The Priory of the Orange Tree

This book showed so much promise but seemed to constantly drop the ball. Tension would be built effectively but all the payoffs were terrible. The writing of battles and fights was almost incomprehensible, so you had no clue who was where or doing what, and then suddenly things would be over. We seemed also to miss out on critical information eg. why did Roos suddenly turn from potential assassin out on the seas, to giving them the knife and information on how to kill the Nameless One? In one paragraph he was seeting at Ead, eager to kill her, and then... he was on her side? It didn't make sense. So much promise and an incredibly built world, fantastic characters, but it consistently fluffed its lines.

DNF @ 250 pages/ 30%


Reading Notes

p.250/30% mini review:

1. Where. Are. The. Dragons.
Seriously, where??? How am I 200+ pages in and dragons have been barely present? Also, dragon names: Fýredel? Cool, epic-sounding. The Nameless One... what? Really? The most evil and murderous dragon is called the Nameless One??? I'm seeing a trend... (He Who Must Not Be Named, the Evil One, etc.) How original.

2. Sabran is so damn annoying. She is actually the worse person in the book. How can someone so vain, selfish, and stupid ever be the queen of a country and figurehead of a major religion is beyond me. Why is most of the focus on this character? Her kingdom is easily the most boring one out of all of them.

3. There's been a minor character death so far that was so underwhelming, I had to read the passage twice just to make sure he was actually dead and not just chilling. I liked this character, but I didn't get to see him enough to develop strong emotions upon his dying (very anticlimactically, btw). He died too soon in the story to have any emotional effect whatsoever, which seems rather pointless.

4. The fact that most of the time we're stuck in the West with Sabran is really disheartening. The East is by far more interesting, but we barely spend any time there. Tané and Niclays have potential as characters, but no, I'm forced to read about snooty Sabran 90% of the time.

5. Am I really going to read 800+ pages of this...? I'm questioning my sanity.

[Edit: No, no I won't. I dropped this book so fast after p. 250. I refuse to keep reading even though, according to some, “it gets better after 50%!!” No, don't care.]

6. If anyone dares compare this to The Lord of the Rings, please give them a stern talking to. LOTR is a masterpiece in every shape and form, and it is definitely unfair to attempt to compare anything else to it, but the fact that Priory of the Orange Tree has been called the “feminist LOTR” is such an insult to the latter. Just.... just don't go there if you don't want your book to be pulled apart and destroyed because of this poor comparison. There is nothing in Priory that remotely resembles LOTR.

We may be small, and we may be young, but we will shake the world for our beliefs

I normally start off my reviews with just one quote but this book is filled with so many that I may indulge in a few more within the rest of my review. Priory of the orange tree is an epic fantasy, something I think a lot of readers fail to realise when picking up this book causing them to expect something it is not. But for me, it was exactly what I expected it to be. I fell in love with long plotted high fantasy books as a kid and this book did not fail to meet those expectations.

When history fails to shed light on the truth, myth creates its own.

Love and fear do strange things to our soul

I do not sleep because I am not only afraid of the monsters at my door, but also of the monsters my own mind can conjure. The ones that live within

No woman should be made to fear that she was not enough

Be silent and learn something

WIll come back to this later

I wish I could read this book again for the first time.

The chunky political fantasy I was hoping to get out of Game of Thrones - queer rep and no grimdark rapey stuff in sight.

I must admit, it took me a VERY long time to read this book. Not for lack of interest, but rather, the contrary. From its very first words, I knew this masterpiece deserved my full attention. That it wasn't going to be a feel good, happily ever after puff piece adventure to read starting an hour or two before shuteye- which I admit, since 2020, has been my easy go-to.

No. This story, is a brew some tea (or cozy beverage of choice), get comfy under some blankets, drag your cat to purr next to/on you, set the mood with a playlist, light a candle or two, hot-date with yourself, me-time kind of story. And with my work schedule, alas, being able to carve that kind of time for myself was few and far between. But when I was able to, it was worth it.

If you are a consumer of high fantasy, women badassery, dragons, magic, lore – this is for you. I grew up on tales of fantasy, and honestly, I don't think I've ever read a tale quite like this. Sure, there has always been strong women in the fray, but they always seemed to be secondary characters. This, on the contrary – has women at the forefront. Be it in the main characters, and the lore and history of the origins of the tale itself. I wish stories like this existed when I was growing up. Oh and yeah, women loving women made me feel a little more seen, so that was a bonus. [gosh and a beautiful tale of love- that was NOT the main story, but fit in perfectly/made sense to the storytelling].

For the first time, in a very long time – after I finished this story, I felt a little empty. Like my friends are gone, and what do I do now? After the final scene between two of the main characters, I clutched the tome to my heart and walked out to find my wife to even try and explain the feelings I had no words for. Also, during the final fight scene, apparently, I was being a bit vocal with the events that were happening on the page. Shannon just has a way of making everything feel so feel. Her writing is magic. She takes you on the grand adventure to a land far, far, away, and it doesn't even feel like it's a strange place. It feels like home.

A home I can't wait to return to when A Day of Fallen Night is released in a couple months.

Also, as a librarian, Shannon's acknowledgement about the importance of libraries means so much. As gatekeepers of knowledge, I can only hope author's like Shannon continue to use these sacred sanctuaries to find what they need to help create their masterpieces for the rest of us to enjoy.

The first half is good. I regret not abandoning it.

I have received a copy of this book through a giveaway hosted by the publisher. This has not affected my rating or review in any way.

heads-up, this is a DNF. Sometimes a 2-3 star book will be elevated by a fandom for having a plot line near and dear to that fandom. Booktok obsessed with this book for having a “fantastic” queer love story. Well, I have nothing to say to that. I read 100 pages of this 800 page mammoth and still had no idea where the plot was going(if it had any intention of going at all) or who the characters were(only that there were many of them). Only some descriptive world building and extremely predictable character introductions have occurred. Would not recommend.

DNF - PG 41

Why?

Congratulate me: I've found a cure for insomnia.

That and some of the fruitiest world building I think I've ever come across. (Noble ladies are sent to the queen so they can sleep twelve to a room, learn...something (I...think I blacked out at that part) and, if they are lucky, be assigned as a Maid of the Privy Chamber so they can clean up after the queen. While being a Maid of the Privy. Yup.)



Add to that, a pair of reviews I read (1 & 2) that indicated that the little problems I had would soon grow into big problems and...done.

The audiobook for this is 26 hours. Somehow, that didn't register till I started listening, and it wouldn't have registered if I hadn't found myself checking how many hours I had left every few chapters. This entire review is full of spoilers, and you will see me swear. If you are like I was, 20% through and struck with the realization that you frankly do not give a shit what happens next, or perhaps you have just finished it, then continue below.

Otherwise I leave you with this: too many words for all the rubbish scenes, zero words for epic fight scenes (I mean literally, the book cut away to another POV).

HOW CAN I, AFTER 250 PAGES, NOT HAVE BEEN GIVEN ENOUGH OF ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS? A CHARACTER IN THE BLURB? Why should I give a fuck about Niclays Roos or fucking Loth Beck?

I will address a few things.1. The romance between Ead and Sabran.When I first read the blurb, I thought the romance would be between Ead and Tané. I wondered how they would meet, until that scene in the garden (or wherever they were walking), where Ead says she has no idea why she is suddenly acting irrationally around Sabran. I had had no idea too, until that moment. I had no idea, even at the end and after many confessions of love. As I write this now, I still see zero chemistry.Sabran was cruel, and Ead thought she was selfish. Then they are kissing and that's it, that's all the development we get. If you read this for the love story, woe is you.2. Tané's arc.a. Torusa. Wow. After the fight he is never heard from again. I do in fact believe that at the end of 850 pages, Shannon forgot he'd existed at all.b. Her relationship with her dragon: a couple smiles exchanged before Tané becomes a dragon rider, the first talking scene, the confession scene, the scene after they are reunited, some time traveling to the South, the final fight, the end. Those are all the scenes with Tané and her dragon. This book has a dragon on the cover. And after 850 pages, those are all the scenes with Tané and her dragon.3. Niclays RoosIdgaf about his relationship with Jannart (I may get spellings wrong as I listened to the book). There was one flashback scene, and I fucking wanted to sleep through it. He's a sad sack of shit. Don't get me wrong, I feel for him because Sabran is a cruel piece of shit, but he had choices to make in life, and he made several questionable ones. But aside from his personality, he just didn't really do anything.Things happen to him. He is a vessel for narration, like Loth. This is never more clear than on the island, where he has a chance to escape but chooses to stay because he is entranced by the story.Of course, what Shannon means here is that readers are entranced by the story, and Niclays cannot leave because then how else would readers hear the end? It is lazy, and fucking boring.4. Loth.So fucking sheltered in his braindead religion. Like Niclays, things happen to him. Towards the end, he improves, but if I had to listen to him talking about the Saint again, I would...well I wouldn't be very happy.5. The death of KitThat was startling. I have to assume it was added for shock value. I was shocked alright, shocked with the realization that I wasn't going to enjoy reading this book. Say what you will about harsh realities or whatever, none of the main characters died. And for Tané Suza and Ashari died. Should've killed the dragon too. Killed her off too.6. Kalyba.What was her purpose? You know when Sabran had a fever, right after the scene where Tané eats the Orange fruit and bursts into flames or something, I thought Sabran had eaten the fruit. I thought in the final fight we'd see her duel Kalyba. But no, Kalyba talked a lot and then got stabbed by Ead. I just, wow.7. The fight between Ead and the Prioress.The book cuts away to Loth just before the fight. The next thing we see is Ead injured. This is certainly a choice, and a choice that means it is difficult for me to give this book up to 3 stars. It is emblematic of the problems with this book. The way time is spent in the head of useless things, and not enough on the things that ballads are made of.8. The training with the jewels.There is nothing here, just as there was no description for this. 850 pages. 26 hours.9. The jewels, the swordMy head, my shoulders, my knees and toes, bring me more macguffins. I love how often these are lost and easily obtained. There is no conflict in this book, not really. There is only loss of loved ones. They all suffer that, except Ead for the most part, but there are no consequences for anything else. Lose the dragon, locate the dragon. Lose the jewel, locate the jewel. Get poisoned, aha cure easily no problem at all. Be about to die, get saved.10. I'm confused. Why does Fyredel not simply attempt to burn Sabran a second time? Heck, he doesn't even go after Ead for real. Doesn't even try to burn the town down. I guess they don't want to destroy the world, but when your main villain is just pure evil with zero nuance, I cannot understand why everything done in his name would not be pure evil. Where is the line?11. The Nameless One. The next villain in a book should be Unnamed. He without name. Birth-certificateless-less. Who-the-fuck.12. The whole ending was underwhelming. Suddenly the armies unite. Fight, win, as expected. Like surprise me, for once, surprise me.13. The most tragic deaths in this book are Triam and Truyde. After their executions, the main characters then simply do what they tried to do, very easily. They were both so fucking brave. The scene in the jail where Truyde tells Ead the Knight of Courage is her Saint, bruh, that was better than any other speeches.14. Crest should've been drawn and quartered. Sabran should've made sure of it. She literally has no backbone.15. The Priory is made up of a bunch of fools. Were the damsels even at the final fight?16. The final fight where Tané wished she had a Seiikenese weapon. The whole time I'm wondering why she doesn't have one. Like, isn't part of preparing for battle making sure you have a weapon that you can and want to use?17. The narrator. Bruh that “So be it” from the Nameless One was just like, peak narration. The accents don't mesh with what they apparently should. I think if I had read this I would've been more forgiving, because I'd be able to read much faster. But I listened to the whole thing because I really fucking wanted to get to the end. I did. It was disappointing, but frankly, I saw that coming from 10% in.

I really wanted to enjoy this, the characters and the world are all really interesting. The pacing combined how every issue each character faces as they grow to better themselves is always written to be some insurmountable or terrifying conflict. The ending after all the build up also just felt rushed.

Despite the blooming of a queer romance, the pacing felt plodding to me and the world-building was feeling thrown-together. 

8/10 - pretty good!!! it was definitely a slower start and wrapped up a bit formulaically but can't say i didn't enjoy it.

No sé qué esperaba de este libro, pero no lo cumplió. Tal vez me lo hypearon demasiado, tal vez Sanderson me arruinó para otros autores de fantasía xD El worldbuilding y los personajes estaban bien, aunque había un personaje que estuvo la mitad del libro sólo existiendo y aportando poco y nada a la trama, lo cual no es muy copado q digamos cuando vas alternando entre distintos POV. Tuve que googlear sobre el final de otro de los personajes porque no había entendido qué pasó y al parecer no soy la única. Quedaron un par de cabos sin atar que podrían haber sido atados tranquilamente, tal vez se resolverán en una posible continuación? Si la hay, no la voy a leer :v

Easy to read, good story but at times it felt like the author was speeding running to keep it all in one single book.

I wish I could get into this book. I do not think it's a failing of the author, it simply tells me high fantasy is not for me. Friends of mine adore it so I think if you enjoy this genre it's worth exploring.

talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it ✨

What a world. Very enjoyable fantasy. Definitely will read prequel.

My only complaint is that while it was quite long and built a massive, massive world with a thousand years of history, religion and mythology, it suffered significantly with pacing issues. It probably should have been two or three books.

The narration of the audiobook is pretty good, but some of the voices were distracting. The narrator does not do a good job with male voices, deep = evil a lot of times, and an emperor of what is described as a vaguely eastern land talks like Colonel Sanders. Very, very distracting.

4.75 ⭐️

I loved this book it was beautifully written and I loved watching the stories of all 4 characters. The characters all developed in versions ways throughout the book and I was happy to see how it turned out.

There were definitely points where even though I was so happy with the book it was long but that's to be expected with a standalone fantasy book.

I would absolutely recommend this a million times overs, it was a complex and simultaneously digestible fantasy that has so many beautiful components and twists and secrets.

Wat een baksteen van een boek! Er gebeurde ontzettend veel in dit boek. De 4 verschillende POV's zijn fijn, maar minder fijn als je ze niet allemaal leuk vind... Ead vond ik de leukste. Sabran en Ead waren geweldig!
De laatste 200 blz waren ontzettend gaaf en mooi dat allen bij elkaar kwam.
Maar moest het 800 blz zijn? Geen idee. Ik vond het erg kang voor een boek en heb er ook ruim 1,5 maand over gedaan om dit te lezen...

2.5 stars

This one largely falls under just not for me, but—oh boy—am I glad to be done and know peace once again.

What a journey! Samantha Shannon took many cultural inspirations and somehow laced them together to make a novel I could barely put down. So satisfying!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Overall a really good book !
The beginning (1/3 of the book) was for me a little too long, too slow, too descriptive... The building of the word and setting in the characters could and should be shorter in my opinion. But the 2/3 after that really did it for me ! I'm surprised I liked it that much in the end. The end lift for me a lot of questions. Maybe a second book in the series ?

It took me a really long time to finish this book. Maybe if I read it faster my opinion would be better or worse. Either way I'm really happy with how it turned out to be.

Highly recommend if you like heavy plot and well build world and characters ! A wonderful adult fantasy !

I'm now wondering if the other book in the series is worth reading since it comes before that and not after ?
Let me know what you think.