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A review by selfbybee
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cw: miscarriage, war, religious bigotry, xenophobia, violence, infertility, homophobia, gore, death of a parent, death of a child, suicidal ideation, --please check CW there are a LOT!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am so glad I got over my initial fear of the size and how much world building happened!
Samantha Shannon has a way of building a robust world with language and concepts that feel approachable. If I am going to have to read through 200+ pages of building the world I need to come out of the other side with a clear understanding of the characters. I enjoyed how it felt like the world and characters were built simultaneously--I have seen may reviews stating this book is character driven world building and as someone who is NOT a fan of that, I did not feel this book was.
However, the crescendo of the big moments, the moments that the world building led us to felt lack luster in comparison to the detail and gripping moments that drove us to the "big moment" It honestly pales in comparison to the characters and the world I hardly remember it--in fact I remember thinking "we went through all of that, for that?"
The loose themes of catholicism and colonization (I say loose only to keep those who disagree) put it a smirk on my face as some of the most absurd thoughts and judgements are easily discernible in our collective past and present. Overall, I enjoyed it and will read the prequel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am so glad I got over my initial fear of the size and how much world building happened!
Samantha Shannon has a way of building a robust world with language and concepts that feel approachable. If I am going to have to read through 200+ pages of building the world I need to come out of the other side with a clear understanding of the characters. I enjoyed how it felt like the world and characters were built simultaneously--I have seen may reviews stating this book is character driven world building and as someone who is NOT a fan of that, I did not feel this book was.
However, the crescendo of the big moments, the moments that the world building led us to felt lack luster in comparison to the detail and gripping moments that drove us to the "big moment" It honestly pales in comparison to the characters and the world I hardly remember it--in fact I remember thinking "we went through all of that, for that?"
The loose themes of catholicism and colonization (I say loose only to keep those who disagree) put it a smirk on my face as some of the most absurd thoughts and judgements are easily discernible in our collective past and present. Overall, I enjoyed it and will read the prequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Violence, Infertility, Death, and Child death