The Priory of the Orange Tree Review

GoodReads:

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK | Amazon US

**The links to the book used in this post are Affiliated links, should you click on my links and use them to purchase this book, it will gain me some monies, and will cost you nothing, but gotta disclose this first.**

My Review

Finally! A post not scheduled from me lol though I set most of this up before I left. I hope you all are doing great and staying warm (or cool) this holiday season.

Onto my review though!

I was so frustrated reading this because I kept having to put it down to read other things with set dates like the fabulous blog tours I’ve been doing. And, well, I hated putting this book down because I loved it so much from start to finish.

Shannon gives us this incredible world with an intricate history and magic system. This is everything I wanted from a fantasy novel and what I wish ‘Game Of Thrones’ had been more like if I’m honest.

You’re kept on this really decent flow, the pace never slumping once it hits its momentum so though she be a THICC book, the only time you realize it is when your wrists start to hurt when you’re holding a physical copy.

Ead was hands down my favorite character but omg I loved them all! Especially a certain cranky old man who is pretty much my spirit animal.

I loved the different lands and rulers, the facets with the different beliefs especially on their dragon views and I ADORED the concept and execution of the dragons and the Eastern and Western differences in them.

Shannon not only gives us one of the best books of the year but one of the best books I have personally ever read.

The Sapphic love story was flawless, the backgrounds for each character well thought out and their development astounding.

I have nothing but good things to say about this book, the cast and its author.

I do know some people flight it started off slowly and I can see where they are coming from but I do feel after that there seems to be settling in with the pacing and Shannon keeps it going well.

Maybe I wish there had been more dragons but this was a story about people and then dragons. This was a story of heart and beliefs and fear, and all of it wrapped up in a glorious dragon fantasy world.

I can’t thank Samantha Shannon enough for writing this book and it’s definitely a five cups of hot chocolate read for me.