Welp, I finished this beast of a book!
I have so many emotions right now I can't even.
I gotta admit, I was intimidated by the size of it when I first saw it so I was reluctant to read it, but once I hit the 10% I found myself flying through it.
The story was so interesting, the magic system really well crafted and it kept me wanting to know more.
The characters of this book were probably the best thing about it.
They were so well written, each of them having their depths. I loved how each one of them had their own qualities and flaws and how they own up to them. It was really refreshing.
The friendships between the characters were sooooo good, very relatable, I could picture myself and my own friends as I read about them.

Although this is and adult book(what with the characters being over 20), it read more like a YA. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing though.

The one thing I didn't like however, was the ending.
It was too Fairy-Tail-ish for my liking.
]
One more thing I wasn't a big fan of was how information was more often than not just handed to the characters, I didn't feel they put much effort in order to know stuff.

Despite everything though, this was a really good read and I'm so glad I went through it.
The world needs more standalone fantasy books such as this one!!

I loved this book, I really did. But the ending was unsatisfactory and left me wanting something different.
But overall, I liked the characters, loved the dragons, and Queendoms are amazing.

There is not much action in this book. It is very plot driven. So keep that in mind if you're going to pick this up because it is long. I don't feel like it ever dragged though.

Definitely recommend and I hope we see more out of this world eventually.

The excerpt was more than enough to showcase the epic journey this book will take you on. The world building was excellent; scene descriptions painting vivid pictures. The feminine POVs in this type of setting and plot are refreshing and exciting. This is a must have!

Unfortionately it was archived before I could read :/

I'm still very excited to read it though. I downloaded it on my pc accidentally but I cannot read on my pc for the love of god, so I'mma have to buy it to review

I am definitely interested in reading this book. I love fantasy, the writing is beautiful and the plot kept me engaged. I really want to know what happens with the story and the characters and will buy the book.

Thank you NetGalley for my exclusive early extract of The Priory of the Orange Tree. I have read and heard so much about this book. An incredible first look at a book sure to win an award. An epic fantacy!

Beautifully written. The author has a real gift for words. But there are a few shortcomings. First, the number of characters introduced in the first 40 pages is overwhelming. I know the book is over 800 pages (of which I only read the first 100 or so), so a reader should expect an epic scope, but there are just too many named characters to keep track of. I felt like I needed a score sheet. Second, it is a book about dragons, but the first appearance of dragons is merely glossed over. People reading dragon books want dragons. Paint them with a certain amount verve and maybe just a bit of awe. Third, at 100 pages, it still wasn't clear where the story was going. Again, I know it's a long book with more time to build the plot and stage reveals, but at 100 pages, a reader should at least have a hint of where the story will wind up (even if that belief later turns out to be incorrect).

The story is otherwise nicely written, the characters are interesting, and world building was moving apace. After having read the first 100 pages, though, I doubt I'd be interested in paying to read the rest.

best regards,

boris

I liked the idea of this book a lot and found the world very interesting and unique but had a little bit of a difficult time connecting to the characters and following the plot. I am going to be giving the full book a chance. I am really excited about the romance and getting to understand more about the dragons. I think that going over the characters and politics of this world a second time will be beneficial to my reading experience. Overall this story has intrigued me and I want to read more.

This extract is promising a story with intricate world building, strong characters, and a well crafted plot I'm certainly looking forward to reading the whole book.

Thoroughly enjoyed the preview that via Netgalley that I ordered the full book and audiobook! The characters were engaging and the plot thus far was well-paced. Would definitely recommend it based on what I read so far.

THIS BOOK!
I've read only this exclusive early extract, but I desperately need to read all of this monster masterpiece because it got me hooked!
Everything is so beautifully constructed, the world is absolutely fabulous, the plot is brilliant and I am positively sure that my review is never going to cover all the things that lay between these (many) pages!
Absolutely amazing!

Hard to tell from an extract but I think this one will be great. Lots of perspectives and a lot of world building but you can tell that so much has gone in to writing this book and it has so much promise. I love that there is action (and dragons) pretty much right from the get go.

This promises to become a wonderful book or series and you should definitely read it if you like strong female characters and fantasy!

I have only had the opportunity to read an extract of this book, but I was left wanting to continue and I was so sad that the extract ended. The characters so far are interesting and developing nicely. The plot is mysterious and the world-building thoughtful. I received a free extract of this book as a book reviewer for Netgalley.

I really enjoyed the world-building in this book. I also thought the characters were all very well fleshed out and had realistic and complex personalities. I was invested in everyone's story right from the get-go! Some things felt familiar - which was nice - but the book ultimately holds it's own as a unique fantasy that's totally worth reading.

Sorry it took so long to review this extract, I decided to wait until I'd finished the entire book to give feedback.

I really enjoyed this book, the world Samantha Shannon has created is so detailed and expansive. I would love to read more set in this world be it short stories, a sequel or a prequel. I know Samantha has said on twitter she's working on a priory related thing - I don't know if you've made a deal about it yet but I'd really like to have more stories set in this world.

The writing, as always, was beautiful and the characters and plot were complex in the best way.

Thanks for giving me the chance to read the early extract!

Samantha Shannon is a badass writer and this book is going to be no different. I can't wait to read this!

The Priory of the Orange Tree is a fantasy based book. In each direction of the land, something mysterious is happening. As we read Ead Duryan collects secrets of the court while hiding one herself.

Ead works for Queen Saban who is under pressure not just to produce a female hair but also to stay alive.

Tané meanwhile is trying to pass into the sea guard but will what she wants destroy her life?

In the background political climate is not at ease. If the East and West can not join together then the question is if fire rains who will survive?

With intrigue and danger from the opening pages, this is definitely not a slow burner. Within pages, I went from loving each female characters to hating them and back.

About time we had a fantasy book with a majority of female protagonists.

As I only read the extract I can only give 4 stars out of 5. I feel I would need to know the ending before deciding on the last star. Definitely going to have to read the whole book.

This was an amazing book. It being 800 pages was a bit intimidating at first but it was so worth it. It was easy to get into the story. I flowed well with very strong women staying true to themselves and strong through out the book. It has lots of dragons and a little romance thrown in. It is well worth the time.

This was only an early extract, but I was immediately SOLD. The book is brilliantly written, the characters and plot grabbed my attention immediately. I am not ashamed to say I ran out to buy the finished copy for myself AND my students the day it was released. Shannon has done it again, this will be huge. 5/5 stars!

I was hooked within minutes!

Note: This is a review of an excerpt of this novel received from Netgalley.

First - The cover for this book is gorgeous. I applaud whomever designed it. No matter where I was seeing the cover or how many additional book covers were on the screen this beautiful cover always drew my attention to it in the best possible ways.

As I only have a small portion of the book I cannot give a complete review. However, from what I have read I am excited to be holding even this amount of text in my hands. There is a richness in the words that draws you in and a depth to the world building that is not easily found.

I will be getting the book in its entirety and now I just wonder how fast I can read 800 pages.