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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848 pages

Average rating: 7.82

325 RATINGS

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alyrusciano

Mar 24, 2025

8/10 stars

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!

katietopp

Jan 01, 2025

6/10 stars

Okay Iâll 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 wouldâve 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.

Gneiss_Rocks

Dec 31, 2024

9/10 stars

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.

Anonymous

Dec 12, 2024

10/10 stars

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.

Dec 12, 2024

8/10 stars

It took me a while to get into and it's not always easy to keep all the multitude of characters in order, but the story is good and its lovely to see so many strong female leads.