till I get the rest of the book to go on. The book definitely seemed professionally edited, and I didn't see anything that could be improved. I saw an Online Book Club review, but it didn't influence my decision.

First Ten review added on April 21, 2018, at 12:43 pm by BriennaiJ.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Yoli García

I would not have sampled this book without this program because the cover of the book does not get my attention. The OBC review picked my interest about the story because it is about a young man who discovers secrets about his heritage. After I read the sample pages, I thought the book needed further editing as I rapidly noticed a grammatical error. I liked reading about Grandma Swift Deer. However, I will not read this book because, even though I liked some elements of the story, it did not grab my full interest.

First Ten review added on April 21, 2018, at 12:05 pm by Yoli García.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Cristina Chifane

I loved the cover of E.R. Barr's novel. It reminded me of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. The Amazon blurb quickly grabbed my attention by promising an atypical urban-fantasy novel. E.R. Barr must have done a wonderful job with this novel considering the highly appreciative editorial and customer reviews. I am glad the first ten program gave me the chance to discover a new epic saga to add to my fantastic literature bookshelves. I liked the fact that the novel is prefaced by an Old Irish Ballad. Walter Johnson's reflections on the legendary land and water as well as his memories of Grandma Swift Deer introduce the readers to a fairy tale atmosphere. Like in any good fairy tale, a creature of many names (Piasa, Underwater Panther or Great Serpent) acquires mythological dimensions. Conor himself seems to have come out straight from Willie Archer's ballad. Full of grief for his mother's imminent death, Conor passes through an awkward experience with a stranger who forces him to drink a mysterious potion and bites him by his hand as a means of welcoming him to another world and family. A witch woman warns him of the mortal danger he is in and the transformations awaiting for him. I think the storyline flows easily and the the readers plunge into the fantasy world so naturally that they are hooked before they know it. Even the colorful chatter of the locals in Tinker's Grove has authenticity and adds a lot of savour to the overall atmosphere. Conor's healing under the willows has something hypnotic and fascinating about it. The author's narrative style is complex and the book is profesionally edited. My observations here are perhaps as enthusiastic as those of the OnlineBookClub reviewer. I am definitely going to buy this book and add it to my bookshelves.

First Ten review added on April 21, 2018, at 2:03 am by Cristina Chifane.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

ladycraic

Seeing as the cover appears ominous to me, I would not have chosen to sample Roan apart from First Ten. I don't enjoy reading books with an element of horror. I didn't get much from the short blurb; hence, I wasn't any more interested in sampling Roan after reading. In the sample, I found Barr's writing style very engaging. I liked the way the story flowed together. Content-wise, my attention waned during the first few pages until the creepy "water monster" appeared before Walter. Judging from the OBC review, I don't think I'll find the plot exciting so I will not be buying this novel. This book seemed professionally edited and I didn't notice any grammatical errors.

First Ten review added on April 21, 2018, at 1:13 am by ladycraic.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

N_R

This book is not a genre which I would normally read and therefore I did not think that I was going to buy and read the whole book. While the sample was easy to read, I am not going to buy the whole book. This is mainly due to my preference with regards to the genre rather than the book itself. The reviews for this novel are very positive and so I think that people who do enjoy reading this genre will really enjoy it. I think that this is just book one of a series. The book seems to be professionally edited and formatted, so there are no mistakes.

First Ten review added on April 21, 2018, at 1:11 am by N_R.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

DancingLady

The title and description of this book were intriguing, but I got the impression right away that this book goes into dark things, which I don’t like. The review definitely indicated that there is a very dark element to this book as well as mixing of Christianity with other beliefs. The first 10 pages had the effect of drawing me in and then making me so ready to be done I couldn’t get it over will fast enough. I can say the author is highly skilled though. It really doesn’t matter to me what the ultimate meaning is of the creature in the lake, if such an experience happened in real life, I would be 100% certain that it was a demonic entity taking this shape for its current purpose. I am a Christian and do not want to fill my mind with these kinds of stories.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 11:53 pm by DancingLady.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MsTri

Neither the cover nor the title for "Roan" interested me, but the synopsis made me take notice. The review, though, really turned the tide. Even though I'm not a fan of fantasy or urban fantasy, I do like the idea of shape-shifting and am mystified by the presence of a water wraith. The sample read was pretty decent, and I was glad that it seemed to be professionally edited. My favorite part was when Conor sang in front of a crowd for the first time. as it brought back some memories for me. I have no suggestions for changes either, as it's written well so far.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 11:50 pm by MsTri.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Emmanae

I don't think I would have sampled this book without the First Ten Program, as the cover and official OBC review didn't entice me. Something about the phrasing rubbed me the wrong way, it just didn't flow like I would like it to, and also seemed to have random words capitalized. I'm fairly sure these are style choices rather than accidents, but I still couldn't overlook them. I appreciate the book being set near where I grew up, but I don't love the character's way of talking, as people get stereotyped in this way of talking when most people in the area don't talk in the manner the characters present. I won't be getting the book due to these reasons.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 9:55 pm by Emmanae.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

britt13

The official review very highly praised the book which was the only thing that really made me think I may read it because the plot did not really appeal to me. The first ten pages were really good. The imagery is strong and the dialogue fluid with only one error seen, so it seems to have been edited. Prior to reading the first ten, I do not think I would have probably read the book, but after I may. I have a maybe list that I put books that seem well written but are not really my usual type of plot or genre, this would be that type of book for me.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 9:19 pm by britt13.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Tbunde5

The cover art and genre made this book interesting to me. The OBC review reinforced my interest. The author sets the stage beautifully in the opening pages, with a terrifying encounter with the river monster right off the bat. It jumped quickly to Conor in Chicago, but resolved the confusion fairly quickly. My initial suspicion that this was going to be yet another vampire book makes me hesitant to read the whole book. I don’t mind the genre, but don’t read it frequently or it becomes mundane. The book was very well edited, which was refreshing. However, I will wait until I can read it for free instead of buying it now.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 8:29 pm by Tbunde5.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Chelsy Scherba

I love the mysterious, spooky vibe of the writing style. The idea of exploring cultural myths and legends is very interesting and I like how the author combined Celtic and Indian Folklore. I enjoyed the Irish poetry also. In short, I didn’t see anything to complain about or make suggestions for. The editing is pristine. I’m interested in this genre so I might have given it a look outside the program. I like that the main character could either become good or evil, that’s a really cool idea to explore. The review was positive and helped me find interest in giving the book a try. As other have said, this book is an excellent introduction to what looks like a great saga. I will definitely consider reading this book in the future.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 8:18 pm by Chelsy Scherba.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

lavellan

I probably would have read the sample of Roan even if it had not been a part of The First Ten program. The Book of the Day review was very positive and I was interested in the book's world-building. The book seemed like it was professionally edited and I did not notice any errors while reading. I enjoyed the cliffhanger at the end of the first chapter and the author's use of Native American folklore. However, the writing style dragged a little. As a result, I will not be buying the book today.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 5:40 pm by lavellan.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kendra M Parker

While the title and cover together convey to me that this is a supernatural story, I’m not sure that either of them tell me all that much about what type of story this really is. Reading the blurb on Amazon was somewhat confusing, though I was able to tell enough to know that the urban fantasy would be Celtic based. Still, the confusing blurb did not do much to encourage me to buy the book. It sounds like the book is something of a wild goose chase at first, and I’m not sure that the accolades at the start of the blurb are quite enough to encourage me to buy something with a confusing blurb. After reading the first ten pages, I find that I am not any more convinced that I really want to read this book. The prologue is mildly interesting, but it felt slow and maybe the Native American mythology used here is a little too heavily explained at the front. The writing was clear, and it was clearly professionally edited. I did appreciate the voice of the narrator at the start, but it wasn’t really enough to make me buy the book. The Onlinebookclub.org review was glowing, however, and I may find myself looking at this one again in the future.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 5:11 pm by Kendra M Parker.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

KRay93

To be a book of urban fantasy, it seems to me that the cover could have been designed a little more according to the genre. The premise looks a bit vague, the official review doing a better job of clarifying its main points. It also highlights the role of the secondary characters, the use of folklore, and the construction of a mythos around the story. The first pages fail to immerse me in the book, although some fantastic elements are present towards the end of the prologue, giving rise to the beginning of the main story. The writing could have used some more editing work, some sentences proving quite unconvincing. Maybe there is some potential throughout the book, but if I had to judge it by its beginning, I would not decide to read it in its entirety.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 2:42 pm by KRay93.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

desantismt_17

This book’s title and description caught my eye. I find Celtic mythology fascinating, and the fantasy elements sounded neat, even if I’m not much for urban fantasy. After sampling, though, I’m going to pass on this one. The voice just didn’t pull me in like I hoped. There’s nothing wrong with the book. The writing is strong, and it appears professionally edited. I only noticed one space in the middle of a word where there shouldn’t have been one. The atmospheric feel to the writing is my favorite part, but the voice just wasn’t right for me. The OnlineBookClub.org review speaks highly of this book, and based on what I read, I think I can see why. My reasons for not picking up this book are completely subjective. It’s just not for me, even if it sounds like an incredible read.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 1:44 pm by desantismt_17.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

lbhatters

Roan: The Tales of Conor Archer by ER Barr might or might not be a book I would pick up off the shelf at the bookstore based on the cover design. I would more likely if it were at the front of the store. The cover is attractive. I would read the back cover and skim the first few chapters.

After reading the first ten pages I probably would not buy the book. I prefer a more formal writing style and I don't like fantasy or westerns or horrors, none of my preferred genres. I would probably not buy it for a friend.

This is not to say that the book is not good or well written. It simply did not draw me in. It appears to have been professionally edited and proofread.

I like the cover the best about the book. It is dark and mysterious. I prefer a little more color, but it is a good cover. I liked the way the writing flowed.

I will not buy the book, but it's not due to the quality. It is simply not an interesting genre to me, and nothing really in the writing told me it is anything special to change genres. Only beyond exceptional work could do that for me. I simply did not get to that stage on the first ten pages.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 12:48 pm by lbhatters.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

kfwilson6

I really enjoy a good teen fantasy book and the cover, synopsis, and title all captured my interest. What really drew my attention to this book was the wonderfully-written onlinebookclub review and the 100+ high Amazon ratings. I would have chosen to read this book mostly based on the support of reviewers. Reading the sample left me with the impression I will need to read more to really get into the book, but it has a promising start. The sample pages are well-written with no noticeable errors. I will be reading this book in the future.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 12:27 pm by kfwilson6.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

ccrews0408

Based on the genre and review, had I not read the first 10 pages, I would not have read this book. I don't usually enjoy reading fantasy novels. Based on the review, the story also tells of a fantasy world, which is another element that I don't care for in books. On the other hand, the review spoke very highly of the book and would probably be interesting to others. Now that I have read the first 10 pages, I still don't plan on reading this book. The beginning didn't hold my attention enough to change my mind. It was, however, well-written and descriptive. I didn't notice any typos or grammatical errors and there was an official OnlineBookClub review.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 12:02 pm by ccrews0408.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Libs_Books

This is not the kind of book I would normally choose to look at, let alone buy, although the Celtic element would interest me. If I found it in a shop, the cover would be off-putting – the creepy eyes meme is thoroughly over-used for this genre, in my opinion.

I thought the quality of the writing was very good and the editing of a professional standard so I have no improvements to suggest. The beginning was certainly dramatic, but giant river serpents rearing out of the fog don't really interest me. Conor is established as a likeable and interesting character, but I feel no drive to follow his adventures, so I won't be reading any further.

First Ten review added on April 20, 2018, at 10:58 am by Libs_Books.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Alice Heritage

I would have chosen to sample or read this book based on the cover, which looks great, and the editorial review. I won't buy and read the whole book because this genre isn't to my taste. The first ten pages did change my guess because much seemed cliched, with a twee focus on Irish culture. The lack of errors does suggest professional editing. What I liked best was the idea of travelling to another world. There was a certain repetitiveness in the bit I read. I did see an official OnineBookClub review.

First Ten review added on August 6, 2017, at 4:41 pm by Alice Heritage.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jaime Lync

I have mixed feelings about the book cover. The blue hue is appealing but the animals are weird. This novel seems to draw from Celtic mythology in a contemporary setting. Unfortunately, the first ten pages did not persuade me to read this rather lengthy book (almost 600 pages).

First Ten review added on August 6, 2017, at 3:28 pm by Jaime Lync.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

dhomespot

The first ten pages of this book is what really drew me in. I do not think I would have bought the book based on the cover, the blurb would have made me curious. I liked the official review and that also made me more interested. I did not see any errors and the book looks to be professionally edited.

First Ten review added on August 6, 2017, at 1:40 am by dhomespot.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Izesicle

The cover is a bit creepy but it captures the urban fantasy and mythology genre well. Based on the glowing review, I checked out the sample. The sample is written well. I didn't notice major typos or grammar errors. It captures the character's personality on the dot. That said, I will not buy the book because it is not my cup of tea.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 11:27 pm by Izesicle.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Naval Aulakh

"Roan" is a well written thriller. After reading it's review on OnlineBookClub, I decided to read it's sample on Kindle. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the plot. Also, I liked the characters and concept of the book. The mystery and thrill gave a depth to the story. Moreover, the cover of the book is also very good.

The book is well formatted. I did not find any grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in the sample. I would definitely like to read the entire book.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 10:57 pm by Naval Aulakh.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kinnera

The eyes on the cover are simply fascinating, and I would've picked up the book if I'd only seen that. Now that I've read the sample, I wouldn't like to read the book. The writing style, in my opinion, is non-uniform, with very short and extremely long sentences interspersed in the story, and I find it distracting when I read. Other than that, it does seem well edited. While the genre does bring up interest, I'm not sure I like where the story implies it may go.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 10:34 pm by Kinnera.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Christina Rose

This book’s cover is very intriguing to me. The foggy and blurred background adds a level of mystery, and I like the emphasis placed on the eyes. It alludes to the boy’s ability to shape-shift. Being a fan of the science fiction and fantasy genres, I would be prompted to read more. After reading some of the reviews, including the Official Online Book Club review, I am even more inclined to purchase and read this book. It seems to be rooted in history and legend, making for a strong base for a great mythological tale. Reading the sample of this this book only proved to strengthen my desire to buy and finishing reading it. There were no errors that I spotted, and nothing I noticed that needed improvement. The author seems to be a very talented story teller, and offers just the right amount of description for such a fantastical tale.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 9:47 pm by Christina Rose.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Snowflake

The cover is excellent and I may have sampled this book without the first ten program. The writing drew me in quickly and I felt a part of the story right away. This is not my usual genre though so I do not plan to finish this book at this time.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 9:04 pm by Snowflake.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Gingerbo0ks

The cover is good, it makes you wonder where the animals come into play and makes me think it could be a supernatural or mystery novel. The OBC review says it is Urban Fantasy. I do like some books in this genre but believe it is hard to get right. The review was very positive and made me want to try the book. The book is very long so this is slightly off putting. On reading it, it seemed very slow. I couldn't grasp what was going on and who was narrating the events. It seemed to go off on a tangent. Maybe the book has many pages because it is a descriptive and narrative tale told in a free flowing style. Unfortunately I couldn't get into it and the length did put me off.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 8:21 pm by Gingerbo0ks.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

micoleon13

This is a great cover page, both the design and colour choice. I would pick this up to find out more about it. The Onlinebookclub review was very complementary and raved about book. I enjoy this sort of genre, so it just made me more interested. The pages which I read were well written and edited, with the story immediately setting up the supernatural, fantasy side, as well as introducing the main character of Conor. I have no ideas for improvement and I would like to continue reading this book.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 6:31 pm by micoleon13.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

jwalker73

This is not a genre I would read by choice. The book cover does not inspire me and, if anything, I find the eyes of the man and animals somewhat unsettling. I have read the reviews and note they all give a glowing report about this novel, however, for me, the story line does not excite.
Reading the first ten pages of this book has not changed my mind about whether I will read the rest. I had to concentrate very hard to follow what the author was portraying and, while very detailed, it did not gain my interest. One contributing factor to this may be due to my unfamiliarity with descriptions of mythical beings, such as ‘Piasa’. I need something early in the writing to grab my attention and draw me into the book. This novel failed to do that, and I certainly could not refer to it as an easy read.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 6:11 pm by jwalker73.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Lennycat

Had I not read the first ten pages as a part of this program, I probably would not choose to read this book. The cover is interesting and the font size and placement of author name and book title are well done. I read the review on OnlineBookClub.org and it was a favorable review. I did not find any technical or grammatical errors in the pages I read. I think the Prologue was very good; nice and scary, and the character development and flow was even and interesting. However, I started to get bored with Conor's character in the next pages. I would have to say that I probably would not read this book. Sorry.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 6:00 pm by Lennycat.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Seraphia Bunny Sparks

After reading a sample of, Roan by E.R. Barr, I have decided that I will purchase and read this book. Before reading this book, I did not think that it would interest me. When I first read the blurb for this book I had mixed feelings concerning it. I was interested, but then I was a bit put off and confused. After reading a sample, I was engaged and wanted to continue reading. I liked the flashbacks to when he was younger and spending time with his grandmother. Reading about the things that he learned from her and the strange happenings engaged me a lot. From what I have read so far this book does appear to be professionally edited. This book does have an official OnlineBookClub review, and the review had little impact on my decision.

First Ten review added on August 5, 2017, at 5:37 pm by Seraphia Bunny Sparks.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

truebookaddict

Had I not sampled the first ten pages as part of this program, I would have chosen to read/sample this book because of the genre. I love fantasy novels. Plus, it has great reviews and has won numerous book awards.

I will not be buying the book at this time, as the price is way above my eBook spending limit. If it is ever offered at a lower price, I might consider buying it.

This book is professionally edited. I did not notice typos or grammatical errors.

The first ten pages, which are part of the prologue, are beautifully written and very descriptive. I could envision the landscape as I was reading. However, without reading further into the book, I found myself wondering what this prologue has to do with the story. I'm sure it ties in somehow. Overall, it seems a solid start to this fantasy novel.

This book has been officially reviewed on OBC.

First Ten review added on May 5, 2017, at 8:58 am by truebookaddict.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

jungkookblog

I think I will be reading this book because it seems very interesting from the book. It seems to be filled with action and stuff. I will be reading this book because the first ten pages have caught my attention with the plot and such. It seems professionally edited. I did not see a review, and I don't think that would affect my decision.

First Ten review added on May 5, 2017, at 1:03 am by jungkookblog.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

jamesabr

This book was interesting to read. If I were not a part of the First Ten program, I would have sampled it due to its genre and the positive Online Book Club review it received. I enjoyed the first ten pages very much. My favorite part was Conor's performance. It was a very telling moment regarding his characterization. I will definitely buy and read the rest of the book. There were no typos or grammatical errors.

First Ten review added on May 4, 2017, at 5:50 pm by jamesabr.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Amagine

I read the first couple of chapters and the story seems pretty interesting. I automatically have a strong like towards coming of age books with young male protagonists. I feel like this age group needs to be represented more in books. So I took a liking to the character. I would definitely be interested in reading more from this book.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 11:55 pm by Amagine.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kitkat3

The title and cover were not exciting to me so prior to this program and book of the day, this book was not in my shelves. The blurb is a little interesting to me, but it is very long and wasn't enough on its own to make me read the book. Customer reviews of the book and the Official OnlineBookClub review are 4/4. These two encourage me to read the book. It is professionally edited. The first ten pages are very well written, and I am interested to read the rest after reading about the monster with the green eyes. Reading the first pages is what really convinced me that I should read the book.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 11:23 pm by Kitkat3.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Shelle

I remember when this was the book of the month a while back. I thought it looked interesting and was glad to sample it. The writing seems solid, but I didn't connect with any of the characters and the supernatural just isn't appealing to me right now. The book appears to be professionally edited and error-free.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 9:08 pm by Shelle.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Scerakor

Based on the cover, blurb, and OBC review, I may have picked up this book; depending on the way this book is put together, it may be right up my alley. After reading the first ten pages however, I decided that I wouldn't buy and read the rest of this one. Unfortunately a book only has so much time to capture one's interest and this was a bit too slow for me within these first ten pages to break the ranks of my already too massive TBR list. I did like the mystery and imagery presented in the first few pages of this sample. The book looks well written and edited but it just isn't for me. The official OBC review did not affect my decision at all.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 8:57 pm by Scerakor.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Azeline Arcenal

After reading the sample, I won't be reading the rest of the book. It was interesting but it didn't have enough suspense for me to finish reading it. I didn't notice any major grammatical errors either.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 8:43 pm by Azeline Arcenal.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

e-tasana-williams

Based on the genre, I would not have chosen to sample this book outside of this program. Paranormal stories are not my interest. I do not plan to buy and finish this book for the same reason. The work does appear to be professionally edited. The best aspect of the sample I read is the excellent imagery. It is vivid. I do not see any improvements to be made.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 5:42 pm by e-tasana-williams.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

classicaltwist

Based on the blurb and reviews, I would have definitely put this book on my to-read list. I love books that infuse some mythology or folklore into their stories, and the reviews made it seem like a promising read.

I did change my mind after reading the first 10 pages. The writing did seem professionally edited, so I have no complaints on that front. The first paragraph, with Walter pulling the hook out of his hand, was a strong beginning. It really drew me in. However, almost immediately after that it started losing momentum. The pace started to drag and I was given a lot of information that seemed irrelevant or random. If all of it was important to the story, the connection wasn't really made clear. For example, what's the relevance of the origins of Iowa's Pike's Peak State Park's name?

It really started to drag when Walter started reminiscing about Grandma Swift Deer. It went on for too long and felt somewhat disjointed, and the result was that it wasn't very fun to read. Once the focus returns to what's happening with Walter in the river, it improves, but not enough to really draw me back in again. After reading the sample, I revisited the reviews and noticed multiple reviews saying that it dragged, it was long-winded, etc., and that solidified my decision not to purchase the book.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 4:41 pm by classicaltwist.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kdonegan91

The cover and title are eye-catching and sparked my curiosity. After reading the first ten pages and the OBC review, I have decided this book is not for me. I do not enjoy the fantasy genre. I will not be purchasing this book.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 3:54 pm by Kdonegan91.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Christina O Phillips

I first heard about this book as it was a book of the month on the OnlineBookClub website. I thought the summary sounded interesting, so it has been on my to-read list. Today I read the first ten pages. The people seem to be thoroughly described. I like that the author did a good job of writing the dialogue and part of the narration in the characters' dialect. There was nothing wrong with the format nor really the style except that nothing grabbed my attention. There was no event or hint in these first ten pages that made me want to read more. So now I am going to move the book off of my to-read list.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 3:38 pm by Christina O Phillips.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ananya92

This book has been widely appreciated by a number of readers, so I was curious to read it, especially after reading its glowing review, and the intriguing description. The book is in the urban fantasy genre, and centers around various themes, focusing deeply on a combination of Native American and Irish/Celtic mythical lore. Conor Archer, the protagonist, is quite likable. The author's writing style is quite interesting, especially how he builds the atmosphere in the plot. The book seems to be edited properly. Unfortunately, the book is rather long, even the prologue seems to long enough to be a chapter. Also, I don't think I can devote enough time to explore this genre thoroughly through this book. Therefore, despite the fascinating premise of the book, I'll pass.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 11:13 am by ananya92.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

James Craft

The book looks awesome and the cover is very well put together. It is intriguing and makes me want to read more. The book got a great review from OBC and the opening is clean and has a strong hook to it. I don't really have time to read anything right now so I will not be reading the entire book, but it does look like a good read that a lot of people will enjoy. Just not enough to push me over the edge.

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 10:46 am by James Craft.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

MarisaRose

I previously read 'Roan: The Tales of Conor Archer' by E.R. Barr when it was BOTM a few months ago. I was initially drawn to the book because of it's cover and the many positive reviews. I really liked the eerie, small town setting of this book. The author does a great job setting the scene through vivid descriptions and prose. Additionally, the characters all act in a way you would expect of those from this type of town. Certain parts of the novel did feel a little slow, but the overall plot kept me involved in the characters and interested in continuing to the end. Lastly, the author's use of real folklore really added to the authentic feel of this story. Overall, I recommend this book and I would read it again!

First Ten review added on May 3, 2017, at 10:42 am by MarisaRose.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Cjgarland89

This book had already caught my attention as November book of the month and I had already planned to read it. The sample reaffirmed that, the main character seems intriguing and I would love to learn more. The book looks professionally edited and is written well and easy to read. I would have read this with or without the program due to it being book of the month and it's one that actually interests me.

First Ten review added on October 31, 2016, at 7:01 am by Cjgarland89.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

lane_vespertine

As I understand it, this book is the BOTM for November, so I will be reading it. That said, if it wasn't I wouldn't be reading it. It comes down to this: exposition heavy beginning are the surest things to turn me off a book. I get it. As an author, you want to set up as much as you can so you can begin your story. Unfortunately, giving me detailed accounts of catfish fishing while pondering remembered rattlesnake mutilations, who has the best pop, and what grandma said is just sooooo boring! Start off with a conversation or an activity. Let the exposition happen organically. Cover looks cool though, and other people seem to like it. Probably completely wrong here.

First Ten review added on October 31, 2016, at 3:39 am by lane_vespertine.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kourtney Bradley

I'm already interested in this one due to it being the November book of the month. The review given was excellent, and this story seeks to be one worth reading!

First Ten review added on October 30, 2016, at 10:34 pm by Kourtney Bradley.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Genaaa

I remember seeing this book on the website before and thought it looked pretty interesting. While the writing style is excellent, I don't plan on actually reading the whole book as of now. That may change as time goes on though. The cover is amazing and really draws the reader in though.

First Ten review added on October 30, 2016, at 8:51 pm by Genaaa.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Momlovesbooks

The description of this book seemed like something I would enjoy. I read the first few pages and became interested. The writing seemed to be professionally edited. The main character was unique and drew me into his world. I plan on reading the rest of this book.

First Ten review added on October 30, 2016, at 5:07 pm by Momlovesbooks.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Rachel1019

The title and cover of this book are enough to intrigue me into picking up this book. They are dark and mysterious, which I really like. After reading the review of this book on OBC, I was overjoyed that this book was Book of the Day. I was so happy that I was going to be able to read even just a small portion of this book. I agree with the reviewer completely after reading the prologue and the first chapter. I love the fantasy genre, and this book has already in 10 pages drawn me in and I am so excited to be able to finish reading this book. I will absolutely be finishing this book.

First Ten review added on October 30, 2016, at 2:44 pm by Rachel1019.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Gravy

I was interested in this from the review, and the sample kept me interested. I didn't notice any errors, and while the cover isn't great, it isn't bad. I would definitely have looked at this book, and I love the premise.
I would most likely answer yes, if I read ebooks. As it is, I am looking into getting it. The one thing that makes me hesitate is not knowing if it ends in a cliffhanger, and not having any info about the second book.

First Ten review added on October 30, 2016, at 2:31 am by Gravy.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

L_Therese

I'll admit the description of this book sounded very interesting, and the review just absolutely glowed. The thing that made me hesitate about deciding to read it was the length. For a book that is part of a series, it is quite long at 570 pages. I don't think I have the time to invest in a book of that length. The first ten pages would really need to impress, and I don't think I was impressed enough. If the book were half the length, I would probably read it, but I haven't got time for 570 pages of pleasure reading. It would take months.

First Ten review added on October 30, 2016, at 12:32 am by L_Therese.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rachaelamb1

From the cover I assumed this was a paranormal novel and was not interested. The book description is very long and seems to explain the entire beginning in too much detail. Based on that, I would not have normally chosen this book to read. However, after reading the OBC official review, I was interested in checking it out. The first ten pages are good, but not exactly anything special. I would not normally buy this book, but I did based on the fact that it is the BOTM for November. The OBC review was also a large factor in deciding to buy it. I'm hoping I will fall in love with the rest of the book. I am a little concerned by the length. I usually only buy books this long when it is from an author I love! The book seems professionally edited.

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 10:14 pm by Rachaelamb1.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Annelore Trujillo

I probably would not have read this book based on the OBC review and the genre. I'm not really into fantasy books. After reading the first ten pages, I will not be buying the book. I couldn't get into the language of the book. I didn't like that most of the sentences didn't start with a subject. I understand that it adds to the setting of the book, but I wasn't a big fan of that style. I didn't really notice any grammar errors other than the sentences purposely being written the way they were. I think it would be a great book for people who like fantasy; it just isn't the book for me.

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 9:30 pm by Annelore Trujillo.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Heidi M Simone

Everything about this read would lead me into picking it up - the enticing cover, the mysterious title, the genre (fantasy), and the positive reviews. Especially, the positive review given by an OBC reviewer.

While reading the first few pages, the book seems to be professionally edited. I really love the mysterious feeling I get when reading. The crazy man that bites Conor, the woman that heals him for now, and the confusion as to why. It is beautifully done, and to be honest I can't wait to finish reading this one! I already own the book, so I will not be purchasing it today, but I will continue reading it~

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 5:38 pm by Heidi M Simone.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

CrescentMoon

Based on the cover, title, blurb, and reviews, I would pick up this book. I love the cover. The pale blue and the black and the supernatural eyes really conveys the mystery and supernatural aspect of this book. It is very eye-catching. I think the title makes sense and the blurb makes this story sound really interesting. After reading the first ten pages, I will continue reading the rest of the book. I am intrigued by the storyline and give kudos to the author for getting readers hooked.

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 5:27 pm by CrescentMoon.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

AA1495

Had I not sampled the book, I wouldn't have read it. It doesn't belong to a genre that I usually read. Having sampled the book, my opinion remains. I liked the writing style of the author. The transition between the present and the protagonist's memories was handled effectively. However, I did not like the pace at which the plot was moving. The book seems to be professionally edited and has a perfect Onlinebookclub review. I'm sure that people who like the Genre would love the book, but it isn't for me.

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 4:16 pm by AA1495.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

ALynnPowers

The length of this book, in addition to the lengthy, complicated summary of the story, was the first hint that I didn't really have any interest in this book. Sampling the book revealed an opening with an old Irish ballad, which was another immediate sign that I would not be interested in reading any more of this book. The prologue jumps into a fishing scene, complete with more song lyrics -- both of which indicate big red flags that this just isn't a kind of book that I should spent my time with. There wasn't really anything connecting me to this book at all. While this book might have been a good choice for the OBC reviewer and others who love fantasy of this length and genre, it's just not something that holds my interest.

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 3:57 pm by ALynnPowers.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gali

I love Urban Fantasy and this book sounds like my cup of tea. The official review piqued my interest much more than the blurb. Speaking of that, I found the blurb too detailed, revealing too many details about the book. I like the cover, though the eyes in the picture are a bit scary... I enjoyed the sample and liked the writing. The plot drew me in and I quickly became engaged in the tale. I have the book and plan to start it this week!

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 2:26 pm by gali.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Vermont Reviews

E.R. Barr is a wonderful storyteller. With great characters and I downloaded this book back in July of this year. Great choice for the book of the day.
Vermont Reviews

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 12:52 pm by Vermont Reviews.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Sarah_Khan

The cover art and the title of this book are just okay, but the synopsis is very interesting. After reading the Online Book Club review I was excited to start reading the sample.
I have to say I was a little disappointed after reading the first few pages. I found the writing confusing, it seemed like the author packed way too much information in just the first few pages. I also did not like the really long paragraphs. For these reasons I do not intend to read the rest of this book.

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 11:59 am by Sarah_Khan.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

bookowlie

The cover artwork is eye-catching, but the subtitle almost disappears into the background. The Amazon summary blurb is extremely long and busy with an overabundance of minor details. I found it a little boring and it didn't excite me about reading the story. Although I didn't notice any errors, the beginning pages are written in a wordy, long-winded style that doesn't flow smoothly. I wasn't able to become engaged in the story and am not interested in reading further.

First Ten review added on October 29, 2016, at 10:41 am by bookowlie.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Total ~ 33%

Roan earned a score of 33%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 33% 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.

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The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for Roan: The Tales Of Conor Archer