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A review by mayphoenix7992
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
3 ⭐️
I really, really, reaaaaaally wanted to love this book, but I... did not? Not really? I LIKED it, but I was expecting more?
The good points:
* The worldbuilding was fantastic, although some aspects were skipped over or unrealistic.
* The plot was easy to guess, but I liked it for its simplicity.
* The diversity and various real-world inspirations, although the whole women are queens and badasses felt over the top considering the rather traditional aspects of some of these societies and religions.
The bad points:
* The characters were ATROCIOUSLY BORING AND BLAND! Except Niklaus, whom I hated, I can barely tell the difference with the other MCs (except maybe Tané or Ead?) and the side characters were all...boring or annoying (Sabran, damn it). All the characters feel like a blank face to me.
* The pacing. 800 pages for such a massive worldbuilding is waaaaay too much for a standalone! Why not make it a series? Why is the final battle over in 25 pages and the story wrapped up in 20?
I started this book in April and I'm only finishing it now. And I enjoyed it!! But I was hoping it'd be a new favourite and that's a great disappointment...
I really, really, reaaaaaally wanted to love this book, but I... did not? Not really? I LIKED it, but I was expecting more?
The good points:
* The worldbuilding was fantastic, although some aspects were skipped over or unrealistic.
* The plot was easy to guess, but I liked it for its simplicity.
* The diversity and various real-world inspirations, although the whole women are queens and badasses felt over the top considering the rather traditional aspects of some of these societies and religions.
The bad points:
* The characters were ATROCIOUSLY BORING AND BLAND! Except Niklaus, whom I hated, I can barely tell the difference with the other MCs (except maybe Tané or Ead?) and the side characters were all...boring or annoying (Sabran, damn it). All the characters feel like a blank face to me.
* The pacing. 800 pages for such a massive worldbuilding is waaaaay too much for a standalone! Why not make it a series? Why is the final battle over in 25 pages and the story wrapped up in 20?
I started this book in April and I'm only finishing it now. And I enjoyed it!! But I was hoping it'd be a new favourite and that's a great disappointment...