A review by ridesthesun
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

4.0

So many beautiful characters in this one. A grand epic tale. The world building was beautiful, and very immersive. I think that what prevents this book from being a 5 for me, is that the world building (and to an extent, the plot that is tied so closely with the world building) is SO vast that it becomes unwieldy. There are hints and paths laid that are never pursued. Significant history/historical persons that are described but never quite followed through on. It's a gorgeous story, wonderful characters and mythology, but the only thing that holds it back is the intricate development that leads to a strange sort of underdevelopment at times.
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