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

adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book is kind of enormous. I say kind of, because I've been reading the Stormlight Archive books as they've come out, which means I've almost lost perspective for how long books should be. I really loved this book, especially how it challenged assumptions of what high fantasy should be, but without feeling too much like the characters have been transplanted from our world. Ead and Tané's storylines seemed to mirror each other beautifully, and sometimes tragically. I appreciated the friendships between the characters (mainly that Shannon doesn't fall into the 'not like the other girls' trap that YA fantasy authors seem to run into full force), and I also enjoyed the twist on familiar stories like St. George and the Dragon. My one complaint is that the middle of the book is a little 'shocking death' heavy. Overall, I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more of Samantha Shannon's work. 
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