A review by morg4n
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

adventurous emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.75

i want to start with the (relatively few, but still frequent enough) low ratings of the book i’ve seen. the reviews with low ratings (that i’ve seen at least) have all been because they didn’t understand the lore of the world. if you don’t understand the lore, i think that’s more of an issue with the reader rather than the author. all the complaints i’ve seen were about things that were explained in the book. for instance, someone says they don’t understand the hatred of dragons by some nations in the book. it is very clearly explained why. multiple times. i’m not sure if i read the same book as some people because in my opinion, shannon does an excellent job of world building without it being Too Much to the point where the book lags, which i find happens pretty often, which is why i don’t read much fantasy. but shannon wove the lore into the plot so well it was practically seamless. having to deal with getting through bunch of world building usually slows down my reading, but i was never once bored of this book. what makes it even more remarkable to me is that she fleshed out such a complex world with such a complex backstory within one (kinda long) book. the issues people have with this book i think are all issues with of them as readers and not with shannon as an author. 

i loved so many things about this book. i tbink every (main) character in this book is loveable in some way. even morally gray characters such as niclays

(i’m so glad he got a redemption arc).

  i think the pov switching, which typically annoys me, was done really well and allows you to connect with all the characters in a way you wouldn’t get if it were all from one pov. i don’t think it’d be Possible to tell the story just from one, though. and the characters’ plot lines all intertwine so well; shannon leaves the reader to do work to connect things while not burdening you with All of it. and the development of relationships felt very natural, especially sabran and ead’s. watching them grow softer for each other was my favorite part of the book. all of the prose about them is so beautifully written i had to stop to read it over a few times. the writing throughout was all so, so beautiful. some lines in this book will remain in my head forever. i Also! enjoy that there queer characters who aren’t miserable :D and that the main conflict their relationships face isn’t homophobia. it was very refreshing to read.

i have only a Few issues with this book. the first is how some conflicts seemed to resolve themselves too easily?

like … why was such little convincing or negotiation required for the deal between inys and the empire of the 12 lakes? why are /years/ of not associating with each other easily forgotten because loth asks nicely? tané’s ending also kind of irked me. unless shannon plans on releasing a (hopefully shorter) sequel, an ambiguous ending like that while all the others’ ended so neatly is kind of pointless. but i also don’t really want a sequel—i think the book is remarkable and virtually perfect as a stand alone. and my one other issue is kit’s death … was it necessary? i can’t help but thinking he died because he wasn’t integral to the later plot, but why add him in, then? just to kill him and make loth and the readers sad? 😭 AND NO ONE EVER TOLD KATE THE LOVE LETTERS WERE FROM HIM? like … as much as i loved him, i don’t understand the point of his character besides being a companion to loth. however, he died :D

other than those few things, i’m in love with this book. 

long review for a long book 👍