Book Review of 'Lion of Judah' by Henry O. Arnold

Hello Bookworms!

Henry O. Arnold has been one of those authors whose words have touched my spirit recently. So far, I’ve only read his contemporary fiction, so I was excited to finally have the opportunity to read one of his Biblical fictions.

I hope you enjoy my thoughts on this Biblical/Historical Fiction and don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of this post and enter the amazing giveaway from JustRead Tours.

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Lion of Judah by Henry O. Arnold, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: Lion of Judah
Series: The Song of Prophets and Kings #5
Author: Henry O. Arnold
Publisher: WhiteFire Publishing
Release Date: May 15, 2025
Genre: Biblical/Historical Fiction

The new king is crowned in triumph…
But his pride proves to be a fatal flaw…
And from out of his own house calamity falls upon him

Once a shepherd, a captain, and a fugitive, David is now king. He left behind the dangers of life on the run and embraced the comforts of living in the palace. No longer known as the “giant-slayer,” but as the “lion of Judah,” King David enjoys the popularity and prosperity brought on by his victories.

But peace in the nation of Israel has a double-edged sword. David’s pride subverts his judgment, and his desires overwhelm his heart leading him down a dark pathway. The king will go to any lengths to cover up his crimes, but disaster falls upon the House of David bringing this broken and contrite king to cry out to Yahweh for mercy.

Lion of Judah continues the tale of triumph and tragedy, deepest love and burning rivalries; the new epoch is given a voice…and it is The Song of Prophets and Kings.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | WhiteFire Publishing | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

My Review

I’ve always had a fascination with King David, and reading Lion of Judah really helped humanize him even more in my mind and showed me a depth to his indiscretions and tragedy that surrounded him that I hadn’t originally thought of.

This is clearly a character-driven novel and really brought a fairly known Biblical story to life in heartbreaking detail. I have never stopped to ponder this Old Testament account in great detail before, and seeing it fleshed out changed my perspective in a profound way. That’s one reason I have fallen in love with Biblical fiction recently. It really does make these stories come alive and gives me a hunger to delve deeper into my Bible and see it with fresh eyes.

The one thing I can’t get off my mind since finishing this novel is the story of Bathsheba, which has always bothered me. Seeing David’s thought process and reading Bathsheba’s account, particularly during the initial attack, was sickening, to say the least. David was a predator of the worst kind, and reading this part of his story was jarring to say the least and quite triggering despite not being graphic. David’s story is a lot more tragic than I realized, with multiple assaults and a lot of innocent lives that were lost.

The story itself is wonderfully written with a nice flow that is easy to digest. Despite the devastating and heartbreaking details throughout, it clearly shows that even a man who was after God’s own heart could easily be led astray and do unimaginable things for his own gain. It also showed a world that differed greatly from our own with what was acceptable yet also showed that there were struggles then that sadly still persist today. Talk about a powerful and thought-provoking story.

My Rating: ★★★★★

About the Author

Mr. Henry O. Arnold's career as an actor/author spans over five decades with multiple stage and film credits. He has recorded over one hundred audiobooks and is the author of the Urban Chronicles suspense series and the multi-volume biblical/historical fiction series entitled The Song of Prophets and Kings (available in all formats wherever books are sold). When not writing, he can be found hiking on a trail somewhere in the world. He and his lovely wife Kay have two beautiful daughters, married to two handsome men, with three above-average grandchildren.

Connect with Henry by visiting henryoarnold.com to follow him on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Lion of Judah & $20 Amazon Gift Card plus a print copy of The Mercy Seat, also by Henry O. Arnold!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 2, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 9, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!