The Priory of the Orange Tree Paperback – 10 September 2021

So. Dragons.No, really, without even knowing much about the books, the one thing that made me pre-order it was the fact that there were queendoms and there were dragons. I was sold. Then the reviews started pouring in and I was a bit intimidated by them because everyone seemed to love this one and rarely did anyone have anything truly bad to say about it.I finally started the book with these fears in my mind and I needn’t have. I really needn’t have. There’s something about the writing, quick moving plots and multiple narratives throughout the book that really helped me love it. It’s very clear as you read along that Shannon had her canon done to a T. There wasn’t a lot left to wonder about and there weren’t a lot of glaringly obvious plot holes scattered in the book and with a book this size, I was very worried about that. Especially considering the fact that this is a standalone.So, let’s dive into this one. Let’s go with dragons first because let’s be honest, a lot of the people probably put it on tbr just for the dragons. There’s such a good variety of dragons and what constitutes as a dragon. The different regions having different and polarizing opinions of said creatures. With east and west having such vastly different outlooks (with a somewhat valid reason), it was absolutely amazing to read and learn more about them as the pages flew by.World-building. If you know me at all, you know I am weak for world-building in a fantasy novel/ series. So, I was very worried about it with this one because how much of it can you really stuff into one novel? Well, on this front, Samantha Shannon absolutely floored me. With people of different faiths, different geography and different traditions and lore, Priory still managed to make me feel very much as if I was living all of those and that was victory for the author, I think. It is so hard to make up a whole new world with its societies and religions and traditions and even though she doesn’t go too deep into them, there’s still enough to make me feel satisfied about it.Pacing and plot! With a book that is almost 900 pages, I did wonder about the pace and the plot meeting that golden ratio. And admittedly, the first 150 pages do take a bit of a time but once you cross that, it all settles into a nice pace that is easy and exciting at the same time because things don’t stop happening in the book. It is also a multi-perspective so you are reading things that happening in multiple parts of the world with such distinct characters. That’s always a plus for me, multi-perspective when done right can be phenomenal and here, it is.Characters! Gosh. Okay, so, first of all, I am trying to contain myself here because this one is already too long a review but I just have to talk about the characters. From Ead, who’s from the south and has tried to climb her way to become Queen Sabran’s close friends and learning something about herself as well as the queen to Sabran who has such a heavy legacy to carry on, who’s caustic and remote and cold but also insecure and in need of love. From Tane, a commoner who becomes a dragon rider but who’s one action could bring about her downfall to Loth who’s such a dear friend of Queen Sabran and who has had to face far more than his station in the court might have hinted at. Then there’s Roos, who’s absolutely not likeable but at the same time, he’s suffered enough in life to warrant some pity. He sometimes tries to be better but almost always the results end in disasters.Relationships. This book has some of the best friendships I have seen in a while. They are not perfect but they are solid, they just are. There’s sisterhood that is almost enviable if I am being honest because these women, while they do have their own ambitions, they try to raise each other up and that was so good to read about. Then there’s the opposite sex friendships which are just that, friendships. I am afraid that I haven’t read enough books where opposite sex friendships are pure friendships so when I do stumble into them, I am just absolutely in love with them. There’s also a really touching lgbt romance in there as well which feels so organic and natural that I was almost surprised by it.Overall, I would like to say that this is entirely enjoyable and immersive book and frankly, I couldn’t have expected anything better. I do have a couple of things I was bothered by. I wanted more Tane POV and I wish there was more expanded to cover the north as well. But those are tiny complaints compared to the rest of the positive points and frankly, if you are at all a fantasy fan, or someone who’d love to see some badass women being badass or if you wanna read about friendships and relationships in general then this is the book for you. Don’t be intimidated by the size, the pace of the book takes care of the fear.

I usually love stories with dragons. This book had one on the cover and a good rating here, and without further ado, I purchased the book.It was a good read, even if muddy in parts.So the good things for me, in no particular order:1. Dragons & Wyverns2. The women : The rulers, the warriors, the dragon riders, the dragon slayers, the mages, there are strong women through out. Interestingly enough, women are not put on a pedestal here, we see that many traitorous machinations originate from women too.P.s : The queen is a character I felt nothing for as we started out, but her character arc is very well done.3. Absolute normalcy of queer relationships throughout the book settings. People of the upper echelons of society may not join in "companionship" because of their social status but their same sex relationship is not a taboo.4. Love & Romance : While the setting and backgrounds are romantic in ways, the narrative is not needlessly peppered with hidden looks of longing and visions of heaving bosoms.There is plenty of love in the book but it's not only of the amorous kind. It's also love towards family, motherland, country, people, traditions & beliefs.What I did not like were the descriptions.Introductory descriptions are important, that's how we have the image of the person. The main characters should be described well, or at least memorably.While the clothes were described well, I struggled to put a face to many characters. Maybe it's that I unwittingly skimmed it, but I did not notice Ead's description nor Tane's. I first noticed Ead's description maybe half the book in, which is very late.The eastern dragons were also not described well. Other than a curt mention regarding the number of toes and a point of wings nothing was mentioned. Nayimathun gets a slightly better description, but it feels half done.I also would have liked a description of what about be considered an average wyverns in general, but in all fairness the Wyverns and their genetic inter-breeds were described a little more.I also did not enjoy the final war scene. It was a little confusing (Who peeled away the scale from no name? Was it Tane or Nayimathum with the broken sword?)While I am glad this is a stand alone book, I would have happily read this book divided into three with more details about the characters and more information about the creatures & mythology involved.I feel like this is a prequel to something big planned for this universe, as there too many loose ends and too many unexplained phenomena.This felt like reading the hobbit, ignoring the sheer size of this book of course, which makes me wonder if there is an equivalent to LOTR coming up?

The Priory of the Orange Tree is a skilfully plotted high fantasy with a perfect dose of magic and dragons. I highly recommend it to everybody who loves fantasy. Please do not get intimidated by the size (that's what she said) of the book. This book is for women, about women. Oh how I love everything about this book. The representation of women and queer is outstanding and well written.The world building is complicated, immersive and utterly convincing. The characters are deftly drawn, flawed, beautiful, multi-faceted and completely engrossing.The story is set in a world divided between two factions, East and West. The East is dominated by the fire-breathing dragons who are seen as protectors, while the West is ruled by a Queendom. The book follows several characters, including a dragon rider, a young queen, a scholar, and a spy, as they navigate political intrigues, ancient prophecies, and the threat of an apocalyptic war.The Priory itself is an ancient and secretive order of female mages dedicated to protecting the world from the return of dragons. They have a rich history and possess powerful knowledge and magical abilities. The oranges in the title symbolize the magic associated with the Eastern dragons, and the orange tree represents the sacred tree under which the Eastern dragon riders were said to be born.To my girls and gays, go read this book. It is for you.