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.

Comments

A Merry Little Meet Cute - Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

What a bloody lovely Christmas beaut this was! If you're venturing into spicy romance books and have been on Instagram or TikTok recently, it's likely that you would have seen this little gem doing the rounds. Bee is a content creator for ClosedDoor (think.. OnlyFans) and Nolan is an ex-boyband bad boy that are both cast in a Hope Channel (think... Hallmark) Christmas movie, Duke The Halls. Nolan is reinventing his career and trying to rid himself of the bad boy image whereas Bee is brought in last minute because the Lead Actress has been taken ill. The best part? Bee was a massive fan of Nolan in her teenage years and Nolan has been following Bee on social media for a while. And they're getting paid to get to know each other. I adored this book. It was everything I wanted it to be and is perfect for those of us who love a Hallmark Christmas movie but wished there was a bit heat in the romances. the positive message around Bee's work is brilliantly handled, not to me...

Orphans of The Storm - Celia Imrie

Started: Thursday 7th July 2022 Finished: Saturday 9th July 2022 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Given my obsession with the story of the Titanic in my younger years, this is the first book I've ever read which is based around the tragic disaster. I bought Orphans of the Storm on a whim on one of my Waterstone's sprees - and I vowed to make it my next read. What I didn't realise is that it is based on the true story of the last surviving passenger from the disaster. And it was incredible. So incredible that the minute I got home, I gave it to my mum to read and I've just bought a copy for one of my ex-colleagues because the history was common ground for us. I didn't know what to expect - I knew it would pull at the heart strings but I didn't appreciate quite how much. The way it's written, Imrie really allows the suspense and bewilderment to build. Of course, it's no spoiler to say - The Ship Sinks At The End - but the way it is written from two separate perspe...

The Colorado Kid - Stephen King

After the masterpiece that was Fairy Tale, I knew The Colorado Kid wasn't going to match up. But it pains me to say that I think I went from one end of the spectrum to the other within days. I will be clear - I am very aware that the reason I didn't enjoy The Colorado Kid is the exact premise of the book - no one likes an unfinished story. Which is exactly what this is and is intended to me. Two old-school local reporters are sat discussing unsolved mysteries of their local town with their new colleague and the case of The Colorado Kid is recounted - creating more questions than there are answers. I've read King's other two Hard Case Crime books (Joyland and Later) and I thoroughly enjoyed them so I was gutted this didn't hit the mark. I'd love to see this developed into a full-length thriller at some point because I think the story would be absolutely crazy but for now, I'll have to sit with this as my lowest rated Stephen King book to date.

The Little Library Project

Search This Blog