That said, I absolutely appreciate getting the full story in one volume. No waiting 5 years to figure out how things will end. We get one complete tale. That's great. Dumai holds engrossing relationships with all those around her, a devoted bond with her mother, a heart-warming friendship with Kanifa, a complex and entertaining relationship with the silver-tongued Nikeya. I adored every moment of her story, I think it was perfectly written. In the countries of the West, House Berethnet are lost in the details of their own legend, rolling words like boulders about their queen, Sabran the Ninth, being the sacred source of the monster’s bindings. Here, dragons had only to be mentioned and hatred sang bright in the people, like a defensive reaction to their name. Sabran is their last hope, but it’s difficult to see where that hope could possibly bear fruit when the lies about her ancestry are wearing thin, unveiling the truth beneath: that the legend of Galian Berethnet is merely a phantasm—a scrap of useless myth dancing on a string. Every advance in the plot is gradual, natural, and realistic--but not in a predictable way. Everything makes sense once it’s unveiled. The whole scope of things is something that takes time, but it's not out of grasp.

Long length seems to be becoming The Roots of Chaos' brand, which I don't necessarily dislike. There is a badge of pride and a sense of community that comes with completing such long books. But it comes down to quantity over quality. Does the story justify the length? Do the multiple POVs add or subtract? Do the character motivations make sense? Are they consistent or dynamic? Does it maintain its momentum? Is it balanced?I can confirm these things about Priory to an extent (not fully, as Parts III and IV drag and Loth’s POV didn’t carry the same narrative weight as the others), but not this one. It hit one note for me, one flavor - just too much dog. The author’s previous books were all YA, and that shows. This writing very much felt like YA writing that the author tried to age up by killing some people and talking about nipples. This book elicited many eye rolls and snorts of derision from me. It might be better under the New Adult category since almost all of the characters are in their twenties and the story has an air of naiveté to it. This review is going to be a short one. I'm not going to give a summary of what this book is about because I do feel that it's the sort of book you jump into.

Generally, my main problem with this book is that it wanted to be a serious adult fantasy but failed gravely. HOWEVER, it does not have to be a serious adult fantasy with fancy ideas about life to be a good book. It could have been a fun fantasy book that's still a good book. The tragedy is that it failed on both fronts, so I can only give two stars for the author's effort. Feminism: Full of precious, strong women taking the stage, ruling, glowing, and fighting the world’s expectations, POT is one of the best feminist books out there, if not the best feminist fantasy book yet.What about the story itself, the pacing and such? I don't know, while reading I just kept thinking that it might have been a better idea to make this a series as then you would have more time to give characters personality and growth while also immersing the reader into the world. The story was filled with tropes and it was highly unoriginal if you keep in mind the bigger picture of fantasy genre as a whole. I get that it is hard to make something completely original these days, so it doesn't bother me as much. This book could even be a not-entirely-terrible start for someone who wants to get into fantasy. However, the first third of the book was incredibly slow but it's fiiiine, I know, the author had to set up all the things. But later it became so fast-paced that even the more important events lost their meaning because there were so many things happening at all times that you couldn't discern between the important ones and the fillers. The mythology and religion also reminded me quite a bit of ASOIAF. Although, this might be just me and if it's not, it's still fine, no one prohibits you from taking inspiration. In a book unable to hook the reader with a protagonist (on whatever grounds, mind you, there are also those we love to hate, ideal antagonists, right Darling?), the only solution left is to provide a compelling plot and world building. “The Priory of the Orange Tree” has none of these. First of all, the world. The world is unconquerable, Shannon's skill and immense love of history shines in every structured choice she made whilst creating it. It is lush forests and desolate plains, ravaged by the ice of the North and the sun of the South, it boasts so many fascinating geographies, civilisations, religions and cultures. It's a sweeping tale that spans the Grief of Ages (a time Priory readers will recognise from the world's history) with perspectives from all across it's vast map. Speaking of religion, Samantha Shannon crafts three believable faiths, but not a single one of them is immune to the threats that rise again. It’s incredible how much I sympathized with each one; how much I wanted each to succeed. Losses were personal hits. Gains were personal victories.