The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos)
The million-copy bestselling “rich and engaging high fantasy novel that puts women and their stories front and center . . . will pull you into its magical world from the first page.” (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.
Experience more of this New York Times bestselling series in the Roots of Chaos prequels, A Day of Fallen Night and Among the Burning Flowers.
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The Priory of the Orange Tree* by Samantha Shannon offers immersive worldbuilding, strong female leads, and rich political intrigue, prai...
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.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3-3.5!
This book has a lot of great things going for it- dragons, political strife, breaking traditions, strong female leads and characters in general, an absolutely insane immersion in world building, great writing, and character development.
I enjoyed my read and would re-read. Especially now that I’ve finished this book, and understand better each character and some of the lore in its earlier stages, I feel I may have missed some key details fleshed out in the beginning that I would have a greater appreciation for now.
The early chapters were tough- the immediate introduction to the world building and the politics of each region while trying to learn how to pronounce everything was INTENSE. Typical for fantasy introductions I’d say, but this one took their lore to a whole new level!
I’ll wrap up criticism by wrapping back around to the end of the book, and coming full circle. The beginnings for its intensity and the end for its perceived “rush” to end things were what kept me from rating 4-4.5, which I contemplated in the middle (where I really enjoyed things). This closure on the book feels a mix on incomplete (which I credit to be purposefully lain for the next book(s)) and rushed. When I got to the last 83% and 5-6 chapters of the book and only 100 pages left, and the Nameless One still hadn’t made his appeareance, I figured the final battle was to be one of quick defeat. This isn’t a terrible thing, but felt to me the same way the killing of Smaug did in the Hobbit- for something so hyped up for the better part of 730+ pages, I expected something more long-winded but was met with something that felt quick and easy.
Now, I expect a lot of the same as with the hobbit, that maybe this also lays the foundation for major plot points in other books (like the battle for the mountain) and hold onto that notion. Because the battle in the abyss was scarcely as intense as I expected. What happened to the jewels? Do Tanè and Ead still have them? What of Sabran in that whole event? The right hand (Feyrèdel or whatever his name was) still is amiss. So I expect that to be an issue later LOL.
I very much enjoyed the writing, albeit the names were hard to say, and the world building was fantastic! I am invested in this fantastical place of magic, mages, dragons, and breaking of societal role and expectation. The multiple POV’s of each character were very well fleshed out and we seen the developments of each at a good pace that felt genuine and true to the nature of the character first introduced. Sabran and Ead’s relationship, though not my personal preference, felt sincere and was delicately mentioned in a way that wasn’t overdone or forced, and added a sweet layer to the book that didn’t take away from the real adventure and plot. Same with Roos and Jannart’s mention. The reader really came to understand each character’s motives and that’s an art I can say is scarcely seen in love stories these days.
Eadaz and Tanè were two of my favs, and I love their strong personalities with a contrast that was emulated in their respective stones: starlight/fire and the sea. The dragons and their political structure that then played into each region’s religion was so well done and felt believable and sophisticated!
The underlying plot points that dealt with sexism (Cleolind being the real beneficiary of the initial defeat of the Nameless One, Sabran’s line being only deemed worthy with the continuation of the blood line, etc) were great secondary discussion points that added to the overall storyline and by its end, as everyone is discovering that what they were taught to believe is not always truth or even the right thing to do, really felt full circle.
I loved Tanè’s dragon, and there were a lot of great quotes and descriptions in this book!
For the amount of times people were supposed to die- seriously, a lot of unfatal throat slashing- they didn’t, but also key characters who were the catalyst for peace treaties between the regions were killed off without second guess. Nice change of pace in that regard.
Overall, an enjoyable behemoth of a read. The beginning was tough but the pay off by 20% in was well worth it. And though the end felt rushed, considering how big the book is and how much time has surpassed, it wasn’t a total flop. The same sex relationships aren’t for me but I’m pleasantly surprised and happy with their involvement in this story and appreciated the adventure, the magic, and the dragons!
This book has a lot of great things going for it- dragons, political strife, breaking traditions, strong female leads and characters in general, an absolutely insane immersion in world building, great writing, and character development.
I enjoyed my read and would re-read. Especially now that I’ve finished this book, and understand better each character and some of the lore in its earlier stages, I feel I may have missed some key details fleshed out in the beginning that I would have a greater appreciation for now.
The early chapters were tough- the immediate introduction to the world building and the politics of each region while trying to learn how to pronounce everything was INTENSE. Typical for fantasy introductions I’d say, but this one took their lore to a whole new level!
I’ll wrap up criticism by wrapping back around to the end of the book, and coming full circle. The beginnings for its intensity and the end for its perceived “rush” to end things were what kept me from rating 4-4.5, which I contemplated in the middle (where I really enjoyed things). This closure on the book feels a mix on incomplete (which I credit to be purposefully lain for the next book(s)) and rushed. When I got to the last 83% and 5-6 chapters of the book and only 100 pages left, and the Nameless One still hadn’t made his appeareance, I figured the final battle was to be one of quick defeat. This isn’t a terrible thing, but felt to me the same way the killing of Smaug did in the Hobbit- for something so hyped up for the better part of 730+ pages, I expected something more long-winded but was met with something that felt quick and easy.
Now, I expect a lot of the same as with the hobbit, that maybe this also lays the foundation for major plot points in other books (like the battle for the mountain) and hold onto that notion. Because the battle in the abyss was scarcely as intense as I expected. What happened to the jewels? Do Tanè and Ead still have them? What of Sabran in that whole event? The right hand (Feyrèdel or whatever his name was) still is amiss. So I expect that to be an issue later LOL.
I very much enjoyed the writing, albeit the names were hard to say, and the world building was fantastic! I am invested in this fantastical place of magic, mages, dragons, and breaking of societal role and expectation. The multiple POV’s of each character were very well fleshed out and we seen the developments of each at a good pace that felt genuine and true to the nature of the character first introduced. Sabran and Ead’s relationship, though not my personal preference, felt sincere and was delicately mentioned in a way that wasn’t overdone or forced, and added a sweet layer to the book that didn’t take away from the real adventure and plot. Same with Roos and Jannart’s mention. The reader really came to understand each character’s motives and that’s an art I can say is scarcely seen in love stories these days.
Eadaz and Tanè were two of my favs, and I love their strong personalities with a contrast that was emulated in their respective stones: starlight/fire and the sea. The dragons and their political structure that then played into each region’s religion was so well done and felt believable and sophisticated!
The underlying plot points that dealt with sexism (Cleolind being the real beneficiary of the initial defeat of the Nameless One, Sabran’s line being only deemed worthy with the continuation of the blood line, etc) were great secondary discussion points that added to the overall storyline and by its end, as everyone is discovering that what they were taught to believe is not always truth or even the right thing to do, really felt full circle.
I loved Tanè’s dragon, and there were a lot of great quotes and descriptions in this book!
For the amount of times people were supposed to die- seriously, a lot of unfatal throat slashing- they didn’t, but also key characters who were the catalyst for peace treaties between the regions were killed off without second guess. Nice change of pace in that regard.
Overall, an enjoyable behemoth of a read. The beginning was tough but the pay off by 20% in was well worth it. And though the end felt rushed, considering how big the book is and how much time has surpassed, it wasn’t a total flop. The same sex relationships aren’t for me but I’m pleasantly surprised and happy with their involvement in this story and appreciated the adventure, the magic, and the dragons!
4.75
How has this not been made into a tv series yet!? I’m so glad I can finally check this one off my list, but also sad it’s over. Can’t wait to read the next one!
How has this not been made into a tv series yet!? I’m so glad I can finally check this one off my list, but also sad it’s over. Can’t wait to read the next one!
The Priory of the Orange Tree was epic fun. Some books are 80 pages and take 80 days to read, while others are over 800 pages, and make you want to finish them in a day. Priory is the latter. I wanted to fly through it because it was absolutely delicious. Yet I had to keep reminding myself to fully absorb the fantastical world-building and imagery that Samantha Shannon delivers through her evocative prose. It's a world that draws on the familiar yet feels entirely new and refreshing. And my enjoyment didn't start or end there – the plot is detailed yet fast-paced, kept me turning the pages. The writing is poetic without being drawn out. The characters are complex, and their actions and motivations feel natural. Even the twists arise from a well-crafted plot and characters rather than for shock value.
I couldn't help but yelp with delight every time I encountered a "her" instead of a "him." After reading a mountain of high fantasy, you almost expect the default characters to be male - pirates, privateers, governors, professors, knights of 'virtue', soldiers, scholars, warriors, and so on. Yes, it’s a feminist retelling, but that doesn’t mean treating men as women are treated by men in a patriarchy. That’s the thing I loved most about this book – it doesn’t diminish, demean, or subjugate one gender to lift another up.
It's been a while since I've read a high fantasy this good – definitely one of my favorites in this genre.
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