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Web ID: 1584361725 reviewssorted by Newest
Sucky book
This book is the worst one yet! It had run on sentences and incomplete words. You as a reader had to infer too much! It would have been perfect for those who do not speak in complete sentences. (Like the special text writing on mobile devices). I had to stop trying to read it!!! It mysteriously ended up missing from my home! I do not miss it. However there is one book I am looking for. By an author I believe to be named J Cummings. I can not remember the title but it was a hard copy that was binded in a light blue cover and on the inside cover there was an incorrect map of “the world” or of the portage land of Brazil. I picked this book out because the dragon on it reminded me of a slot machine I liked. A poor way to chose a book but it is what it was! I normally would have read for 5 mins to see if it would be a good read but I did not! Once I got home and actually began to read it there were to many inaccurate story continue the read. It was incredibly long also over 500 pages! I am tired just thinking about how awful it was! Once I got to the counter I inquired about the book and the w f behind the counter stated it was a good book to begin reading after not having to read in a long time for her. I took that as the truth! For me it was not!!!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great World-Building in this Exciting Story
I got this book after it was recommended by a couple of friends and it was a tough start for me. There were so many characters and places being introduced, and my family was distracting me! I ended up photocopying the map in the front of the book and using it to make a board where I jotted down what characters were where and how they related to eachother lol. I'm sure most normal people wouldn't have to do this, but it really helped me to have that visual. Once I had a good grasp after that first 100 pages or so, I didn't need the board anymore and was able to really mentally visualize where everything was, with only occasionally flipping back to the front to look at the map. The author really creates an entire planet's worth of places. I loved the cultures and religions she created, and the complexity of the characters. There were lots of surprises, especially early in the story. I felt very swept up in the adventure. There was so much happening! I also just loved that it was full of women in power. I'm not a person that normally reads books more than once, but I absolutely would read this a second time and I'm sure I'd pick up on more!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Slow but good
Overall this is a great epic story. It’s a bit slow and have multiple POVs. It took me a bit longer to read due to its writing style. It’s intimating at first but the pages are thick and have narrow margins. I have recommend to others
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Amazing Epic High Concept Fantasy
To be honest, I put off reading this book because I was intimated! She is a thicc girl, with a cult like following and I was afraid I wouldn't love it. Man, am I mad at myself for putting this off. While it took me longer to read than I anticipated, it was because I loved taking my time with each POV/character, and enjoying the journey the author was talking me on. To me, this harkened back to what I consider a true 'epic' high concept fantasy. Think Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones - just less sex/more vague descriptors than GoT. I loved this book, and would highly recommend for anyone wanting to be completely immersed in a fantasy world with intrigue, depth, and cunning genius.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Truly one of the best books I have ever read
Gosh darn just read it already!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Speechless.
This is honestly the best book I've ever read. So much emotion behind the writing, plot twists around every corner, with every little detail building upon the next, until every piece of the puzzle falls into place. Will always be my first recommendation. Highly recommend listening to it as well; the narrator did a fantastic job.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Epic Fantasy Done Right!
Eadaz uq-Nāra and Tané Freaking Miduchi!!! I would go to war for these two women. Imagine if Game of Thrones was just not written by ANOTHER (side eye) white dude and the white walkers were actually an evolved plotline? Now add in badass women, well thought out cultural histories and lore, and dragons done WAY better and you have Priory of the Orange Tree. This book was soooo good, but it was a behemoth. I must warn new fantasy readers about the absolute enormity of this book if you don’t have a healthy dose of epic fantasy under you belt. I know they say that this book is shorter than Kingdom of Ash by our lord and savior SJM, but it is 225,000 words of intentional plot points. This is not a book you can skim read through the boring parts because (1) there are no boring parts and (2) every detail in this book is important. The book is split into 6 parts, and it feels like 3 books were edited down to perfectly fit into the one long story. That being said, this book is still a 5/5 stars. The writing was done so perfectly. It struck a balance between noble and poetic. I don’t often care about quality of writing, but I was blown away at how well Samantha Shannon was able to portray emotion, action, and setting. The characters were rich and showed so much growth. The world was epic. The way the characters experiences were ever intertwining throughout the book was lovely. Very little to complain about.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
The Priory of the Orange Tree Paperback
Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree reads like a fantasy epic built from centuries of mythology, politics, religion, and rebellion. Every kingdom carries its own version of history. Shannon constantly questions who controls the truth when communication, knowledge, and magic are restricted. Ead quickly became my favorite character because her internal narration cuts through the heavy court politics with dry observations and sharp intelligence. Watching her navigate Sabran’s court while hiding her real identity created tension long before the dragons and ancient enemies entered the picture. The sheer scale of this world impressed me. Shannon layers secret mage societies, dragon lore, forbidden magic, succession crises, assassins, and divided cultures into this story seamlessly. The East and West view dragons in completely opposite ways turning religion and tradition into weapons just as dangerous as the Nameless One himself. I loved how much detail went into the histories, legends, and political structures. My paperback copy even includes timelines, maps, family histories, and character lists. Honestly, these extras felt necessary. This is not a casual fantasy read you speed through in a weekend. It feels closer to studying a living world that keeps unfolding the deeper you go. Ead and Sabran’s romance develops through secrecy, vulnerability, and growing trust while both women carry impossible responsibilities on their shoulders. Sabran spends much of the novel trapped beneath the expectations of monarchy and legacy. While Ead constantly balances duty against her feelings for Sabran. Their scenes together softened some of the denser political sections and gave the story warmth beneath all the looming destruction. Tané’s storyline also grew stronger as the book progressed. Her journey from disgraced dragonrider to someone capable of reshaping the future had me whooping towards the end. The pacing does require patience. Large stretches focus heavily on lore, political maneuvering, and travel across kingdoms. Around the middle section, I found myself wanting bigger plot movement outside of the romance. Shannon’s writing remained immersive enough that I never wanted to stop reading. Every thread eventually connects with impressive precision once the final battles begin and the ancient forces awaken. The ending delivers hope instead of devastation which felt rewarding after spending nearly 850 pages watching these characters fight for survival, freedom, and trust across divided worlds. I finished The Priory of the Orange Tree feeling amazed by the amount of care poured into every detail. Shannon built a fantasy world that feels ancient, scholarly, dangerous, and human all at once. The length feels intimidating, but the payoff is a story filled with memorable women, political intrigue, dragons, forbidden magic, and layered worldbuilding that rewards close attention. I am still undecided about continuing the series simply because these books are massive. Pick this up if you love massive fantasy worlds filled with political intrigue, dragons, forbidden magic, and detailed lore that rewards close attention.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com