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samusc 's review for:
The Priory of the Orange Tree
by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not only was this one a 5 star read, but quite possibly the best fantasy I've read in years.
I loved everything about it, but these are the main reasons, containing light spoilers:
The cover is beautiful! When this scene was depicted, it was so satisfying to have this visual.
Each of the narrators voices as written are distinct and interesting. It really seemed like there were emotionally intense/plot significant scenes every chapter, and the chapters themselves don’t feel long (Good for bite-sized reading before bed, though the content is so good I couldn’t put it down).
The different interpretations of religion were fascinating to read about, and isn’t something I’ve seen much of before.
The parallels between historical figures and their descendants were intriguing. This text has many themes, one of which that you are not your ancestors, though you are connected to them and share their likeness in many ways.
The pacing is phenomenal. It’s fascinating how when a character is introduced as potentially missing, a few chapters later the fate of the missing character is discovered by someone else. The amount of detail provided when historical context relates to a present situation is the perfect amount (usually two small paragraphs).
There are so many memorable character relationships and interactions. By the end of the book, a majority of the characters have interacted with each other/share several common threads. I won't spoil too much here, but would like to shout-out some of my favorite character moments/relationships:
I loved everything about it, but these are the main reasons, containing light spoilers:
The cover is beautiful! When this scene was depicted, it was so satisfying to have this visual.
Each of the narrators voices as written are distinct and interesting. It really seemed like there were emotionally intense/plot significant scenes every chapter, and the chapters themselves don’t feel long (Good for bite-sized reading before bed, though the content is so good I couldn’t put it down).
The different interpretations of religion were fascinating to read about, and isn’t something I’ve seen much of before.
The parallels between historical figures and their descendants were intriguing. This text has many themes, one of which that you are not your ancestors, though you are connected to them and share their likeness in many ways.
The pacing is phenomenal. It’s fascinating how when a character is introduced as potentially missing, a few chapters later the fate of the missing character is discovered by someone else. The amount of detail provided when historical context relates to a present situation is the perfect amount (usually two small paragraphs).
There are so many memorable character relationships and interactions. By the end of the book, a majority of the characters have interacted with each other/share several common threads. I won't spoil too much here, but would like to shout-out some of my favorite character moments/relationships:
- I loved seeing Sabran's trust in Ead grow. The tender moments between them are electric! This relationship defines slow burn.
- Loth and Kit are reminiscent of Frodo and Sam. Yes, they didn’t have a choice in being sent on this task, but when given the opportunity to be somewhat safe or take a risk in following this mystery further, Kit decided to follow Loth into the darkness. What a great friend!
- The bonds between humans and animal companions were incredible. I cried!
I'd recommend this book to both lifelong fans of fantasy, and casual/novices to fantasy. Yes, the page count is intimidating, but once I had gotten to 600 pages, I lamented that I only had around 250 (some individual book lengths!) left with these characters.
Edit: Samantha Shannon has confirmed that Loth and Tane are ace!
CW: Miscarriage