You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
solouncapitulomas's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
this book took me so long to read but god it was amazing, really loved the worldbuilidng and cannot wait to read more about this universe
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Violence
Moderate: Infertility, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
schnaucl's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I enjoyed it.
I thought the cultures were both interesting, although not necessarily well balanced.I'm not sure what the West got right, aside from the fact that Ascalon was the sword that could wound the Nameless One. But they were wrong about the part of all the participants, their entire religion was based mostly on a lie, and they were wrong about the dragons of the East. But the world is clearly well thought out.
I also liked the characters, particularly Ead, Tane and Loth.
I thought the cultures were both interesting, although not necessarily well balanced.
I also liked the characters, particularly Ead, Tane and Loth.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and Vomit
sophiesometimesreads's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
4.75
I loved loved loved reading this book and being immersed in the world of The Priory of the Orange Tree.
The characters were well-developed, flawed and well-rounded. They felt like real people - they didn’t always make the right decisions and they weren’t always sure or happy in their decisions, which I really enjoyed. Even the characters I didn’t like had their purpose and I could see their necessity in the story. I loved the focus on strong women and their unapologetic nature in being who they are.
The multiple POVs made for good pacing in the story, and allowed us to see different parts of the story and the world. Even the one POV character I didn’t like shed some interesting light and perspective on the story.
The setting and world was, arguably, the best part of this whole novel. There was so much effort and detail put into this and it really paid off. Everything was so vibrant and real, and I felt like I could vividly picture being in these places.
The plot wasn’t overly complex, which allowed for the world building to really shine, but it was still intriguing and not super predictable. From the reviews I had seen, I had honestly expected to spend a long time relatively confused as to who was who and about the lore, but I’d narrowed down the basics by 100 pages which, for an 800 page book, was quicker than I expected. There were some things that were convenient but I think that the reason as to why they were so was explained well and helped to keep the story on track. Despite being 800 pages, I didn’t feel like the plot line dragged out in the middle and I felt like most of the plot was important to the overall story.
Speaking of the lore, it was so well built and intricate. I liked how it was sprinkled through the story and not given as a huge chunk all at once, it helped to make the book easier to digest whilst providing enough information such that I was not confused as a reader.
I also really enjoyed the love story and how naturally it blossomed. It was great to see a wlw couple in a high fantasy without any fanfare about the fact that it was a wlw couple.
I just really wanted more pages. This is not to say that the story wasn’t adequately wrapped up by the end but it was just that I wanted to stay in this world and be immersed for longer. I procrastinated reading the last part because I really didn’t want it to end.
One thing I will say is the end felt a tad rushed, but everything was wrapped up by the end so this didn't impact my enjoyment much at all
I absolutely loved reading this, as shown by the fact that it took me 2.5 weeks to read as opposed to a month or more that it usually takes me to read long epic fantasies. I’m definitely going to pick up the prequel in February too and will be looking forward to diving back into this wonderful world in the meantime.
The characters were well-developed, flawed and well-rounded. They felt like real people - they didn’t always make the right decisions and they weren’t always sure or happy in their decisions, which I really enjoyed. Even the characters I didn’t like had their purpose and I could see their necessity in the story. I loved the focus on strong women and their unapologetic nature in being who they are.
The multiple POVs made for good pacing in the story, and allowed us to see different parts of the story and the world. Even the one POV character I didn’t like shed some interesting light and perspective on the story.
The setting and world was, arguably, the best part of this whole novel. There was so much effort and detail put into this and it really paid off. Everything was so vibrant and real, and I felt like I could vividly picture being in these places.
The plot wasn’t overly complex, which allowed for the world building to really shine, but it was still intriguing and not super predictable. From the reviews I had seen, I had honestly expected to spend a long time relatively confused as to who was who and about the lore, but I’d narrowed down the basics by 100 pages which, for an 800 page book, was quicker than I expected. There were some things that were convenient but I think that the reason as to why they were so was explained well and helped to keep the story on track. Despite being 800 pages, I didn’t feel like the plot line dragged out in the middle and I felt like most of the plot was important to the overall story.
Speaking of the lore, it was so well built and intricate. I liked how it was sprinkled through the story and not given as a huge chunk all at once, it helped to make the book easier to digest whilst providing enough information such that I was not confused as a reader.
I also really enjoyed the love story and how naturally it blossomed. It was great to see a wlw couple in a high fantasy without any fanfare about the fact that it was a wlw couple.
I just really wanted more pages. This is not to say that the story wasn’t adequately wrapped up by the end but it was just that I wanted to stay in this world and be immersed for longer. I procrastinated reading the last part because I really didn’t want it to end.
One thing I will say is the end felt a tad rushed, but everything was wrapped up by the end so this didn't impact my enjoyment much at all
I absolutely loved reading this, as shown by the fact that it took me 2.5 weeks to read as opposed to a month or more that it usually takes me to read long epic fantasies. I’m definitely going to pick up the prequel in February too and will be looking forward to diving back into this wonderful world in the meantime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage and Grief
Minor: Sexual content
cstein's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Could benefit from additional and repeat explanations of various imagined words, a large cast of characters and their connections to one another, and the histories and geographies of several fictional countries. Some relationships and events (specifically, what should have been the climatic battle) were more or less convincingly fleshed out. Nonetheless, an engrossing escapist read that kept my interest for weeks.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Cursing and Alcohol
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.0
I have seen this book everywhere. My dad kindly bought me this for my birthday and I thought I would try and crack on with it. This book is slow-paced, and action packed.
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, Tane has trained her whole life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divide East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.
I usually struggle with fantasy books due to the world building and the characters and the terminology. But I didn’t struggle with this book. It was like slowly sinking into a marshmallow and I loved it. Usually, I can struggle with huge book if it a standalone, I love to read 600+ pages in the series but I can never usually do it with standalone, but this book worked for our big it was. If it was any bigger, I think I would have struggled. The book was split into 5 fives and throughout the book, you get 4 point of views which include from the North, South, East and West. I love the slow character building that you can see comes to a point. I also enjoyed the love story within this book, and I wanted more of that.
The only thing that stopped this being a five-star read for me was every big reveal and big twist was sort of anti-climax, I was just waiting for the reaction to be “Holy Sh*t” and it just didn’t happen, it was just sort of crept in and then we moved on. This was a really enjoyable read, but I was expected to be more of a big drop with the storyline.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Violence
Moderate: Infertility, Sexual content, and Religious bigotry
Minor: War
orchidd's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Murder
Moderate: Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Dementia
tangerinetea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Incest, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
mostlyvoidpartiallystars's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
Beautiful romances, heart rending tragedies, terrifying magic, political webs...this book has everything a good fantasy epic needs.
This book doesn't shy away from death, treachery, or despair, but there is still room for the tension of love, hope, and even triumph.
This book doesn't shy away from death, treachery, or despair, but there is still room for the tension of love, hope, and even triumph.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Infertility and Sexual assault
sophie42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Misogyny, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Colonisation
kat__z8's review against another edition
adventurous
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 book is everything I look for in high fantasy, and more.
I read this book over the span of three weeks, which would usually guarantee a gradual loss of interest were it with any other book. But Priory is one of those rare books that just satisfy me whether I devour it in a few sittings or over a month.
It's a book that's at once immersive and jam-packed with actions and magical quests. It had been so long since I encountered a high fantasy world crafted with such care and details to every single aspect that matters. The countries? Splendid. The religions, myth and lore? Breathtaking. The people, the races and different creatures? Marvelous.
I said this book had more, and I seriously think this is where Shannon won compared to other old classics (sorry, LOTR!). The world here is just so rich and the characters and cultures so diverse, as is fit for our world. I could tell Shannon put so much effort in researching that much of the culture it's inspired from bled into the writing and I just felt so spoiled, the world building in this book was such a treat and feast for my senses!
We have multiple POVs of characters who are all queer (Ead—lesbian, Tané—aroace, Loth—ace spec, Niclays—gay, and of course we have Queen Sabran, who is a prominent character even without a POV—bisexual). Shannon painted a world that's optimistically accepting and unapologetically feminist. Sure, there were still some sexism and heteronormativity left, but it's more closely tied to classism and there are constant fights by the characters against the system. There were also some small but very refreshing traditions like using a gender neutral term for one's spouse—a companion. Female characters were seen in position of power and it was no big deal. It's just a really refreshing and hopeful world despite the looming threat of the Nameless One.
Finally, I just want to say that this book did take me some time to get into. The plot was clear from pretty early on, and like any other fantasy books, we get the typical quest to defeat the final enemy almost at the end of the book. In the meantime, I would just enjoy the trips and adventures these characters took me on, sometimes wide-eyed at certain plot twists.
I read this book over the span of three weeks, which would usually guarantee a gradual loss of interest were it with any other book. But Priory is one of those rare books that just satisfy me whether I devour it in a few sittings or over a month.
It's a book that's at once immersive and jam-packed with actions and magical quests. It had been so long since I encountered a high fantasy world crafted with such care and details to every single aspect that matters. The countries? Splendid. The religions, myth and lore? Breathtaking. The people, the races and different creatures? Marvelous.
I said this book had more, and I seriously think this is where Shannon won compared to other old classics (sorry, LOTR!). The world here is just so rich and the characters and cultures so diverse, as is fit for our world. I could tell Shannon put so much effort in researching that much of the culture it's inspired from bled into the writing and I just felt so spoiled, the world building in this book was such a treat and feast for my senses!
We have multiple POVs of characters who are all queer (Ead—lesbian, Tané—aroace, Loth—ace spec, Niclays—gay, and of course we have Queen Sabran, who is a prominent character even without a POV—bisexual). Shannon painted a world that's optimistically accepting and unapologetically feminist. Sure, there were still some sexism and heteronormativity left, but it's more closely tied to classism and there are constant fights by the characters against the system. There were also some small but very refreshing traditions like using a gender neutral term for one's spouse—a companion. Female characters were seen in position of power and it was no big deal. It's just a really refreshing and hopeful world despite the looming threat of the Nameless One.
Finally, I just want to say that this book did take me some time to get into. The plot was clear from pretty early on, and like any other fantasy books, we get the typical quest to defeat the final enemy almost at the end of the book. In the meantime, I would just enjoy the trips and adventures these characters took me on, sometimes wide-eyed at certain plot twists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Xenophobia, Blood, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol