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A review by aksmith92
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? No
4.5
Samantha Shannon is a phenomenal writer! I love the prose - her descriptions of people and events work for me, and I love storytelling through the eyes of vastly different people. I read A Day of Fallen Night a month or two ago and couldn't wait to get my hands on The Priory of the Orange Tree - the first book in the series. Although this one was written first, I decided to read A Day of Fallen Night - the prequel - to start since I wanted to go chronologically, and because I read that if you read this book first, you would already know a decent plot twist in the prequel. All-in-all, for some reason, I just LOVED A Day of Fallen Night, even if we were still left with a bit of a mystery. I REALLY enjoyed this one, but it didn't tug on my heartstrings as much as the prequel.
Regardless, just like the prequel, this book follows four narrators, all from different parts of the world (two being from the "West"), that Shannon sets up for us. Each area - East, South, West, has its own religion and customs, which were very intriguing to read about. We have the West, which has a pretty cutthroat religion about someone named Galian who slayed the "Nameless One," a wyrm that came to destroy the continent about 1,000 years ago. They view him as the Saint. Then, we have the South, which actually believes that his love, Cleolind, is the one who slays the Nameless One. They call her the Mother. The East is disconnected from the bigger Continent by water, and they worship dragons, different from wyverns who follow the Nameless One. It was so intriguing to read about these different cultures and how they intersect.
I think the characters are built amazingly, and I really feel like I'm in their world. Like the prequel, a lot of this novel is setting up the characters, world-building, and plot, and therefore, it may feel slow for some people in the beginning. Additionally, there are a decent amount of characters and sub-plots to follow throughout, which may be confusing in the beginning. For these reasons, I shied away from giving it a full five stars. The beginning was just tough for me, but after about 15-20%, I hit the ground running and became fully immersed.
I really enjoyed the magical system, the connectedness of the continent, and others questioning their faiths based on new information. While it didn't seem totally realistic that folks from certain religions would be more than happy to accommodate others (sorry, the real world just sank in too much to find it believable), I will say I thought that the characters were strong and layered. The plot made a lot of sense, and I was excited to see it in this way as opposed to A Day of Fallen Night, where we are mostly left with more questions (which is totally acceptable for a prequel). I just had such a great time reading this and have fallen in love with this series. I can't wait to read more once other books are out!
Regardless, just like the prequel, this book follows four narrators, all from different parts of the world (two being from the "West"), that Shannon sets up for us. Each area - East, South, West, has its own religion and customs, which were very intriguing to read about. We have the West, which has a pretty cutthroat religion about someone named Galian who slayed the "Nameless One," a wyrm that came to destroy the continent about 1,000 years ago. They view him as the Saint. Then, we have the South, which actually believes that his love, Cleolind, is the one who slays the Nameless One. They call her the Mother. The East is disconnected from the bigger Continent by water, and they worship dragons, different from wyverns who follow the Nameless One. It was so intriguing to read about these different cultures and how they intersect.
I think the characters are built amazingly, and I really feel like I'm in their world. Like the prequel, a lot of this novel is setting up the characters, world-building, and plot, and therefore, it may feel slow for some people in the beginning. Additionally, there are a decent amount of characters and sub-plots to follow throughout, which may be confusing in the beginning. For these reasons, I shied away from giving it a full five stars. The beginning was just tough for me, but after about 15-20%, I hit the ground running and became fully immersed.
I really enjoyed the magical system, the connectedness of the continent, and others questioning their faiths based on new information. While it didn't seem totally realistic that folks from certain religions would be more than happy to accommodate others (sorry, the real world just sank in too much to find it believable), I will say I thought that the characters were strong and layered. The plot made a lot of sense, and I was excited to see it in this way as opposed to A Day of Fallen Night, where we are mostly left with more questions (which is totally acceptable for a prequel). I just had such a great time reading this and have fallen in love with this series. I can't wait to read more once other books are out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Miscarriage
Moderate: Alcoholism