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valemasel's review against another edition
4.0
Well, how to start!
I have a lot of issues with this book, i think the world is magnificent but this books should have been 2 books at least. A lot of the stories feel rushed and then anticlimactic.
I would’ve loved to know more about Tane, her story was so interesting as well as Eadaz, but i felt like she was snubbed and even her final scene it’s just confusing as heck.
Roos? We could have deal without him, for me his story in everything that happened was no necessary and if it was so important to Samantha, again, maybe not in detriment to the story of Tane.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the plot A LOT that’s why it hurts me that everything ended up feeling this rushed and that characters that had A LOT to offer did not get their time to do so.
Villains were actually kinda meh? I mean i feel like an actual fight would’ve been better tbh it felt very easy.
Other than that, I do think this world has a lot to offer and I WISH we see more of everyone, except Niclays you can keep him Samantha
I have a lot of issues with this book, i think the world is magnificent but this books should have been 2 books at least. A lot of the stories feel rushed and then anticlimactic.
I would’ve loved to know more about Tane, her story was so interesting as well as Eadaz, but i felt like she was snubbed and even her final scene it’s just confusing as heck.
Roos? We could have deal without him, for me his story in everything that happened was no necessary and if it was so important to Samantha, again, maybe not in detriment to the story of Tane.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the plot A LOT that’s why it hurts me that everything ended up feeling this rushed and that characters that had A LOT to offer did not get their time to do so.
Villains were actually kinda meh? I mean i feel like an actual fight would’ve been better tbh it felt very easy.
Other than that, I do think this world has a lot to offer and I WISH we see more of everyone, except Niclays you can keep him Samantha
wodime's review against another edition
3.75
suffers from all the issues i usually have with high fantasy -- it's too long, the pacing is inconsistent, and it mostly sacrifices character depth in favour of a huge cast -- but it's nevertheless a pretty fun take on high fantasy. a climax as bonkers as it is incomprehensible (positive).
that said... i found the gay shit in this book pretty unsatisfying. sure, the major relationship in the novel is sapphic, and another major character has a dead boyfriend; but my major issue with priory on a non-genre level is how its queer relationships feel completely untethered from broader queer desire. like, obviously i don't expect characters in a secondary-world fantasy novel to be gay or lesbian or bi in the same way as a person in our real world, when those labels are products of a particular time and place. but there's that, and then there's wanting characters to have a clear pattern of same-sex attraction. neither ead nor sabran express any desire for other women, only a lack of desire for men, and even that felt ambiguous to me; and niclays's sexuality seems to start and end at jannart. in both these cases, queerness only exists in the context of a particular relationship, rather than being its own thing. which is disappointing! i get why this wouldn't be an issue for everyone, but by god, did it bother me.
that said, the old-man yaoi still kicked my ass 🥹 niclays...........
that said... i found the gay shit in this book pretty unsatisfying. sure, the major relationship in the novel is sapphic, and another major character has a dead boyfriend; but my major issue with priory on a non-genre level is how its queer relationships feel completely untethered from broader queer desire. like, obviously i don't expect characters in a secondary-world fantasy novel to be gay or lesbian or bi in the same way as a person in our real world, when those labels are products of a particular time and place. but there's that, and then there's wanting characters to have a clear pattern of same-sex attraction. neither ead nor sabran express any desire for other women, only a lack of desire for men, and even that felt ambiguous to me; and niclays's sexuality seems to start and end at jannart. in both these cases, queerness only exists in the context of a particular relationship, rather than being its own thing. which is disappointing! i get why this wouldn't be an issue for everyone, but by god, did it bother me.
that said, the old-man yaoi still kicked my ass 🥹 niclays...........
airclay3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow. This book absolutely blew me away! I lost so much sleep over it, because I would just keep reading and lost track of time. The interwoven storylines across this world were so well written and so well done! I loved the intricacies of each culture and country, and how they politically interacted with other countries. I would definitely read this book again, because it was so complex that I already know I missed things. I loved the romance diversity (same gender relationships, no relationships, etc!) and the discussion on pregnancy. I really appreciated the natural gender diversity that challenged my own built-in gender preconceptions that has been built over decades of reading fantasy!!
sarah_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
A re-read, but it's been around 5 years I think. Really loved diving back into this world and still being delighted getting to know the setting and the characters, as well as being surprised all over again by the directions the plot takes! There is a little too much book (esp when you're stuck between pages 500 and 700) but the world building is so rich that I can forgive. Can't wait to read A Day of Fallen Night!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Xenophobia, Torture, and Pregnancy
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
brufdiass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
chronically_tash's review against another edition
adventurous
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? N/A
5.0
bengaliyaoi's review against another edition
3.0
Lowering my rating from a four star to a three star because where the book excels, it doesn’t make up for the confusing pacing, for how points of conflict are brought up only to be quickly resolved, and the frankly confusing romance between Ead and Sabran that felt like it came from out of nowhere. For seven years Ead didn’t give a shit about Sabran, and then just…started liking her? Okay, whatever. I liked the world-building, even though Seiki and some of the Eastern and Southern countries were just vague Orientalist fantasies, while Inys felt like the only nation to be fully fleshed out. A good book in the first half, dragged down by the weight of its own plot lines and mistakes by the middle, only to have what felt a bit like a rushed ending (weird, for a book this size to have one.)
janatoktok's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
ethanong's review against another edition
5.0
Heard good things and the cover looked cool so I picked this up more or less on a whim. The best high fantasy I’ve read since Game of Thrones. 100% worth the read for fans of the genre
asriram's review against another edition
2.0
This book was extremely popular when it came out, the cover art is extremely gorgeous, and the premise itself sounded interesting - sapphic romance, politics, dragons, and a conflict at the end of the world? What could be more engaging?
The answer is basically everything. Out of our 4 PoV characters, 2 (Loth and Ead) were interesting, and 2 (Roos and Tane) were self-serving characters to the point of loathsomeness whose selfishness was aggravating to read. The plots surrounding all of these characters was generally dull, with moments of engagement. The worldbuilding was interesting, and the romance was acceptable, but this book failed to strike any chord with me, instead being extremely dull and dissapointing. Overall, 2.5/5 stars, rounded down to 2 stars for being too long.
The answer is basically everything. Out of our 4 PoV characters, 2 (Loth and Ead) were interesting, and 2 (Roos and Tane) were self-serving characters to the point of loathsomeness whose selfishness was aggravating to read. The plots surrounding all of these characters was generally dull, with moments of engagement. The worldbuilding was interesting, and the romance was acceptable, but this book failed to strike any chord with me, instead being extremely dull and dissapointing. Overall, 2.5/5 stars, rounded down to 2 stars for being too long.