Reviews

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

lydia_peart's review against another edition

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adventurous slow-paced

3.0

awahl's review against another edition

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I wasn't vibing with the writing style or story. And when a book is over 1000 pages long, I'm not going to suffer through it unless I'm loving it.

soupqueen's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-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

4.5

An epic story of love, magic, and dragons. Set in a fantasy world that seems to follow 16th century real-world customs and fashion, this book weaves a tale of hope and despair, balance and chaos.

This story spans continents, with countries inspired by real cultures. I think it’s generally respectful of real cultures, drawing inspiration from them rather than trying to be perfect 1:1 representations.

However, it’s obvious that one storyline in particular was the author’s darling, and much more thought and care went into the development of the country and history of the surrounding environment. With such rich worldbuilding in one plot, it left the others feeling rather underdeveloped, which was kind of disappointing.

That being said, I do think the story as a whole was cohesive, with the various plot lines weaving in and out of each other well. I also appreciate this story being contained in one book, as massive as it may be. More authors should do this, particularly in the fantasy genre.

I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to others.

carfin2528's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-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? Yes

5.0

Great story that follows 4 main characters. While for the first part, the book seems like 4 completely separate stories, they all become interwoven. I really enjoyed 3/4 of the main characters!

beth_ok4's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.75

melissalikesmilk's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? No

4.0

Niclays Roos biting the curb in 4K 

unabanuna's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.5

coopercodes's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

It’s not for everyone. But it’s epic

sayyayzel's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny sad 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

5.0

wynteramethyst's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-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

3.75