The Priority Of The Orange Tree ~ Samatha Shannon
The story follows four characters/narrators,that live in a divided world. Master story telling including; great dialogue, intrigue, friendships , a little romance. With interesting and believable characters, Wonderful story building with fantastic mythical creatures. Please don’t let the size of this book intimidate you. I was so engrossed in the story and its characters, that I didn’t want it to end. Masterly written. The Priority Of The Orange Tree, is one of the best books of 2019.

All options are my own .

This ambitious fantasy epic by Samantha Shannon has something to keep everyone invested: titillating characters, all of which are flawed and complex individuals whom undergo harrowing trials and tribulations that alter their outlooks and personalities; several differing religions that simultaneously complement each other and contradict one another; a beautifully imagined landscape with tender world-building; and relationships between characters that are as wholesome as they are heart-wrenching.

I am definitely liking this book so far! This is just chapters 1-7, but already I like the storyline. It’s was a little difficult at first to keep track of all the characters, but at this point I’ve got the main ones and their storylines pretty much down. The world is so well imagined and I’m excited to see where the story goes from here. I also feel like a good bit of mystery has been set up with the Nameless One and the discrepancies of what really happened with Cleolind and Galian and whether dragons are good or bad. This is a huge book and I’ve only barely scratched the surface with this excerpt but I’m definitely enjoying it so far.

The first paragraph is the most telling, for me. If a book doesn't start out grippingly then what can I expect of the rest of the book.
Be aware that I merely acquired an EXTRACT of this story through NetGalley, and it was only 50 pages or so.
This book (from what I read) is very focused on building lore. I found it interesting but would have loved to see it more rounded. It's roughly 800 pages, after all. Minimally described and focused mostly on the characters themselves, and even so, hardly described more than their hair and age.
I'll wait for my local library to gain a copy before continuing. No rush.

I was eagerly anticipating this novel, and now that I've read the Early Extract, I simply cannot WAIT! This is going to be epic.

I was sucked in (by the characterization more than anything else) way quicker than I expected, and this turned my "maybe I'll buy this" into a pre-order while I anxiously awaited release day!!

i read this and automatically preordered the book! i don't remember the last time i was this excited to do read something, i already got it and will have a full review on the full book up at some point next month!

The only beef with this, is that it's an extract. I want the whole damned book! *lol* When I'd finished with the extract - which is about 10% of the whole book of 800+ sides, I went right ahead and got the audio book version for it.

Epic fantasy at its best, and a very feministic fantasy also. My red socks (a symbol of feminism in my country) quivers with delight when I'm reading about these kick-ass ninja women who take sh** from no one. I digress, but there are too many damsels in distress in the fantasy world.

Anywhooo, excellent writing, the world-building is insane, and the characters are awesomely flawed and real. This is a must read if you like fantasy. Or feminism. Or just plain ol' good reading.

Let’s start with this: I was given a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With that, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon is a very long book, and it took me awhile to whittle through it while getting other projects done. And it was a great book.

This follows four distinct stories, taking place in the West, South, and East. In this world you have those who follow the Saint, a man who supposedly put the Nameless One (a dragon who is fire and wants to kill all of humanity) to sleep, the Nameless One, and the East where the worship the dragons of the water and air. As such, it took a while for the story to get going as there is so much background information needed to understand what is going on. And, in a lot of ways, the religions still mostly confuse me. But, beyond that, this was a great high fantasy read. Court intrigue was the name of the game in the West, while everyone one was on the classic adventure saga path.

This novel worked so well by itself. Could be that there will be a sequel, but I really enjoyed this book. It dealt with the hot topics of today – they had gay folks in this, people, and they could be “companions”, plus all sorts of different colored people in different walks of life – but it didn’t point them out as being important to the story outside of descriptions and understanding the relationships that the characters had with one another.

I, for one, really appreciated that they also had people who loved one another as friends. Loth and Ead, as well as Loth and Saban, were wonderful relationships that added to the story in their own way.

Shannon has written a complex story that is difficult to discuss in a short form. Who would like this book? Anyone who enjoys fantasy of any level would appreciate this book. Particularly those who enjoy deception in their novels, action, and growth. These characters go through difficult things, and the author didn’t buckle at them. She attacked them head on and forced her characters to deal with them, even if they didn’t want to.

If you don’t like fantasy and complicated stories, this likely isn’t the novel for you.

Back in the 1950s, J.R.R. Tolkien’s publisher made a notable change to the book that would become his magnum opus. Instead of the lengthy single volume that he intended, The Lord of the Rings was broken into three volumes, each of which contained two “books.” Since then, the trilogy has become something of an expectation in high fantasy—three books are almost always considered better than one, it seems. And it isn’t always trilogies: British author Samantha Shannon is currently midway through her own stab at that other beloved fantasy format, the seven-book epic.

Yet with her latest book, The Priory of the Orange Tree, Shannon upends the precedent, delivering readers a complex, intricate, and complete high fantasy story in one gravid volume, itself containing six internal books. It is a tale wide in scope and deep with history, the kind that keeps you reading well into the night, the action building and growing into a great flight of dragons.

This is what everyone knows: a thousand years ago, the world was threatened and nearly destroyed by a fire-breathing dragon known only as the Nameless One. The Nameless One and his draconic horde were defeated and forced into the Abyss, where they slumber. The Nameless One is prophesied to rise again.

Beyond that, there is very little consensus. The countries of Virtudom claim to be descended from Saint Galian Berethnet, who rescued the princess Cleolind and defeated the dragon. Virtudom counts its ruler, Queen Sabran IX, back to Cleolind and Galian, and the founding myth holds that the Nameless One will be held at bay as long as the royal line holds. The titular Priory has an altogether different take on the relationship between Cleolind and Galian: Cleolind was self-rescuing, and not the consort of Galian; it was she who founded the Priory.

While the people of the Priory take a dim view of Virtudom’s founding myth, they are nonetheless committed to help maintain the Queendom and the line of succession. Probably the Nameless One is not kept at bay by Sabran’s continued rule, but certainly, if Virtudom were to fall into chaos after the failure of the royal line, humanity would lose an important bulwark against the awakening dragon threat.

In the East, on the other side of the world, people revere dragons, though these are beasts of a different sort: water-based, instead of fire-breathing. The Seiikinese train a special few to bond with their dragons and become Riders. It is their belief that a comet forced the Nameless One into dormancy in a cycle that balances water and fire, earth and sky.

The recent past and the complex interpersonal webs that bind the many characters (there is a lengthy index to help you keep them all straight) feel textured and real. The book follows a web of people bound to one another by both duty and duress, enmity and amity. In the East, and on the eve of the trials that may advance her to dragonrider, Tané Miduchi breaks a prohibition against outsiders by helping a young traveler from Virtudom to avoid the authorities. This act of largely self-serving kindness (the trials would certainly be postponed if the stranger were discovered) sets her on a path to collide with Niclays Roos, an exile from Virtudom who has lived the last decade on the doorstep of the East, a small trading post where foreigners must wait for unlikely passage into Seiiki.

In Virtudom, Sabran IX is protected by Ead Duryan, an agent of the Priory who has been inserted into the royal chambers as a handmaiden and helpmeet. The threats she is facing are both human and draconic, and Ead must use both her wits and training and a sort of magic forbidden in Virtudom to keep the queen safe. Another exile from Sabran’s court, Lord Arteloth, investigates why the country of Yscalin, once a part of Virtudom, has thrown in with the fire-breathing dragons against the rest of humanity, declaring itself a “Draconic Realm.”

The opening half lays out the world and its people in with a careful hand, and at a measured pace. While there is an inkling that the awakening of the Nameless One is nigh—wyvern attacks, rumors of outbreaks of a draconic plague—the threat feels remote and unreal; a spectre like climate change, always circling on leathery wings. It’s understandable: a thousand years is a very long time, and while no one doubts the existence of the Nameless One, the lack of consensus on even the nature of dragons keeps the different peoples of the world focuses more closely on their local concerns, and not on the terrible awakening of a historical enemy. There are a few thrilling glimpses of dragons—both the water and fire varieties—in these early sections to tide you over until the real fireworks begin.

After an almost languorous opening, The Priory of the Orange Tree picks up steam as agents of the Nameless One begin to assert themselves in unequivocal terms. After so detailed a beginning, the second half can feel a little rushed, as all these so carefully placed pieces inexorably begin to coalesce and collide. Yet though the magic and dragons the novel concerns itself with are traditional to high fantasy in many ways—from their influence on prophesy to the drama of the court—Shannon often defies expectations, from influences to consequences, in ways that make tradition feel fresh and new.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is available now.

I was very excited to start this book. I’ve heard so many people rave about it and the cover is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, that’s where it ends. This book turned out to be the complete opposite of what I was expecting. It’s written from different POVs, which is very much hit or miss for me, and in this case, it was a miss. The book spoke of a lot of different countries, in either the East or the West. Due to the lack of a map, I had a hard time understanding where the story was taken place and what the countries were that were mentioned. I didn’t understand the different religions, what was specific about them and why they were different. Also, there were A LOT of names, and when I say a lot, I mean A freaking LOT. Most of the time I had no idea who anyone was, what their role was in the story or even if the person mentioned was male or female. The different ranks in Sabrans court were very confusing. There were chamberers and Ladies of the Bedchamber and what not. I didn’t understand who outranked who and what all the ranks entailed. Lastly, the writing style was too much. I felt the author used an overly complex writing style, with a lot of difficult words. All in all, there was hardly anything I liked about this book and because of all the points mentioned above, I felt reluctant to continue reading. I didn’t particularly care for the characters or the plot. This book was simply not for me.

4/5stars

This was really good... but was it worth the 800 pages? hmm - not so sure.

The first 500 pages of this really had me gripped, but I def got a little bored after that - but, that could just be my own preferences, with fantasies I prefer them to be shorter. Plus, I almost ALWAYS dislike a fantasy series by the second/third book because of the emphasis on war and politics and stuff - which, this being a standalone, means would be the second half of the book. As well as it felt like everything wrapped up VERY quickly - it felt like we were building up to this HUGE THING the ENTIRE BOOK but then it lasted a shorter time than pieces of dialogue earlier in the book. it was just so quick.

I also was way more into one character than the other but she didn't get nearly as much time or as much development - she felt like a completely different person by the ending and I just didn't care much anymore.

I think this could have benefitted from just being two books - yes, a standalone fantasy seems great in theory, but the biggest thing i didn't like about this was the ending pacing and some character development sooo

Definitely bumping this up on my tbr! The writing is beautiful and I'm already loving this world! If the rest of the book is as good as this sample was this will definitely be in my Top 10 of the year.

I was drawn by this book for rather superficial reasons: the beautiful cover, the poetic title, the promise of dragons.
But I was not sure: classical high fantasy, after reading quite a lot of it, is not really my cup of tea anymore. I like the idea of it, but frequently find it too old fashioned and uninspired / too violent and lacking of human warmth / too confusing with all the words and kingdoms / too political / lacking in credible and likeable characters.

I was then very pleased to be able to read the extract for Netgalley, to make my own opinion. Pleased and very much surprised! Since the very beginning of the book I was hooked! It's difficult to explain exactly why, because there are, predictably, plenty of different characters and names, numerous kingdoms, a complex History, three different points of view - all the points that usually discourage me to read on.
The explanation must be, quite simply, talent.
The characters feel immediately real, easy to distinguish, by names, personalities and physionomies. They're engaging, one want to know more about them and their lives. The different stories told by the different points of view are clearly connected and already weaving the beginning of a fascinating story. The promised dragons make a precociously appearance... In a nutshell the story sticks in your head and makes you want to read on!

So, I haven't finish the book yet, but by the first chapters I may guess that this book should be a hit for any fantasy lovers, even those whom, like me, are a bit fed up with indigestible longish stories lacking in personality and brilliance.

This is a review of the entire book, rather than just the extract.
Wow. The characters, the world-building, everything about this book is simply amazing. I was hooked from start to finish.
If you like dragons, believable characters and a plot that never lets up, this one’s for you.

*I was provided with an Extract of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This first part of the book is perfection. I really appreciated all the diversity and the written style of the book. There is no doubt that Samantha Shannon is an amazing writer. Also, Dragons! Need I say more?

There has been a lot of fuzz surrounding this book and now I understand why! I can't wait to get the book.

This one is not not to miss. A must read, love this extract. Need to read more of this truly amazing book. Can’t wait for the book come I ordered. Would recommend this book!

Yes Yes Yes! Can I just say girl power ROCKS! This book will pull you right in the minute you open it. You will fall in love with the characters Tane, Ead, Loth and even Niclays right away. The extract I was given was not enough for me that I ended up buying the whole book. I am half way done and could not wait to know the history of Dragons extinction and their evolvement.

The book has more than 800 pages long. Trust me it would not get tedious on reading it as Samantha Shannon created wonderful cast of characters and many of them were well written. Samantha Shannon also created a vivid and exciting world for us readers especially Cleolind and the Orange Tree, and different religions in North, South, West, and East.

A huge recommendation if you love epic fantasy.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free sample for an exchange of an honest review.

This book is AMAZING.

Honestly, I’m not exaggerating or being blinded by my SaySha love when I say that this is the best book I have ever read. Perhaps it isn’t a perfect specimen of epic fantasy for you, but for me, this book had every single thing I could possibly have asked for. Samantha Shannon is a master wordsmith, world-weaver and storyteller. You will not regret pre-ordering or buying this book, and the best part is that it can be repurposed as both a weapon and a shield as it is nearly 900 pages and heavy as a brick. True story.

Fiercely feminist, while still having universal appeal for all genders of readers – This is the ultimate feminist reclaiming of the high fantasy genre. In an industry ruled by Tolkien and Sanderson and GRRM, Samantha Shannon is decimating the patriarchy one powerful chapter at a time. I applaud her. From the small tokens of having one of the central empires being referred to as a “Queendom” to empowering quote after quote reminding us that we are enough, and we deserve better.

At the same time, I don’t feel like this is so female-driven that it wouldn’t hold appeal for other genders. It has a healthy balance of genders and sexualities across the wide cast of characters, meaning that every part will hold appeal for someone. Naturally, I had favourites, but unlike A Song of Ice and Fire, I didn’t find myself skipping certain chapters because I wanted to read and know and experience the whole universe Shannon created.

Complex, fully-formed characterisation across a varied ensemble – So in terms of characters, I’m going to say that Samantha creates an ensemble which is a cross between Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows and GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire. She tells the story from a close third-person perspective of four narrators (all of whom I will talk about in more detail in a moment), reminiscent of Bardugo’s style of storytelling, while the narrators spend most of the book apart, much like GRRM’s narrators. Not only that, but the entire cast, both narrators and otherwise, are incredibly diverse in terms of both race and sexuality.

NARRATORS
Ead Duryan / Eadaz du Zāla uq-Nāra (West) – the central narrator and easily my favourite character. Ead is a lady-in-waiting to Queen Sabran Berethnet, ward of the Ambassador uq-Ispad of Lasia. However, her real name is Eadaz, a spy and bodyguard sent by The Priory of the Orange Tree to protect the Queen. Basically, a magical assassin / dragonslayer / bodyguard.
Tané of the South House (East) – an orphan, now warrior raised to one day join the ranks of the Miduchi, famous dragon rider’s of Seiiki. Early on in the book she achieves this dream and is paired with her dragon aka the best character ever. More on her later.
Lord Arteloth ‘Loth’ Beck (West) – A Lord of Inys, banished from his homeland for being too close to Queen Sabran, his childhood best friend, undertaking his own adventure in neighbouring Yscalin to save his country. During her time in Inys, Ead had also become good friends with him.
Niclays Roos (East) – A scholar from Mentadon, exiled from Inys and banished from all the family he has left in the world. Now residing in Seiiki, he is bitter and resentful of the Queen, craving the lover he lost many years before. Also uses banging insults, such as, ‘witless cabbage’.
CHARACTERS TO WATCH
Queen Sabran IX of the House Berethnet – Queen of Inys and Queen of my heart. Sab is arguably the most powerful character in this book – she made me laugh, cry, love, grieve and so much more. The House of Berethnet has been the ruling house of Inys, a Queendom ruled only by Queens since the Saint defeated the Nameless One. The legacy of her rule, saying that the most evil dragon of all time, the Nameless One, cannot rise while a Berethnet sits on the throne of Inys, bears down on her. Sab is everything.
Nayimathun – an Eastern dragon, viewed as a God by the Seiikinese, and the dragon who chose Tané to be her rider. Nayimathun is wise and her words are so powerful they are already tattooed on my body. Yes, she talks. The dragons talk. More about dragons later.
Lord Kitson Glade – Best friend of Loth who journeys with him to Yscalin, comedic relief to this heavy story and all round nice guy.
Aralaq – OKAY BUT THE CREATURES OWN THIS BOOK. Aralaq is Ead’s good friend from childhood growing up in the Priory, he is an ichneumon and he is great. Again, a talking creature and he gives me life.

In depth world-building of multiple cultured inspired by both Eastern and Western history – It’s no secret the level of detail Samantha put in to researching this novel. If you search her twitter, you will find multiple threads on history, etymology and in-depth details of everything she has created here. Let’s talk about the world, each country is based on a different region in a particular period of history. For example, Inys is based on Elizabethan England and the myth of George and the Dragon, while Seiiki is based in Japanese lore. Yscalin has a very classical Italian feel about it while reading, though that is something I am projecting. Each country is incredibly well thought out and diverse, with it’s own history and laws. This book is honestly a feat of majesty.

D R A G O N S – I’m sure by now you’re aware that this book is about dragons, specifically a war between Virtudom (Inys, Yscalin, Mentendon and Hróth) and the Nameless One, a Western dragon defeated by the Saint and buried beneath the Esyr. The premise of the novel is that the Nameless One is returning and everyone is trying to stop this happening. Therefore we have the evil draconic beings, these include wyverns, cockatrices, amphiptere, ophitaurs, jaculi and basilisks, and they generally reside in the West. Then there’s the Eastern dragons, the ‘good’ dragons who are revered as Gods in Seiiki and ridden by the chosen of Clan Miduchi. The level of detail Samantha puts into these beings, and all the mythical beings throughout the novel, is exceptional and intriguing. They add so much to the world and let’s not forget… the dragons talk.

Central sapphic relationship – I realise this was kept quiet for a long time and a lot of people were surprised to hear this but I have been trying to shout about it for months. THIS BOOK FEATURES AN F/F RELATIONSHIP AND AT LEAST ONE OF THEM IS BISEXUAL. Yes, you heard me, queer ladies. Can I get a ‘FUCK YES’? I don’t want to talk too much about this because I want you to discover the beauty of this relationship for yourself, but let me tell you, this is possibly one of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching slow-burn romances I’ve ever read and 100% my favourite F/F. I cannot tell you how in love with them I am.

TL;DR – This is the best book I’ve ever read. A feminist fantasy masterpiece, plus DRAGONS. For fans of GRRM, Tolkien, Sanderson, Robin Hobb and Tamora Pierce.

This was too complicated for me. I just could not get into it. I really wish i could have!!! It sounded so good. The length did not bother me it was just over complicated. I need to reread when I can focus on it more.