The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

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.

Goodreads | Amazon

The Review

For such a behemoth of a book, I think my review of it will be rather short. I adored this story, its world-building, its monsters and cultures and utter brutality. There's a reason that Samantha Shannon's name is one of the first I offer when asked about my favorite authors.

The stakes are high, the characters are fleshed out, the lore is rich. This is one I foresee myself reaching for again in the future. One criticism is that there are a LOT of POV's and initially, it was a bit confusing. Once I got into the beat of it though, the voices are distinguishable from the get-go. I wish I hadn't waited so long to read this one. I'm not usually intimidated by the girth of books, but I will confess this isn't for the faint of heart. I urge you to read it if it sounds even mildly interesting. It is unlike her other books but if you're a fantasy fanatic, don't sleep on it. I mean, do I even have to say more than the word "dragons?" Honestly, the dragons in this world are some of the coolest compared to the other species I've visited in other tales.

Nayimathun is MVP forever.

My biggest, most desperate wish is that this world is brought back in another book.