If you aren’t familiar with the sensation of The Priory of the Orange Tree, it is a fantasy book written by Samantha Shannon that includes LGBTQ representation, dragons and magic. If that isn’t enough to convince you to read it, I don’t know what to tell you.
I can’t say I was eager to read The Priory of the Orange Tree. I DNFed it the first time I tried because I found it to be dense and confusing. The first couple of chapters were a challenge, and the sheer length of the book was daunting. There were also many characters that I couldn’t keep track of so I just put it down. But I can’t start something without seeing it through, so I picked it up again a few months later.
Reading the beginning the second time was just as challenging. Not as challenging as Dune, for example, but still hard to understand. (Goodness knows it’s hard to be as challenging as the beginning of Dune.) I couldn’t get over how long it was. 800 pages! I felt as if I would never finish it.
But when I reached the 20% mark, I couldn’t put it down. The characters were engaging and thoroughly developed. The world was complex and fascinating, but you weren’t thrown in headfirst. Everything was meticulously joined together, moving parts that all aligned with each other in a satisfying whirl of escapist fantasy.
There’s a lot of great representation in The Priory of the Orange Tree, and I was deeply invested in the relationships. The characters had depth and flaws and you could see their development throughout the story. Their selfishness and weaknesses were laid bare for you to see, and I loved how raw they felt. You could feel their emotions and the way their minds worked to lead to the decisions they made.
I often find with fantasy novels that I get bored in the second half, and I find it tedious to get to the end. But The Priory of the Orange Tree pulled off its length, and I never found it tiring. The storyline was smooth and well planned. A lot happened, but it all felt natural, and I barely felt the length when I understood the many layers to the world. There was a wealth of language, culture, religion and politics to keep you occupied, and Shannon introduced the reader to her world without overwhelming you.
Another thing I often find with fantasy is that I dislike many perspectives. But The Priory of the Orange Tree kept linking characters back together to keep you interested and keep you in the loop, not letting you slip too far away. You could see how every storyline was relevant, and the relationships between the seemingly distant characters were all interlocked.
And to finish singing The Priory of the Orange Tree’s praises, the ending (in my opinion, the most important part) was satisfying and tied everything together neatly. Needless to say, I’m very excited to read the other Roots of Chaos book – A Day of Fallen Night. And I strongly recommend that you read The Priory of the Orange Tree.
If you are daunted by the length, so was I, but it’s worth it. If you don’t enjoy fantasy all that much, this is an excellent introduction or break from the challenging material you might be used to. And if you’re looking for some great LGBTQ+ representation, I will forever recommend you this book. So, I urge you to pick it up and give it a go.
Disagree? Let me know why!