Book · 2019
The Priory of the Orange Tree
by Samantha Shannon
A queen who cannot risk a female heir, a dragon rider guarding a strait, and an outlawed mage protecting her in secret all move toward the same sleeping fire-breather.
What does Reddit think of The Priory of the Orange Tree?
This is the split-verdict book of the batch. r/Fantasy runs the coldest sub in this catalogue, and its top quotes back that up: too heavy, "the weight-to-enjoyment ratio was bad" (↑293), an ending that "just kinda happened" (↑251), and a review (↑209) leading with the cover and the hype before calling the pacing and dialogue terrible outright. r/suggestmeabook, working from the same book, runs warm, and its top citation isn't about prose at all, it's about representation: "strong women" and "no threat of sexual violence," offered as a selling point rather than an afterthought (↑209). It shows up twice on the same sapphic-rec megalist (↑421, ↑370), which is where most of its r/suggestmeabook volume actually comes from. Two subreddits, one book, opposite verdicts, and neither side is talking about the other's axis. One's grading the plot. One's grading who gets to be in it.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · r/Fantasy runs the coldest sub in this catalogue for a single title
- · Physical heft cited as a literal complaint, not just a metaphor
- · r/suggestmeabook frames it around representation, not plot
- · Recurring slot on sapphic/wlw recommendation megalists
Common praise
- + A suggestmeabook commenter picks it specifically for having "strong women" and zero threat of sexual violence, and treats that as the selling point (↑209).
- + It lands on a sapphic-rec megalist twice, a list its own author says keeps hitting Reddit's comment size limit (↑421).
- + One reader praises the immersive world and "loads of strong women" without hedging (↑209).
Common criticism
- − An r/Fantasy reader says the weight-to-enjoyment ratio was bad, literally citing the book's physical heft as a problem (↑293).
- − Another calls the ending anticlimactic, saying it "just kinda happened" after 660-plus pages (↑251).
- − A third calls the pacing and dialogue terrible outright and argues the hype oversold an average book (↑209).
Who it's for
Go in for the sapphic representation, r/suggestmeabook's whole case for this book is "strong women" and no threat of sexual violence, not the prose (↑209). Already skeptical of 800-page fantasy doorstops? r/Fantasy's harshest reviewers in this sample bailed on pacing and an ending that fizzles (↑251, ↑209). Finished it holding the physical copy? One reader's specific complaint was literally the weight in their hands (↑293). Two rooms of the same site can't agree on this book, so pick whichever room's priorities match yours.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for The Priory of the Orange Tree?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“My list of sapphic/wlw books, which hasn't been updated in a while because I finally hit the Reddit comment size limit **Ones I've read and loved** ***Sapphic Series:*** * From the *Feminine Pursuits* series by Olivia Waite (Romance, Historical Fiction - 1810s - 1820s): + Book 1 – *T…
“*Fire Logic,* by Laurie Marks (no coming out here, it's a fantasy universe with a whole lot of issues but heteronormativity isn't one of them) *Priory of the Orange Tree*, by Samantha Shannon (lesbians, dragons, witches, political intrigue) *The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics,* by Olivia Wait…
“‘Priory of the Orange Tree’ Book was just too heavy. I wasn’t enjoying it anyway but I was 660 pages in. I got tired holding the book lol, the weight:enjoyment ratio was bad.
“Priory of the Orange Tree just didn't work for me. There were some great moments and I like Ead and the dragon rider, but I struggled to connect with a lot of the other characters (the queen annoyed me, the scientist dude rubbed me the wrong way). And the ending felt anticlimactic - it just kinda ha…
“The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
“Without a doubt, Priory of the Orange Tree. I judged the book by its beautiful cover and the rave reviews about its egalitarian world. Instead I found an overhyped book with relatively good world building but otherwise terrible pacing and dialogue. I couldn't help but feel some people desperately …
“I'm sure someone else will have mentioned this but 'Priory of the Orange Tree' by Samantha Shannon. The world is completely immersive and has loads of strong women. There is absolutely no threat of sexual violence. As an added bonus there is also another book set in the same world coming out at the…
“The Priory of the Orange Tree. I just couldn’t connect with it, it was a slog initially and evolved into a pure hate read.
“Priory of the Orange Tree.. I couldn’t finish it, it was so so so boring.
“**Priory of the Orange Tree** was boring and I didn't care about the characters at all. DNF at 40%. It has the classic epic fantasy problem of too many plotlines full of characters and locations and jargon without putting in effort to make the reader care about any of them.
“Priory of the Orange Tree was a dumpster fire of a story with a great name and incredible cover art.
“The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon. This is the first book I read from the author and I didn't know she was famous for good sex scenes. It caught me off guard, but it was so well written. Realistic, not cringe, inspiring. This has become my bar for sex scenes.
“Priory of The Orange Tree. I'm no stranger to dense fantasy books, but I felt pretty unsatisfied once it was over. Loth and Tane's plotlines felt both too long and too rushed. The strongest part by far was the worldbuilding.
“Madeline Miller's books all focus on similar subject matter (Circe and The Song of Achilles). The queen's theif novels also have Roman mythology influence. I also recently finished The Priory of the Orange Tree and feel like someone who enjoyed Percy Jackson would enjoy the story a lot.
“The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. I thought the cover was super cool, really pretty, but thought that the book lost a lot of steam about halfway in. Felt like it stumbled to a conclusion and was ultimately pretty disappointing compared to the first 150 pages
Convinced? Pick up The Priory of the Orange Tree
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with The Priory of the Orange Tree — counted from the comments, not curated.
The Priory of the Orange Tree — frequently asked
Is The Priory of the Orange Tree worth the length?+
Depends which subreddit you ask. r/Fantasy's displayed reviews call it overhyped with terrible pacing and an anticlimactic ending (↑209, ↑251), while r/suggestmeabook keeps recommending it for its women-led cast and lack of sexual violence (↑209). The data splits by community, not by consensus.
Why do people say The Priory of the Orange Tree is too heavy?+
One r/Fantasy reader means it literally: they got tired holding the physical book and said the weight-to-enjoyment ratio was bad (↑293), on top of not enjoying the story itself. It's a complaint about the object as much as the text.
Is The Priory of the Orange Tree a good pick for sapphic fantasy recommendations?+
Yes, per this sample. It appears twice on r/suggestmeabook's sapphic/wlw megalists (↑421, ↑370), and a separate comment (↑209) singles it out specifically for its women-led cast and absence of sexual violence as a plot device.
Does The Priory of the Orange Tree stick the landing?+
Not according to one highly upvoted r/Fantasy comment (↑251), which calls the ending anticlimactic and says it "just kinda happened" after readers invest in Ead and the dragon rider. No displayed comment in this sample argues the ending works better than that.