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A review by claudiamacpherson
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
I finished this book weeks ago and I still don’t even know what to say because I loved it so much. <i>The Priory of the Orange Tree</i> is rich high fantasy and uses so many tropes and ideas common to the genre and yet somehow still feels totally unique. The worldbuilding is intricate, but because it is based in real European, Middle Eastern, and Asian folklore (and because the writing is amazing), it was never confusing (Frank Herbert, take notes!). The combination of sweeping worldbuilding, legends and folklore, and the slowest of slow burn romances pretty much hit all my favorite things to read about. I loved every single character (except Roos. He was annoying) and wanted the best for them (yeah, even Roos. He still sucks though).
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the general vibe of the ending):
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, and Vomit