Hello there and welcome to The Turndog Review: the books I read, reviewed.

I aren’t a professional critic, instead all I offer is my honest opinion into everything I read. However, I do this with a difference, as I don’t only offer my personal views on the Writing, Plot, and Story, but also the Book Cover, Book Marketing, and Author Website.

We live in a modern world where being a writer is different to years gone by, and I feel the whole experience of the book matters. This covers everything from the initial find, the actual read, and everything that follows. Therefore I hope this review not only offers a great insight into the book and author, but also into my own mind and what makes me tick.

So without further ado let’s begin, and today I focus on Prophecy by J.F Penn

Published: 2012

Read: March 2012

Discovered: A Blogger I love, so a book I always planned to read

Overview:

Prophecy is the second instalment of the ARKANE series, which follows Morgan Sierra (I know, cool name, right?) and her adventures. In Prophecy Morgan is now engrossed in the world of ARKANE after helping find her sister and stopping the Pentecost in the series first instalment (I review Pentecost here).

Life isn’t the same, and soon she is asked to go back to her Israeli home and help an old friend solve a mysterious issue. It doesn’t take long until she’s back involved in another ARKANE adventure as her and Jake, the ARKANE Special Forces Soldier, track down a potentially devastating plot.

This is once again a fast paced Thriller with twists and turns on each page. J.F Penn is quickly establishing herself as a writer capable of creating a compelling read in a similar vein to Dan Brown and his historically religious adventures. Overall this is fast and compelling, and basically a great way book to waste a lazy afternoon with.

The Good:

Joanna (aka J.F Penn) has created a series that could last for a long time. The third instalment is already well under way, and I could imagine a few more books still to come. There are no shortages of religious myths, and if there’s one thing she is great at, it’s creating a compelling and rather believable setting.

I found myself falling for Morgan in the first book, and this time the feelings strengthen. She’s a kick ass heroine, and it’s hard not to root for her. If there is one aspect that truly delivers, it’s the main character and her energetic traits.

I also find myself in awe of the research, and I can only imagine the depths Joanna took to create many of the scenes. The’re always painted in a great manner and really throw you in the midst of the setting. As always, this is a great, and indeed vital aspect of any good book.

The Bad:

I once again found myself wanting more details, but you never feel truly involved in Morgan or Jake, or any of the main characters. It’s a short read, which is great, but it does mean certain things gets glossed over.

The only other main flaw is how she links between this book and the previous one. I feel too many times things are mentioned, and as someone who had just read the first book, it leaves you trailing off. I feel this could have been done a little tighter, without simply telling the reader and replaying certain aspects from the first installment.

Book Cover:

I think this is a very good example of a book cover, and perfect for the genre it’s in. The text is clear and stands out, which is vital for an Ebook, and the overall feeling is fairly gothic and clearly religiously related.

It’s very similar to the Pentecost cover, but I do feel it takes it to the next level. Very good overall.

Book Marketing:

As I’ve said previously, I feel Joanna is one of the best when it comes to in-book marketing. This version once again provides links to her various online communications, as well as prompting the reader to review and engage further.

Does it take a little bit of time? Sure, but I feel it’s very much worth it. If you want tips on how market yourself from within your own book then Joanna is someone you should take a few tips from.

Author Website & Engagement:

Again I would be repeating myself here, but The Creative Penn is one of my favourite writer related websites. The question still remains whether she needs two separate sites, and in my opinion it could become more beneficial to have one mother ship site.

That is only my opinion of course.

As for her engagement, well once again I’d simply be repeating myself. Take a look at my previous review for more details, but I find Joanna to be one of the best communicators around.

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Overall Prophecy is another great read. It’s fast and quick, and it takes only a few sittings to get from start to finish. Is it Shakespeare? No, it isn’t, but it offers a great journey and leaves you wanting more.

In my opinion this is vital, and together with Joanna’s overall skill set, this book gets a very good…

                                    4 Turndogs out of 5

Thanks for reading this version of The Turndog Review. I review every book I read, not only for the writing, but the marketing, website, and general communication from the author.

Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million