The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos)
The New York Times bestselling "epic feminist fantasy perfect for fans of Game of Thrones" (Bustle).
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY:
AMAZON (Top 100 Editors Picks and Science Fiction and Fantasy) * CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY * BOOKPAGE * AUTOSTRADDLE
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 all her life to be a dragonrider, 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.
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Community Reviews
Originally reviewed on Cyn's Workshop
The Priory of the Orange Tree shifts between POVs to deliver an exceptional high fantasy with mystical dragons, their fire-breathing enemies, and the Nameless One who threatens all.
Breathtaking
The Priory of the Orange Tree is truly a masterpiece worth reading. Running over 800 pages, this is one of those novels that seems a bit intimidating but isn’t really.
Let’s begin with Shannon’s world-building. The world-building here is fantastic. The Priory of the Orange Tree story goes to different regions and cultures. The readers see that Shannon pulls together medieval, Arabian, and East Asian folklore to create something new and unique.
You see where Shannon draws her inspiration from while respecting those cultures. Still, she’s making something new here but tangible for the reader to ground them in the story. So the reader is grounded in this fantastic storytelling.
And the way the author can delve into the history of this land without being daunting without dragging the story down creates something worthwhile. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a rich and beautiful story you are lured into. You can start small with 30 pages a day to read this book, but after about 200 pages, you are sucked into the storytelling.
Characters
What also works well with the map with the masterful storytelling is the characterization. The story goes between multiple perspectives, which works well for the story. However, again going over 800 pages makes the book look daunting. Still, by breaking up the world-building by breaking up the history and breaking up the magic into different regions and perspectives, you’re getting a bigger picture without breaking up the story’s pacing. This also allows a lot of room for the characters to grow and shine throughout the narrative.
Ead, Sabran, Tané, Niclays & Arteloth are some of the characters and the character Danielle makes here. They shift, they change, and they evolve.
There were times when Sabran early on she was probably one of my least favorite characters. But throughout the story, you understand her a little more. This is a woman whose only duty as queen is to produce a daughter. Her entire Queendom is reduced to one moment, stripping away her power and control over her own life. As her country believes it is her bloodline that keeps the Nameless One bound, the importance of her getting married and having a child weighs on her. Seeing her character explored in depth was captivating.
The same can be said for Ead and Tané.
These were two of my favorite characters. They’re both fierce, but they’re both so different. They both delve into magic, different types that add to the story’s world-building. As a result, the reader sees more diversity and compelling world-building through these two narratives. This is where the reader sees so much respect for other cultures’ folklore.
Final Thoughts
The Priory of the Orange Tree is simply a fantastic novel. This is a novel 100% worth reading. It has such an ease to it despite its length that makes it so easy for the reader to read. However, with her masterful storytelling and characterization, Shannon has crafted a story worthy of awards.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
The Priory of the Orange Tree may appear intimidating, but with masterful storytelling, it is a quick and enjoyable read from start to finish.
The Priory of the Orange Tree shifts between POVs to deliver an exceptional high fantasy with mystical dragons, their fire-breathing enemies, and the Nameless One who threatens all.
Breathtaking
The Priory of the Orange Tree is truly a masterpiece worth reading. Running over 800 pages, this is one of those novels that seems a bit intimidating but isn’t really.
Let’s begin with Shannon’s world-building. The world-building here is fantastic. The Priory of the Orange Tree story goes to different regions and cultures. The readers see that Shannon pulls together medieval, Arabian, and East Asian folklore to create something new and unique.
You see where Shannon draws her inspiration from while respecting those cultures. Still, she’s making something new here but tangible for the reader to ground them in the story. So the reader is grounded in this fantastic storytelling.
And the way the author can delve into the history of this land without being daunting without dragging the story down creates something worthwhile. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a rich and beautiful story you are lured into. You can start small with 30 pages a day to read this book, but after about 200 pages, you are sucked into the storytelling.
Characters
What also works well with the map with the masterful storytelling is the characterization. The story goes between multiple perspectives, which works well for the story. However, again going over 800 pages makes the book look daunting. Still, by breaking up the world-building by breaking up the history and breaking up the magic into different regions and perspectives, you’re getting a bigger picture without breaking up the story’s pacing. This also allows a lot of room for the characters to grow and shine throughout the narrative.
Ead, Sabran, Tané, Niclays & Arteloth are some of the characters and the character Danielle makes here. They shift, they change, and they evolve.
There were times when Sabran early on she was probably one of my least favorite characters. But throughout the story, you understand her a little more. This is a woman whose only duty as queen is to produce a daughter. Her entire Queendom is reduced to one moment, stripping away her power and control over her own life. As her country believes it is her bloodline that keeps the Nameless One bound, the importance of her getting married and having a child weighs on her. Seeing her character explored in depth was captivating.
The same can be said for Ead and Tané.
These were two of my favorite characters. They’re both fierce, but they’re both so different. They both delve into magic, different types that add to the story’s world-building. As a result, the reader sees more diversity and compelling world-building through these two narratives. This is where the reader sees so much respect for other cultures’ folklore.
Final Thoughts
The Priory of the Orange Tree is simply a fantastic novel. This is a novel 100% worth reading. It has such an ease to it despite its length that makes it so easy for the reader to read. However, with her masterful storytelling and characterization, Shannon has crafted a story worthy of awards.
See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn
Sooo good! High fantasy written by women just hits different. The dynamic between Ead and Sabran was *chefs kiss* The world building and magic system were top tier. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
For full review, click here: https://alyrusciano.wordpress.com/2021/07/14/the-priory-of-the-orange-tree-review
This novel took hold of my heart, tore it to shreds, and then patched it back up again. I hung on to each and every word, losing myself in Shannon's world and fighting side-by-side with her characters. I have a strong affection for Ead, falling in love with her spunk, courage, and relationship with the queen. Of all the storylines, Ead's was by far my favorite.
I would recommend this novel to anyone in need of an adventure! If you are starting to venture outside of YA novels and are looking for an adult fantasy that isn't overly graphic, sexual, or politically confusing, THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE could be your next five-star read! Don't feel intimidated by the length. Shannon's writing will make you dread having to put the book down!
This novel took hold of my heart, tore it to shreds, and then patched it back up again. I hung on to each and every word, losing myself in Shannon's world and fighting side-by-side with her characters. I have a strong affection for Ead, falling in love with her spunk, courage, and relationship with the queen. Of all the storylines, Ead's was by far my favorite.
I would recommend this novel to anyone in need of an adventure! If you are starting to venture outside of YA novels and are looking for an adult fantasy that isn't overly graphic, sexual, or politically confusing, THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE could be your next five-star read! Don't feel intimidated by the length. Shannon's writing will make you dread having to put the book down!
Okay I’ll be honest. The story was great, the characters cool. But it was WAY too long. This book did not need to be 800+ pages. I think if it was around the 500+ mark I would’ve given it closer to 5 stars. I figured out the ending at about the halfway mark. But all in all a decent book. LOVE the representation in it. Queer couples, people of color, and all the things that makes me smile.
Wonderful book! The story, the pacing and the whole world building was amazing. Just like all high fantasy books, you have to let the world settle in and by page 100, you're in it and stuff starts happening FAST. I would absolutely read anything by Samantha Shannon again.
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