The Priory of the Orange Tree

 I really dithered between 2 and 3 stars here (I like the GR guide rating, 2 means it was ok).

This is a big book full a diverse cast and massive worldbuilding, and I think it's aiming for too much in a single volume. The biggest criticism I've read is that the Epic Life Or Death Showdown (not a spoiler if you've ever read a book) is over in mere minutes, which I agree, but also I enjoyed because I find epic battle scenes tedious to read.

There are a lot of cast members, none of whom get enough screen time, and maybe I would have preferred a trilogy here (although let's be honest, I probably would only read the first one anyway). The big concepts and worldbuilding tackled in a YA breadth, not depth, style; of course this is fine, but felt hollow to me here. A deep dive into each of the cultures we met would have been awesome.

By 75% I was extremely ready for the book to be over, having read enough Fine, not Great story for 200 pages, and still having another 200 pages ahead of me. It's a perfectly ok story, and you'll likely enjoy it because you're not a book curmudgeon like me.