“The Priory of the Orange Tree”, Samantha Shannon
Published February 26, 2019 • Book 1 of the Roots of Chaos
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.
“All the world is a cage in a young girl’s eyes.”
This is an intimidating book. A thicc tome that I had been eyeing for years, but never took a chance on because of how it looked on the shelves of the bookstore. But one Christmas, Target had a sale and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to broaden my horizons and read a high fantasy.
The story is sprawling, rich, and intricate. It took me a few months to get through the book, and I’ll admit, the beginning was a slow burn. With multiple characters and POVs introduced across far-flung corners of their world, it was so much to take in at first, especially when none of their stories seemed interconnected. But there was something intriguing about the worldbuilding and the promise of a bigger, grander story that kept me turning the pages.
Once everything and everyone started to weave together, it really took off. The threads tightened and the characters’ paths converged in such a satisfying way. This is a book that demands patience, but rewards you with depth and an epic story.
Content Warnings
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of content and trigger warnings.
miscarriage • religious bigotry • violence
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Owned: paperback from Target