Scan barcode
travis_zalesky's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Suicide
hannahpings's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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:fanboyriot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, Death, Infertility, Child death, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Violence, Murder, Grief, Gore, Death of parent, Torture, Sexual content, War, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Genocide, Bullying, Outing, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Classism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Incest, Infidelity, Addiction, and Gaslighting
Minor: Dementia, Sexual assault, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Rape, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
ssmylie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Xenophobia, Suicide, and War
Moderate: Blood, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Miscarriage
guessgreenleaf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, War, and Grief
Minor: Incest, Infidelity, Murder, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Suicide, Mental illness, Death of parent, Blood, and Alcoholism
radio_02's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
The characters were charming and memorable as small or as big their role was
It's a 4.75 just because it's not really my type of book and its really out of my comfort zone, it didn't really have the element to make it a 5⭐ book, but I woul recommend it to whoever would be willing to read it
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Suicide, and Sexual content
nurseamandarose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Infidelity, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, Grief, Xenophobia, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Domestic abuse
omnisyncd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Miscarriage, Xenophobia, Suicide, Murder, Mental illness, Confinement, Classism, and Alcohol
Minor: Torture
thiskelsey's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Classism, Grief, Pregnancy, Suicide, Death, Violence, Miscarriage, and Death of parent
Moderate: War and Dementia
theemeraldflame's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Graphic: Miscarriage and Xenophobia
Moderate: Gore, Vomit, Suicide, and Infertility
Minor: Blood and Addiction