The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

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This is a peculiar book that tries to combine a lot of things together with various results.

It is difficult to say where my problem lies with the plot itself as it is a pretty standard story of an ancient enemy waking up and threatening the peace of the world. What made it different at the beginning was the fast introduction to the various parts of the world and their political/religious set-ups, in a way that prepares you for some political play. Yet, there isn't any. I can't say it's the book's fault as it never advertised itself as one, but it is definitely a disappointment and a lost opportunity given the details we get from the East and the West. Then, the problem came to be in the way the book makes you invested in the characters and the fate of the world and... it didn't. The book often referenced asian-inspired nameless stories and, honestly, the entire book reminded me of one. You get the characters, you get the story, you get the enemy and that's it. Even the climax felt a bit lowkey in a sense. It just lacked drama! It lacked... a soul.

Now, my true gripe with this book is the characters that had bad intentions that eventually came out on the front. When it happened the first time, that character just spilled out all their plans with 0 reason and I chucked it up to that character's personality, but then... it happened twice and even thrice! Of course, it helped the story along, but that is not the kind of progression you wanna see, really.

That being said, the book is so RICH in details about the world, the people, their relationships! I felt connected to the entire thing in the first ~300 pages and I loved how everything was set up. Even romantic relationships were depicted with respect and care.

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