Samantha Shannon: Priory of the Orange Tree (2019, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc)
English language
Published 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Unfortunately DNF… high fantasy really isn’t my cup of tea, it doesnt matter how many female characters you’ve got, apparently.
I wish I had this book when I was 14. Dragons and lesbian knights, what a combo! I was hooked at first, the worldbuilding and the diversity of characters is a plus, even if it got a bit repetitive as it went on. Definitely worth it to soothe the queer nerd teen who didn't see herself reflected in all the fantasy she read.
2 words, 12 letters: QUEER FANTASY!
OH to be 15 again. To be hooked on a book that introduces a whole new world, to want to know more and more and more, to not be able to go to bed even though it's way past your bedtime, to tell yourself "one more chapter"...!!
As I've been saying to my friends: This is the teenagehood that was stolen from me! A book where I can see a bit of myself in (aka Lesbians duhhh), but in this fantasy setting that we all know and love: dragons! epic journeys! long lost jewels! And of course... it all starts with a map at the beginning of the book! chefs kiss
Also idk if I'm just older and thus won't just read this without trying to look a bit deeper into it but I thought there might have been some cool commentary on like... …
2 words, 12 letters: QUEER FANTASY!
OH to be 15 again. To be hooked on a book that introduces a whole new world, to want to know more and more and more, to not be able to go to bed even though it's way past your bedtime, to tell yourself "one more chapter"...!!
As I've been saying to my friends: This is the teenagehood that was stolen from me! A book where I can see a bit of myself in (aka Lesbians duhhh), but in this fantasy setting that we all know and love: dragons! epic journeys! long lost jewels! And of course... it all starts with a map at the beginning of the book! chefs kiss
Also idk if I'm just older and thus won't just read this without trying to look a bit deeper into it but I thought there might have been some cool commentary on like... the world? Lol. I swear to god that dragon is climate change!!!!! (iykyk)
I really enjoyed this book. The world building is excellent and I thoroughly loved how we learned about it from different angles, people, and cultures to slowly paint a cohesive picture.
The characters feel alive and while I can only claim to like very few of them, I was intrigued by all of them.
The book changes points of view regularly and spans across continents. I was continuously invested in every strand of the story and eager to watch it weave together.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Also, I liked the dragons :)
7.5/10
As several people have remarked, this book is far too long. Partly this is because only one arc of the story is interesting, and partly because the author spends a lot of time in second gear. As usual with this genre, it's big on crowns and bloodlines - peasants turn out to be lost inheritors of illustrious forebears and are possessed of super-duper powers. Several characters wander about with no real function, and the Great Evil is but a bubble.
