4.5 stars ( )

This is an award-winning fantasy novel by English author Samantha Shannon, recommended to me by my daughter Jo. When my reading challenge asked me to read the longest book on my TBR I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I began somewhat hesitantly, not being much of a fantasy reader, with lots of swearing under my breath at the introduction of a new character name, place name or random unexplained word in every second sentence. As I went on I was drawn into what is a cracking good yarn, and as Jo said, “Dragons, strong female characters, lesbian romance: what’s not to like.”

The action revolves around three women. Firstly there is Sabran Berethnet, Queen of Inys, struggling to protect her kingdom from threat of darkness and also fulfill her life task of producing an heir. Then there is Ead Duryan, a mage from the Priory of the Orange tree, sent to protect Sabran with her powers. Lastly there is Tané, a dragon rider from the East, training for her role, and forming a bond with her wise dragon Nayimathun.

The kingdoms are divided by religion, particularly their view of dragons. The dragons of the West are the fire-breathing, destructive wyrms considered evil, hence the peoples of the West view all dragons in this way. The water-and-sky-dwelling dragons of the East however are viewed with reverence by their subjects, leading to a cultural chasm between West and East.

The book pivots on the need for unity between the divided nations to quell the rising threat of the Nameless One.

This was an enjoyable read with strong female characters. Ead was an easy character to root for, although Tané felt less fleshed out for me. The pacing was a bit off, with the beginning very difficult to get into and the end feeling rushed and somewhat clunky and convenient. There were faint echoes of Game of Thrones, but the characters were far less complex. I felt there were also some inconsistencies, with the religion of Inys being wholly based on the misogynist actions of its forebear, but then the kingdom being inexplicably matriarchal and feminist. A good read, and I might even succumb to reading the sequel. ( )

This book started great. The introduction of characters and the well-developed world. I fell in love with it. And honestly, I still loved it till the end.
But. It didn't stick the landing the best. For me, the ending was a bit rushed. Satisfying enough but not mind-blowing. Just a tiny bit let down after the 5-star material this book seemed to be. I think the book might have benefited from being released as a series and taking its time to build up the story as well as it did in the first half. Also, more and more there seemed to be these curious coincidences that just seemed to happen because they needed to happen...

But despite some lows, it really grew on me, and I certainly recommend it. ( )

Good thicc book ( )

Despite it already being just over 800 pages long, I would have loved another 10, 50, 200 pages in this book simply to keep it from ending. "The Priory of the Orange Tree" is a standout novel that I would recommend to anyone who loves intricate, feminist, queer, and dragon-filled fantasy stories with plenty of adventure and delightful characters. I would compare it to "Eragon" and "Game of Thrones" for its sprawling world that discusses politics, religion, and again, dragons, over multiple (4) POVs, but at the same time please don't think this is another HBO-esque world of battling families or good VS evil- "Priory" is so much more than that! It's full of heart and hope, it looks at complicated characters who work to balance duty and want, and it's surprisingly accessible for an 800-page book, so don't let that daunt you. "Priory" is a gem of a book and I so hope Shannon returns to this world at some point it the future- I would love to see more! ( )