The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
allymiranda's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I have been yearning for a book like this my entire life. I need MORE!!! The characters felt so strong, and the imagery is so vivid. I want to live in these lands and be with these beautiful ladies fighting dragons (and loving dragons!). The only character I could never get behind was Roos -- I wanted to just skip his chapters. I didn't empathize with him and saw him as just a way to move certain plot points along. I almost wish I cared about him more, but he kept making such bad choices! But the Sabran and Ead chapters, I will be re-reading until the end of time. If the Great Kwiriki loves me this will become a movie and there will be more of Sabran and Ead!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Alcoholism
The only animal cruelty is dragons and (very minor) horses.achay91's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Classism, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, War, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Child death, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
chronicacademia's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking, Animal death, Ableism, Death, Grief, Blood, Gore, Pregnancy, Infertility, Miscarriage, Torture, Violence, and War
georgialee01's review
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Infertility, Sexual content, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, and Death
kyleighf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Did this take me a while? Yes. Do I enjoy fantasy? Not particularly. Should you read this? Yes.Â
World building was long and drawn out and at times in the first 200 pages I’d wonder how the heck I was to remember so much detail. Maps and timelines and more maps and a glossary(!) and an index of people. Plus 4 different narrators with subtle indication of who was at the forefront each chapter.Â
This book was a test of my strength, memory, will, stubbornness, but it will forever be worth it.Â
Some of the BEST LGBTQ+ representation I’ve read, and that’s not even close to the focus of the story. It’s refreshing to read about a sapphic couple who are not a plot point in the story but treated as any heterosexual couple would be.Â
I think this was the first time I put down a book to start another in the middle which is part of why it took so long, but I’m so glad I powered through.Â
Characters are fleshed out, the character development is immaculate and to die for. The ending leaves you satisfied but curious. Everything wraps up sensibly and doesn’t feel forced. Pieces intertwine and disconnect and intertwine, it’s very satisfying to watch the threads build a tapestry.Â
Here’s to (eventually) reading the prequel. Not anytime soon, but eventually.Â
World building was long and drawn out and at times in the first 200 pages I’d wonder how the heck I was to remember so much detail. Maps and timelines and more maps and a glossary(!) and an index of people. Plus 4 different narrators with subtle indication of who was at the forefront each chapter.Â
This book was a test of my strength, memory, will, stubbornness, but it will forever be worth it.Â
Some of the BEST LGBTQ+ representation I’ve read, and that’s not even close to the focus of the story. It’s refreshing to read about a sapphic couple who are not a plot point in the story but treated as any heterosexual couple would be.Â
I think this was the first time I put down a book to start another in the middle which is part of why it took so long, but I’m so glad I powered through.Â
Characters are fleshed out, the character development is immaculate and to die for. The ending leaves you satisfied but curious. Everything wraps up sensibly and doesn’t feel forced. Pieces intertwine and disconnect and intertwine, it’s very satisfying to watch the threads build a tapestry.Â
Here’s to (eventually) reading the prequel. Not anytime soon, but eventually.Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, Pregnancy, and War
_persephone's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
Minor: Alcoholism
internationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I’m frustrated because I liked a lot about this book - the world building! The queer love story! The way all the seemingly separate storylines came together! - but the way the author treated religion and politics was a huge miss for me. There is no way anyone who was raised to believe certain thousands-years-old truths, let alone a queen and nobles whose entire existence is based on those truths, would believe that their religion is all a lie immediately. Similarly, all of the political leaders coming together incredibly easily to fight the Nameless One at the end, after thousands of years of political estrangement?? We could have had a much more interesting read on those two fronts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and War
travis_zalesky's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
An engaging and artfully written fantasy novel that takes what it wants from the genre and leaves the rest behind. A diverse cast of characters are faced with an insurmountable evil which must be vanquished, but rather than a single hero who saves the day, Priory emphasizes that power of teamwork to overcome.Â
The characters were believable, if somewhat flat and over the top. I am willing to give Priory a pass though on character development because of the epic nature of the tale. An epic fantasy of the scale of Priory calls for over the top characters, sometimes verging on caricature. The cast is lovable and Shannon does a great job of helping the reader see both sides of a conflict, but don't go looking for massive character growth or a treatise on the human condition.
Set in a matriarchal society, and infused with modern feminist theory, I found the world of Priory to be novel, inspired, and refreshing. The narrative was believable and immersive, and only occasionally did it come off as preachy or tiresome. The magic was convincing and consistent with a plausible internal logic for slowly ramping up the power throughout the story. However, there were several plot holes,and a few noticeable contrivances which would occasionally take me out of the story. One of my biggest criticism is seemingly inconsistent travel times. While there are differing modes of transportation that could partially account for these differences, at times a character might take days or even weeks to traverse a short distance on the island on Inys, while at other times they blaze across leagues of Lysia seemingly in an instantall before a mortally wounded character can bleed out . An appendix with a detailed timeline of events could have massively assuaged this issue but unfortunately the author only included a timeline of the historical events leading up to the start of the tale. I also found the overuse of the dramatic loss of consciousness, fade to black, trope to be distracting. On balance these flaws were minor and did not spoil my enjoyment of the book.
While a few nit-pick criticisms prevent Priory of The Orange Tree from being a 5-star read I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end, and found myself eagerly devouring the last few hundred pages. I would not hesitate to recommend it to any fans of the genre, and I would be shocked if it does not get picked up for a major movie deal soon. Priory will certainly be long regarded as a classic of modern fantasy.
The characters were believable, if somewhat flat and over the top. I am willing to give Priory a pass though on character development because of the epic nature of the tale. An epic fantasy of the scale of Priory calls for over the top characters, sometimes verging on caricature. The cast is lovable and Shannon does a great job of helping the reader see both sides of a conflict, but don't go looking for massive character growth or a treatise on the human condition.
Set in a matriarchal society, and infused with modern feminist theory, I found the world of Priory to be novel, inspired, and refreshing. The narrative was believable and immersive, and only occasionally did it come off as preachy or tiresome. The magic was convincing and consistent with a plausible internal logic for slowly ramping up the power throughout the story. However, there were several plot holes,and a few noticeable contrivances which would occasionally take me out of the story. One of my biggest criticism is seemingly inconsistent travel times. While there are differing modes of transportation that could partially account for these differences, at times a character might take days or even weeks to traverse a short distance on the island on Inys, while at other times they blaze across leagues of Lysia seemingly in an instant
While a few nit-pick criticisms prevent Priory of The Orange Tree from being a 5-star read I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end, and found myself eagerly devouring the last few hundred pages. I would not hesitate to recommend it to any fans of the genre, and I would be shocked if it does not get picked up for a major movie deal soon. Priory will certainly be long regarded as a classic of modern fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Suicide
hannahpings's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
i grappled with the rating on this one a little bit, because in terms of likability and recommendation, this book is a solid four to five stars: i loved it! i was engaged the whole time! i dragged my feet finishing it because i was sad it's over! i still am!
at the same time though, for me it's cursed with having been a good book that also could have been better. overall, priory's pacing is good––it comes out swinging and still manages a good amount exposition, the action is well-timed, it's engaging every step of the way––but there are significant gaps and skips throughout, and especially so in the final third. journeys that once took immense narrative tolls and lasted close to 40 pages are reduced to quotidian, one-sentence tasks that seem to exist only because not mentioning them would render the plot unadvanceable. characters make choices that, while you can see how they might make sense given the adequate development, are complete opposites of their intentions up until that point without the text taking the time or putting in the work to achieve that development. things that are given immense weight and word counts early on are not held to the same standard later and are treated like whims, if they're acknowledged at all. (the story's climax is overly convenient too, but it was an emotionally satisfying one, even if a little more mess was to be desired.)
samantha shannon has created a worthy fantasy epic; it's a wold i don't want to leave, a necessary addition to the genre, and one both accessible (even for folks who don't like fantasy or who may be revisiting it for the first time in years) and that made me excited to have to flip to the map or appendices every few pages. all the same, it's hard not to feel that by the end of the book, shannon was ready to be done with it, and glossed over chunks of the narrative accordingly. priory is a story and scope worthy of three, 300–400-page books, and it's hard to understand why it wasn't given the adequate time to breathe and grow into itself.
ultimately though, that's not my decision, and in the end i'm still happy with what we got: something relatively well-written, intercultural and anti-hegemonic, compelling and whose characters it's impossible not to root for, and to whose world i can't wait to return.
at the same time though, for me it's cursed with having been a good book that also could have been better. overall, priory's pacing is good––it comes out swinging and still manages a good amount exposition, the action is well-timed, it's engaging every step of the way––but there are significant gaps and skips throughout, and especially so in the final third. journeys that once took immense narrative tolls and lasted close to 40 pages are reduced to quotidian, one-sentence tasks that seem to exist only because not mentioning them would render the plot unadvanceable. characters make choices that, while you can see how they might make sense given the adequate development, are complete opposites of their intentions up until that point without the text taking the time or putting in the work to achieve that development. things that are given immense weight and word counts early on are not held to the same standard later and are treated like whims, if they're acknowledged at all. (the story's climax is overly convenient too, but it was an emotionally satisfying one, even if a little more mess was to be desired.)
samantha shannon has created a worthy fantasy epic; it's a wold i don't want to leave, a necessary addition to the genre, and one both accessible (even for folks who don't like fantasy or who may be revisiting it for the first time in years) and that made me excited to have to flip to the map or appendices every few pages. all the same, it's hard not to feel that by the end of the book, shannon was ready to be done with it, and glossed over chunks of the narrative accordingly. priory is a story and scope worthy of three, 300–400-page books, and it's hard to understand why it wasn't given the adequate time to breathe and grow into itself.
ultimately though, that's not my decision, and in the end i'm still happy with what we got: something relatively well-written, intercultural and anti-hegemonic, compelling and whose characters it's impossible not to root for, and to whose world i can't wait to return.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Animal death, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Bullying, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Violence, Gore, Incest, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Blood, Classism, Death, Racism, Infertility, Medical content, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Torture, Trafficking, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders
incest/rape:aksmith92's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Samantha Shannon is a phenomenal writer! I love the prose - her descriptions of people and events work for me, and I love storytelling through the eyes of vastly different people. I read A Day of Fallen Night a month or two ago and couldn't wait to get my hands on The Priory of the Orange Tree - the first book in the series. Although this one was written first, I decided to read A Day of Fallen Night - the prequel - to start since I wanted to go chronologically, and because I read that if you read this book first, you would already know a decent plot twist in the prequel. All-in-all, for some reason, I just LOVED A Day of Fallen Night, even if we were still left with a bit of a mystery. I REALLY enjoyed this one, but it didn't tug on my heartstrings as much as the prequel.
Regardless, just like the prequel, this book follows four narrators, all from different parts of the world (two being from the "West"), that Shannon sets up for us. Each area - East, South, West, has its own religion and customs, which were very intriguing to read about. We have the West, which has a pretty cutthroat religion about someone named Galian who slayed the "Nameless One," a wyrm that came to destroy the continent about 1,000 years ago. They view him as the Saint. Then, we have the South, which actually believes that his love, Cleolind, is the one who slays the Nameless One. They call her the Mother. The East is disconnected from the bigger Continent by water, and they worship dragons, different from wyverns who follow the Nameless One. It was so intriguing to read about these different cultures and how they intersect.Â
I think the characters are built amazingly, and I really feel like I'm in their world. Like the prequel, a lot of this novel is setting up the characters, world-building, and plot, and therefore, it may feel slow for some people in the beginning. Additionally, there are a decent amount of characters and sub-plots to follow throughout, which may be confusing in the beginning. For these reasons, I shied away from giving it a full five stars. The beginning was just tough for me, but after about 15-20%, I hit the ground running and became fully immersed.Â
I really enjoyed the magical system, the connectedness of the continent, and others questioning their faiths based on new information. While it didn't seem totally realistic that folks from certain religions would be more than happy to accommodate others (sorry, the real world just sank in too much to find it believable), I will say I thought that the characters were strong and layered. The plot made a lot of sense, and I was excited to see it in this way as opposed to A Day of Fallen Night, where we are mostly left with more questions (which is totally acceptable for a prequel). I just had such a great time reading this and have fallen in love with this series. I can't wait to read more once other books are out!
Regardless, just like the prequel, this book follows four narrators, all from different parts of the world (two being from the "West"), that Shannon sets up for us. Each area - East, South, West, has its own religion and customs, which were very intriguing to read about. We have the West, which has a pretty cutthroat religion about someone named Galian who slayed the "Nameless One," a wyrm that came to destroy the continent about 1,000 years ago. They view him as the Saint. Then, we have the South, which actually believes that his love, Cleolind, is the one who slays the Nameless One. They call her the Mother. The East is disconnected from the bigger Continent by water, and they worship dragons, different from wyverns who follow the Nameless One. It was so intriguing to read about these different cultures and how they intersect.Â
I think the characters are built amazingly, and I really feel like I'm in their world. Like the prequel, a lot of this novel is setting up the characters, world-building, and plot, and therefore, it may feel slow for some people in the beginning. Additionally, there are a decent amount of characters and sub-plots to follow throughout, which may be confusing in the beginning. For these reasons, I shied away from giving it a full five stars. The beginning was just tough for me, but after about 15-20%, I hit the ground running and became fully immersed.Â
I really enjoyed the magical system, the connectedness of the continent, and others questioning their faiths based on new information. While it didn't seem totally realistic that folks from certain religions would be more than happy to accommodate others (sorry, the real world just sank in too much to find it believable), I will say I thought that the characters were strong and layered. The plot made a lot of sense, and I was excited to see it in this way as opposed to A Day of Fallen Night, where we are mostly left with more questions (which is totally acceptable for a prequel). I just had such a great time reading this and have fallen in love with this series. I can't wait to read more once other books are out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Miscarriage
Moderate: Alcoholism