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A review by manjala
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
5.0
I'm dead. This book took over my life for more than a month.
And I have to say it was worth it.
The worldbuilding around the legends and cultures of the world, and the POV's from the main characters really sold this book for me. And animal companions, talking dragons?? This was just great.
I kept thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it, and I didn't want it to be over.
The message about being more open-minded to other cultures and beliefs really spoke to me. The representation in this book was also very refreshing, and didn't feel forced to me.
Samantha Shannon, the author, wrote an article about her inspiration behind this fantasy standalone; the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. This gave it more bonus points from me, as it explained some of the choices she made in the story, all to make her message more clear. And I am just a sucker for folktales and myths/legends ;)
You can find the article here: https://unbound.com/boundless/2020/03/31/samantha-shannon-retellings/
My only point of critique was about the ending, and the way the story all came together. Or rather, how it didn't. It just felt quite rushed and incomplete. It gave off a completely different vibe from the rest of the book, and it didn't feel as layered or fleshed out as the rest. And the "ultimate enemy" didn't scare me as much as the political mayhem that was happening.
Still gonna give it 4.5 stars, as it doesn't outweigh the positive experience I had while reading this. Definitely wanna reread it someday!
And I have to say it was worth it.
The worldbuilding around the legends and cultures of the world, and the POV's from the main characters really sold this book for me. And animal companions, talking dragons?? This was just great.
I kept thinking about the book when I wasn't reading it, and I didn't want it to be over.
The message about being more open-minded to other cultures and beliefs really spoke to me. The representation in this book was also very refreshing, and didn't feel forced to me.
Samantha Shannon, the author, wrote an article about her inspiration behind this fantasy standalone; the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. This gave it more bonus points from me, as it explained some of the choices she made in the story, all to make her message more clear. And I am just a sucker for folktales and myths/legends ;)
You can find the article here: https://unbound.com/boundless/2020/03/31/samantha-shannon-retellings/
My only point of critique was about the ending, and the way the story all came together. Or rather, how it didn't. It just felt quite rushed and incomplete. It gave off a completely different vibe from the rest of the book, and it didn't feel as layered or fleshed out as the rest. And the "ultimate enemy" didn't scare me as much as the political mayhem that was happening.
Still gonna give it 4.5 stars, as it doesn't outweigh the positive experience I had while reading this. Definitely wanna reread it someday!