The Priory Of The Orange Tree

The Priory Of The Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

It's rare that I'll write up a review immediately after finishing a book... but this is an exception to the rule.

This book.... words are failing me (this is why I normally wait)... but it was incredible.

Since finishing, I've read a few other reviews, the main jist seems to be that it's amazing and reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings books.

Disclaimer - I've never read the LOTR books. As much as I adore the stories and consider myself a fan, I have never sat down and tried to read them, however after reading TPotOT, I have a new found confidence in doing so. But I can see where the similarities lie.

If you are intimidated by the size of this book - I do not blame you one bit. It scared the hell out of me. I'm not a light reader but I also like to read lots of stories, therefore smaller books means more consumption. That was why I chose to read this as my New Year handover book. I started on the 30th December knowing full well it would take me over to the beginning of 2023. I had already completed by stretch goal for 2022 so I afforded myself the time to get into it, without feeling like I was rushing it.

A few reasons why I consumed this so quickly:

There was enough happening in the first 150 pages to keep me gripped. I believe that you generally know in the first 10% of a book if it's going to hook you, or if it's going to be a slog.

There are multiple plotlines running parallel - think Game of Thrones. I genuinely think the reason that GoT saw the success that it did is because there was something, someone for everyone and at any given point, someone was facing drama.

In the same way - there are multiple protagonists, each with their own story to tell. I'm not sure I favoured any specific one.

If you want an immersive fantasy, then this is the book for you. I wouldn't know if this is an ideal book for someone looking to dip their toe into the water of literal fantasy as it is full on; but who am I to say?

This is going to be a hard one to beat this year; I'm concerned that I've peaked far too early with my 2023 reads. But as my first book of 2023 - I'm glad it was a 5 star read.

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