Reviews with content warning for Vomit - The Priory of the Orange Tree

This book just made its way in to my all time favorites.

Despite the heavy world-building, the long list of characters, the very different settings that are described, this book is extremely easy to read. You can easily fall in love with these characters even though you are constantly aware of their flaws.

In the end I was so scared that my favorite characters were going to die that I didn't want to finish the book. That's how much I started to like these fictional people (and non-people too).

I can't wait to read more stories in this world.

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mscalls's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

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mushroomfrog's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

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cameronreads's review against another edition

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5.0

I don’t know how this book managed to surpass my expectations but it did by leaps and bounds. A perfect world, magic system, writing style, structure, and cast of characters. I was convinced I’d be saying it was too long, but if anything it could have been longer - I would spend forever in this incredible world with these life like characters. Loved this.

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asipofcozy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

I did it! I got out of my reading slump and FINALLY finished this glorious master piece of fantasy literature. While I am frustrated at my reading slump from getting it the way, this book was a 5 ⭐ read from the very beginning.

Shannon wove a master piece of fantasy and feminism. Priory of the Orange Tree is brimming with details, ideas, themes, characters, legend, and magic. I know many shy away from the In-depth detail of fantasy but even with the fine combed details lain throughout the pages, Shannon never loses sight of the plot and character development. She never strays from her woven story and how intricately she created each piece to fit like a perfect puzzle.

This was what really captured and won me over within the first 100 pages. Even with all the moving parts, we are never lost.

We are immersed in culture, languages, and religions. We are taught and educated along with the characters. How Shannon touches on heavy and "taboo" topics and creates teaching moments makes the story come to life, like that of the discourse in religions amongst humanity or being closed minded to other cultures around us

And just as the plot is rich and diverse, so are the characters. We are given so many diverse voices and perspectives. The characters - Sabaran, Ead, Tane, Loth, Niclays, and all the side characters - are what drove this master piece as they each learn and grow together to face The Nameless One. They enriched the story even further and were the stars. How they interacted and learned together, how they each grew individually, it gave me some hope for our own world.

Finally I will say, I 100% plan on reaching the prequel to this master piece A Day of Fallen Night. I can only imagine it will be just as glorious as its predecessor.

Priory of the Orange Tree has booted the #1 book in my top 5 books of all time list down to #2 and has taken that spot of no. 1 and it is well deserved. It's beautiful, poetic, and full of strong woman. It may be a chunk but every page was worth it. 🖤

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poyopipo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Spoiled epic fantasy for me (positive). Diverse cast of well written characters, lovingly built fantasy world, and also dragons. :3

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jayden_314's review against another edition

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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.

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.

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softanimal's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful slow-paced

4.0

Rich, beautiful world-building and storytelling. I also loved that some of the worst characters got a treatment of empathy. I always appreciate queer rep. The pacing left something to be des red for me but I'm also not typically one to pick up super thick fantasy.

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