“No woman should be made to fear that She was not enough.”
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This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I am probably a bit sick of young adult so this high fantasy story is like a breath of fresh air. I know it’s a very long and intimidating book but it’s definitely worth your time. Just think about all the elements you love in a fantasy and you can find them in it for sure! The setting, the culture and the legends created are so interesting and involving. We have different points of view, each unique and never boring. They have different ages, different experiences and it’s so good to see how they interlace and guide you to see the whole picture.

The “main” character is an assassin of the Priory of the Orange Tree, a secret organization of women whose aim is to prevent the awakening of a huge and dangerous dragon. To do this they think they need to protect a queen, so one of them is sent as a spy and a bodyguard to the palace. But the story is far more than this. There are warriors that train to become dragon riders and alchemists that are looking for immortality.

Love is described in all its aspects and it’s particularly relevant to notice how characters fall in love accepting each other flaws and weaknesses, as should happen in real life. There are people who have lost their love forever and learn how to live without and lighten their shadows.

I am not going to lie to you.. this book will break your heart many times, but that happens everyday too and it’s great to see how characters deal with it and sometimes even take hard decisions because their responsibilities are more important than their feelings.

It’s an incredible feminist story, when women are the focus and they fight to get the place and the consideration they deserve. I definitely need a sequel!

I have always enjoyed Samantha Shannon but I really struggled to get into this one. It takes a long time to build up to anything and I found that nothing was explained early enough for me to understand what was happening. It's not up there with her other books and I didn't finish it.

This is so amazing and I cannot wait for the full novel!!! Samantha Shannon is one of my favorite authors. Thank you for the excerpt!

I received this early extract but I ended up not getting to it and actually ended up borrowing the book from the library. I finished it over the course of two weeks and immediately went out and bought a copy because holy crap is this book amazing!

The world-building, the lore, the characters, the relationships, the fanaticism of the commoners over the queen, the magic! All of it makes this book so amazing and I really wish it weren't a stand-alone because I could read a 10-book series of this!

I really enjoyed this book! I have heard of the author before, but I haven't had a chance to read her other books (that will be changing now). As the book is a standalone book, there is a lot of description at the beginning as you meet all the characters. This is sometimes boring to read, but I was kept interested all the through. As the reader, you flit between characters and again this can be annoying. However, the author does this well. I am now so engrossed in the book that I have bought the whole book to carry on readint.!!

I've heard alot about this book on booktube and seeing NetGalley have an extract got me pumped. Really glad I read the extract and immediately ordered it on amazon.

A glimpse of a tale a can’t wait. I actually bought this bought when it came out because I could not wait. I love it. I has all the elements I’m looking for. Magic, fantasy, and amazing adventure. A must read.

Such an intriguing read! Read the extract and immediately run to the bookshop to buy the *massive* real thing, hopefully it never ends

Really whets the appetite for more - a succulent fantasy that all will enjoy! Made me want more. I mean dragons... What more could you want?

I'm gutted that this is only an extract! I'm eager to continue exploring this wonderful world and the adventure this extract began to pave.

Such an exciting extract that stops at an excruciating time! I haven't read much high fantasy this past year but this extract along with a handful of other books has me dying for more. I really enjoyed this introduction to the characters and I'm invested in where the worldbuilding is going from here.

I really enjoyed this book, but I felt that the mysteries and reveals didn't really work for me. I just felt like the tension in the story was just cut too quickly and didn't build up from beginning to end. I prefer books that play the long game more, so I just feel it wasn't the book for me.

Priory is easily one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. While it may be a lengthy book, it is worth every single word on the page. Incredible.

You had me at dragons. This excerpt has me thoroughly bewitched and begging for more. Already we're introduced to an interesting cast of characters distinct enough to never feel overwhelming, despite the quickly changing multiple perspectives. So far the book is dripping with court political, drama, and intrigue. I could't put it down. I can't wait for a full copy so I can dive back into this story, which is sure to be epic.

Samantha Shannon has nailed it with such an epic book! Dragons, Wyrms, Pirates, Mages, Alchemist, all of which are very interesting characters in this book. I wasn't in such a rush in finishing this book because I want to absorb and really immerse myself in this fantasy world. Every page has blown me away and left me so spellbound. Although, the last few chapters felt kind of rushed. I expected more action and epic battle with the Nameless One because it's supposed to be the most anticipated battle and to me, it felt kind of short.

OBSESSED. THE END.

No but seriously, I read this excerpt and then proceeded to devour this monster of a story. Don't let the size put you off! 'The Priory of the Orange Tree' is a delicious fantasy story that is full of superb world building, amazing characters and a complex story that has you staying up till 3am just to fit in one more chapter.

Read this book!

Great, as expected from my favorite author! I am really excited to read the whole story, it's definitely one of the most important reads in today's world, showing diversity even in fantasy reads.. which we need more

This preview to the novel was captivating and makes me wonder more about the world Ead and Tane live in, along with the controversy over dragons and magic that are constantly discussed. I did buy the book recently and already I'm starting to make connections to all the characters and making deductions as to what will happen. At over 800pgs, there are sure to be some surprises I won't be prepared for, but that's what makes this book even more exciting. So far the imagery is spot on in the story and its compelling dialogue make it so I don't want to put the book down. I look forward to finishing this novel!

Note: This is a review of the full book, which I ended up picking up after reading this extract

I won't lie. I initially became interested in this book because of that cover. It's gorgeous. Soon after, I started hearing quite a bit of hype around this standalone epic fantasy. I waited a bit, read a few mixed reviews, and wavered as to whether I wanted to commit to such a massive tome. Boy, am I glad I did.

I loved almost everything about The Priory of the Orange Tree, and the few things I didn't were so minor in the overall experience of reading the book that they really didn't detract at all.

What I Liked
So, being a 5 star rated book from me, I liked pretty much all of The Priory of the Orange Tree. Still, I'm going to point to a few specifics that really made me love the story.

-The World. There's a lot of, to put it simply, really cool stuff going on here. There are elite warriors who ride on the backs of dragons. A secret conclave of assassins who protect the world from draconic threats. Multiple kingdoms with distinct identities and conflicts. There's just a lot of great worldbuilding and ideas at play, even if they don't all get the time they deserve.

-Classic fantasy, modern story. I haven't read what I would consider a classic epic fantasy in a while. The Priory of the Orange Tree is, at its heart, epic fantasy. Ancient evils, prophecies, soft magic, and legendary swords - it has it all. However, it does a wonderful job of updating a lot of tried and true tropes with a more modern flair. So, while the story is in places very familiar and comfortable, the book overall continuously surprised and delighted me.

-The characters. Particularly, the four POV characters. The book mostly follows the adventures of four distinct characters. In many books with multiple POVs, I often find myself growing attached to one or two of the characters and anxiously waiting to get back to their POV chapters (*cough* Song of Ice and Fire *cough*). This wasn't the case with the Priory of the Orange Tree. I enjoyed each of the four POV stories and thought they all were necessary, engaging, and came together nicely. One of the biggest surprises here was how much I loved Sabran, who is not a POV character but incredibly well developed and integral to the plot.

-The relationships. I'm going to talk about this one briefly, as I do think this could be considered a spoiler. There are a few wonderful relationships, both friendly and romantic, in this book. However, the f/f romance that is at the heart of the story was absolutely lovely.

-The conclusion. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a standalone book. I do think there was potential for this story to have been more than one novel (more on that in a minute), but I do feel that the author still did the story justice by completing it in one novel. It's rare to feel wholly satisfied by a book these days when most are part of an ongoing series, but I closed The Priory of the Orange Tree feeling content with the story as it ended. Sure, there's room for potentially more, but the main plot is concluded nicely and I'm quite happy that the author has said there will not be any direct sequels.

What I Didn't Like
Again, this was a 5 star book from me, so there was very little I didn't like. That being said, there are a few areas I felt could have been improved on (but didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story).

-The POV split . I mentioned above how much I loved the characters and all of their POV chapters. They are all central to the plot, but a good chunk of the middle of the book focuses heavily on Ead. Some aspects of Tané's and Nicolay's stories felt a little underdeveloped during this time and I wished there had been a bit more time spent on them.

-The pacing. I think this has been the number one complaint I've seen for this book. For me, it wasn't an issue, but I do recognize that the inconsistencies in pace could be an issue for some. The book starts relatively slow but begins to move at a very quick pace about halfway through. This results in important events happening suddenly, some convenient coincidences to drive the plot forward, and some time jumps. I think this is also part of the reason why some of the POV chapters felt a bit underdeveloped.

Because of those two points above, I think The Priory of the Orange Tree could have worked well as a duology. However, I admire the author for attempting to fit the entire epic into one volume and, at the end of the day, it worked. This was one of my favorite books of the year and I'm already feeling the major book hangover it has left me with.

I was initially disappointed that Samantha Shannon was taking a break from her Bone Season books, but this sample shows that it will be well worth the wait. Dragons and magic and queens and assassins. She's somehow intertwined all of my favorites into one beautiful magical world divided by beliefs and misinformation. Can't wait to read the rest!