Kirkus Style Review: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

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In a standalone epic fantasy, a royal house has ruled for over a thousand years, but the waking forces of chaos and evil are not only threatening the throne, but the world itself. Unlikely allies must come together to vanquish this darkness, but their differences are great and distrust runs deep. 

Queen Sabran the Ninth of the House of Berethnet in the West is expected to continue her lineage in order to not only secure the royal line, but also keep back the hellish fire-breathing wyrm called The Nameless One. Ead Duryan from the South, a mage secretly protecting Sabran with forbidden magic, must keep her senses sharp as assassins get closer day by day. Tané, a dragonrider hopeful from the East, must make a choice that could have unforeseen consequences to herself and those most important to her. An alchemist cast aside from his kingdom, mourning for a lover lost, faces the greatest journey of his life. Friends sent away in the name of propriety uncover an unexpected and frightening truth. In this journey of multiple different perspectives, legends are told and legends are uncovered as false. “When history fails to shed light on the truth, myth creates its own.”  The world's empires must come together to fight the wyrms, but the West cannot trust what they call the "wyrm lovers" of the East, though they worship a non fire-breathing type of dragon. Other empires are succumbing to the darkness and illness that The Nameless One's right wing, Fyredel, and his Draconic Army are spreading. Shannon's world building is grand and elaborate and sucks readers in to her tale of legends and dragons with a twist. With strong female leaders and warriors, readers will receive the message that “No woman should be made to fear that she was not enough.” Though long at just over 800 pages, Shannon weaves a story that interconnects throughout the tale that leaves readers in awe of her mastery. Difficult to put down once started, this standalone will satisfy epic fantasy readers with its achievements.

Terrifying dragons, epic battle scenes, journeys to far off lands, and sapphic love. An absolutely delicious bite of fantasy.

Comments

  1. Tess B.February 20, 2021 at 12:25 PM

    First of all, LOVE the title; "The Priory of the Orange Tree" already sounds exciting, like the name of an ancient tapestry found in an abandoned castle, or something similar. I really like the description of dragons and magic you added to the review, it certainly draws readers in. I put the book title on my "for later" shelf already. I think your summary also did an amazing job of framing the story, but not giving too much away. Well done!

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    1. Storytime ScribeFebruary 21, 2021 at 7:00 PM

      Ahh thank you so much!! I am so happy to hear that you have it on your for later shelf! This was one of my top 5 reads of 2020, it is honestly so good, I feel like my review did not do it enough justice! If you happen to read it before this class ends, let me know what you think! :)

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  2. Daniel ThurstonFebruary 20, 2021 at 7:11 PM

    Hi Darla,

    I've seen this hefty book several times on our shelves, and I've always wondered what it was about. I knew it belonged generally in the fantasy genre, but it was great to get a little more information about it!

    You've done an amazing job at succinctly summarizing such an intricately plotted and involved story. While it sounds like a lot of moving parts, I can see this being an excellent recommendation for fans of high fantasy à la Game of Thrones.

    Thanks for sharing your post!

    -Daniel Thurston

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    Replies
    1. Storytime ScribeFebruary 21, 2021 at 7:02 PM

      Daniel,
      Thank you so much! And yes, it is very Game of Thronesy, just in a standalone format (still sobbing that George R.R. Martin hasn't released the Winds of Winter yet).

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  3. Abigail SmithFebruary 21, 2021 at 2:31 PM

    Epic fantasy seems like the hardest genre to succinctly and coherently recap for a review and I think you did a great job giving us a sense of the many threads and different perspectives coming together. I also always appreciate knowing the length of a book, this can really determine when I pick it up to read. I find myself looking out for page numbers more now that I rely more on e-books and can't browse the library to see the size of a book in person.

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    1. Storytime ScribeFebruary 21, 2021 at 7:06 PM

      Abigail,
      That's precisely why I included the page numbers! I also prefer to read ebooks and I do the same thing. About half way through this review I was hitting myself over the head with it, trying to figure out why I insisted on picking the 800 page, multiple perspective, epic fantasy book for a succinct review, so your comment has definitely boosted my confidence! :)

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  4. Erin CataldiFebruary 22, 2021 at 9:54 AM

    This book sounds so complex yet you did an amazing job summarizing. You're closing line alone has me extremely interested in reading it. Full points!

    ReplyDelete

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