A glimpse of a tale a can’t wait. I actually bought this bought when it came out because I could not wait. I love it. I has all the elements I’m looking for. Magic, fantasy, and amazing adventure. A must read.

Really whets the appetite for more - a succulent fantasy that all will enjoy! Made me want more. I mean dragons... What more could you want?

I really enjoyed this book, but I felt that the mysteries and reveals didn't really work for me. I just felt like the tension in the story was just cut too quickly and didn't build up from beginning to end. I prefer books that play the long game more, so I just feel it wasn't the book for me.

Priory is easily one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. While it may be a lengthy book, it is worth every single word on the page. Incredible.

You had me at dragons. This excerpt has me thoroughly bewitched and begging for more. Already we're introduced to an interesting cast of characters distinct enough to never feel overwhelming, despite the quickly changing multiple perspectives. So far the book is dripping with court political, drama, and intrigue. I could't put it down. I can't wait for a full copy so I can dive back into this story, which is sure to be epic.

Samantha Shannon has nailed it with such an epic book! Dragons, Wyrms, Pirates, Mages, Alchemist, all of which are very interesting characters in this book. I wasn't in such a rush in finishing this book because I want to absorb and really immerse myself in this fantasy world. Every page has blown me away and left me so spellbound. Although, the last few chapters felt kind of rushed. I expected more action and epic battle with the Nameless One because it's supposed to be the most anticipated battle and to me, it felt kind of short.

OBSESSED. THE END.

No but seriously, I read this excerpt and then proceeded to devour this monster of a story. Don't let the size put you off! 'The Priory of the Orange Tree' is a delicious fantasy story that is full of superb world building, amazing characters and a complex story that has you staying up till 3am just to fit in one more chapter.

Read this book!

Great, as expected from my favorite author! I am really excited to read the whole story, it's definitely one of the most important reads in today's world, showing diversity even in fantasy reads.. which we need more

This preview to the novel was captivating and makes me wonder more about the world Ead and Tane live in, along with the controversy over dragons and magic that are constantly discussed. I did buy the book recently and already I'm starting to make connections to all the characters and making deductions as to what will happen. At over 800pgs, there are sure to be some surprises I won't be prepared for, but that's what makes this book even more exciting. So far the imagery is spot on in the story and its compelling dialogue make it so I don't want to put the book down. I look forward to finishing this novel!

Note: This is a review of the full book, which I ended up picking up after reading this extract

I won't lie. I initially became interested in this book because of that cover. It's gorgeous. Soon after, I started hearing quite a bit of hype around this standalone epic fantasy. I waited a bit, read a few mixed reviews, and wavered as to whether I wanted to commit to such a massive tome. Boy, am I glad I did.

I loved almost everything about The Priory of the Orange Tree, and the few things I didn't were so minor in the overall experience of reading the book that they really didn't detract at all.

What I Liked
So, being a 5 star rated book from me, I liked pretty much all of The Priory of the Orange Tree. Still, I'm going to point to a few specifics that really made me love the story.

-The World. There's a lot of, to put it simply, really cool stuff going on here. There are elite warriors who ride on the backs of dragons. A secret conclave of assassins who protect the world from draconic threats. Multiple kingdoms with distinct identities and conflicts. There's just a lot of great worldbuilding and ideas at play, even if they don't all get the time they deserve.

-Classic fantasy, modern story. I haven't read what I would consider a classic epic fantasy in a while. The Priory of the Orange Tree is, at its heart, epic fantasy. Ancient evils, prophecies, soft magic, and legendary swords - it has it all. However, it does a wonderful job of updating a lot of tried and true tropes with a more modern flair. So, while the story is in places very familiar and comfortable, the book overall continuously surprised and delighted me.

-The characters. Particularly, the four POV characters. The book mostly follows the adventures of four distinct characters. In many books with multiple POVs, I often find myself growing attached to one or two of the characters and anxiously waiting to get back to their POV chapters (*cough* Song of Ice and Fire *cough*). This wasn't the case with the Priory of the Orange Tree. I enjoyed each of the four POV stories and thought they all were necessary, engaging, and came together nicely. One of the biggest surprises here was how much I loved Sabran, who is not a POV character but incredibly well developed and integral to the plot.

-The relationships. I'm going to talk about this one briefly, as I do think this could be considered a spoiler. There are a few wonderful relationships, both friendly and romantic, in this book. However, the f/f romance that is at the heart of the story was absolutely lovely.

-The conclusion. The Priory of the Orange Tree is a standalone book. I do think there was potential for this story to have been more than one novel (more on that in a minute), but I do feel that the author still did the story justice by completing it in one novel. It's rare to feel wholly satisfied by a book these days when most are part of an ongoing series, but I closed The Priory of the Orange Tree feeling content with the story as it ended. Sure, there's room for potentially more, but the main plot is concluded nicely and I'm quite happy that the author has said there will not be any direct sequels.

What I Didn't Like
Again, this was a 5 star book from me, so there was very little I didn't like. That being said, there are a few areas I felt could have been improved on (but didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story).

-The POV split . I mentioned above how much I loved the characters and all of their POV chapters. They are all central to the plot, but a good chunk of the middle of the book focuses heavily on Ead. Some aspects of Tané's and Nicolay's stories felt a little underdeveloped during this time and I wished there had been a bit more time spent on them.

-The pacing. I think this has been the number one complaint I've seen for this book. For me, it wasn't an issue, but I do recognize that the inconsistencies in pace could be an issue for some. The book starts relatively slow but begins to move at a very quick pace about halfway through. This results in important events happening suddenly, some convenient coincidences to drive the plot forward, and some time jumps. I think this is also part of the reason why some of the POV chapters felt a bit underdeveloped.

Because of those two points above, I think The Priory of the Orange Tree could have worked well as a duology. However, I admire the author for attempting to fit the entire epic into one volume and, at the end of the day, it worked. This was one of my favorite books of the year and I'm already feeling the major book hangover it has left me with.

I was initially disappointed that Samantha Shannon was taking a break from her Bone Season books, but this sample shows that it will be well worth the wait. Dragons and magic and queens and assassins. She's somehow intertwined all of my favorites into one beautiful magical world divided by beliefs and misinformation. Can't wait to read the rest!

I downloaded the early extract of Priory of The Orange Tree as I'm not always 100% involved the fantasy genre, but I do like Samantha Shannon's Bone Season series. In fact, I really like it so that's what swayed me.
Unfortunately I couldn't get into this one. The world seems very big and I was overloaded with lots of characters, terms, and places all at once, which distracted me from getting invested in any characters or plot. That's not to say I won't try again, but I wouldn't be reading this soon.
Samantha Shannon does lots of research into her mythology, and really does love world building and going the extra mile and she is so passionate about this book, so it would be great for fans of the high fantasy genre.

I am a sucker for books with dragons! I read the extract which was about the first 80 pages of an 800 page book(!). It really sets the stage to be an epic fantasy novel. The point of view shifts between multiple characters and places. Much of the extract is setting the stage for the rest of the book; lots of backstory of both main characters and countries as well as current political intrigue. I found myself flipping back to the map frequently to figure out the places that were being referenced. This book will be a time commitment and use some brain power to track the multiple storylines, but I think it will be well worth it.

I found I really difficult to get into this book. The beginning was rough and confusing there was the least effort made to explain the complex world and it's inhabitants.

It was exciting and catching but still rather complicated and I couldn't build a relationship with the characters. It also started out rather slow so it was hard to read on for me.

I think it has potential but not for me right now. Maybe after I've read some reviews and got a bit more info about the world.

OMG I NEED THIS BOOK NOW!

Samantha Shannon has knocked it out of the park with this book. Also I can I just say DRAGONS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME READ THIS EXTRACT!

I loved it even though it was confusing since the setting and the characters were new but I sure had fun navigating through it and understanding it!

I don't really have much to say yet except it sounds really exciting and I can not wait to go and start reading ahead with the book that I have just bought! It's safe to say I think it will be a 5-star read overall!

Although I only got the extract for this book. I enjoyed it, the story starts off strong definitely bordering epic fantasy. I wish I could have read it all.

I am so excited to read the rest of this novel; I have purchased it. The premise is so fascinating, great for fantasy fans for myself. Also happy to see a long, standalone fantasy book.

This is a good incipit. The stories seems interesting and I like the principal female character. I want to read more!

This first few chapters were amazing. I already have the ebook waiting. I initially found it hard to get into only because I connect more to some of the main characters but so far so good. Let's hope that lasts.