This is a breath of fresh air after reading some mainstream epic fantasy (Sanderson). Priory of the Orange Tree is concerned with communicating large themes not usually touched on. It’s feminist. Badass. Impressively ambitious and cohesive. It is such a satisfying read.

Every piece of worldbuilding dropped is actually pertinent to the plot and the characters. The characters' actions and choices genuinely feel like they shaped the story. The prose itself is quite accessible, but the specificity and verbiage are just fantastic mastership of language. It’s intuitive, especially if you read fantasy while feeling different and interesting. Everything is well thought out.

Setting-wise, while things are somewhat simple in so far as views are usually diametrically opposed, probably so it isn’t even longer, every viewpoint is The Point of the story. The ways in which important aspects of culture—especially pertaining to those who hold ‘real’ power—are constructed and what they stem from, as well as the ways in which culture is similar and opposed, is the tension and focus of the story. And I like stories that are About something. As this undeniably is, IMO.

Some people are overly concerned with hard magic systems. Personally, I do not care to know every single goddamn facet of something like magic. The cool thing about magic, to me, is that it is rooted in subjectivity. This system does have limitations along with its power. It’s evocative as hell. Maybe the most evocative magic, especially considering the high themes of the novel. I like that there is still mystery around it till the end.

Character work is fantastic. Especially became every paragraph has a point, it easily propelled me to read slower sections. It is extremely rich, sometimes dense, but when things are cohesive, and you know this as a reader, I find that pacing fades into the background because I simply wanted to know more about the world. I didn’t feel like more things needed to happen because, for the tension and payoff of the ending to really work, those details are necessary. It’s truly good.

And the cherry on top? Well-written women and queer folx, and a nice big middle finger to fantasy fans that think racism and prejudice need to be present in order for the world to feel “real” or “accurate”. This does a great job of displaying how stakes, tension, and conflict are all present without the psychotic need to replicate western cultural norms. It’s honestly a remarkable achievement and it’s slightly annoying that people quibble over small things in this whole glossing over just how different and interesting and innovative it is when compared to other selections in the genre.

At the very least this is asking interesting questions and not either being Needlessly edgy with anti-heroes or maybe there is no moral absolutism OR, moral absolutism. That’s basically all the big writers seem to want to explore. This is far more compelling, and frankly, intelligent.

I’m actually mad at myself for looking at reviews back when I saw the hardcover for cheap on bookoutlet. It’s so good and I want it. Hopefully, they get it in stock again sometime in the future. Ugh.