Welcome to Litsy!

I paused this book in January to focus on reading the titles on the list for a literary award I was on a judges panel for, and I'm not sure if I want to finish it, even though I'm 279 pages in. It's so long that I'm only a third of the way through. Should I keep at it??

St George's Day

I just stumbled across this incredible essay, Damsels Undistressed, from Samantha Shannon. She wrote this while researching for her book, The Priory of the Orange Tree. (Book 1 of The Chaos Series)

https://www.samanthashannon.co.uk/more/damsels-undistressed?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwJ16kt...

My favourite character was Tané, even though her POV sections were some of the weakest in the book. I liked her because she was angry and young. I liked that she was written as being a bit immature and irresponsible.

I really loved the Priory itself and I can‘t stop thinking about it. #snippets #fantasy #epicfantasy #samanthashannon 4.5 stars

#fantasy #epicfantasy #tome #brick #bigbooks #doorstopper #samanthashannon I finished it this afternoon! 🎉

#fantasy #epicfantasy #samanthashannon #tome #brick #bigbooks #doorstopper Day 9 bedtime - nearly finished!

#fantasy #doorstopper #tome #epicfantasy #brick #samanthashannon Day 8 - 9.30 pm

#fantasy #samanthashannon Day 7 After breakfast

#fantasy #epicfantasy #brick #tome #doorstopper #samanthashannon #amreading Day 6 9.30 pm

#fantasy #samanthashannon #epicfantasy #tome #doorstopper #bigbooks Day 4 Bedtime.

#fantasy #prioryoftheorangetree #samanthashannon #tome #doorstopper Day 3: 8 pm.

#samanthashannon #prioryoftheorangetree #chunkster #chunkybooks #doorstopper #epicfantasy #thatbookislikeabrick #tome I started this yesterday. Day 2 early morning.

I'm going to vaguely reference some shifts in mood and plot, so if you don't want to risk even the whisper of a spoiler, turn back now!
When I say this book confirmed that I'm not built for epic/high fantasy, I want you to understand that this book was the best case scenario, the one that for a while looked most likely to challenge rather than confirm that theory. 1/?

Courage.

Contradictory account of a historical/mythical/religious female figure as stronger with more agency? Yes, please!

I really liked this book! I always have some difficulties with multiple POV's, but it didn't bother me this time. I liked the characters, I liked the plot, I liked how every chapter made me curious to the next one. Also, it's so nice to have this much of a story in just a single book, instead of having to commit to a series. That being said, I will definitely read the prequel next!

I figured I'm not going to make my reading goal of 100 books this year anyway, so I might as well start this absolutely enormous fantasy tome that I've owned for 3 years and have heard such good things about.

I have other books I need to finish right now, but I made the mistake of cracking this one open tonight. I am captivated. Those other books may have to wait.

“The one who wears the chains is a thousand times greater than the one who wields them.”

“No woman should be made to fear that she was not enough.”

“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.”

I am a sucker for beautiful book covers!!!
Any views on this one?

I was in the mood for some fantasy, so this is my new #audiowalk book, but I‘m going to do it a little differently. I have the print version as well, so I‘ll read that at home sometimes. I went swimming today for the first time in over a year and was able to swim 1800 yds without a problem. Yay, me! 😊

850 ish pages, 4 corners of the world, many characters, complicated world building, magic dragons & forbidden same sex relationships; this is not a light fantasy read. I got a little bored and tangled up in the MANY subplots. The story is about secrets, discrimination, gods and fighting a common enemy ultimately breaking the barriers of "race" as they painfully break tradition to create a new world.

Bought myself a birthday present! 🥳

#topbooksof2023 I think it's safe to say I love a kickass Female MC 😏🖤

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Happy Saturday Litsy Lovies I hope you all have a weekend full of 5🌟 reads!
Spending my Saturday reading this amazing tagged book and enjoying the cooler weather.

50 pages in and I am enjoying this soooo much already! I'm glad it's so long because I have a feeling I won't want it to end and I am so excited to see where this goes.

40% in and absolutely loving this book. The world building is brilliant and the story is starting to flow...think it will be a torrent very soon

#BookDragon #Fantasy #ThePrioryOfTheOrangeTree #SamanthaShannon #Booklovers #BookNerds #LibraryMouse #InkDrinker #ReadersLiveAThousandLives #BookWorm
#BookNerdsUnite #BookWitch #BookGeek #ReadABook #LostInABook #BookLover #ReadThisBook #JustOneMoreChapter #LetMeRead #ProfessionalBookworm

A little nervous but mostly excited to start this book this evening.

I finally bought this one!!!! I read the first page and was Sold. 🐉

I've noticed this book tends to put people on the love it or hate it ends of the spectrum, and I fell firmly on the love it end of things. The characters and the bits of mystery surrounding each of their circumstances kept me reading with rapt attention. I can see how it might not be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it!

My special editions of Priory and its prequel finally arrived from Illumicrate! 🥹💕📚 They're so beautiful I can't even handle it! #illumicrate

I'm only 124 pages in, and not going to lie, I'm struggling ... do I keep going!? This gets so many good reviews, but I'm just not feeling it 😕 Cody the kitten is more interested than I am lol

I really tried, reached two thirds...but it is just extremely boring. I kept waiting in vain for something to happen to catch my attention, for some interesting feelings to be triggered...

It just felt like reading about a mix of elements from a lot of other novels and fairytales put together in a terribly long and distasteful porridge.

Wow, what an epic novel! I enjoyed this story very much and loved the variation between storylines and perspectives. The characters grew and changed over time as the plot moved. Still not a fan of Roos from beginning to end of the book, but every character cannot be on a reader's favorites list.

After hearing wonderful things from my reading friends at work I‘ve been working on this chunkster mini all year. I‘m sad to say I just thought it was okay. There were too many divergent stories at the beginning and by the time they came together it seemed like an afterthought. Sorry Priory lovers, this one just wasn‘t for me. #ChunksterChallenge

I‘ve got some ice cream, 4 hours left in this book, and I don‘t have to drive anyone anywhere tonight. Is life good or what?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this!

What I loved: The incredible world building, the strong & diverse female characters, the challenging of beliefs, Nayimathun (dragon), & the bit of closure given for key characters at the end.

Didn't love: The slow start. That some conflicts were too easily resolved, and a few characters too conveniently showed up in the right place at the right time despite their prior circumstances. Some predictability.

After I finished the Moor's Account on Friday, I spent the rest of my weekend with this gorgeous book. Not wanting to review it quite yet. Still savoring. Also in a bit of denial that it has ended.

I estimated it would take between 18 and 20 hours to read, factoring in the number of times I would have to reference the character index or maps, but I finished at 17.5 hours!

Then I ordered the prequel.

Some of the most fleshed-out fantasy I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The characters are complex and beautifully written.

This book is massive! It is a commitment to read it. The world building is phenomenal. The characters are engaging and I found myself rooting for all of them. I have to say I wasn't sure about this book. In the end, I loved it! The only thing I can complain about is,there were too many points of view. It was hard keeping up. I am looking forward to reading the prequel. Read this book!

This came with the other from The Broken Binding. I‘m interested. Has anyone read these? Is there a good order to read them in or does it not matter? No TBR openings for awhile but I‘m interested! They are very pretty together.

I ADORED priory, so it gets an automatic 5 stars from me.

Much less gritty than the worlds of Robin Hobb & GRRM, we are nonetheless plunged into a fully formed, colourful fantasy world.

There's a fair bit of infodumping at the start & several political obstacles work themselves out a bit too conveniently, but I'm rating this one with my heart.

Fierce, feminist, bad-ass, diverse, vivid characters... this is a fantasy must-read 💕

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Didn't quite manage to get to the end of Priory (p678) before the event tonight, but I can squeeze in a few more pages while waiting for my Dad.

With a creme egg deluxe tea latte at the Bird and Blend 😁🫖

Is anyone else reminded of the tagged book when they see this painting? @TrishB @Meshell1313 @AllDebooks

I think one of the best things about reading fantasy fiction is that it gives you new worlds to dream in.

I do, however, have beef with Shannon about something that happened on page 236 😠

I took my time with this one, and it really was excellent. I loved all the characters and hooe to read more stories set in this world. My only complaint is that after almost 800 pages of build up, the major battle scene felt sort of anti-climactic. I can forgive that because everything else was pretty much perfection

Listening to the tagged book and finishing up my hat rather than doing any of the laundry or housework I should be focusing on... #audioknitting