a repetition of the earlier story from a different point of view. sounded the same to me. ( )

The year is 2023 and, believe it or not, I have managed to avoid spoilers for TSOIAF. This book… WOW just wow. Martin is a master at character development. There really isn’t any thing that I could say that everyone already said. What an experience. ( )

Cover

Still think these covers are boring. Why haven't they released a super awesome set?

Initial Thoughts

Starting this book, I had already gotten into the fourth season of the tv show. So I mostly knew what was going to happen already. I am happy to saw that I'm caught up in my reading now though! Season 4 is about to end and I've already finished book three!

My New BFF

Margaery. I love her to death! I'm really excited to see what happens with her situation too. She seems like such a sweetheart but she has to be tougher to have already lost two husbands. I just think she's much more clever than everyone thinks. She's only 16 but she can do so much!

My Crush

Tyrion. He's a lot stronger than we give him credit for. I love how he fights with words not swords. It makes him different than the other characters. Someone like him should be king. He has such a sad situation though. I hate that his father can't stand him, same with his sister. I love Jaime for being a good brother to him. I hate that everyone pretty much left him in this book. He doesn't have a whole lot anymore.

Writing Style

George R.R. Martin has a perfect writing style. He's clever and sneaky and makes the reader figure everything out. I like that though. I like not knowing where a book is going and then being surprised when something crazy happens. This book had a lot more action in it than the others. There were less boring parts and lots more action. He writes with just enough detail to make it seem as though you're right beside the characters.

Closing Thoughts

I'm loving this series so far. It's not something that I would have picked up on my own but I'm glad I did. There wasn't anything not exciting about this book. It seems like it's slow but then all of a sudden you're half way through. There was more of everything! Death, action, romance, mystery. Pretty much anything you can think of. This is easily my favourite book so far.

It make you feel all sorts of weird things. This is easily the high point in the series. You think, oh this character can't be so bad, I think I like him. NOPE. He's dead now. The characters you hate the most live though. Because that makes sense right? George Martin knows how to play with your emotions. The story is just so complex that there's no way you can catch everything the first time though. This will soon be a worn out book on my shelf. ( )

The awesome continues...

I found myself surprised that Martin was capable of invoking sympathy in me for Jaime Lannister...

The Red Wedding almost made me throw down the book then and there, but I soldiered on and was rewarded...

Jon is finally becoming more interesting as his story starts to intersect with others again...

...and Daenerys continues to be amazing despite the fact that her storyline hasn't done much intersecting yet.

I'm looking forward to the next book. ( )

This is my favorite in the series so far. The plot continues to drive the book along, making it seem much shorter than its 1100 pages, and there are still plenty of surprises left. What I like best in this novel is the character development--not only does Martin give detailed insight into characters' minds, but they also grow and change throughout the book. Some characters face a crisis and rise above, while others learn from their experiences and gain maturity. One of these story arcs, in particular, is among the most moving that I've ever read, and I can't wait to see more of this character in future books. It's not all wonderful, however, as Martin throws in enough "fake-outs" for the writing to start to feel gimmicky at places. (Oh look! So-and-so's dead! Surprise! He's really not! Fooled you!) It's still an enjoyable read, though. Martin also deserves credit for ending this book at a very good point in the story. Without feeling pressured to tie up loose ends (and trust me, there are plenty of those), he does justice to the individual stories. He leaves some level of closure, and the different characters' positions at the end of the novel offer a satisfying conclusion to this installment. ( )