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The New York Times bestselling " epic feminist fantasy perfect for fans of Game of Thrones " (Bustle).
With a very divided East and West who are refusing to forgive the past, one or all of the four must force the unlikely alliance of all kingdoms as the forces of evil are slowly arising from their thousand-year sleep, and the mythical creatures in the East and West start to lose their powers. When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat. 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.When a book is so good, I don’t want it finish, I actually enjoy reading it forever like a never ending soap opera continues to air on TV till you die. But the problem with this one, first half was too low and second half was too fast with its action parts. I thought we were moving with baby steps and then we started to sprint. Especially the last epic war part lost its effectiveness because it happened so fast and I didn’t get thrill I have been waiting for from the beginning of the book. 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. All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I cannot recommend it highly enough! It's quite a chunky read, but believe me, despite its length, you will be sad to walk away from it. As a huge Tolkien fan, and one who considers his writing to be the very best fantasy has to offer, I don’t often compare other books to his works (at least not in a positive way.) Simply because there is very rarely a good comparison to be made. Every great work of fantasy has felt somewhat shallow in contrast to the deep pool of imagination he conjured with his words. Nothing cuts it. Nothing competes. Love and fear do strange things to our souls. The dreams they bring, those dreams that leave us drenched in salt water and gasping for breath as if we might die - those, we call unquiet dreams. And only the scent of a rose can avert them."
These three women are the heart of the book. They are what made A Day of Fallen Night genuinely excellent; not one POV was less compelling. Each of them had a unique story arc that was woven together by the fabric of Shannon’s universe. I’m reluctant to say more, for fear of spoilers, but the ways that their stories intersected and referenced one another absolutely thrilled me. Even the short scenes that were from other points of view provided the story with some of its best moments. Ead Duryan, a mage of the Priory, is assigned to protect Sabran from the Nameless One, who seeks to destroy her and her house. While she longs to return to her duties to Cleolind, the founder of the Priory, she is determined to uncover the twisted secrets of the court of Inys. She has to sacrifice her destiny for the good of the world, but she never bats an eye. It’s written with Ye olde English dialogue that feels corny and inconsistent. It is purposefully archaic at times but totally modern-sounding at others. The lines of dialogue feel like high schoolers trying to recite Shakespeare. It all felt so inorganic. Also, one random side note: there are a plethora of palanquins in this book. Despite taking place across different countries that are mostly cut off from each other, with different cultures and different terrains, nearly everyone in this story travels by palanquin. It makes no sense. Shannon is simply a master of the genre' C. S. PACAT , New York Times-bestselling author of DARK RISEReligion is a major theme in The Priory of the Orange Tree. The basis of the lore in this book revolves around various religions interpreting the same events in different ways and building their dogma around that. This theme had the potential to be insightful and powerful, but it was handled so poorly. So while the story borrowed from real-life conflicts, it did not bring anything perceptive or enlightening to the subject. Having been a fan of Samantha Shannon's series, The Bone Season, and in general being a fan of fantasy novels, I was eager to read her latest novel, The Priory of the Orange Tree. I have to confess, though, that some larger, high fantasy books have intimidated me and/or bored me to death previously. It takes the right kind of world-building and characters, mixed with a good plot, to keep me going. And wow does this deliver. To name other characters who dug a den in my chest: Kit the hilarious, genius, charming poet. Sabran the golden-tongued, an unforgettable queen, a self-righteous fool, and a woman I would not change for the world. When I finally had the time to dive in I was pleased to find the writing style to be beautiful and easy to read. The different kingdoms, religions, hard-to-pronounce names and creatures became easier to remember as I went on.
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