The Priory of The Orange Tree
Author: Samantha Shannon
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pages: 830
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★★
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pages: 830
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★★★★
A world divided.
A Queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragon rider but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
A Queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.
Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragon rider but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.
Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
My thoughts
I am so excited to finally share my review with you of The Priory of The Orange Tree. I just loved it!
The Priory of The Orange Tree is a stand-alone high fantasy epic, led by an impressive cast of memorable female characters. I am truly blown away with how the author has so effortlessly built a fantasy world that has a vast history of politics and religious clashes. The book is an engrossing fantasy set in a world that is both like and unlike our own. From the very start I was gripped by the writing and desperate to see where the next chapter would lead.
The plot rests on the threat of The Nameless One returning. It’s a giant dragon that threatens to destroy the world and all in it if the eastern and western kingdoms cannot put aside their differences and unite in order to destroy the monumental threat. Much of the novel is dedicated to the unification of the two factions, and several characters have many different ideas about how exactly this should be done, ranging from assassination to simple negotiation. All are convinced that they're right and that the other religions are wrong. This makes for great conflict and drama in the story and makes us as readers want to find out what really happened.
The sheer scope of The Priory of The Orange Tree is out of this world—brimming with detail and ideas and bursting with various characters, languages, and perspectives. Although this is a single novel, it really feels like several books stitched together. It’s an addictive read, and I loved all the elements of feminism featured throughout the book.
The opening chapters are really enjoyable and instantly engaging. It was largely plot-driven. It didn’t take long before I settled into the narrative style and understood how the story and intricacies were being revealed.
I was really intrigued by the story as it unfolded, and Samantha Shannon’s rich, diverse world captivated me from start to finish of this novel. It is pretty lengthy, at around 835 pages, but the time flew by as I read. This standalone adult fantasy contains so much adventure and political intrigue.
I liked and routed for the key characters throughout the book, especially Ead, Tané and Sabran. Ead was by far my favourite character. She’s gloriously self-sufficient, brave and selfless, plus she has magic within her! It was easy to emphasize with someone far from home, living in a land that hates anyone or anything it views as unbelieving… and even though Ead has pledged to convert, she’s still treated with suspicion. Meanwhile, she’s finally beginning to get close to Sabran and to know her not just as a distant queen but as a vulnerable young woman who may be born into power and privilege but also carries the weight of her people’s expectations for an heir.
Tane was an interesting character to read about too. I actually hoped to see more of her story on the page because I felt she had a lot of potential for more. I especially loved her connection with the dragons, and how she worked tirelessly to become a dragon rider. She had so much to overcome and I really routed for her on her journey. Then there are the dragons. I loved the dragons! The chapters set in the East were really interesting, because in this region the people see Dragons as beautiful creatures to coexist with. This is very unlike some of the other regions, where they are viewed with fear, mistrust and uncertainty.
There's a growing sense of urgency as the end of the world approaches. And the world itself is well put-together, offering some great threats, including an evil draconic plague that infects people. The world building is amazing. I could see how the author has gathered myriad old tales and turned them into something vibrant and fresh. Throughout, my mind gleamed with ancient wars and winged beings.
When reading fantasy like this, I can often tend to lose interest in fight scenes and battles, but as the story built and built towards the final fight, I was really excited to find out how the battle would end, and how each of these familiar characters might end up. The multiple stories within the book stole hours of my time and invited me along on journeys I couldn’t resist.
The more I read, the more I found myself continuously thinking and learning about the various nations, cultures, and histories threaded through this sprawling world. Many stories have trailing ends, but those trailing ends are woven together, bringing the various elements closer and closer to completion.
The Priory of The Orange Tree is a self-contained story and absolutely works on its own, but I would really love there to be more! I'd love to return to this world and if Samantha Shannon does release a sequel, I know I’ll be first in line to read it.
Overall reaction:
I am so excited to finally share my review with you of The Priory of The Orange Tree. I just loved it!
The Priory of The Orange Tree is a stand-alone high fantasy epic, led by an impressive cast of memorable female characters. I am truly blown away with how the author has so effortlessly built a fantasy world that has a vast history of politics and religious clashes. The book is an engrossing fantasy set in a world that is both like and unlike our own. From the very start I was gripped by the writing and desperate to see where the next chapter would lead.
The plot rests on the threat of The Nameless One returning. It’s a giant dragon that threatens to destroy the world and all in it if the eastern and western kingdoms cannot put aside their differences and unite in order to destroy the monumental threat. Much of the novel is dedicated to the unification of the two factions, and several characters have many different ideas about how exactly this should be done, ranging from assassination to simple negotiation. All are convinced that they're right and that the other religions are wrong. This makes for great conflict and drama in the story and makes us as readers want to find out what really happened.
The sheer scope of The Priory of The Orange Tree is out of this world—brimming with detail and ideas and bursting with various characters, languages, and perspectives. Although this is a single novel, it really feels like several books stitched together. It’s an addictive read, and I loved all the elements of feminism featured throughout the book.
The opening chapters are really enjoyable and instantly engaging. It was largely plot-driven. It didn’t take long before I settled into the narrative style and understood how the story and intricacies were being revealed.
I was really intrigued by the story as it unfolded, and Samantha Shannon’s rich, diverse world captivated me from start to finish of this novel. It is pretty lengthy, at around 835 pages, but the time flew by as I read. This standalone adult fantasy contains so much adventure and political intrigue.
I liked and routed for the key characters throughout the book, especially Ead, Tané and Sabran. Ead was by far my favourite character. She’s gloriously self-sufficient, brave and selfless, plus she has magic within her! It was easy to emphasize with someone far from home, living in a land that hates anyone or anything it views as unbelieving… and even though Ead has pledged to convert, she’s still treated with suspicion. Meanwhile, she’s finally beginning to get close to Sabran and to know her not just as a distant queen but as a vulnerable young woman who may be born into power and privilege but also carries the weight of her people’s expectations for an heir.
Tane was an interesting character to read about too. I actually hoped to see more of her story on the page because I felt she had a lot of potential for more. I especially loved her connection with the dragons, and how she worked tirelessly to become a dragon rider. She had so much to overcome and I really routed for her on her journey. Then there are the dragons. I loved the dragons! The chapters set in the East were really interesting, because in this region the people see Dragons as beautiful creatures to coexist with. This is very unlike some of the other regions, where they are viewed with fear, mistrust and uncertainty.
There's a growing sense of urgency as the end of the world approaches. And the world itself is well put-together, offering some great threats, including an evil draconic plague that infects people. The world building is amazing. I could see how the author has gathered myriad old tales and turned them into something vibrant and fresh. Throughout, my mind gleamed with ancient wars and winged beings.
When reading fantasy like this, I can often tend to lose interest in fight scenes and battles, but as the story built and built towards the final fight, I was really excited to find out how the battle would end, and how each of these familiar characters might end up. The multiple stories within the book stole hours of my time and invited me along on journeys I couldn’t resist.
The more I read, the more I found myself continuously thinking and learning about the various nations, cultures, and histories threaded through this sprawling world. Many stories have trailing ends, but those trailing ends are woven together, bringing the various elements closer and closer to completion.
The Priory of The Orange Tree is a self-contained story and absolutely works on its own, but I would really love there to be more! I'd love to return to this world and if Samantha Shannon does release a sequel, I know I’ll be first in line to read it.
Overall reaction: