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A review by cemeterygay
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
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? It's complicated
5.0
I adored this book so deeply and cannot recommend this fantasy book enough, especially for those looking for a good fantasy with a sapphic romance subplot.
Before I go into raving about what I liked I have some minor critiques of the book. The map(s)? included in this book were virtually useless. It was so hard to see how the map connected and where locations actually were. I did not look at that map once after the first chapter and learned to be okay with only roughly understanding where people and countries were located. There was also a pretty heavy imbalance for the East chapters between how often we're reading about Tane and how often we are reading Niclays. I think there needed to be a bit less Niclays and a decent bit more of Tane. Not only is Niclays one of the more obnoxious characters in this book but his sections sometimes just don't add much to the story and I would heavily preferred to learn more about Tane's time either working as a dragon rider or her time on the island after her fall from grace . I also wish there was just a bit more time spent in the East in the book because it felt very sparse at times. Major spoilers for the end of the book for my last critique Why was it necessary that Kalyba saw Galian as both a son and eventually a lover? This could have easily been written in a different way but all I'm left thinking is why would you do this.
I liked virtually every other element of this book. The writing style of this novel is wonderful and vivid and flowery in just the right way. The world Samantha Shannon builds is interesting, fairly well-developed, and has so much intrigue that I'd honestly love to see more stories set in this world. I love how varied the relationships are between humans and dragons are across not just different characters and different dragons but across entire cultures and countries. I adored how Samantha Shannon tackled how religion and mythology not only vary across societies but how those societies can utilize them and change them to create propaganda. I think this goes hand in hand with themes of religious conquest and religious superiority beautifully. A massive commonality across each character's story is the presence of concepts like guilt and grief and how they push characters to either stagnate or grow and how that plays with concepts of free will and obligation and is just amazingly well-handled.
I loved the romance in this book and I think the amount of romance in this book is well-balanced and is pretty seamlessly integrated into the main plot. With the exception of Niclays, I adored each character we get to read from the perspective of and I found that each character added a needed perspective to the story. Each plot is really interesting and blends together very well. You quickly understand why you're reading about each character.
I really liked the pacing of the book and I really enjoyed the way the plot developed across the book. While I wish there was a bit more resolution with the end of the book, I did enjoy the way everyone's stories and the overall plot resolved.
It is a bit of a dense fantasy book but after you get through the first like 40 pages, you're able to quickly able to orient yourself in the world and you are able to be quickly hooked into the plot.
This is one of my favorite fantasy reads of the year.
Before I go into raving about what I liked I have some minor critiques of the book. The map(s)? included in this book were virtually useless. It was so hard to see how the map connected and where locations actually were. I did not look at that map once after the first chapter and learned to be okay with only roughly understanding where people and countries were located. There was also a pretty heavy imbalance for the East chapters between how often we're reading about Tane and how often we are reading Niclays. I think there needed to be a bit less Niclays and a decent bit more of Tane. Not only is Niclays one of the more obnoxious characters in this book but his sections sometimes just don't add much to the story and I would heavily preferred to learn more about Tane's time
I liked virtually every other element of this book. The writing style of this novel is wonderful and vivid and flowery in just the right way. The world Samantha Shannon builds is interesting, fairly well-developed, and has so much intrigue that I'd honestly love to see more stories set in this world. I love how varied the relationships are between humans and dragons are across not just different characters and different dragons but across entire cultures and countries. I adored how Samantha Shannon tackled how religion and mythology not only vary across societies but how those societies can utilize them and change them to create propaganda. I think this goes hand in hand with themes of religious conquest and religious superiority beautifully. A massive commonality across each character's story is the presence of concepts like guilt and grief and how they push characters to either stagnate or grow and how that plays with concepts of free will and obligation and is just amazingly well-handled.
I loved the romance in this book and I think the amount of romance in this book is well-balanced and is pretty seamlessly integrated into the main plot. With the exception of Niclays, I adored each character we get to read from the perspective of and I found that each character added a needed perspective to the story. Each plot is really interesting and blends together very well. You quickly understand why you're reading about each character.
I really liked the pacing of the book and I really enjoyed the way the plot developed across the book. While I wish there was a bit more resolution with the end of the book, I did enjoy the way everyone's stories and the overall plot resolved.
It is a bit of a dense fantasy book but after you get through the first like 40 pages, you're able to quickly able to orient yourself in the world and you are able to be quickly hooked into the plot.
This is one of my favorite fantasy reads of the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
CW: Graphic (Religious war, Death of a partner, Death of a friend, Corpses, Depression), Moderate (death of both parents)