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talonsontypewriters'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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, War, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Classism, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Animal death, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Sexism, Confinement, Torture, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Incest, Child death, Pedophilia, Suicide, Excrement, Self harm, Vomit, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
Illness, epidemic.marleywrites'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
4.5
I rated this book 4.5 stars out of 5. I was very invested in this story, starting around the 20% mark. The first 20% took me awhile to get into, but then we were flying. So if you’re trying this book for the first time, give it some time to get started.
Overall, I loved the characters and the complex world building. I’m almost sad this is technically a stand-alone because the book could so easily keep going. However, I was very satisfied with the ending we got.
This book was funny, as well, which surprised me. I didn’t expect to find humor in these pages but I did!
Another aspect of the writing I really enjoyed was the descriptions. Shannon has some serious skill when it comes to descriptions! I was blown away by the intricacies of this world and the magic system, as well as the rich history in this story.
I appreciated how many queer relationships there were in this story, and I’m glad that it was a relatively normal thing in this world.
Now for the spoilered section:
I also am thrilled with Sabran and Ead’s relationship. Like thank you Ms Shannon, that was perfect!!
I love Ead’s powerful friendships in this story, they saved her as much as she saved them.
I wasn’t sold on Roos until like, 90% into the story. But now I am happy for him. His love with Jannart is one of my favorite parts of this book.
The witch of the woods character, Kalyba, damn! I did not see her coming! She could have had another several chapters, she could have her own book. Oh, I wonder if that’s in A Day of Fallen Night 😂 I haven’t read that one yet.
The dragons were so cool. I wish we could have had even more dragons. I loved Tané’s fierce love for her dragon and all of the. dragons and would have loved some fluffy dragon ride scenes.
Connecting with the East at the end for the battle against the Nameless One was great, but confusing. Their emperor agreed so quickly and without the marriage proposal. It felt unbelievable after how much build up we had telling us that the East is completely closed off to everyone else.
This was a great book, which I read as a buddy read with my friend. It took me a month to finish it when usually I finish books in just a few days. I was surprised it took me so long but I felt like I wasn’t making progress so I think that discouraged me overall to keep pushing, even though I loved the story overall.
Amazing book, would probably read again to see what I missed the first time! 🐉
Graphic: Violence, Sexual content, War, Animal death, Death, Murder, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Incest, Alcohol, Grief, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical content, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Minor: Child death
caitonline'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? No
4.5
Graphic: War, Violence, Grief, Death, Blood, Gore, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Animal death
Minor: Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol
maryarelis'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? No
4.75
I can go on and on about how friggin’ good this novel is, but trust the reviews.. it’s highly recommended for a reason! I rated the novel 4.75 for a reason, merely because I would’ve like Tane’s story to be longer. I found myself cheering for her and drinking in each page that had her name splattered on it.
Other than that, get your hands on this book and lose yourself to dragons and witches, curses and riches!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Classism, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Cursing, Death of parent, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Vomit, War, and Death
sinaprst'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? No
5.0
that was the very first thing that came to my mind after i finished this yesterday. this had been on my bookshelf for the last 2 years or so, because the 800+ pages intimaded me so much, but they were so worth it, this was hands down one of the best (fantasy) books i have ever read, i adored every second of it:
i mean it has dragons, sapphics, magic, pirates, female warriors, i could literally not ask for more
the world building was amazing and felt incredibly real to me and the characters were so flawed but adorable at the same time, the romance was an immaculate slow burn, the villains felt complex and well-rounded to me, the plottwists had me literally gasping and the ending was one of the most satisfying endings i have ever read (and i am usually very picky when it comes to that).
but what stood out the most to me in retrospect was how refreshing it was to read a fantasy novel that has great (queer, POC and female) represenation and that could do without racism, homophobia or violence towards women. not only are there two queer characters and three POC characters among the main four, but the book depicted and mentioned several queer relationships and POC characters in the background aswell. additionally, everything was represented in a very casual way that did not feel out of place or forced like any of it was a big deal.
overall, i would (and will) recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy read, especially if you`re looking for one that does not center a white men and does not feature hate towards any minorities
definetly a 5/5 stars for me
Edit: someone recently pointed out to me that one of the storylines is literally Arthur and Merlin from the BBC series and I cannot unsee that now, it's just so true
recommended reading ambience: https://youtu.be/6nRFaOFcbpk?si=1x-Hn4IvbV5NKwSX
Graphic: Violence, Death, Grief, Infertility, and Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol and Suicide
kayceeisbookish'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? Yes
5.0
Moderate: War, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, and Racism
kaitlyng'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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Religious bigotry
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Blood, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual content, and War
Minor: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Stalking, Death of parent, and Torture
brittanyboston18'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Outing
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Outing, Infertility, Alcohol, Miscarriage, and Gore
cstein's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Torture, Violence, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, War, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcohol and Cursing
kat__z8'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? Yes
5.0
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.
Graphic: Death, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Suicidal thoughts