Priory of the Orange Tree

The Roots of Chaos, #1

by Samantha Shannon

848 pages

English language

Published Nov. 9, 2018 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

ISBN:: 978-1-4088-8344-0

View on OpenLibrary

(9 reviews)

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.

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.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

6 editions

OriginalBarbas reviewed Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

A great book and (hopefully) more to come

5 stars

This is the first book from Samantha Shannon I have read, and I have really liked it. The overall story is very good, the characters are very interesting and the worldbuilding has many layers (as it should).

I like how each chapter starts by having a geographical distinction, which helps situate the different characters in the map. It also cements the differences between each region and the lore.

Another important topic of the book is the rupture with other fantasy novels in the importance of the women in the plot (which is good) and the prominence of queer characters in it (which is also good).

I am looking forward to more works from the same author and I imagine that I will be reading them as soon as I know that they are released.

Captain_Janegay@bookrastinating.com reviewed Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

👍🏽

5 stars

Honestly, you don't know what you're missing in fantasy until you read this book. An author who genuinely succeeds in not recreating patriarchy in a fictional world, and then it's a fantastic, gripping story to boot.

kiplet reviewed The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (The Roots of Chaos, #1)

Eh.

2 stars

Sags tiresomely when it doesn’t race through suddenly ancillary quests for plot coupons: an Anthropologie®-curated fantasy with a girlboss gloss that insists I see a dragon without doing the work to show me anything like a goddamn dragon. www.longstoryshortpier.com/2022/11/26/matter-awfully-stern