The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

The Priory of the Orange Tree is one of those novels that has been on my to-read list for a while. Now that I've finally picked it up, I'm sad I ever waited this long. 

Priory is a high fantasy tale, spanning a whole world and told from several points of view. Sabran Berethnet is the latest queen of Inys, her line stretches back to the founding of the land and it's said that as long as a Berethnet is on the throne the great and terrible Nameless One will not reawaken. 

Ead Duryan was brought to the Inysh court on a mission: get close to Sabran and protect her. But Ead must keep her own past a secret. The people of Inys are devout in their worship of the Six Virtues, and as a member of the Priory, a secret society of mages, Ead could be executed if anyone discovers her true identity. 

Far across the sea, Tané comes from a society that worships dragons, the god-like beasts who helped defeat the Nameless One when he last threatened the world. Tané has trained all her life to be a great warrior and she hopes to be chosen as a dragonrider. But just as her dream is within reach, a stranger shows up on her island and throws her life into chaos. 

High fantasy can be a struggle to get into. It's the genre most likely to have the dreaded exposition dump - a chapter of heavy lore about the world that's impossible to trudge through. Priory avoids all those pitfalls. Though it will always be a little confusing to learn the names and locations of characters in an entirely new world, Priory handles the introductions well, making the characters engaging and dropping lore in manageable bites along the way. Just a couple chapters in, I felt comfortable enough in my knowledge of the characters without feeling overwhelmed. 

Now this is a chunky book, coming in at nearly a thousand pages, but if you're up for it, it is absolutely worth the read. Shannon masterfully introduces a new world, writes engaging characters, and ties together storylines.