The Priory of the Orange Tree
The heart is not a matter of choice, or a wound would not so pain us.
Why read it
A thousand years after a great dragon was bound, the ancient enemy stirs again, and the fate of warring kingdoms rests on a queen without an heir, a secret assassin sworn to protect her, and a dragonrider across the sea.
Shannon delivers a standalone epic fantasy of dueling dragon mythologies, East and West, threaded with palace intrigue, forbidden magic, and a slow-burning romance between women. It reimagines the Saint George legend into a feminist, expansive saga where an old prophecy collides with a rising apocalypse.
Published in 2019, the near-800-page standalone was praised as a feminist reworking of classic dragon-slaying legend and became a bestseller. Its success led Shannon to write a prequel, A Day of Fallen Night.
- 01
Two dragon traditions
What awaits is a world split between the feared wyrms of the West and the revered water dragons of the East.
- 02
A queen under threat
Sabran must produce an heir to keep an ancient binding intact while assassins and zealots circle.
- 03
Hidden magewomen
The secret Priory guards a suppressed history and a power the ruling church denies.
- 04
Love across divides
A tender, defiant romance grows in the shadow of prophecy and war.
Ead's covert protection of Queen Sabran within the Inysh court, guarding her with forbidden magic.
Tane's path to becoming a dragonrider in the East, bonding with a great sea dragon.
