Series ✦ Penny’s Take
Promise Full of Thorns
Jean Harkin · 2023
65/100
👎 Skip It
Harkin's debut has clear strengths — a wide historical arc, dual perspectives, and genuine period texture — but its critical footprint is modest and regional, and the literary pacing will frustrate readers expecting plot momentum. Worth watching as a small-press debut for patient readers of domestic historical fiction, but not a confident recommendation without stronger coverage.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety90
Substance / usefulness63
Craft & writing65
Originality62
Evidence & accuracy68
Hype vs delivers72
Age-fit85
👁 Human-eye gut-check60
Penny’s verdict65
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