{Book Review}: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Just the sheer size of this novel really intimidates you. 848 PAGES! I have not read a book this large since the Harry Potter series. However, I had read such great reviews on it so was up to the challenge after a few crime fiction/thrillers in a row.

Tiny Synopsis: This is a multi-perspective story that all coincides with the different lands. It is like a multi-series book of dragons and royalty plus highly skilled feminist fighters all in one standalone book!

First we have Sabran Berethnet, the Ninth – Queen of Inys who desperately needs to marry and provide a daughter as an heir to the throne. The Nameless One (evil villanous dragon creature) is locked away underground only while a Berethnet is on the throne.

Secretly guarding the queen is Ead Duryan, a mage from the southern region. She practices sorcery considered illegal in Inys in the west.

Then we also have Tané, a young woman, trained to be a dragon rider one day in the eastern region of Sekiii. With the nameless one and his other minions (wyrms) causing havoc in the  kingdoms as well as pirates – there seems to no treaty/alliance amongst the kingdoms and chaos seems destined to ensue.

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

This is a monster of a book. I was hesitant my first 50 pages… but once I was immersed in this magical world that Samantha Shannon created, I was completely lost in it. It took me about a week to finish and I relished every moment of it, not including the wrist cramp. I loved the feminist take on all the characters and the love between some of the LBGTQ characters without it being too in your face. It was there, but very natural and flowed well with the  story. I loved the story of the dragon riders in the east, reminiscent of Japan/East Asia… but also the priory itself. I won’t discuss the priority itself without spoiling. I really wish there was a sequel too — as my favorite characters were Ead and Tané – great strong warriors/fighters. Have you ever read a story where you could imagine it as a tv series or movie? This is exactly – an epic adventure in which you wished never end. It just made me wish Game of Thrones had more of these characters in it.