19 books we can’t wait to get our hands on in 2019

The Priory of the Orange Tree – Samantha Shannon

After the success of The Bone Season series, fantasy readers were more than a little excited to hear that Samantha Shannon had written a new novel. Another lengthy fantasy tale, The Priory of the Orange Tree  is Shannon’s first published work unrelated to The Bone Season.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is set in the kingdom of Inys, where the House of Berethnet has remained in power for over a millennium. Of course, not everyone in the kingdom is thrilled about that. To protect her kingdom—and her place on the throne—Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter. This task is made difficult by two things: She’s currently unwed, and assassins are after her.

Ead Duryan is another POV character, as well as an outcast in Inys’ court. Unbeknownst to Queen Sabran, Ead has been protecting her with forbidden magic. She belongs to a secret society of mages, something that would likely land her in loads of trouble if it was discovered. And then there’s Tané, a dragon rider forced to make an impossible decision.

It will be interesting to see how Shannon weaves the tales of these three women together, especially when there’s magic brewing and a possible civil war on the horizon.

With all the political unrest, magic, and dragons, The Priory of the Orange Tree sounds like it could be one of 2019’s best fantasy releases. It will be available on Feb. 26, and readers should make a point to give it a try.