“You can’t change the history of an object because you don’t fancy the story it tells. Then again, escaping history seems to have been you
2.5 STARS
“You can’t change the history of an object because you don’t fancy the story it tells. Then again, escaping history seems to have been your life’s work.”
A quiet, bittersweet family-oriented historical fiction that, while not the best-written mystery, perfectly conveyed the weight of old objects and small histories in a Southern town. Though I do believe the writing rambled on too many occasions, it still bore the feeling of a storyteller's words beautifully and creatively.
Besides, my family is so without secrets that I think you get why I crave these family-secret books such!
I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark....more
You know when people are rushing somewhere and your curious soul feels helplessly tugged along and then you get there and go, oh, I think I just hiYou know when people are rushing somewhere and your curious soul feels helplessly tugged along and then you get there and go, oh, I think I just hit a gold mine.
That’s me with this book.
“We may be small, and we may be young, but we will shake the world for our beliefs.”
The Priory of the Orange Tree—or POT as I’ll call it from now on because I’m lazy—is what they declare the stuff of legend, a tale destined to be enshrined in song. Because this? This is “a brilliant, daring, and devastating jewel” and a unique, rich dragon of a book—both in size and magnificence. From “a masterpiece of intricate world-building” to “diverse, feminist, thought-provoking and masterfully told,” POT has been thrown many lines of acclamation and more and all are true and none are enough to paint this timeless, one of a kind yarn spun by such skilled hands. With stunningly flesh and blood queer characters with deep internal struggles, this book captures your imagination and traps you in its world.
Shannon’s astonishing achievement is her ability to breathe impossible life into new religions, histories, and conflicts and create a world so old and layered that she’s been called “the female George R.R. Martin,” even as her work lacks his noted dark ruthlessness and has me in disagreement. However, “a feminist successor to The Lord of the Rings” is an adequate praise not many can bear on their shoulders and still remain standing, unperturbed by its weight, yet The Priory of the Orange Tree might just be able to.
“In darkness, we are naked. Our truest selves. Night is when fear comes to us at its fullest, when we have no way to fight it. It will do everything it can to seep inside you. Sometimes it may succeed—but never think that you are the night.”
But it’s not the detailed, immersive prose, not the wicked, genius villain or tragic fools and inspiring hearts setting on dazzling journeys of development, not the doomsday prophecy that can only be beat through the uniting of this divided land of prejudice, nor the sheer epicness of every facet of this tapestry that make it an all-time fave. For me the most fascinating element is the remarkably crafted world for which the author considerately writes, “The fictional lands of The Priory of the Orange Tree are inspired by events and legends from various parts of the world. None is intended as a faithful representation of any one country or culture at any point in history.” You can find many of those listed in the Inspirations & Themes section.
“Reading. A dangerous pastime.” “You mock me.” “By no means. There is great power in stories.” “All stories grow from a seed of truth. They are knowledge after figuration.”
Despite the first 25% struggling to fully pull me in, despite the riddles and mysteries I was quick in figuring out, and despite not being perfect, POT is an undoubtedly worthy addition to your adult epic high fantasy shelf because it is the genre at its finest—you simply need it in your life. I recommend enhancing your reading experience with a beautiful soundtrack ⤳ Spotify URL
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✧ Storyline ✧
A holy Queendom in the North, wyrm-worshipers in the West, mages in the South, and dragonriders in the East...a cursed, divided people swallowed by chaos.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for more than 1000 years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran IX must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—for it is believed that as long as a Berethnet rules in Virtudom, the monster beneath the sea will sleep. But assassins are getting closer to the queen, and Ead Duryan, the outsider lady-in-waiting at court and in truth a mage of the South, is tasked with secretly protecting Sabran with forbidden magic.
All this while across the Abyss far in the East, Tané who has trained all her life to be a dragonrider teeters on the brink of her dreams and one choice could unravel her life, taking her to places no Easterner has set foot in centuries.
There are fools in crowns, Dukes and Queens absorbed in their own politics, clinging to their beliefs, blind to the forces of chaos rising from their sleep. History is to repeat itself and none are ready to stand united. “Let them come with their swords and their torches. Let them come.”
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✧ Inspirations & Themes ✧
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Shannon has driven inspiration from folklore and teachings of all over the world and woven every thread in the tapestry that is POT; here are some I’ve managed to deduce—subjects in the book are in italic:
✦ Chinese/Japanese/Korean mythology: dragons ➾ for the Eastern dragons ✦ European mythology: dragons & wyverns ➾ for the Western wyverns and wyrms ✦ Norse mythology: Odin and Valhalla ➾ for Galian in Halgalant, the heavenly court, and the Great Table ✦ The teachings of alchemy ➾ for Clay’s storyline ✦ Beliefs of Christianity ➾ for the sign of the sword and the followers of the Saint ✦ The Bible, Revelation 20: The Thousand Years ➾ for the Abyss and keys ✦ Marion Angus’s poem: Alas! Poor Queen ➾ for Sabran’s court ✦ William Shakespeare’s Richard II: Act Two ➾ for hereditary rights coupled with political reality, or the fact that the male view of the world leaves out an entire realm of perception ✦ The Man’yoshu poem collection: Tsuki ➾ an eulogy for a dead man on the shore ✦ The Faerie Queen by Edmund Spenser ➾ for the story of Galian, Cleolind, and the Nameless One
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What’s more, Shannon addresses many themes and topics that are the centre of social debate in the 21st century and adds her piece on the deep conflicts of humanity:
❶ 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.
No woman should be made to fear that she was not enough. A woman is more than a womb to be seeded.
❷ LGBT+: POT’s world is a rare one where sexuality is not something people fuss over, openly accepting this aspect of humanity. This leads to a bold, refreshing book brimming with queer characters and relationships, all portrayed so tangibly.
❸ Custom & Tradition: Undeniably, these are two integral parts of human society that shape the world, and Shannon’s apt craftsmanship attentively discusses their implications, origins, and influence. Plus, there is the occasional amusing moment when characters question our traditions, such as “Who in the world wears white on their wedding day?”
“Just because something has always been done does not mean that it ought to be done.”
❹ Prejudice & Clashing of Beliefs: Most importantly, though, Shannon has told a tale of both the struggles and beauties of our differences, asking, “Would the world be any better if we were all the same?” Or are our contrasting views on life truly meant to be accepted and embraced and joined to form a picture none of us could see individually? As international relations become more a part of the day-to-day life these days, the importance of how people can come together despite years upon years of hostility and bitterness increases with an unsettling yet precious speed, and Shannon offers a path to acceptance of others’ differing identities while not losing our own.
“Piety can turn the power-hungry into monsters. They can twist any teaching to justify their actions.”
❺ Religion: But POT also tackles my favourite social conundrum, tying religious conflicts, living gods, the power of belief, the shunning of science, and the reshaping of religions. No one can deny the power faith holds on humanity and how it’s been put into conflicting uses in history, for good or bad.
“When history fails to shed light on the truth, myth creates its own.”
❻ History & Myth: One more matter I have been obsessed with since the dawn of my curiosity is the accuracy of history and fluidity of facts upon changing the narrative. And Shannon explores this theme thoroughly and without flinching. I’m inclined to give her a standing ovation.
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✧ Storytelling ✧
“When the heart grows too full, it overflows. And mine, inevitably, overflows on to a page.”
The best way to describe Shannon’s glorious and detailed writing in POT is to quote herself, “She was part poet and part fool when it came to telling stories.” Her prose is exquisite and her storytelling technique genius; rather detailed like GRRM’s with focus on immersion in the moment rather than on plot advancement.
“To ensure an heir, the Dukes Spiritual must paint a certain picture of the Inysh court and its eligible queen. They needed you gone, so they...painted you out.”
Yet it’s not only her prose that submerges the reader; her politics aka the golden point of it all, are smart, wicked, creative, and impressive in the way she has brought them to life, and her battles and action scenes are mostly unmatched, and rarely a little lacking unfortunately. But perhaps POT is already too long and no one wants more strategy and detail...but I do? That aside, to alter Kit’s words, “This is a fine book. I believe I would marry this book, were I a book myself.”
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✧ Characters ✧
✮ Ead (POV): A mage and strong warrior, with an open heart and open mind, she smells secrets and roots them out. I can’t even begin to explain the love I feel for this inspiring young woman.
“I do not fear that which I do not understand.”
✮ Tané (POV): Yes, she is single-minded with all the wrong priorities, but at 19 she’s the youngest protagonist, and she stole my heart with her ambitious and courageous dragon’s heart.
“The sea is not always pure. It is not any one thing. There is darkness in it, and danger, and cruelty. It can raze great cities with its rage. Its depths are unknowable; they do not see the touch of the sun. To be a Miduchi is not to be pure, Tané. It is to be the living sea.”
✮ Niclays (POV): An alchemist with madness in his blood, a man of shadows with a life of pure tragedy, “too heartsore to live, too craven to die,” Clay is my #1 character in POT and my heart cracked into a thousand pieces for his pain. He was the most real and conflicted, and I was in awe of his journey and its parallels with the stages of alchemy.
With Clay, Shannon taught me that pain does not change us—neither dies it reveal our true selves; it only inflames our worst instincts. Clay was a passionate man who was dealt a cruel hand and turned ruthless to pay life back what was its due; he did it all only to return home. Anything to return home. That is why, from the 6 moments I had tears in my eyes during the 800+ pages of this book, 4 were for Clay.
“I don’t want to carry on! Do you not understand? Does nobody in this world understand, damn you? Is no one else haunted?”
✮ Loth (POV): A religious, kind, loyal man who is trusting to a fault but a strong, brave, and determined quick learner who goes through a moving character development and shows that understanding and love can bloom in any belief or way of life.
“Art is not one great act of creation, but many small ones. When you read one of my poems, you fail to see the weeks of careful work it took me to build it—the thinking, the scratched-out words, the pages I burned in disgust. All you see, in the end, is what I want you to see. Such is politics.”
✮ 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.
“You say you desire truth, but truth is a weave with many threads.”
Kalyba the wicked witch and my devious love. Captain Harlowe the privateer adept at survival. Estina the wise, clever, and badass sailor. The Emperor, witty, charismatic, and irresistible. Aubrecht the charming puppy I wanna hug. Truyde the sharp little fox. Sulyard the precious, passionate, open-minded idiot. Susa the cat girl, always landing on her feet. Onren the amazing and memorable friend. Chassar the honourable and discreetly wicked man. And yes I shipped Sarsun the sand eagle and Aralaq the ichneumon.
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✧ Relationships ✧
“Not all dreams should be pursued, especially not dreams conceived on the feather-bed of love.”
It’s a rare romance that you ship from their first scene without knowing anything about the characters or their orientation, and yet Shannon managed to make their chemistry so palpable and their development so gradual that she immediately established herself as a fave author and had me bursting at the seams with emotions.
“All of us have shadows in us. I accept yours.” He placed a hand over her ring. “And I hope you will also accept mine.”
But all that aside, it’s friendships that are the author’s strongest point and focus of much of POT. From “sea sisters, two pearls formed in the same oyster” to friends with the opposite beliefs, I’d say my number one relationship in POT is Ead and Loth’s bond—a platonic and moving example of how two very different souls can be tied together with such unbreakable chains.
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Seek not the midnight sun on earth, But look for it within.
And that’s it folks—a new fave treasure tome. Considering the loose ends and Shannon confirming future books in this world, I’d say farewell until the spinoff....more
I'm so conflicted I feel like I'm being torn into two pieces, one floating contently on Lake LBJ, another being trampled under the feet of rig3 STARS?
I'm so conflicted I feel like I'm being torn into two pieces, one floating contently on Lake LBJ, another being trampled under the feet of right-wing haters and stereotype-believers.
I'd like to redirect you to Kyle's review—even though I enjoyed the book way more than him, and actually liked the writing and loved the banter and characters, he makes a great point about the diversity and the politics. And the a-little-too-dragging-romance that had me constantly checking my progress even though it was Valentine's.
I mean, when you say “a feminist retelling of the darker versions of Cinderella” you should know that now you pretty much own my pocket—and also all tI mean, when you say “a feminist retelling of the darker versions of Cinderella” you should know that now you pretty much own my pocket—and also all the money in it. Seriously. Here. It's all yours! :/
Stepsister takes up where Cinderella's tale ends. We meet Isabelle, the younger of Cinderella's two stepsisters.
Ella is considered beautiful; stepsister Isabelle is not. Isabelle is fearless, brave, and strong-willed. She fences better than any boy, and takes her stallion over jumps that grown men fear to attempt.
It doesn't matter, though; these qualities are not valued in a girl. Others have determined what is beautiful, and Isabelle does not fit their definition. Isabelle must face down the demons that drove her cruel treatment of Ella, challenge her own fate and maybe even redefine the very notion of beauty ...
Cinderella is about a girl who was bullied; Stepsister is about the bully.
We all root for the victims, we want to see them triumph. But what about the bullies? Is there hope for them? Can a mean girl change? Can she find her own happily ever after?
Expected publication: May 14, 2019
“In an ancient city by the sea, three sisters—a maiden, a mother, and a crone—are drawing maps by candlelight. Sombre, with piercing grey eyes, they are the three Fates, and every map is a human life ...”...more
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