Samantha Shannon

The New York Times bestselling "epic feminist fantasy perfect for fans of Game of Thrones" (Bustle). 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.

The Priory of the Orange Tree

I will rip every single page from this book rn

Stas

"Ten years," she said, "and not one sunrise more."

"To be kin to a dragon, Nayimathun said, you must not only have a soul of water. You must have the blood of the sea, and the sea is not always pure. It is not any one thing, There is darkness in it, and danger, and cruelty. It can raze great cities with its rage. Its depths are unknowable; they do not see the touch of the sun. To be a Miduchi is not to be pure, Tané. It is to be the living sea. That is why I chose you. You have a dragon's heart.”

I love you like my own sister, Ead Duryan.

i am NOT okay with this at ALL, i was JUST thinking how much i liked him and how funny he was and then he DIED???? WHAT??????

Forgive me, he said thickly. Forgive me, Kitston Glade.

alexys <3

Sabran watched her face. At last, Ead leaned close and kissed her. “Ten years,” she said, “and not one sunrise more.”

“For a time, we must go our separate ways ... but ten years from now, I will meet you on the sand of Perchling. And we will find our somewhere.'

“I would live alone for fifty years to have one day with you.”

Yet what was between them could not be denied. It was Sabran Berethnet who sang to her soul.

“Eadaz uq-Nāra.” The name left her like a curse. “You are so very like Cleolind, you know.” Blood speckled her lips. “After all this time, I see her spirit. Somehow... she outlived me.”

“Come, blood of the mulberry tree. Let us see who is the greater witch.”

As soon as he was past the Knights of the Body and through the door, he scooped Ead right off her feet. 

“Being your friend is quite a strenuous affair, you know,' he said, feeling her smile against his own cheek. 

“Jannart was my midnight sun,” he rasped. “The light I have followed.”

“I wrote to you, grovelling,” Nicklaus spat, “after Aubrecht Lievelyn refused to allow me to return home. He was so desirous of your sacred cunt that he prized it over—“

“I could tell you of her beauty, Lord Arteloth, but I doubt the greatest writer in history could do justice to it, and alas, I never was a writer of much skill.”

Ead released a breath, half sigh and half laugh. “How many times have we damned each other now?”

“Hold on to Tané,” it said in Inysh, “and yes, son of the West, I will take you to the City of the Thousand Flowers.'

She thought of how it had been between them, from the candle dance to the first touch of her lips.

“My heart knows your song, as yours knows mine. And I will always come back to you.”

Surely this was an unquiet dream. She would throw herself on the mercy of the desert if it meant that she could have this woman. 

“Damn you, intransigent fool.” She almost choked on her laughter. “I have crossed the South and the West to get back to you, Sabran Berethnet, and you reward me thus?”

“If you think a handful of traitors will keep me from her side,” came her immediate answer, “you are sorely mistaken.” Then, softer, “I can do this alone.”

“We both serve the Mother, Mita,” she said. “Let us see which of us she favours."

“My Ead,” she had whispered, “My evening star. If the sun burned out tomorrow, your flame would light the world.”

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 to be a dragonrider since she was a child, 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.

Priory of the Orange Tree

I think this book is fairly good. The world building is excellent and it doesn’t take too long to understand who is who and where the places all are (also thanks to the map at the start of the book). However, I don’t really understand why this is a standalone book. 4 narrators are far too much for a fantasy book this intricate: the constant change of POV was so frustrating at the start and there was no time to actually give some character to the protagonists: two of them remain flat during the whole journey, while the others two are a bit more rounded, but only because they were actually given more time to be understood by the reader. In fact, the more we get into the action, the less we read about the “east” characters, and that’s a shame, although I actually didn’t appreciate them that much.

The book didn’t feel rushed, but it’s a shame that the final battle lasted so little. I just read 800 pages for everything to end like this? It definitely could have been handled better, especially because there were so many things to be talked about!

I also didn’t particularly like how the author decided to write about dragons, but objectively I think it’s good to see another way of writing about them.

Kudos for the lesbian main couple tho!!! It was a pleasure to read :)

mirta <3

I think this book is fairly good. The world building is excellent and it doesn’t take too long to understand who is who and where the places all are (also thanks to the map at the start of the book). However, I don’t really understand why this is a standalone book. 4 narrators are far too much for a fantasy book this intricate: the constant change of POV was so frustrating at the start and there was no time to actually give some character to the protagonists: two of them remain flat during the whole journey, while the others two are a bit more rounded, but only because they were actually given more time to be understood by the reader. In fact, the more we get into the action, the less we read about the “east” characters, and that’s a shame, although I actually didn’t appreciate them that much.

The book didn’t feel rushed, but it’s a shame that the final battle lasted so little. I just read 800 pages for everything to end like this? It definitely could have been handled better, especially because there were so many things to be talked about!

I also didn’t particularly like how the author decided to write about dragons, but objectively I think it’s good to see another way of writing about them.

Kudos for the lesbian main couple tho!!! It was a pleasure to read :)

My friends...I was not made to read fantasy...

First of all, loved the world building and the writing, I feel like I could easily imagine what it looked like and that was sm fun

Second, my issues...i feel like the pacing was a bit all over the place, some things felt a bit too drawn out, while other things were too rushed and i wanted more. Additionally, I thought the characters felt a bit shallow, and I think I should've known more about them, and not just their skills, before page 600. Both of these are majorly influenced by me just not...being a fantasy reader...i am a loyal 200 page character driven book kinda girl...

ANYWAYS this was sm fun, and I do feel like i would enjoy it more on a reread! As if thats ever happening! 

it actually did not feel like 800 pages, they flew by, which tells me she did an overall good job (ignoring the times i wanted to rip apart the book bc it was taking so long)

My friends...I was not made to read fantasy...

First of all, loved the world building and the writing, I feel like I could easily imagine what it looked like and that was sm fun

Second, my issues...i feel like the pacing was a bit all over the place, some things felt a bit too drawn out, while other things were too rushed and i wanted more. Additionally, I thought the characters felt a bit shallow, and I think I should've known more about them, and not just their skills, before page 600. Both of these are majorly influenced by me just not...being a fantasy reader...i am a loyal 200 page character driven book kinda girl...

ANYWAYS this was sm fun, and I do feel like i would enjoy it more on a reread! As if thats ever happening! 

it actually did not feel like 800 pages, they flew by, which tells me she did an overall good job (ignoring the times i wanted to rip apart the book bc it was taking so long)

This was quite the immersive tale. Took a bit to sink into it, but when I did, I didn't want to leave

Annabella

i don't understand. it's probably my fault but i couldn't bring myself to care for the characters or the politics. the premise of a fantasy queer book had everything to get me hooked and yet i ended up not pushing through for it was a real struggle to get invested in the story. great writing though!

nahis

The beginning felt like watching season 1 of the Witcher - many characters, different timelines, different locations. It took me a bit to put the pieces together…EPIC world building. This is the best I’ve read so far, what an incredible world. I would love to see this made into a good TV show…HOWEVER, the climax/final battle was literally 30 pages, and it was ehh. 800 pages, just for the best part to last 2 second seems like All this hard work was too easy in the end….it look me a long time too read. The plot was like a rollercoaster. Everything seemed like it was going right, and then BAM something goes wrong and the characters had to start all over. Idk if I’ll read the prequel 🤷🏼‍♀️

Miranda Watson

i wish i connected with the characters and maybe this was split up a little. i also didn’t dread the final battle because i didn’t care that much. but sabran and ead have my heart!!!!

felicity hu

This changed my quintessence. Beautiful. The whole world building is amazing, and the relationships between the characters are so well explained, depicted. The end made me wonder a few things, but it was so good that I feel empty now that I finished it. Yes, it was THAT good. 

Romy

you really have to be a certain type of unlucky to be born as the eldest child

sacred cunt

Took me a long time to finish, because I took a few breaks, which wasn’t a great idea because it took me out of the groove of the story so I don’t feel that I got the full immersed experience of this story. The ending was a tad lackluster, but I assume that’s because there’s going to be a sequel and this wasn’t the final ending. The action scenes were written in a very specific style, one that for me lacked a bit of clarity. 

Lindsey Arenson

An enthralling, epic fantasy about a world on the brink of war with dragons - and the women who must lead the fight to save it.

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 to be a dragonrider since she was a child, 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...

Hanna Rybchynska

ghost girl in satin

This book had everything I ever wanted, yet it was boring, and I was disappointed.
I don't understand the hype. The characters were two-dimensional at best, the world-building could have been awesome but felt flat, the romances didn't do it for me because there was no alchemy (imo) between the characters (or maybe was it because I didn't enjoy the characters, so obviously I can't enjoy a romance involving them), and I wished this book could reconcile me with dragons (because most of the time, when I read a book with dragons I find them deeply boring, which is a shame because I LOVE the idea of dragons) but unfortunately, that was not it. 

The cover is gorgeous, though, and I liked the first fifty pages, so I will give it that.

THE SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'The new Game of Thrones' Stylist'Puts Samantha Shannon in the same league as Robin Hobb and George R.R. Martin. Shannon is a master of dragons' Starburst'Epic fantasy with added dragons. A blockbuster' Guardian, Best Science Fiction and Fantasy An enthralling, epic fantasy about a world on the brink of war with dragons - and the women who must lead the fight to save it.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 to be a dragonrider since she was a child, 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.

My new favorite book…Shannon makes 200 pages feel like 5. Though I’d find myself sitting and reflecting on not only the story but my own life often which lead to me taking a long time to finish. My only complaint is there’s not 5 more!!

Jas 🐸

maia

this was epic! so many badass female characters, and beautiful world-building.

Keira

Megan

I finished reading this book about a week ago and I still absolutely cannot stop thinking about it. This book has absolutely everything I want, dragons, romance, lgbtq+ ships, adventure, good world-building (monumental, even) and I can’t wait to eventually re-read it. 

Read my full review here: https://meglovescliches.substack.com/...

Great writing but the story just felt sluggish and uninteresting.

Erik Horton

an amazing woman centered fantasy novel built over a super complex world. captivated me from beginning to end (finished it in one weekend) 

Daphne Li-Chen

Kayleigh Vermeij

Sandrin

Im beginning to realize that I just dont vibe with stories about dragons. It was painfully hard to read this one. The amount of descriptions and info dumps slowed down the pace of the story. All in all, overwhelming and boring.

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.

This is a 4 star read for me. A lot of people seemed to really love this book, so I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.

Let's start off with what I really loved about the book:

• I love the world building. It's absolutely incredible. Sure, a lot of it is rooted in obvious inspiration of our world's cultures, but the scope and the lore of the world was fabulous. I loved the lore of the world and how it evolves as more is learned about the sealing of the Great One. I loved learning about the different types of dragons and how they're a balance of one another on a cosmic scale. I loved the three trees of power and how they created their own bloodlines in different ways. If nothing else is taken from this book, it should be the beautiful world building.

• I loved that the author was clear about her characters being diverse in culture, race, and sexuality - which seems like a low bar, but so many authors like to dance around it to keep people comfortable rather than challenging their perceptions.

• Fucking Niclays. If he ever becomes flesh and blood, it is on sight. He did not deserve his "happy" ending. He did nothing to ever atone for anything he ever did wrong and took no accountability and I WILL fight him.

• I thought the pace, especially in the first half, was very slow and could have been reworked to some degree. By the time the book was over, I was very ready to be done with the pacing of the book.

• There were many times where I wish the way the characters spoke were more distinct because sometimes I had to recheck who was speaking because I couldn't tell, especially as they all started sharing scenes in later parts of the book. They were all a little flat for me, emotionally, despite making very different and important decisions. I also thought they could have used a little more character growth for how many pages this brick of a book had, but you definitely can't say they didn't grow at all.

• I was very aware of the fact that Samantha Shannon, who is white, had a lot of characters that were people of color. I don't think she necessarily did anything harmful, and I hope she had beta readers to check on things, but it's worth mentioning because I worried some parts felt a little appropriated.

I also have a pet theory, which I don't think was ever confirmed: I think the Golden Empress was the Lacustrine emperor's girlfriend that he broke up with.

All in all, I don't think this is a book I will likely keep on my shelf because I don't think I'm likely to reread it, but I can see why others would love this book. I would definitely recommend this book to others. This book is definitely geared toward adult readers and not children.

Kirsten Simkiss

This is a 4 star read for me. A lot of people seemed to really love this book, so I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.

Let's start off with what I really loved about the book:
• I love the world building. It's absolutely incredible. Sure, a lot of it is rooted in obvious inspiration of our world's cultures, but the scope and the lore of the world was fabulous. I loved the lore of the world and how it evolves as more is learned about the sealing of the Great One. I loved learning about the different types of dragons and how they're a balance of one another on a cosmic scale. I loved the three trees of power and how they created their own bloodlines in different ways. If nothing else is taken from this book, it should be the beautiful world building.
• I loved that the author was clear about her characters being diverse in culture, race, and sexuality - which seems like a low bar, but so many authors like to dance around it to keep people comfortable rather than challenging their perceptions.
• Meg, who deserved better.

Here are the things I didn't like:
• Fucking Niclays. If he ever becomes flesh and blood, it is on sight. He did not deserve his "happy" ending. He did nothing to ever atone for anything he ever did wrong and took no accountability and I WILL fight him.
• I thought the pace, especially in the first half, was very slow and could have been reworked to some degree. By the time the book was over, I was very ready to be done with the pacing of the book.
• There were many times where I wish the way the characters spoke were more distinct because sometimes I had to recheck who was speaking because I couldn't tell, especially as they all started sharing scenes in later parts of the book. They were all a little flat for me, emotionally, despite making very different and important decisions. I also thought they could have used a little more character growth for how many pages this brick of a book had, but you definitely can't say they didn't grow at all.
• I was very aware of the fact that Samantha Shannon, who is white, had a lot of characters that were people of color. I don't think she necessarily did anything harmful, and I hope she had beta readers to check on things, but it's worth mentioning because I worried some parts felt a little appropriated.

I also have a pet theory, which I don't think was ever confirmed: I think the Golden Empress was the Lacustrine emperor's girlfriend that he broke up with.

All in all, I don't think this is a book I will likely keep on my shelf because I don't think I'm likely to reread it, but I can see why others would love this book. I would definitely recommend this book to others. This book is definitely geared toward adult readers and not children.


The first half was slow and I didn’t care much for the Ead and Sabran romance so it was slow going, but after halfway it picked up and really shown. I liked Niclays’ pov the best. It was so sad and beautiful. He had the most layers.

Jordan

➺ 
  3.5/5 🌟



although it took me almost three weeks to finish this book (i was so busy with my personal life) and it's definitely a chunky one, it never felt that massive to me. it's not very hard to get into the story and i was actually engrossed with this everytime i picked this up. 

i love stories with dragons. i haven't read that many, but those i did, mostly danmei novels, i fell in love with. i could have loved this one too. but the thing is, i felt like this book lacked something. 

it's not that this is not good. i would not invest my time with a massive book if i didn't enjoy it, but something fell short with the story. and i think maybe a huge factor to that is because of the ending. 

all is well in the ending and it even left a space for a possible sequel, but the final battle is very underwhelming. the author took her time to build a huge world and introduce her characters well, and the chunkiness of this book is the evidence of this, but the final battle just couldn't support the heftiness of the story. it's not that they achieved an easy win against the last boss, but the final battle didn't feel like a worthy finale for such a long book, in my opinion. either the author should have just reduced the story a bit or she should have created a great, epic battle to match the whole world building. 

anyway, overall i still liked this a lot and i also loved the author's writing. i'm planning on reading the prequel, maybe not soon but i definitely will.

One of the POV characters was not for me.

The Priory of the Orange Tree

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