I have been eyeing this book for some time. I am a complete sucker for big books, and at 800 pages long, The Priory of the Orange Tree, written by Samantha Shannon, certainly fits the bill. But don’t let yourself be intimidated by its size. It is not an 800 page slog through a mire of excessively long diatribes about food. It is 800 pages of character driven story that puts itself firmly in the category of ‘do not miss’ fantasy.
The Priory of the Orange Tree follows four main characters as they struggle to find their place in the world as the apocalypse begins. The Nameless One is waking up, his draconic army stirs, and the red plague is the scourge of Virtudom. Across the sea, the Eastern empires remains closed and unaffected – but not for long.
If you love fantasy, dragons (both Eastern and Western styles), and amazing representation amongst a cast of lovable characters who pay dearly for their mistakes, then The Priory of the Orange Tree needs to sit at the top of your TBR pile (or perhaps, the firm temporary foundation of it).
“Ead knew the scent of a secret. She wore it like a perfume.”
MAKING MISTAKES MATTER
Characters should never be infallible. All too often, authors cushion their characters with plot armor. We know we need a character to reach the end, and therefore their consequences are more minimal for actions that would certainly have heavier consequences for other characters. That is not the case in The Priory of the Orange Tree. There are four main story arcs for characters. Each character makes mistakes. Each character must live with the consequences of their actions. None of them have thick plot armor. None of them come away unscathed or unchanged. These characters have believable consequences that haunt them throughout the book. One small mistake made at the beginning of Tané’s plot line creates catastrophic consequences for her life. Friends die. Dreams are shattered. No character comes away unscathed. No character receives a completely happy ending by the end.
“Arteloth, we are courtiers. We have no useful instincts.”
ORGANIC REPRESENTATION [SPOILERS]
Bigots beware, here be bisexuals. Unapologetic ones at that! Shannon is a master at building relationships, both platonic and romantic, that lets you the reader fall in love with all characters involved. Sabran is allowed to fall in love with her arranged marriage partner, a young man, but then is equally allowed to fall in love with Ead without having to apologize or renounce her sexuality. Sabran’s bisexuality is explored, but only so much as it is important to the characters. It is never simply there to place a lantern on representation, instead woven organically into the story. It is representation done right: unapologetically, openly, and normalized between the characters involved. Love, in all it’s beauty and pain, it shown through these excellent relationships.
5/5 Stars
-L.J.
Author of The Dying Sun, Book 1 of The Gods Chronicle.
Pedantic Scribe of the ‘Scribe’s Journey Podcast’
“They raise us to be soft as silk, distract us with luxury and wealth beyond measure, so we never rock the boat that carries us. They expect us to be so bored by our power that we let them do the ruling in our stead. Behind every throne is a masked servant who seeks only to make a puppet of the one who sits on it.”