A review by baexlee
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

adventurous mysterious 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 one took me a while longer than it probably should have because life got in the way but wow did that give me the chance to really savor this book. Samantha Shannon creates a vibrant world that is easy to slip away into for hours at a time. I read this book as a buddy read with a friend so I had a lot of comments and thoughts along the way and in turn decided to annotate. My annotation system included 5 colors for the following subjects - interesting/notable plot point, beautiful prose, good line, questions, romance. 

There is so much packed into this novel that I almost cannot remember where I can begin now that I am at the end, it's a journey driven by the character through and through. Well paced and beautifully tied together in the end it was a pleasure to read and absolutely blew me away. 

From the moment we meet the main characters they each tell us who they are through their actions, Ead by killing the mercenary that was outside Sabran's bedchambers, Tané by putting her ambition above the protocol and Susa's safety and allowing her to take Sulyard to Roos, ultimately kicking off the chain of events for everyone involved. 

I loved Ead and Sabran's relationship, damn me for saying I wanted to see more of it explored on page. I had an entire annotation flag for it and it was one of the most used flags. (9 if you were wondering) But I would still love to see more of them exploring what it means for them and their places of power, especially at the end when Sabran is suggesting stepping away from the throne in a few years.
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