Priory of The Orange Tree is one of those rare books where everything just fits together beautifully. Shannon has been one of my favorite authors ever since The Bone Season came out and I have followed every publication since. She has such an amazing talent for worldbuilding that continuously boggles my mind. Her worlds are so intricately crafted they almost become a character on their own, which I'm sure is Shannon's meaning. If you want to read books where you can completely disappear into, Shannon is definitely your go to!

I'm sad to say that I didn't really enjoy this book. I don't know, everything just kind of landed "meh" and my wrist hurts from holding this monster of a novel. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was a series, it's just built so much like Game of Thrones that packing the beginning and end into one arc just left me feeling unfulfilled in all of the plotlines. A lot of characters, several lands, magic, warriors, dragons, etc.

A great little teaser of what's to come in this story. You can read my review of the full book in audio here https://starcrossedreviews.co.uk/review-the-priory-of-the-orange-tree/

I knew that Priory would get five stars from me when I was about 200 pages in. And that tells you not that my opinions stay unchanged and unchangeable, but that the writing is consistent. Consistently brilliant. (To be fair I also knew I would never give it less than four because… well because Samantha Shannon wrote it.)

I’ve read opinions saying that the book was too confusing, had loose ends left untied or that the author bit off more than she could chew, and I would like to formally disagree with them. Was I a bit lost at the beginning and did it take some effort to get oriented within the story? Yes. Is that normal for epic fantasy novels though? Yes. And its not necessarily a flaw. It takes some effort to understand a more complex work. And it’s worth it if all of it comes together in the end.

That is exactly how reading this book was for me. Like doing a puzzle where at the beginning you have a couple of corner pieces that fit together and then you have a bunch of pieces you don’t know where to put and a good amount of pieces which are left lying face down. It seems like an impossible feat to piece the larger picture together. But then comes the moment when you connect two of the smaller fragments you’ve built already and then suddenly you’ve put together enough for the others to keep attaching themselves without your participation. And before you know it you’re left with the final image. That’s good writing, ladies, gents and everybody else.
Not only is the plot masterfully woven, the characters are brilliant, too. They are multidimensional, they are not black or white, they have motivations, desires, flaws. They are so interesting. Not that I liked all of them (looking at you, Roos), but they were all well written. And you get a whole range of them – valiant characters and cowards, pure ones and those who like to calculate, characters who grow a lot, who show strength but vulnerability, too.

And further, this book has everything I wanted and more. Legends, dragons, battles, and magic. There’s friendship and politics, personal sacrifice and a higher purpose, secrets and betrayal, tests of loyalty, allyships, religion and disillusionment. There’s pain and love and loss. I also really appreciate the way this book works with the theme of womanhood and motherhood. Especially since it is a fantasy book and those stories so often include the motif of a bloodline without considering those who make that possible.

If I had to say one less positive thing about it, I’d probably say that the ending felt a bit rushed. But… I’m not sure whether that’s anything more than me simply not wanting for it to end at all.

One last thing. If you’re on the fence about reading The Priory of the Orange Tree, please do read it. Not that I’m an expert, but I think it is in some ways disruptive to the larger themes and tropes found in fantasy writing, in a good way. Especially if you like reading about women who feel real and strong (not strong as in they kick hard and run fast… but also that, yes). Give it a chance even if it gets negative reviews. It’s not only a great book, it’s an important one, too.

This little sneak peek into this world was very interesting. Definitely has taken my notice. I loved the setting and can't wait to properly delve more into this book upon release.

The sneak peak was AMAZING the world building was out of this world and the characters are fantastic. Also there are Dragons thats all I’m saying. This book is so amazing cant wait to read the rest.

I admit, I have actually already read about a quarter of the book before I realized I hadn't reviewed this extract.

A truly intricate world with so many characters to discover and witness growth. As soon as this book came out, I was at the bookstore ready to purchase my own copy. Also, there are dragons, how can you not want to read that?

Loved this small bit that we get to see. And after having read the whole book, it only got better. This is fantasy at its best, with vivid imagery, magic, dragons, complex alliances and well crafted characters.

This is only an extract but I can’t wait to read more of this book! The writing is fantastic and I’m so intrigued by this world and the characters. Looking forward to how it all plays out.

What an amazing fantasy novel. I blew through this in a week during quarantine. The characters that Shannon writes are strong female warriors and the fantasy elements create a world you can sink your teeth into.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is a creative re-imagining of the story of St George and the Dragon. The author was inspired to create her own version of the story which places an emphasis on women that were overlooked n the original story. Samantha Shannon takes the story of a hero who slew a dragon and creates a vivid world and with engaging characters. I particularly loved the multiple POVS and the LGBTQ representation in the book. 5 Stars!

DNF @ 47%

I quit . Reasons being :
▪︎ It's boring
▪︎ I'm not hooked. No interesting stuff to make me wanna keep reading
▪︎ Writing is great. But I expect more adventure and tension in a high fantasy book. Its lacking so far. Which is the main reason I'm giving up.
▪︎ I'm getting weird dreams. Maybe cuz I'm forcing myself to read something that's clearly not interesting to me. I feel like I'm tormenting myself just for the sake of finishing the book. Nope. I love myself more than that.

Let me rant some more :
I'm heavily met with disappointment when I find there is not much fantastical play so far through this book - a history of tales and talking dragons excluded. There are fantastical elements but none of those entail action or adventure, both of which were my expectations over this book. Theres a lot of political play. This heavy book is filled with tips and turns of politics and heavy sounding names. But if one tells me that its comparable to the politics and strategy games of Game of Thrones, I would disagree. Priory is paler in comparison. It doesn't keep me up all night, robbing me of my sleep to another chapter. This is so far the one without the fun or the heartpounding intrigue of other better high fantasy novels.

Verdict: I'm no game for a high fantasy 'without' an intriguing progress in story. So naturally, I didn't enjoy reading this. I might stand out in my opinion but what I feel is what I feel.

*shuts the book and buries it*
Phew that feels fantastic

This is a brilliant start to a brilliant book! Although I'm late to the party, I adored this early extract of 'The Prioriy of the Orange Tree' and have made it my mission since to get the full book. Thank you for making this early extract available and bringing a little bit of fantasy back into my life.

This book is extraordinary, a Feminist revelation in a typically archaic, misogynist story - soooo worth the wait

I read this excerpt a while back and it completely slipped my brain to add feedback as I soon after read the book but let me just say that Samantha Shannon knows what she is doing when it comes to high fantasy. The intricacies and details, character development, and world building were phenomenal. I had read her Bone Season series and was expecting the greatness but she absolutely blew me away with this one.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is an epic fantasy jewel of a novel. It features terrific characters, stunning set-pieces and a brilliantly crafted grand and picturesque world.

Ooh! I loved this excerpt and CAN NOT wait to read the full book! I picked it up on audio!! I can already tell I'm going to love the two main characters, there's going to be lots of adventures, and dragons! This feels like the right amount of epic fantasy I know I'm going to love!

Great extract of the novel! The writing is great and very engaging. I can't wait to read the entire book, even though it's over 500 pages!

This was SO GOOD! While it was definitely a longer book, it was one that I felt completely immersed into and I miss the world now that I am done with the book.

This is fantastic. I don't have words to describe about this. Absolutely amazing. It is a big book but it's worth reading. The world and the writing style is awesome.