This extract shows an example of what is shaping up to be an impressive epic fantasy. I love that there is such an abundance of strong female characters - not just add-ons or helpless characters. As with starting any epic fantasy, it can be confusing at first with the multiple viewpoints and storylines being established and it takes some effort to remember who is who and doing what, and to form bonds with the characters, however, towards the end of the extract the lines begin to connect between the characters and the intrigue of the plot begins to emerge. It definitely leaves an interest in discovering the developments of the storyline to come. I would have loved to read more and discover the characters and their motives and lives further, and was definitely disappointed when I reached the end of the extract! If you are a fan of epic fantasy (and of dragons!), this is for you.

Just the first 100 pages of this book have me hooked. I can't wait to learn more about the characters and finally meet the dragons!

This excerpt is amazing! I am definitely interested in this book and cannot wait for it to come out. I love the author's writing style and the pace of the story-slow but enough information and action to keep the story going.

Beautiful writing, intriguing plot and one of my most anticipated reads of 2019. I've got two copies (one physical, one ebook) and the day of release booked off work to read it!

Shannon creates this atmospheric realm of excitement that I get with her other published works. The premise and characters sounds great! Will look forward to reading the rest when this title is released.

"Her scales were a pale, clouded green, like milk jade, her mane the golden-brown of riverweed."

OH. MY. GLOB. This excerpt gave me more than I wished for and I'm trembling with excitement for this 800+ page epic this February! Never have I read a tale about dragons more vividly than this one, and this is not to say that dragons are the only thing that makes this book a whole lot more interesting. There are political schemings, layered characters of noble duties and ambiguous morality, and an endearing innocence in the magic of this world. I'll surely be reading the book when it gets published this Feburary 2019!

I seriously can not wait for the actual book to be released! Samantha Shannon did it again and this small glimpse blew me away!

Samantha Shannon has a way with words! She always creates incredible vivid worlds and believable characters.
Unlike the Bone Season this story is written in 3rd person and I really like that! The story flows so naturally. I have no words, Samantha is amazing! I was intrigued from the very first page.
There are a lot of characters and they're all so different. I can't wait to read the rest of the story, this was just an excerpt, there is so much more! And I need more!
This is the epic fantasy we've all been waiting for!

Just received a preview- quite a generous one! Really enjoyed it....I will be getting myself a copy of this!

Omg this is the high fantasy book I need!

I need to see more of Ead and more of Tanè as I love them and everything is so vivid and well written and those dragons omg! I can't wait to read how Tanè does in the water trials and I need to see a love story between Ead and Loth, because obviously!!

Honestly, we're actually dying for the rest of this brick of a book. There are dragons and conflicting cultures and some serious spreading of misinformation. Samantha Shannon is a favourite of ours and TBS books are spectacular in their alternate history, but we're really liking how Priory has been an interesting meld of imagination and history and legend. Or at least. So far. There's another seven hundred pages or so that we need to read. Like now.

For an excerpt, this is absolutely brilliant! It left me craving more and led me to preorder two copies of the book. I’m so, so excited for the release and this has me desperate for more - the perfect kind of teaser!

This was...kind of odd? But I am intrigued enough to pick this up when it is released.
It starts off with a slow, , sort of meditative and heavily descriptive prose that initially didn't work for me, and it did take a little bit to feel like I understood the world and I understood what was going on. The reader is thrown right into things and it is a little disorienting. That said, the magic and magical creatures in here were really, really interesting, and I am definitely excited to dive back into this when it comes out.
Would recommend!

From such a brief snippet, the world building is absolutely phenomenal. The writing is enchanting! Cannot wait for The Priory of the Orange Tree to be released to delve back into another world Samantha Shannon has created.

I enjoyed this extract a lot. The writing is vivid and just beautiful and I‘m really looking forward to reading the complete book.

What list would be complete without Samantha Shannon’s blockbuster tour de force, Priory? The book gods smiled on me earlier this year and sent me an extract to read before publication, and it was just as good as everybody’s been saying on Twitter. There are dragons, there’s an embattled Queen, Sabran- who’s only being kept safe by her maid of honour, Ead, with secrets of her own- and there is a lot of politics. A lot.

The amazing thing about Priory is that Samantha Shannon has done it again: created a whole other world, completely separate to her Bone Season series, that feels real and lived-in. Long story short: February can’t come quickly enough.

Really enjoyed this short excerpt into THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE. I love a good epic fantasy, especially one that touts amazing female characters that aren't related to side lines, as well as political machinations and, of course, dragons. My only qualm is that PRIORY throws you into the story with little footing, and so, so many terms and descriptions are thrown around its hard to get a grasp of who or what is being discussed. This is better read in the physical copy not only for the map to help visualise places and locations, but also the giant vocabulary list absolutely necessary to help dive into the world!

I might be one of the few people who didn't fall in love with the BONE SEASON (even though I enjoyed the first novel quiet a lot) but this one? This looks sooo good! I absolutely adore feminist fantasy and dragons and epic/high fantasy in general and after reading the extract I'm just so excited for the whole novel! It's going to be amazing!

I picked up this sample hesitantly, worried it might be the start of another long-winded fantasy epic. And, wow, was I surprised. This is excellently well-written, with fantastic characters, world-building and story-telling. I'm counting down the days until I can get my hands on the full copy.


Thanks to NetGalley for the extract in exchange for an honest review.

Whoa!!! What an epic action packed fantasy excerpt. I am blown away and desperately needed more pages. Typically with epic high fantasy reads the multitude of complex names, characters, cities, regions can be confusing yet Shannon writes so effortlessly they transition through character and title with ease.
Despite the complexity of the inner workings of this world the descriptors give it such a lush feel with a rich backdrop and exciting scenery.
Notably a female inspired fantasy novel with magical elements, victorian inspired creatures and of course dragons make this multiple pov tale one to put in your planner.
100 pages wasn't enough. Bring on release day.
5 stars

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing PIC (UK & ANZ) and Netgalley for this advanced excerpt.