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blackthornfaery's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Incest, Medical content, Pregnancy, Violence, Body horror, Classism, Death of parent, Infertility, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
jodean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Murder, Grief, Deportation, Blood, Abandonment, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: War, Sexism, Medical content, Infertility, Medical trauma, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Child death, Domestic abuse, and Drug use
hannahpings's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
3.75
i grappled with the rating on this one a little bit, because in terms of likability and recommendation, this book is a solid four to five stars: i loved it! i was engaged the whole time! i dragged my feet finishing it because i was sad it's over! i still am!
at the same time though, for me it's cursed with having been a good book that also could have been better. overall, priory's pacing is good––it comes out swinging and still manages a good amount exposition, the action is well-timed, it's engaging every step of the way––but there are significant gaps and skips throughout, and especially so in the final third. journeys that once took immense narrative tolls and lasted close to 40 pages are reduced to quotidian, one-sentence tasks that seem to exist only because not mentioning them would render the plot unadvanceable. characters make choices that, while you can see how they might make sense given the adequate development, are complete opposites of their intentions up until that point without the text taking the time or putting in the work to achieve that development. things that are given immense weight and word counts early on are not held to the same standard later and are treated like whims, if they're acknowledged at all. (the story's climax is overly convenient too, but it was an emotionally satisfying one, even if a little more mess was to be desired.)
samantha shannon has created a worthy fantasy epic; it's a wold i don't want to leave, a necessary addition to the genre, and one both accessible (even for folks who don't like fantasy or who may be revisiting it for the first time in years) and that made me excited to have to flip to the map or appendices every few pages. all the same, it's hard not to feel that by the end of the book, shannon was ready to be done with it, and glossed over chunks of the narrative accordingly. priory is a story and scope worthy of three, 300–400-page books, and it's hard to understand why it wasn't given the adequate time to breathe and grow into itself.
ultimately though, that's not my decision, and in the end i'm still happy with what we got: something relatively well-written, intercultural and anti-hegemonic, compelling and whose characters it's impossible not to root for, and to whose world i can't wait to return.
at the same time though, for me it's cursed with having been a good book that also could have been better. overall, priory's pacing is good––it comes out swinging and still manages a good amount exposition, the action is well-timed, it's engaging every step of the way––but there are significant gaps and skips throughout, and especially so in the final third. journeys that once took immense narrative tolls and lasted close to 40 pages are reduced to quotidian, one-sentence tasks that seem to exist only because not mentioning them would render the plot unadvanceable. characters make choices that, while you can see how they might make sense given the adequate development, are complete opposites of their intentions up until that point without the text taking the time or putting in the work to achieve that development. things that are given immense weight and word counts early on are not held to the same standard later and are treated like whims, if they're acknowledged at all. (the story's climax is overly convenient too, but it was an emotionally satisfying one, even if a little more mess was to be desired.)
samantha shannon has created a worthy fantasy epic; it's a wold i don't want to leave, a necessary addition to the genre, and one both accessible (even for folks who don't like fantasy or who may be revisiting it for the first time in years) and that made me excited to have to flip to the map or appendices every few pages. all the same, it's hard not to feel that by the end of the book, shannon was ready to be done with it, and glossed over chunks of the narrative accordingly. priory is a story and scope worthy of three, 300–400-page books, and it's hard to understand why it wasn't given the adequate time to breathe and grow into itself.
ultimately though, that's not my decision, and in the end i'm still happy with what we got: something relatively well-written, intercultural and anti-hegemonic, compelling and whose characters it's impossible not to root for, and to whose world i can't wait to return.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, War, Animal death, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Bullying, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Violence, Gore, Incest, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, Blood, Classism, Death, Racism, Infertility, Medical content, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Torture, Trafficking, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders
incest/rape:fanboyriot's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Read For:
Dragons
Slow Burn
Fantasy Map
Sapphic Romance
High Fantasy (but make it queer)
I definitely have some mixed feelings about this book. I wanted to love it but it fell more flat for me than anything else. It was just kinda meh. It wasn’t bad but I also just didn’t fall into the hype about it either. I was a bit bored at times, honestly.
While the worldbuilding/setting was done really well the characters overall just lacked personality. I found myself confused as to who was who for more than half of the book, which might be more of a me thing than anything else, but even then I just didn't really care for any of them. I am much more of a character person than a world-building person.
Then there were some chapters that just dragged out, and while in the beginning, it was fine. It's high fantasy and that's expected to get to know the world and everything but it was no better by the last chapter.
However, I didn’t totally hate this book either. I really liked how the Queen was the one running things. It was super nice to read a high fantasy without it being majorly sexist or borderline creepy. Plus it had some queer relationships as well, a sapphic relationship being the main hype of the book besides the dragons. And lastly the dragons, I loved how they were written into the story, how they interacted with their riders, and the bond they shared.
Overall, if you're a fan of high fantasy and want to see some queer rep within the book then I recommend this to you. However, if you’re more like me, where contemporary books have taken over your tbr, then I probably wouldn't recommend it to you.
POV: Switching, Third Person
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rep: Queer MCs, Queer SCs, Sapphic (main), Achillean (side), Aspec MC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, Death, Infertility, Child death, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Violence, Murder, Grief, Gore, Death of parent, Torture, Sexual content, War, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Genocide, Bullying, Outing, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Classism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Incest, Infidelity, Addiction, and Gaslighting
Minor: Dementia, Sexual assault, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Rape, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexism
arlaubscher's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Infertility, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, War, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Xenophobia, Medical content, Murder, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, and Trafficking
mushroomfrog's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Vomit, Infertility, Incest, and Grief
rachelditty's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.0
A really well-built world full of cool characters and such interesting plot. I was super into this for the first four parts, when everything was a mystery and I still had to put pieces together. I think the last two parts dragged a little for me, mostly because it was less about figuring things out and more about executing the plan at the climax of the story, but even when I wasn't as hooked at the end I was still having run reading.
I wish the final battle had dragged on for a while longer--it seemed way too short in my opinion. I also really wish Sabran had gotten to deliver the final blow with Ascalon. Don't get me wrong, Tane and Ead tag-teaming the Nameless One was cool, but I wanted Sabran to get her own sort of liberation from this beast that had been haunting her childhood and her childbed since she could remember. I wish it had been Tane and Ead with the stones and Sabran with Ascalon.
I also want to know SO MUCH MORE about Cleolind and Galian--I know the next book is about the Grief of Ages, but I hope the third installment is just about Cleolind and Galian and Kalyba. I want to know so much more about them. I couldn't help but feel bad for Galian when we got to know more about his history, how the woman who raised him had tricked him in such an awful way. I also felt bad for Kalyba when she was killed, because she did treat Sabran with this strange, saccrine kindness, and did seem almost remorseful about what she was doing. I want more of these three. And about the three trees!!
I'll be honest, I wasn't as hooked on Sabran and Ead's relationship as I wanted to be. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I know my friend REALLY loves them; I don't know why they didn't get me the same way.
The endings for all the characters felt very fitting. I'm glad Tane and Niamythun are still riding, and that she's getting to hunt down the Golden Empress. I thought Niclays was going to die at the end of the book, but I'm really glad I was wrong. Loth being implied to be in cahoots with the now-queen Marosa was unexpected, but I liked it. And Ead getting to be Prioress? Yes.
Overall a very enticing read that was just fast enough to keep me interested but still detailed enough that I was able to put pieces together alongside the characters. Really cool. Excited to read the sequel!
Some quotes I liked:
"'All stories grow from a seed of truth,' Tryude said. 'They are knowledge after figuration,'" (p. 21).
"Her heart was a trapped butterfly. The water in you is cold, her teacher had once told her. When you hold a weapon, you become a faceless ghost. You give nothing away," (p. 121).
"'You have not seen death, my lord. You have only seen the mask we put on it," (p. 127).
"'You wear so much armor by daylight that, by night, you can carry it no longer. By night, you are only flesh. And even the flesh of a queen is prone to fear,'" (p. 203).
"'Can we not both agree that no more of her friends should be cut from her side?'" (p. 205).
"'Damn you to the womb of fire.'
Sigoso smiled. 'I am there,' he said, 'and it is paradise,'" (p. 218).
"The roar of the crowd grew so loud, so fast, that it seemed to Ead to transcend sound and attain a physicality," (p. 293).
"'The threat comes from beneath, not from afar,'" (p. 309).
"'You have let me unburden myself, even though my fears are selfish. The Damsel has granted me the child I begged of her, and all I can do is... quake,'" (p. 330).
"'...the love of your life was an abject coward even as a boy. I fear death too much to seek it.'
'Well, I can only be grateful for the softness of your spine. I confess to fearing your death, too.'
'I remind you that you are two years my senior, and that the arithmetic of death is against you.'
Jannart smiled. 'Let us not speak of death when there is still so much life to be lived,'" (p. 346).
"'If I had convinced myself I was no sinner, I would never have kissed the lips I long to kiss,'' (p. 347).
"'I don't want to carry on! Do you not understand? Does nobody in this world understand, damn you? Is no one else haunted?'" (p. 434).
"'The one who wears the chains is a thousand times greater than the one who wields them,'" (p. 451).
"'This part, small as it appeared at first, was forged in the fire of her own strength, and resisted her cage. And I understood... that this part was made of steel,'" (p. 499).
"...spilling guts like a cutpurse spilling gold. Death came for them like a desert wind," (p. 527).
"'Margaret,' he said, 'you are my child. I forgave you all your sins on the first day of your life,'" (p. 580).
"'During my... adventure, I learned what it was to be a heretic. It felt as though my very existence were under assault. If Inys can be the first to cease using the word, I think it would have done this world a very fine service,'" (p. 604).
"Each day, each step, each tick of the clock took him closer to that golden possibility. He was tired of having half a soul," (p. 653).
"In death, its branches reached for the stars, as if they might hold out silver hands and help it stand again," (p. 656).
"How to paint a portrait of Sabran, who had been in his life since he was six. Since a time when all they had worried about was how many adventures they could fit into a day," (p. 740).
"Seek not the midnight sun on earth/ but look for it within," (p. 789).
"'I will teach my heart to beat again.'
It hurt to leave him in the dark. Still, leave he did. Those bones had long since let him go," (p. 790).
"'Some truths,' he said, 'are safest buried. Some castles best kept in the sky. There's promise in tales that are yet to be spoken. In the shadow realm, known only to a few,'" (p. 804).
I wish the final battle had dragged on for a while longer--it seemed way too short in my opinion. I also really wish Sabran had gotten to deliver the final blow with Ascalon. Don't get me wrong, Tane and Ead tag-teaming the Nameless One was cool, but I wanted Sabran to get her own sort of liberation from this beast that had been haunting her childhood and her childbed since she could remember. I wish it had been Tane and Ead with the stones and Sabran with Ascalon.
I also want to know SO MUCH MORE about Cleolind and Galian--I know the next book is about the Grief of Ages, but I hope the third installment is just about Cleolind and Galian and Kalyba. I want to know so much more about them. I couldn't help but feel bad for Galian when we got to know more about his history, how the woman who raised him had tricked him in such an awful way. I also felt bad for Kalyba when she was killed, because she did treat Sabran with this strange, saccrine kindness, and did seem almost remorseful about what she was doing. I want more of these three. And about the three trees!!
I'll be honest, I wasn't as hooked on Sabran and Ead's relationship as I wanted to be. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I know my friend REALLY loves them; I don't know why they didn't get me the same way.
The endings for all the characters felt very fitting. I'm glad Tane and Niamythun are still riding, and that she's getting to hunt down the Golden Empress. I thought Niclays was going to die at the end of the book, but I'm really glad I was wrong. Loth being implied to be in cahoots with the now-queen Marosa was unexpected, but I liked it. And Ead getting to be Prioress? Yes.
Overall a very enticing read that was just fast enough to keep me interested but still detailed enough that I was able to put pieces together alongside the characters. Really cool. Excited to read the sequel!
Some quotes I liked:
"'All stories grow from a seed of truth,' Tryude said. 'They are knowledge after figuration,'" (p. 21).
"Her heart was a trapped butterfly. The water in you is cold, her teacher had once told her. When you hold a weapon, you become a faceless ghost. You give nothing away," (p. 121).
"'You have not seen death, my lord. You have only seen the mask we put on it," (p. 127).
"'You wear so much armor by daylight that, by night, you can carry it no longer. By night, you are only flesh. And even the flesh of a queen is prone to fear,'" (p. 203).
"'Can we not both agree that no more of her friends should be cut from her side?'" (p. 205).
"'Damn you to the womb of fire.'
Sigoso smiled. 'I am there,' he said, 'and it is paradise,'" (p. 218).
"The roar of the crowd grew so loud, so fast, that it seemed to Ead to transcend sound and attain a physicality," (p. 293).
"'The threat comes from beneath, not from afar,'" (p. 309).
"'You have let me unburden myself, even though my fears are selfish. The Damsel has granted me the child I begged of her, and all I can do is... quake,'" (p. 330).
"'...the love of your life was an abject coward even as a boy. I fear death too much to seek it.'
'Well, I can only be grateful for the softness of your spine. I confess to fearing your death, too.'
'I remind you that you are two years my senior, and that the arithmetic of death is against you.'
Jannart smiled. 'Let us not speak of death when there is still so much life to be lived,'" (p. 346).
"'If I had convinced myself I was no sinner, I would never have kissed the lips I long to kiss,'' (p. 347).
"'I don't want to carry on! Do you not understand? Does nobody in this world understand, damn you? Is no one else haunted?'" (p. 434).
"'The one who wears the chains is a thousand times greater than the one who wields them,'" (p. 451).
"'This part, small as it appeared at first, was forged in the fire of her own strength, and resisted her cage. And I understood... that this part was made of steel,'" (p. 499).
"...spilling guts like a cutpurse spilling gold. Death came for them like a desert wind," (p. 527).
"'Margaret,' he said, 'you are my child. I forgave you all your sins on the first day of your life,'" (p. 580).
"'During my... adventure, I learned what it was to be a heretic. It felt as though my very existence were under assault. If Inys can be the first to cease using the word, I think it would have done this world a very fine service,'" (p. 604).
"Each day, each step, each tick of the clock took him closer to that golden possibility. He was tired of having half a soul," (p. 653).
"In death, its branches reached for the stars, as if they might hold out silver hands and help it stand again," (p. 656).
"How to paint a portrait of Sabran, who had been in his life since he was six. Since a time when all they had worried about was how many adventures they could fit into a day," (p. 740).
"Seek not the midnight sun on earth/ but look for it within," (p. 789).
"'I will teach my heart to beat again.'
It hurt to leave him in the dark. Still, leave he did. Those bones had long since let him go," (p. 790).
"'Some truths,' he said, 'are safest buried. Some castles best kept in the sky. There's promise in tales that are yet to be spoken. In the shadow realm, known only to a few,'" (p. 804).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Gore, Pregnancy, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Death, Grief, Infertility, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content, War, Blood, and Child death
taryn_g's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Infertility, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, and Medical content
Minor: Incest, Torture, and Grief
questionable_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Gaslighting, Confinement, Body horror, Pregnancy, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death, War, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, and Violence
Moderate: Gaslighting, Pandemic/Epidemic, Outing, and Infidelity
Minor: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Trafficking, and Torture
dragonaion's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I found this book on accident and had no idea it was popular on social media. I read it because it's a big fantasy book with dragons and oranges-my favorite creature and fruit in one.
I have heard many say that is is an "epic fantasy" that is better if not similar to Game of Thrones or Tolkein, but I was sorely disappointed. The story was pleasant, although riddled with clichés like a magical dragon-slaying sword (even sounding like Excalibur), evil witch doing witchy things (including making the previously mentioned sword), Western winged dragons are bad, and Eastern serpant dragons are good. The tone of the book was also too formal for it to be engaging; it felt as if the "court parlance" of hiding ones emotions were how everyone talked normally, so I felt a lot of emotional and tender moments were lackluster and fell flat. With certain scenes in mind... I feel the author is straight, could not really empathize or relate to the characters, and/or was too timid to write them with more than "casual interest". I've read romance trash that had more engaging and written intimacy scenes.
Then comes the tempo of events; I've read books recently that brilliantly show how plots are suddenly revealed from loose threads, and this story felt as though a series of "random" events fell on each page one after another without laying seeds for the reader to follow and "suddenly" connect. The villain of the story was only mentioned in a story between characters halfway through the book, it appeared that she came out of nowhere to suddenly be important, so I had very little connection or empathy. It also felt that key bits of the story were done for in-the-moment drama and even if there was a plot explanation later, it seems to fall on its face. It almost reads as though the author had writer's block and suddenly found a way to loop things together once she let the story sit for a bit.
Lastly, the novel is very female-centric with a greater female cast of characters than male. While otherwise fine, they failed to make themselves special; the main characters seemed to "fall into" their roll and did not leave any lasting impressions, so it felt they were "quantity over quality" characters. Even having finished the book, I'm starting to forget some of their names.
I have heard many say that is is an "epic fantasy" that is better if not similar to Game of Thrones or Tolkein, but I was sorely disappointed. The story was pleasant, although riddled with clichés like a magical dragon-slaying sword (even sounding like Excalibur), evil witch doing witchy things (including making the previously mentioned sword), Western winged dragons are bad, and Eastern serpant dragons are good. The tone of the book was also too formal for it to be engaging; it felt as if the "court parlance" of hiding ones emotions were how everyone talked normally, so I felt a lot of emotional and tender moments were lackluster and fell flat. With certain scenes in mind... I feel the author is straight, could not really empathize or relate to the characters, and/or was too timid to write them with more than "casual interest". I've read romance trash that had more engaging and written intimacy scenes.
Then comes the tempo of events; I've read books recently that brilliantly show how plots are suddenly revealed from loose threads, and this story felt as though a series of "random" events fell on each page one after another without laying seeds for the reader to follow and "suddenly" connect. The villain of the story was only mentioned in a story between characters halfway through the book, it appeared that she came out of nowhere to suddenly be important, so I had very little connection or empathy. It also felt that key bits of the story were done for in-the-moment drama and even if there was a plot explanation later, it seems to fall on its face. It almost reads as though the author had writer's block and suddenly found a way to loop things together once she let the story sit for a bit.
Lastly, the novel is very female-centric with a greater female cast of characters than male. While otherwise fine, they failed to make themselves special; the main characters seemed to "fall into" their roll and did not leave any lasting impressions, so it felt they were "quantity over quality" characters. Even having finished the book, I'm starting to forget some of their names.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Minor: Medical content, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Torture, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and War
This is a fantasy, but the premise is a war against an evil dragon and warring religions.