‘You say you desire thrush, but truth is a weave with many threads,’ Kaylba said. ‘You know I am a mage. A sidensmith, like you – or I was, before the old Prioress denied me the fruit of the orange tree. All because Mita Yedanya told her I had poisoned your birth mother.’ She smiled. ‘As if I would ever stoop to poison.’
Page 461
In a nutshell
A fantasy that spans continents, legends, and centuries-old divides, The Priory of the Orange Tree has three women at its centre. Queen Sabran the Ninth rules Inys, but as long as she remains unwed and childless, her reign – and the safety of her realm – hangs in the balance. Hidden in her court is Ead Duryan, a mage posing as a lady-in-waiting, secretly sworn to protect the queen with forbidden magic. Across the sea in the East, Tané has trained her whole life to become a dragonrider, but one fateful decision puts her future and everything she believes in at risk. As the East and West remain stubbornly divided, an ancient enemy stirs, threatening to bring ruin unless East and West can put their differences aside and work together.
Book Club Notes
The Priory of the Orange Tree weaves together magic, politics, and prophecy in the way only Samantha Shannon can – an 800-page epic that brings to life ancient worlds that exist nowhere but in her imagination. Fantasy isn’t a genre I usually gravitate towards, but after reading her Bone Season series and having the chance to interview her, I can say with certainty that her fantasy is always worth picking up.
That said, The Priory of the Orange Tree was one of her more demanding reads. It took me a solid 400 pages to find my footing, to grasp the many characters, unusual names, and kingdoms. But I kept going, trusting it would pay off – and it did. Somewhere past the halfway mark, things clicked. The world took shape, the story picked up pace, and I found myself pulled in, fully invested in the fate of Ead, Sabran, Tané and the world they were fighting to save. It’s not a light read, but if you give it time, it delivers the kind of richly layered fantasy that stays with you long after the final page.
Read If
You love fantasy, specifically Shannon’s kind: richly detailed, intricately layered, and driven by strong, complex women.
Rating
Writing – 10/10
Character Development – 9/10
Plot Twist – 8/10
Shareability – 8/10
The Nitty Gritty
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing, and distributed by Jonathon Ball Publishers
ISBN: 9781408883358
Pages: 804
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A note on our book ratings
Storyline: How good is the storyline? Is it believable and complex or does it make you shake your head in its ridiculousness?
Writing: How well written is the book? Do you find yourself wowed by the writing or unimpressed?
Character Development: Do the characters evolve and grow through the book and are they multi-dimensional?
Plot Twist: Were you able to predict the end, or did the author give you some surprises along the way to keep you on your toes?
Shareability: How likely are you to share the book?
