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

adventurous
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this but feel like a talented editor could have made this book truly shine. There are just a few things, particularly towards the end, that just don’t click into place and leave me wanting something more. All that build up and the second-to-last enemy seemed so much bigger and more relevant than the last one.

Despite 800 pages where disparate storylines slowly coalesce, parts just don’t mesh well.
One issue at the end: Noos’s seemingly out-of-nowhere decision not to attack Ead. He goes on this long spiel about alchemical balance and life to justify it, but it just doesn’t feel in character. And when he finds out about Truyde’s death he just… kind of accepts it?
Before that even, we have the extremely unlikely
agreement between all the non-dragon controlled world leaders to ally to defeat the Nameless One, despite Seiiki’s isolationist policies, Inys historically considering several countries damned, etc. All that comes together almost seamlessly with minimal time…


I enjoyed a lot of the world-building, particularly the two different interpretations of the same historic events by two different religious traditions, a la the Abrahamic religions. 

It’s a long book and I finished it in under 2 weeks, despite a reading slump throughout the pandemic. I truly enjoyed it.
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