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A review by kc6
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
5.0
I struggled with deciding whether to give Priory a four- or five-star rating. For the first five parts of this book, it was going to be a four-star rating. I was not convinced it was as impressive as other books I’ve read lately. I only connected strongly with one character, and I wasn’t sure if that was enough to fit my five-star criteria.
The ending, though… broke my rating game! Part six was so good that it made Priory a five-star book for me. So. Good.
Eadaz was my favorite character for undeniable reasons. She stabs people who try to harm her Queen, all while wearing a petticoat—come on! Amazing. She had to give up her entire world more than once, and the author didn't make it an easy decision. In some books, the characters can 180 so fast that it doesn't make much sense. I'm glad Eadaz's life-altering choices didn’t feel like that. Eadaz really made the book for me.
I wanted to love Tané, but her character was too sad and disappointing. That was until the end, when there was some hardcore personal growth. By part six, I had finally connected with Tané, but I wish it hadn’t taken that long. Loth wasn't that engaging. I would have preferred his sister Margaret to have taken on his role. I liked all the shenanigans that Roos got caught up in, but the character was kind of flat.
The dragons and their different types and personalities were great. Although, I longed for more engagement with the individual dragons. They're more of a background than characters in the story, even though they had the potential to be main characters. I am glad they all showed up in the end, though. It made everything come together so well!
Something I liked about the story is the different religions. The plot showed how religion could develop so distinctly in one area versus another and how all religions had some common ground even though the followers may not have seen it themselves.
I loved Priory's mythology and world-building. However, I wish we spent more time actually out in the world. I’m hoping the second book will have a little more traveling.
After reading my review, I was worried that I was giving Priory five stars based on the ending that was fresh in my head. Despite really enjoying the book overall, I pointed out several things I wished were different. I decided to wait to finalize a rating. It’s been a week, and Priory is still five stars in my head. So we are sticking with it!
The ending, though… broke my rating game! Part six was so good that it made Priory a five-star book for me. So. Good.
Eadaz was my favorite character for undeniable reasons. She stabs people who try to harm her Queen, all while wearing a petticoat—come on! Amazing. She had to give up her entire world more than once, and the author didn't make it an easy decision. In some books, the characters can 180 so fast that it doesn't make much sense. I'm glad Eadaz's life-altering choices didn’t feel like that. Eadaz really made the book for me.
I wanted to love Tané, but her character was too sad and disappointing. That was until the end, when there was some hardcore personal growth. By part six, I had finally connected with Tané, but I wish it hadn’t taken that long. Loth wasn't that engaging. I would have preferred his sister Margaret to have taken on his role. I liked all the shenanigans that Roos got caught up in, but the character was kind of flat.
The dragons and their different types and personalities were great. Although, I longed for more engagement with the individual dragons. They're more of a background than characters in the story, even though they had the potential to be main characters. I am glad they all showed up in the end, though. It made everything come together so well!
Something I liked about the story is the different religions. The plot showed how religion could develop so distinctly in one area versus another and how all religions had some common ground even though the followers may not have seen it themselves.
I loved Priory's mythology and world-building. However, I wish we spent more time actually out in the world. I’m hoping the second book will have a little more traveling.
After reading my review, I was worried that I was giving Priory five stars based on the ending that was fresh in my head. Despite really enjoying the book overall, I pointed out several things I wished were different. I decided to wait to finalize a rating. It’s been a week, and Priory is still five stars in my head. So we are sticking with it!