The Priory of the Orange Tree

Shannon does an exquisite job of building a relatable yet fanciful world full of deep culture. The story unwinds itself gradually and builds to several unexpected twists and turns. The only criticism I have is that there was so much build up, I would have liked a bit more action in the climax. Shannon does such a great job describing the characters and settings, I found myself wanting a bit more description during the action-packed scenes.

Honestly for such a long book, I was quite disappointed. I will start with pros though. I think the beginning was one of the stronger part of the book, it really does make you want to keep reading (at first). I also did like the idea of a fruit tree providing magic and appreciate all the intricate religions and kingdoms. I think my favorite character was probably Ead, or Kalyba, i think for the lack or character development this novel has they were fairly well written. Now for cons, I will start with the most disappointing part which was character development, these characters have such different voices and interesting lore, however they all fell just a little flat, and if I’m reading 1,000 pages of fantasy, I need a little bit more than in your face world building and some better character development. I also noticed that in this novel, everything sort of fell into place. The reason I love reading medieval fantasy is because they all have this aspect of politics and people turning on one another and things never working out. Throughout this entire novel, I did not feel stressed or anxious. Maybe for some people they like that, but for me I did not have a lot of fear for any of these characters lives. While I do love lore and world building, at times it felt very in your face and a bit underdeveloped. It honestly did feel like a mix of game of thrones, the Witcher, and a bunch of other medieval fantasy novels. Overall there just needed more tension in every single aspect, in characters relationships, in the plot lines, even in the conversations. I think the beginning felt strong, but the at some point I just started reading just to finish and find out what happened at the end, not because I was so enthralled with the writing. Finally, the "nameless one" was such a lame villain. literally no details on his lore, on what he wants, why he wants it, or how and his (spoiler alert) death is so underwhelming and honestly boring. For this formidable creature, he was fairly easy to kill. I’m just sad because so many people on TikTok said that it was amazing and the world building was impeccable but I have to disagree. Luckily I’m on summer break and had all the time in the world to complete it and I will say I’m glad I did. I would give it a 2 star, but I have to give credit to all the lore created for this novel.

Dare to imagine a non-patriarchal fantastical world full of captivating characters and adventures

It was alright, but kinda boring. The characters are well-written, have thorough storylines but a bit dull and not charismatic at all. Dragons are secondary, magic almost nonexistent. Would not read it second time.

Riveting female characters and a queer love story intertwined with Dragons and Crystals—- I couldn’t put it down and want a million more books like it! It was my first Book by the author, hoping for more like this one. The way she builds the character story lines and brings it all full circle, was artfully done. A must read.

This book was utterly horrible. Couldn’t connect with any of the characters and the dragons play a minor role. It seemed like there were a lot of components taken from other fantasy stories and smashed together in here. The plot was weak and the whole book builds up to a very short unclimactic climax. Don’t waste your time or money.

Best high fantasy I’ve read in years.

I’ve always been a reader but lately it’s been more difficult for me to focus long enough to finish a book. This tome was a daunting feat for me to accomplish. It took me six months to read the first 200 pages but once I was fully immersed, it took me one day to read the next 400. This book is incredibly written and easy to read. The details of the story feel almost like a soap opera. The female characters and romance were particularly my favorite. 10/10

This book is amazing. Kept me hooked all 800 pages. Samantha Shannon is an amazing author. The story came together so well. Love love love

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. A true treat to have gone on that adventure. I only wish it didn’t end.