5 stars and a top spot on my favorites bookshelf

Very rarely do I come across a book that adheres to all my bookish fantasies, where I fall in love with every character, with the fantastic world-building, the magical elements, and the very heart of the story. The Priory of the Orange Tree manages to hit every single mark. It was 830 pages of everything I have always wanted from fantasy. THIS is how you write a fantasy novel, with strong female characters, a gripping plot, and swoon-worthy romances. Many reviewers will hate me for this, but this is what I wanted from Sarah J. Maas, Victoria Aveyard, V. E. Schwab, and most 'high fantasy' books. Ead, Tane`, and Sabran were what Aelin, Feyre, Mare, and Lila aspired to be. Believe the hype for this book, as it lived up to it and even defied expectations.

I saw many reviews saying that the book could have been 200 pages shorter, making the plot drag less, but I disagree. There was not one moment of this book where I felt bored, or the pacing felt off. Samantha Shannon has done the impossible; written an 800+ paged novel without it being draggy, and managing to wrap up the plot nicely without the need for sequels. We desperately need more stand-alone fantasies in both the YA, NA and Adult genre.

I won't go into spoiler territory and just say that this book is for anyone who loves fantasy, badass female characters, dragons, magic, and a brilliantly written plot.