elissabrady's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The book reads more like a Netflix series than a fantasy book but it’s trill brilliant. I really enjoyed the visuals it stimulates and the storyline between Sab and Ead is beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Sexism
Moderate: Misogyny, Murder, Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Grief
Minor: Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Torture, and War
snackattackisback69's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
The rich world building and character development of this story were phenomenal. The multiple POVs and the shorter chapters made the story flow and made the length of the book much more digestible. The sapphic romance in this book was also incredible. My one issue is the finale of book felt a little anticlimactic due to how short it was in comparison to the large build up throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Sexism, Pregnancy, Violence, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, and Racism
maddalynmoon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Classism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Torture, War, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Infertility, and Infidelity
l4urenbrooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Sexism
saltytart's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Gaslighting, Confinement, Body horror, Pregnancy, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death, War, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic, Outing, and Infidelity
Minor: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Trafficking, and Torture
jayden_314's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
I cannot express how much I enjoyed reading this book. I adored the writing style and am actually so sad I have finished it. I miss the world, the characters, and the story and (even though I am happy it ended where it did because if there was any more it would be unnecessary and drag on) I wish there was more so I could keep reading.
This book may seem rather daunting with its 800+ pages but it is worth the read. Samantha Shannon perfectly built the world and subtly introduces new details throughout. After about 100 pages, you will start understanding the world a lot more and this was the point where I really started to fall in love with The Priory of the Orange Tree.
Tané introduces us to the world of the East (that's another part of why I enjoyed the novel, the complete separation of the world and how they are almost completely different apart from their common enemy). This is where dragons come in and it is such an interesting part of the book. Even though I don't have any complaints, I have to admit that I still do not fully understand everything about the dragons. Hopefully, this aspect will be revealed in A Day of Fallen Night (which I'm set to read in June/July). Also, Tané's family history was a super cool detail that I want to know more about. I just loved Tané's story and the connection it had to dragons. It was really cool to learn about. The way that her story and the others' were intertwined just made me happy when reading because there would be one mention of a detail that someone had just discovered and I would say, "I know that, I learned that with Tané".
The other character who's perspective is set in the East is Niclays. At first, I hated reading about him because he was completely unlikeable. I could not find any justification for his actions. He was just a miserable old man who was selfish and unpleasant. His arc probably was the most satisfying, just because of his growth and change by the end. While I was starting to love him, he did have a bit of a lapse and called Sabran a c*nt (which left me so shocked I had to close the book and stare at the wall as my jaw dropped for a solid minute). But, I did love his friendship with Laya and him overcoming the all-consuming grief he was yet to work through. Kind of wish there was a bit more of his POV before the Nameless One rose and he and Laya were captured because that could have been really interesting. Also, I would have loved a deeper exploration of his relationship with Truyde although I understand how that may have been difficult and interrupted the flow of the story. But his story with the pirates made me enjoy his character a lot more because he was wallowing in self-pity a lot less during this section.
Finally, Lord Arteloth Beck. His time in Yscalin was definitely a turning point for me and my interest in the story. It was around this point that I really started getting into the story and wanting to know more. Details were being revealed and it was an introduction into a new, unexplored world as a reader. I think this also helped with Ead's story as some areas had already been explored and it helped the flow by not introducing too much new information. Loth's relationship with the Donmata was so good I wanted to see more and I wish he was in Yscalin for a little while longer, just because I wanted to explore the world more. I also just loved all the moments with Loth and Nayimathun because they were really great. I think Loth had the most exploration of the world and that is so cool. I do wish that Kit's death had been a larger plot point than it actually was (if I'm being, honest this is one of the only issues I have with the novel. Death just sort of happens but it doesn't necessarily further the plot. I feel like something more could have happened with any/all of the character deaths but I do understand how that could have impacted the story. After all, I was annoyed by Niclays constant grief and bringing up Jannart's death so that's why I don't have too much of a problem with this area of the story). It was only brought up two or three times right after it happened and right at the end in Loth's final chapter.
To summarise this LONG review, I absolutely loved this book. It will likely remain a favourite for years and I am already excited for a reread next year. If you love magic, dragons, political and religious conflict, and/or amazing sapphic stories; I definitely recommend this book. It is an incredible read if you can do it.
This book may seem rather daunting with its 800+ pages but it is worth the read. Samantha Shannon perfectly built the world and subtly introduces new details throughout. After about 100 pages, you will start understanding the world a lot more and this was the point where I really started to fall in love with The Priory of the Orange Tree.
Spoiler
The story is told from four perspectives: Ead, Loth, Tané, and Niclays (with Ead as the main perspective). I am usually not a fan of different POVs within novels, but I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. By the end of the book, I had grown to understand all of the characters and I really love all of them (yes, even Niclays). Ead is my favourite character, I absolutely love her. The relationship between her and Sabran was so beautiful and I loved every part of it. Within the first few pages (this is a bit exaggerated) I was screaming for them to get together, I just knew it would happen eventually. I'm also really glad that this was the main perspective focused on during the novel because, in my opinion, it was the best. Ead's perspective also introduces a lot of the world including religious beliefs, magic systems, politics, history, and it is such a fun part to read.Tané introduces us to the world of the East (that's another part of why I enjoyed the novel, the complete separation of the world and how they are almost completely different apart from their common enemy). This is where dragons come in and it is such an interesting part of the book. Even though I don't have any complaints, I have to admit that I still do not fully understand everything about the dragons. Hopefully, this aspect will be revealed in A Day of Fallen Night (which I'm set to read in June/July). Also, Tané's family history was a super cool detail that I want to know more about. I just loved Tané's story and the connection it had to dragons. It was really cool to learn about. The way that her story and the others' were intertwined just made me happy when reading because there would be one mention of a detail that someone had just discovered and I would say, "I know that, I learned that with Tané".
The other character who's perspective is set in the East is Niclays. At first, I hated reading about him because he was completely unlikeable. I could not find any justification for his actions. He was just a miserable old man who was selfish and unpleasant. His arc probably was the most satisfying, just because of his growth and change by the end. While I was starting to love him, he did have a bit of a lapse and called Sabran a c*nt (which left me so shocked I had to close the book and stare at the wall as my jaw dropped for a solid minute). But, I did love his friendship with Laya and him overcoming the all-consuming grief he was yet to work through. Kind of wish there was a bit more of his POV before the Nameless One rose and he and Laya were captured because that could have been really interesting. Also, I would have loved a deeper exploration of his relationship with Truyde although I understand how that may have been difficult and interrupted the flow of the story. But his story with the pirates made me enjoy his character a lot more because he was wallowing in self-pity a lot less during this section.
Finally, Lord Arteloth Beck. His time in Yscalin was definitely a turning point for me and my interest in the story. It was around this point that I really started getting into the story and wanting to know more. Details were being revealed and it was an introduction into a new, unexplored world as a reader. I think this also helped with Ead's story as some areas had already been explored and it helped the flow by not introducing too much new information. Loth's relationship with the Donmata was so good I wanted to see more and I wish he was in Yscalin for a little while longer, just because I wanted to explore the world more. I also just loved all the moments with Loth and Nayimathun because they were really great. I think Loth had the most exploration of the world and that is so cool. I do wish that Kit's death had been a larger plot point than it actually was (if I'm being, honest this is one of the only issues I have with the novel. Death just sort of happens but it doesn't necessarily further the plot. I feel like something more could have happened with any/all of the character deaths but I do understand how that could have impacted the story. After all, I was annoyed by Niclays constant grief and bringing up Jannart's death so that's why I don't have too much of a problem with this area of the story). It was only brought up two or three times right after it happened and right at the end in Loth's final chapter.
To summarise this LONG review, I absolutely loved this book. It will likely remain a favourite for years and I am already excited for a reread next year. If you love magic, dragons, political and religious conflict, and/or amazing sapphic stories; I definitely recommend this book. It is an incredible read if you can do it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, War, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Body horror, Mental illness, Incest, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Religious bigotry, Torture, Vomit, and Animal death
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Outing, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Self harm, and Pandemic/Epidemic
historicalmaterialgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
4.75
This was close to perfect. I am not a fantasy reader but the characters, the plot, the world building and the illustrative prose all sucked me in. It is slow paced at first and probably doesn't need to be 800 pages, but the better than reality TV type drama! The cliffhangers! The character development (especially women learning their worth😭)! The subtle feminist themes! It was so so good!
This was one of the rare books I could sit and read for hours; I truly got lost into this fantasy world in a way most books haven't done for me since I was a kid. If you used to be into fantasy, then grew up, I think you would like this a lot.
This was one of the rare books I could sit and read for hours; I truly got lost into this fantasy world in a way most books haven't done for me since I was a kid. If you used to be into fantasy, then grew up, I think you would like this a lot.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Violence
emtees's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
The Priory of the Orange Tree is a unicorn - a big, fat fantasy book that is also a standalone.
The story takes place in a world with clear references to our own, but also a lot of creativity in the development of different cultures and religions. It is a planet-spanning epic that focuses on a huge cast of characters, including Tane, a young dragon rider who takes a dangerous risk to see her ambitions fulfilled; Niclays, an alchemist in exile determined to cross whatever lines he has to to get home; Loth, a nobleman sent against his will on a dangerous mission into dragon-controlled lands; and Ead, a mage and member of the secretive Priory of the Orange Tree, living undercover at the court of Queen Sabran of Inys, the last living descendent of the hero who claimed to have banished the monstrous Nameless One and whose bloodline is responsible for preventing him from returning. At a basic level, the story is about a threat to this world, the attempts of the various heroes to address it, and the complications caused by their different and sometimes violently opposed religions and cultures. On a deeper level, it is about a society coming to terms with the way the stories it tells itself are not always true. On a much less deep level, it is, for large stretches of the page count, a transparent MacGuffin hunt.
Oh, and it is labeled as “feminist fantasy” which is… true, I guess, but not in the way a lot of readers might expect. The Priory of the Orange Tree takes place in a world that strongly resembles the 16th/17th centuries of our own world, but without a lot of the sexist b.s. our world had, and it does sometimes touch on feminist themes, such as the misogyny inherent in a political system based on legitimate bloodlines and the ways that the roles of women in history and myth are twisted to fit a sexist narrative. (This didn’t always work for me; it’s a little difficult to pull off discussing themes of sexism in a world where, for the most part, that sexism is very muted.). But mostly it is a feminist book in the sense that all of the most active and accomplished characters are women, without a big deal being made of that fact. If you’re looking for feminist fantasy, you would probably enjoy this, but if you aren’t, it isn’t going to particularly stand out for that reason.
What this book does do well is just be a really interesting fantasy adventure. It’s not the ways in which it is groundbreaking but the ways in which it is basic where it excels. Despite a pretty slow pace, the plot keeps moving along by jumping back and forth between different characters, all of whom are doing exciting things while the reader tries to figure out how they fit together. There are some great fantasy locations (I loved the volcanic city of Carscaro especially), interesting magic systems, a lot of mysteries that unspool slowly over the course of the story, and both good and evil dragons to satisfy the needs of fans of both. The characters are diverse, complex and flawed, with all the main characters having major mistakes and prejudices to overcome, and the relationships between them are wonderful. I was especially pleased with the emphasis on friendships in this book; while there are some great romances (including a sapphic one which I didn’t seem coming and enjoyed even more for that reason; it’s so rare to get queer romances that feel like they developed organically), there are also a lot of epic friendships, and they are given just as much weight in the story. The pacing is a little rough towards the end, but up until then, I was very satisfied by how the long page count really lets the reader settle into this world and these stories.
The end of the book is satisfying without wrapping up every thread (in fact, unless I misinterpreted something, there was a huge issue left unresolved that could easily lead to another novel if the author was ever inclined to return to this world.). I know there is a prequel in this universe that I will be picking up soon.
The story takes place in a world with clear references to our own, but also a lot of creativity in the development of different cultures and religions. It is a planet-spanning epic that focuses on a huge cast of characters, including Tane, a young dragon rider who takes a dangerous risk to see her ambitions fulfilled; Niclays, an alchemist in exile determined to cross whatever lines he has to to get home; Loth, a nobleman sent against his will on a dangerous mission into dragon-controlled lands; and Ead, a mage and member of the secretive Priory of the Orange Tree, living undercover at the court of Queen Sabran of Inys, the last living descendent of the hero who claimed to have banished the monstrous Nameless One and whose bloodline is responsible for preventing him from returning. At a basic level, the story is about a threat to this world, the attempts of the various heroes to address it, and the complications caused by their different and sometimes violently opposed religions and cultures. On a deeper level, it is about a society coming to terms with the way the stories it tells itself are not always true. On a much less deep level, it is, for large stretches of the page count, a transparent MacGuffin hunt.
Oh, and it is labeled as “feminist fantasy” which is… true, I guess, but not in the way a lot of readers might expect. The Priory of the Orange Tree takes place in a world that strongly resembles the 16th/17th centuries of our own world, but without a lot of the sexist b.s. our world had, and it does sometimes touch on feminist themes, such as the misogyny inherent in a political system based on legitimate bloodlines and the ways that the roles of women in history and myth are twisted to fit a sexist narrative. (This didn’t always work for me; it’s a little difficult to pull off discussing themes of sexism in a world where, for the most part, that sexism is very muted.). But mostly it is a feminist book in the sense that all of the most active and accomplished characters are women, without a big deal being made of that fact. If you’re looking for feminist fantasy, you would probably enjoy this, but if you aren’t, it isn’t going to particularly stand out for that reason.
What this book does do well is just be a really interesting fantasy adventure. It’s not the ways in which it is groundbreaking but the ways in which it is basic where it excels. Despite a pretty slow pace, the plot keeps moving along by jumping back and forth between different characters, all of whom are doing exciting things while the reader tries to figure out how they fit together. There are some great fantasy locations (I loved the volcanic city of Carscaro especially), interesting magic systems, a lot of mysteries that unspool slowly over the course of the story, and both good and evil dragons to satisfy the needs of fans of both. The characters are diverse, complex and flawed, with all the main characters having major mistakes and prejudices to overcome, and the relationships between them are wonderful. I was especially pleased with the emphasis on friendships in this book; while there are some great romances (including a sapphic one which I didn’t seem coming and enjoyed even more for that reason; it’s so rare to get queer romances that feel like they developed organically), there are also a lot of epic friendships, and they are given just as much weight in the story. The pacing is a little rough towards the end, but up until then, I was very satisfied by how the long page count really lets the reader settle into this world and these stories.
The end of the book is satisfying without wrapping up every thread (in fact, unless I misinterpreted something, there was a huge issue left unresolved that could easily lead to another novel if the author was ever inclined to return to this world.). I know there is a prequel in this universe that I will be picking up soon.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexism and Injury/Injury detail
A main character loses a pregnancy. There is some minor sexism at times, and a lot of battle scenes with related injuries.cecinamo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
5.0
This book is absolutely amazing! It’s like Lord of The Rings, just with more dragons, the gays and queens. I seriously recommend this book to anyone who reads! Samatha Shannon literally transports you into the book. The words just vanish while you watch Ead, Sabran, Tané and Loth fight their own battles, that slowly merge into one. A song that I think describes the way this book feels is Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine. I could go on about this book for FOREVER, I strongly recommend it!!!!! >o<
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Murder, Pregnancy, Torture, Violence, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child death, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Incest
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, War, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Classism, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Animal death, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Sexism, Confinement, Torture, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Incest, Child death, Pedophilia, Suicide, Excrement, Self harm, Vomit, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
Illness, epidemic.