Review: THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My favorite fantasy novel of 2019 was hands-down THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE. It’s a standalone, for all you readers who don’t want to commit to a series, and it’s packed full of everything I want in a fantasy novel: women in the leading roles, magic, and dragons.

Samantha Shannon has crafted a world where dragons represent something different depending on where you’re from. Easterners revere their water-dragons, and a chosen few are trained to ride them. Western dragons breathe fire and are feared and hated by the people of the West, who battled them years ago. At the start of PRIORY, it looks as though the dragons that have been locked in the Abyss for years may break loose. According to legend, only the continuation of the royal line can keep the dragons—especially the powerful Nameless One—from escaping. Sabran Berethnet, the current queen of Inys, must conceive a daughter (yup, Inys is a matriarchy!) in order to keep her people safe.

This book is so much more than what can be summed up in a quick blurb, and honestly, you’re better off going in without much more knowledge than that. PRIORY is a lush, glittering adventure, full of myths and languages and a massive cast of characters. There are four POVs in this book, and picking a favorite was a challenge. PRIORY is also an LGBTQ novel, which was fantastic to read in epic fantasy.

I read this novel right after the Game of Thrones show ended, and it soothed so much of my rage about the show’s final season. If you are looking for a feminist, inclusive, epic fantasy with fascinating dragon mythology, pick up THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE.


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