The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The Priory of the Orange Tree
by Samantha Shannon

Read: January 16 - March 3, 2020

Publication date: February 26, 2019

Genre: Adult Fantasy

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, Tane has trained to be a dragon rider 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.

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Why did you read this book?
Samantha Shannon is one of my all-time favorite authors and The Bone Season series is one of my favorite series of all time, so naturally, I will read anything this woman publishes. Also, I am a lover of fantasy and dragons and badass warriors and platonic friendships between people of the opposite sex (spoiler: this book features all these things).

What did you like about this book?
I absolutely loved the characters in this book, even the ones I didn't like. Niclays Roos, for example, wasn't a character I particularly liked. I didn't like his choices and I didn't like his behavior or his attitude. I didn't like his selfishness. BUT even though I was so irritated with him 75% of the time, I understood why he did the things he did. His backstory made me feel for him. And that is what I loved so much about all of these characters. I felt for them. If made me sad when they were sad and I was happy when they were happy. I wanted so desperately for them all to make it to the end of the book victorious (and alive). Even though the book was split into four different narrators, I was just as invested in each one. I will admit, it took me about 100 pages to really get to the point where I just wanted to consume the book as quickly as possible because I was so desperate for more story. However, once I got past that initial chunk of introducing the readers to the characters and setting, I was hooked. Reading this book was a similar experience (for me) to watching Avengers: Infinity War. I remember going into the theater thinking "wow, this movie is three hours long, how am I going to set through the whole thing?" and then the movie ended and it felt like it had only been one hour. Somehow, I had been so engrossed in the story that my own concept of time had been thrown. That's what it was like reading The Priory of the Orange Tree. Starting the book, 805 pages felt (and looked) like a lot. I mean, this book is massive. But suddenly, I only had 50 or so pages left and I couldn't believe that it was almost over. And the plot, oh my goodness the plot! I was so hooked. There was enough suspense to keep me reading but not enough that I felt lost. And even though there were four separate narrators with four separate story lines, it was fascinating to see where/how they connected, especially when they finally all came together in the end! Ugh. It was just so satisfying.

What didn't you like about this book?
I'm not going to lie, there are very few things that I didn't like. As I said before, it took me about 100 or so pages to really get invested in the story and the characters -- longer than I typically would like to spend warming up to the book. However, because the book gigantic, I gave it a little slack. Another thing that was something that I liked and didn't like at the same time was the four different story lines. It was sometimes jarring to have to switch back and forth between characters. I would be reading from Ead's point of view and then find the next chapter to be Loth and I'd be so disappointed. But then, once I got into Loth's chapter, it'd switch to Tane and I'd have to go through it all again! Again, this is both a dislike and a like because I loved all of the story lines (although I'll admit, Niclays was easily my least favorite), it's just the switching between them sometimes took me out of the story.

Bottom-Line:
I loved this book. I absolutely loved it. I wish I could recommend it to everyone, but I know that high fantasy isn't for everyone. I also know that 800+ page books aren't for everyone either. If these things are your thing though, please read this one. It's worth the arm workout!

Quote:
"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." - The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Passenger
by Alexandra Bracken

Read: May 3-20, 2017
Published: December 6, 2016
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction

         In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles, but years from home. And she's inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she's never heard of. Until now.
          Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he's known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can't escape and the family that won't let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas's passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.
          Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods' grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas, but from her path home...forever.
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Why did you read this book?
          I was very intrigued by the cover of this book. There was a ship and a bottle on the front, so I assumed it had something to do with the sea and hopefully pirates. I have a fascination with pirates, so naturally I want to read about them. Also, after reading the back, I had a good feeling that Nicholas was a pirate, so...yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

What did you like about this book?
          I definitely love the feeling of adventure in this book. The combination of time travel and geographical travel, racing against time and a tyrannical family, a little bit of piracy, and some forbidden romance is just killer. This book makes me want to go on an adventure (which isn't that difficult, if we're being honest). So the tone is great, but let's talk about the protagonists, shall we. Etta is a freaking role model. She is the strong, independent female character that I like to see in books. She is strong and fierce, but not unfeminine. She is courageous, but not fearless. I feel like when most of the 'strong, independent' female protagonists in young adult literature are thrust into a life or death situation, they fight it. It is constantly brought up that they don't want to be in the situation they're in. Which is fine, I wouldn't want to be in that situation either, but I really admire how Etta accepts that she can't change what's happened to her and embraces it, blazing forward to do what she can despite the circumstances. Now that I've gushed about Etta, I need to gush about Nicholas. I adore him and I absolutely love how Alexandra Bracken wrote his character. He is clearly strong and capable and someone you would want on your side, but she also shows how vulnerable he is. She shows how panic can grip him in a moment and he can be paralyzed with fear. She shows how his past haunts him every day and how he can't escape it. As someone who has had a panic attack, it is so refreshing to see something similar in a book and not have the book be a 'mental illness' book. It's just a part of the story because that's just how life is and I so appreciated that. Hands down, my favorite part about this characters is that Nicholas is vulnerable while still being a very masculine character and Etta is feminine, but she's definitely not weak. I also have to bring up the fact that there was a small opportunity for a love triangle right at the start of the book and Bracken didn't take it. *Applause*

What didn't you like about this book?
          Okay, as much as I do really like this book, it took me a long time to read it. The first third of the book really didn't catch my interest. Neither Etta nor Nicholas had really shown their true colors yet and they were kind of bland. I also am not a fan of Sophia, who features mostly in the beginning of the book. It just didn't hook me in (pirate joke?) like I wanted it to. If I were anyone else, I might have stopped reading, but I can't just not finish a book, especially one with as much promise as this one. I also didn't really understand the time traveling. There were passages for the travelers, I get that, but I didn't understand how they worked (which is really just me being nitpicky). Were they powered by magic? Is this a world where magic exists, and if it does can it only be used for time travelling? Or was this a creation of science? That's where I struggled with figuring out the genre of this book. Is it fantasy or science fiction? Generally, time travel is science fiction, but the way it's used here feels more like fantasy—however, there are no other elements of fantasy (other uses of magic, magical creatures, etc.) The other thing that bothered me was Nicholas's choice to keep Etta in the dark. It is obvious that he cares about her and clear that he recognizes her value and capability to handle herself, but he doesn't consider the possibility that they could work together to achieve both of their goals. I understand that this creates conflict in the story, which is its purpose, but it's a cheap conflict that would be rendered unnecessary simply by communicating with each other, which is just the worst kind of cheap conflict.

Bottom-Line:
          I really did adore this book. I'm definitely going to buy it because I can't resist reliving an adventure like this one (I mean...rereading an adventure...) I would definitely recommend it to any of my friends. I just hope the second one is as good!




"Free the fire fluttering inside her rib cage. Work her muscles, the bow, the violin, until she played herself to ash and embers and left the rest of the world behind to smolder." -Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn
by Renee Ahdieh

Read: March 27-29, 2017
Published: May 12, 2015
Genre: Fantasy

        In a land ruled by a murderous boy-king, each dawn brings heartache to a new family. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, is a monster. Each night he takes a new bride only to have a silk cord wrapped around her throat come morning. When sixteen-year-old Shahrzad's dearest friend falls victim to Khalid, Shahrzad vows vengeance and volunteers to be his next bride. Shahrzad is determined not only to stay alive, but to end the caliph's reign of terror once and for all.
       
          Night after night, Shahrzad beguiles Khalid, weaving stories that enchant, ensuring her survival, though she knows each dawn could be her last. But something she never expected begins to happen: Khalid is nothing like what she'd imagined him to be. This monster is a boy with a tormented heart. Incredibly, Shahrzad finds herself falling in love. How is this possible? It's an unforgivable betrayal. Still, Shahrzad has come to understand all is not as it seems in this palace of marble and stone. She resolves to uncover whatever secrets lurk and, despite her love, be ready to take Khalid's life as retribution for the many lives he's stolen. Can their love survive this world of stories and secrets?
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Why did you read this book?
It was the cover art that got me. It's an intriguing book just to look at. I've also had it on my 'to-read' list for quite some time now and just impulse bought it a week or so ago. But really, 80% of my rationale for reading this book was "ooh, pretty cover..."

What did you like about this book?
The romance in this book was excellent. It was believable, and beautiful and just raw and heart wrenching. I didn't want Khalid and Shahrzad's story to stop (lucky for me, there's a second book). I also loved the magic and suspense. It was one of those books that you have to keep reading in order to get all the answers. And I still have unanswered questions (again, thank goodness for book 2). The characters were also a major strength in this book. I loved watching Khalid and Shahrzad grow and I adored Despina and Jalal. Even Tariq wasn't one of my favorite characters, I understood him. He was a very real character and I could feel his pain. As you may have guessed by now, I am very fond of fairy tale retellings. The only encounters I've had with them though have been princess ones (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, etc.) This is the only one I've read based off of One Thousand and One Nights. It made me want to go back and read the original. Another thing I liked was the Middle Eastern setting, characters, and culture in this book. The only other books I've read with any clear Middle Eastern influence are The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, both by Khaled Hosseini. While both of those were very good, they also had a high emotional intensity and they were brutally realistic (both excellent qualities in a book), so it was nice to read something that was a fantasy/romance while retaining the Middle Eastern influence.

What didn't you like about this book?
One big beef I had with this book was the point of view switching. I'm usually okay with it, but in this book, the point of view would switch mid-chapter, sometimes multiple times a chapter. It was just jarring and it interrupted the narrative flow. I can understand interrupting a scene for dramatic effect every so often, but this writing technique was over utilized in this book. My other complaint is actually with the romance (I know, I know, that was one of the things I liked). I liked the romance once it got started, but I'm not entirely sure how it got there. One day Shahrzad wanted to kill Khalid with her bare hands and the next she was softening towards him and looking past the fact that he murdered her best friend. I would understand that if Khalid was kind and warm and inviting, but he's not, especially in the beginning of their relationship. He's cold and unforgiving. Shahrzad just didn't seem to have the appropriate amount of desire for revenge once she became Khalid's wife, especially considering she was willing to give up her life to avenge Shiva's. Lastly, the biggest issue I have with this book is the consummation of Shahrzad and Khalid's marriage. It is only mentioned briefly in the book, a matter of only a few sentences. This should be very important very many reasons. 1) Khalid never entered the bedchambers of his other wives before he killed them. The first night of their marriage, he was still planning on killing her when he went to her. Was he just getting off? Which brings me to my next point. 2) It seemed very out of character for Khalid (as we found out what his character actually is later in the book). We find out that he actually has feelings and feels great remorse for what he's had to do. So why would he do this? And 3) this should be a big deal for Shahrzad. Like, this is life altering event for her. This man, who is planning on killing her, is taking advantage of her and it's all just glossed over. I just feel like it could have been handled in a much better way.

Bottom-Line:
Don't let the large dislike paragraph fool you, I really did love this book, I just had a lot to say about Khalid and Shahrzad's relationship. I am absolutely looking forward to reading the next book and I would recommend this to my friends. I had to go back and re-read my favorite parts because I wasn't ready to leave the book.



"You are not weak. You are not indecisive. You are strong. Fierce. Capable beyond measure." -The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

10 Quotes from The Wrath and the Dawn

I just finished reading The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh and I loved it. I can't formulate a review right now because my mind is still lost in the pages, but here are some quotes that I marked while I was reading it.


1. "What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?" he whispered.
      "If I'm a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed." The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
      "No." His hands dropped to her waist. "Destroy me."

2. "The more a person pushes others away, the clearer it becomes he is in need of love the most."

3. "When you meet the one who makes you smile as you've never smiled before, cry as you've never cried before...there is nothing to do but fall."

4. "She was a dangerous, dangerous girl. A plague. A Mountain of Adamant who tore the iron from ships, sinking them to their watery graves without a second thought. With a mere smile and a wrinkle of her nose."

5. "Love is a force unto itself, sayyidi. For love, people consider the unthinkable...and often achieve the impossible. I would not sneer at its power."

6. "A shared history does not entitle you to a future, my friend."

7. "I know love is fragile. And loving someone like you is near impossible. Like holding something shattered through a raging sandstorm. If you want her to love you, shelter her from that storm...and make certain that storm isn't you."

8. "Tonight is a night to turn heads. Make them remember you. Make sure they never forget. You are the Calipha of Khorasan, and you have the ear of a king." Despina put her hand on Shahrzad's shoulder and grinned at their shared reflection. "More important, you have his heart." She bent forward and lowered her voice. "And most important, you are a fearsome thing to behold in your own right."

9. "The worst kind of lie—the kind shrouded in good intentions. The kind cowards use to justify their weakness."

10. "And how will you know when you've found the elusive someone?"
    "I suspect she will be like air. Like knowing how to breathe."