PSA: Tried to push through a 700 page fantasy epic and regret losing 2 weeks of reading time

I started "The Priory of the Orange Tree" by Samantha Shannon thinking it would be the next big thing. But by page 400 I still couldn't tell you who the main character was or why I should care about the dragon politics. Did I waste 14 days of my limited reading hours or should I have stuck it out for the payoff? Has anyone else bailed on a hyped fantasy novel after putting in serious time?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana_park11d ago

Honestly, did you make it past the part where they spent 50 pages describing the dragon's breakfast? I mean, @thea_carter called it 800 pages of setup with no payoff and at this point I'm starting to think that was the generous review. I dropped it around page 300 and felt relief, not regret. Life's too short to care about a fictional kingdom's trade disputes.

thea_carter11d ago

Yeah, I heard someone describe that book as 800 pages of setup with no payoff.