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katieanne_____'s review against another edition
5.0
This book has broken me. Well Done GRRM, you've done it again.
I'm not going to lie, there were parts in this one when I just couldn't be bothered to keep reading. There were some really boring parts. BUT I feel like it all wrapped up in the end.
I particularly enjoyed Cersei's chapters, it sounds awful but seeing how vulnerable she was, was almost satisfying. But I also loved her strength when she was walking naked, she kept her head high and I just thought it was fantastic character development.
Now can we take a minute to talk about Jon Snow. Jon friggin Snow. I literally was shaking and crying, I refuse to believe he is dead. Surely GRRM will make it a hell of a lot more dramatic. However, until TWoW, I am going to be grieving for my baby. ily Jon Snow.
Since I began this series, I've felt wary about Varys. He seemed creepy and I could not trust him one bit. But seven hells, Varys is awesome. I'm really hoping there will be big things for him in the next installment.
I'm not going to lie, there were parts in this one when I just couldn't be bothered to keep reading. There were some really boring parts. BUT I feel like it all wrapped up in the end.
I particularly enjoyed Cersei's chapters, it sounds awful but seeing how vulnerable she was, was almost satisfying. But I also loved her strength when she was walking naked, she kept her head high and I just thought it was fantastic character development.
Now can we take a minute to talk about Jon Snow. Jon friggin Snow. I literally was shaking and crying, I refuse to believe he is dead. Surely GRRM will make it a hell of a lot more dramatic. However, until TWoW, I am going to be grieving for my baby. ily Jon Snow.
Since I began this series, I've felt wary about Varys. He seemed creepy and I could not trust him one bit. But seven hells, Varys is awesome. I'm really hoping there will be big things for him in the next installment.
wandering_through_time's review against another edition
5.0
It took a long time but I'm finally all caught up! This installment in the ASOIAF series (the last available for the moment) contained all that could be expected from GRRM and more. Every time you think you know what's going to happen, where he is taking a character/the plot, trust me when i say YOU DON'T! I am waiting on the edge of my seat for the next book, though who knows how long it's going to take. This series is a serious time commitment but it is so worth it! Recommended not only for those who are fan of the TV show Game of Thrones, but for anyone who enjoys epic high fantasy stories.
laefe's review against another edition
4.0
"Intrighi su intrighi, ma tutte le strade finiscono per portare nella gola del drago."
- Tyron Lannister
- Tyron Lannister
ddl98's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t believe that is the last of the game of thrones books to read at the minute but what a brilliant series they have been. I thought I would enjoy the books because I liked the tv show (and that is one reason) but GRRM’s writing style has blown me away. The alternating character pov’s is an incredible method of revealing a story as complex as a song of ice and fire and he does it masterfully.
He manages to create dramatic irony at every turn due to the size of the world he has built, the technology of the world(communication) and the characters in it, where we know things from other characters Povs but they do not know of such events. George subtely reminds of us these little things when they become important too. Masterful writing.
One more note on the pov writing is each character feels and thinks so uniquely and this is reflected perfectly in the tiny details in each chapter such as the words they use and the speed they think at not jus the story going on in them.
This is my second favourite book in the series, after a storm of swords but I may be bias as this is the only one I really went in blind as it has diverged from the tv show, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Danys stroyline in mereen I started off not liking but it is stealing the show as it is shaping up with Selmy and Victarion on the way, the final selmy chapter had my heart beating but I’m truly hooked on every place which I’ve not been able to say about other game of thrones books. What an insane moment to end on and I can only pray the winds of winter will be released soon
He manages to create dramatic irony at every turn due to the size of the world he has built, the technology of the world(communication) and the characters in it, where we know things from other characters Povs but they do not know of such events. George subtely reminds of us these little things when they become important too. Masterful writing.
One more note on the pov writing is each character feels and thinks so uniquely and this is reflected perfectly in the tiny details in each chapter such as the words they use and the speed they think at not jus the story going on in them.
This is my second favourite book in the series, after a storm of swords but I may be bias as this is the only one I really went in blind as it has diverged from the tv show, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Danys stroyline in mereen I started off not liking but it is stealing the show as it is shaping up with Selmy and Victarion on the way, the final selmy chapter had my heart beating but I’m truly hooked on every place which I’ve not been able to say about other game of thrones books. What an insane moment to end on and I can only pray the winds of winter will be released soon
vikingwolf's review against another edition
5.0
The POV's for this book are Theon, Asha, Dany, Jon, Arya, Tyrion, Jaime, Cersei, Victarian, Barristan Selmy, Quentyn, Jon Connington and Kevan Lannister.
At Winterfell, Theon is brooding about his lot in life, certain that Ramsay is playing with him and expecting death at any moment. A killer stalks the Castle and there are people who are intent on rescuing who they think is Arya and joining Stannis. Is Theon brave and stupid enough to betray the Boltons and help Jeyne escape? Asha is the prisoner of Stannis and survival is a struggle as they march through the snow towards Winterfell, losing people, horses and running out of vital supplies.
At The Wall, entertaining Queen Selyse as she barks orders at him is wearing thin on Jon as are Melisandre's vague death warnings. Alys Karstark arrives seeking sanctuary from a wedding to her uncle which will steal her birthright and reveals that her family are trying to betray Stannis by working with the Boltons. Jon needs to get word to Stannis about a possible trap. Tormund is willing to make peace with Jon but selling it to the angry Night's Watch men is going to be more difficult, with plans to let the wildlings through Castle Black to settle on land they tried to plunder. Jon receives a letter from Ramsay demanding that Theon and Arya be returned to him and Jon is ready to ride south to deal with the Boltons once and for all.
Daario is unhappy that Dany is going to do her duty for peace by marrying Hizdahr zo Loraq but the day before the wedding, Dany is amused by the arrival of Quentyn who also seeks her hand. He shows her a pledge to marry Viserys to Arianne to join Dorne to the Targaryens and wants to seal that pact by marrying Dany, who rejects him as she is betrothed. She agrees to reopen the fighting pits for her wedding but a deadly arrival by Drogon and an assassination attempt occur, and Dany decides to leave, abandoning Meereen to a power struggle between Loraq and her people. Ser Barristan Selmy is sure that Loraq tried to kill Dany and while the dothraki search for her, he has to decide whether to turn traitor to the new King or serve him. Quentyn embarks on his own foolish plan to take Dany's dragons.
Outside the walls of Meereen, Tyrion, Penny and Jorah have been sold into slavery but find that their master is kind if they behave themselves. However with a deadly plague starting to kill those around him in the camp, Tyrion decides it is time to plot their escape and seek refuge with the Second Sons. Now he needs to persuade them to side with Dany. Arya adapts to her new blind status and seeks another chance to prove herself. Aegon is determined to take Storm's End away from Stannis with some local help and Victarian discovers how useful a servant of the Lord of Light can be to his mission to get to Meereen and claim Dany.
At King's Landing, Cersei has realised that the only way to get out of her cell and back to Tommen is to confess her sins and do a walk of shame naked through the streets, which horrifies her. The humiliation is tempered when she is introduced to her new loyal soldier Robert who is there to defend her and kill her enemies. Kevan has agreed to stay in the city to bring some stability but Varys has his own plans in motion. Jaime ignores Cersei's pleas for help and is sorting out a dispute between warring clans when word reaches him of Brienne.
This was an excellent book with many great plot threads! I LOVED following Ser Barristan Selmy as he deals with the politics of Meereen, staying loyal to Dany and investigating Loraq and Quentyn's activities. I also really enjoyed Tyrion's slavery adventures outside the walls though Penny is becoming a bit too whiny for my liking. Tyrion as always is funny, smart and entertaining to read about. His realisation that they were supposed to die in the fighting pits just made him more determined to escape and I loved his new working relationship with Jorah. Now they really have the same goal in getting inside Meereen and to Dany. I found the whole Meereen story really interesting and having Ser Barristan as the main storyteller when Dany was gone was a great bonus as I love his character. Seeing the stupidity of Quentyn was also enjoyable to read about.
Cersei's walk of shame was enjoyable as we got to see it through her experience. It is always fun to see what the bad characters are thinking! Is it wrong to feel so satisfied that Jaime has abandoned her?! Asha's march to Winterfell was strangely compelling even though not much happened. I think GRRM nicely conveyed how bleak and deadly the snow was and the effect that it had on everybody. Stannis is such a good character in the books, being stubborn and unbending as he is. I think the actor in the TV series portrayed him faithfully as we see him in the books and I always like his story. I enjoyed seeing it through the eyes of Asha as his prisoner. Jon's troubles of course are escalating and I wanted to constantly shout warnings at him! I love his friendship with Tormund. Theon was never my favourite character but I enjoyed his plotting and the fears over how bad the escape plans were. The most surprising thread which I wasn't expecting is what Varys was getting up to! I love that guy!
The threads that didn't greatly interest me again were Victarian and Aegan. I feel that Victarian's constant brooding over losing the throne to his brother is getting wearing and he doesn't form any purpose except another man wanting power by marrying Dany. I'd rather we had followed Euron instead of him as Euron is much more interesting. The endless sea journey with Victarian really adds nothing to the overall story and he could just have easily been cut out after Euron emerged the victor. Likewise Aegan's journey doesn't interest me much. I feel that we have enough people trying to take the Iron Throne without him in the mix and he comes across as a stroppy teenager rather than potential King! Adding him so late into the story doesn't seem like the smartest thing and has added more work for the author in tying it all up as the series ends. I am glad that these two threads were cut out by HBO in favour of the more interesting people. I am pleased at least that we are leaving the politics of Dorne behind in this book as I was getting tired of Arianne and the bastards of Oberyn.
Having read the book, I now find myself pining for The Winds of Winter! I admit I have fears that all these threads will not be resolved in two books. There just seems to be too much. If the next book has everything from season six on HBO, it would contain the battle between Stannis and the Boltons, Dany's dothraki adventures and return to Meereen, Jon Snow's new direction and fight with Ramsay, the Meereen people all joining up together ready to move to Westeros, Bran and Arya starting their respective journeys, Sam in Oldtown, the Brotherhood, Brienne, Jaime while Cersei plots against the High Sparrow and the Tyrells in King's Landing, plus the threads of Victarian and Aegon-that would be a huge book and that leaves seasons 7 and 8 to be in the final book? I fear that it will take three books to finish ASOI&F and I dread how long we'll wait for that!
At Winterfell, Theon is brooding about his lot in life, certain that Ramsay is playing with him and expecting death at any moment. A killer stalks the Castle and there are people who are intent on rescuing who they think is Arya and joining Stannis. Is Theon brave and stupid enough to betray the Boltons and help Jeyne escape? Asha is the prisoner of Stannis and survival is a struggle as they march through the snow towards Winterfell, losing people, horses and running out of vital supplies.
At The Wall, entertaining Queen Selyse as she barks orders at him is wearing thin on Jon as are Melisandre's vague death warnings. Alys Karstark arrives seeking sanctuary from a wedding to her uncle which will steal her birthright and reveals that her family are trying to betray Stannis by working with the Boltons. Jon needs to get word to Stannis about a possible trap. Tormund is willing to make peace with Jon but selling it to the angry Night's Watch men is going to be more difficult, with plans to let the wildlings through Castle Black to settle on land they tried to plunder. Jon receives a letter from Ramsay demanding that Theon and Arya be returned to him and Jon is ready to ride south to deal with the Boltons once and for all.
Daario is unhappy that Dany is going to do her duty for peace by marrying Hizdahr zo Loraq but the day before the wedding, Dany is amused by the arrival of Quentyn who also seeks her hand. He shows her a pledge to marry Viserys to Arianne to join Dorne to the Targaryens and wants to seal that pact by marrying Dany, who rejects him as she is betrothed. She agrees to reopen the fighting pits for her wedding but a deadly arrival by Drogon and an assassination attempt occur, and Dany decides to leave, abandoning Meereen to a power struggle between Loraq and her people. Ser Barristan Selmy is sure that Loraq tried to kill Dany and while the dothraki search for her, he has to decide whether to turn traitor to the new King or serve him. Quentyn embarks on his own foolish plan to take Dany's dragons.
Outside the walls of Meereen, Tyrion, Penny and Jorah have been sold into slavery but find that their master is kind if they behave themselves. However with a deadly plague starting to kill those around him in the camp, Tyrion decides it is time to plot their escape and seek refuge with the Second Sons. Now he needs to persuade them to side with Dany. Arya adapts to her new blind status and seeks another chance to prove herself. Aegon is determined to take Storm's End away from Stannis with some local help and Victarian discovers how useful a servant of the Lord of Light can be to his mission to get to Meereen and claim Dany.
At King's Landing, Cersei has realised that the only way to get out of her cell and back to Tommen is to confess her sins and do a walk of shame naked through the streets, which horrifies her. The humiliation is tempered when she is introduced to her new loyal soldier Robert who is there to defend her and kill her enemies. Kevan has agreed to stay in the city to bring some stability but Varys has his own plans in motion. Jaime ignores Cersei's pleas for help and is sorting out a dispute between warring clans when word reaches him of Brienne.
This was an excellent book with many great plot threads! I LOVED following Ser Barristan Selmy as he deals with the politics of Meereen, staying loyal to Dany and investigating Loraq and Quentyn's activities. I also really enjoyed Tyrion's slavery adventures outside the walls though Penny is becoming a bit too whiny for my liking. Tyrion as always is funny, smart and entertaining to read about. His realisation that they were supposed to die in the fighting pits just made him more determined to escape and I loved his new working relationship with Jorah. Now they really have the same goal in getting inside Meereen and to Dany. I found the whole Meereen story really interesting and having Ser Barristan as the main storyteller when Dany was gone was a great bonus as I love his character. Seeing the stupidity of Quentyn was also enjoyable to read about.
Cersei's walk of shame was enjoyable as we got to see it through her experience. It is always fun to see what the bad characters are thinking! Is it wrong to feel so satisfied that Jaime has abandoned her?! Asha's march to Winterfell was strangely compelling even though not much happened. I think GRRM nicely conveyed how bleak and deadly the snow was and the effect that it had on everybody. Stannis is such a good character in the books, being stubborn and unbending as he is. I think the actor in the TV series portrayed him faithfully as we see him in the books and I always like his story. I enjoyed seeing it through the eyes of Asha as his prisoner. Jon's troubles of course are escalating and I wanted to constantly shout warnings at him! I love his friendship with Tormund. Theon was never my favourite character but I enjoyed his plotting and the fears over how bad the escape plans were. The most surprising thread which I wasn't expecting is what Varys was getting up to! I love that guy!
The threads that didn't greatly interest me again were Victarian and Aegan. I feel that Victarian's constant brooding over losing the throne to his brother is getting wearing and he doesn't form any purpose except another man wanting power by marrying Dany. I'd rather we had followed Euron instead of him as Euron is much more interesting. The endless sea journey with Victarian really adds nothing to the overall story and he could just have easily been cut out after Euron emerged the victor. Likewise Aegan's journey doesn't interest me much. I feel that we have enough people trying to take the Iron Throne without him in the mix and he comes across as a stroppy teenager rather than potential King! Adding him so late into the story doesn't seem like the smartest thing and has added more work for the author in tying it all up as the series ends. I am glad that these two threads were cut out by HBO in favour of the more interesting people. I am pleased at least that we are leaving the politics of Dorne behind in this book as I was getting tired of Arianne and the bastards of Oberyn.
Having read the book, I now find myself pining for The Winds of Winter! I admit I have fears that all these threads will not be resolved in two books. There just seems to be too much. If the next book has everything from season six on HBO, it would contain the battle between Stannis and the Boltons, Dany's dothraki adventures and return to Meereen, Jon Snow's new direction and fight with Ramsay, the Meereen people all joining up together ready to move to Westeros, Bran and Arya starting their respective journeys, Sam in Oldtown, the Brotherhood, Brienne, Jaime while Cersei plots against the High Sparrow and the Tyrells in King's Landing, plus the threads of Victarian and Aegon-that would be a huge book and that leaves seasons 7 and 8 to be in the final book? I fear that it will take three books to finish ASOI&F and I dread how long we'll wait for that!
grackback's review against another edition
5.0
Possibly the best book in the series so far, I cannot believe that I have finished the series! Thoroughly enjoyed this books, had me turning the pages so quickly and I believe this is the quickest I've ever read one of these books. Cannot believe how dense and intense this series is and I definitely recommend. Very excited to start the tv series and I am highly anticipating the release of the next book.
lulunacy's review against another edition
5.0
Ver crítica aqui: http://lulunacy.wordpress.com/2014/04/19/critica-a-song-of-ice-and-fire-de-george-r-r-martin
betterbeereading's review against another edition
4.0
Finalmente mio!!! 
4 stelle, non posso dargli di più. La scrittura è sempre fantastica ma il problema è che Nei fuochi di Valyria succede poco o nulla. Tyron è sempre divertente e simpatico, fa quello che può considerando la situazione in cui si trova. Jon, sulla Barriera, tenta di essere un buon Lord Comandante ma vorrei che non avesse iniziato a fidarsi (ok, forse non proprio a fidarsi, ma ci siamo quasi) di Melisandre. Non metto in dubbio la buona fede di Melisandre, ma credo che interpreti male le sue visioni (ormai ne ho quasi la certezza). Nella battaglia per Grande Inverno siamo ancora in una situazione di stallo, poco si è mosso. Mi sono molto piaciuti il capitolo sui Martell e naturalmente quello di Arya, uno dei miei personaggi preferiti insieme a Jon, Tyron e Bran. Peccato che invece non si abbiano notizie sul giovane Griff.
Sinceramente non riesco a immaginare la conclusione di questa saga. I libri sembrano disseminati di indizi che non riesco comunque a mettere insieme. Ora, siccome con qualcuno mi devo pur sfogare, sotto spoiler metto alcune mie opinioni.
-Se non fosse per la necessità di avere i Draghi alla Barriera, per me Daenerys potrebbe starsene benissimo dov'è (se non si era capito prima, non la sopporto)
-Dovendomi mettere il cuore in pace che prima o poi Daenerys arriverà a Westeros, dato che "tre teste ha il drago" gli altri due che sono destinati a cavalcare i restanti due draghi, secondo me devono essere anch'essi Targaryen. E dato che non libro precedente Aegon è "tornato dal regno dei morti" ci sono dubbi solo sul terzo. Io sono più propensa a credere che sia Jon la terza testa del drago, secondo la teoria che Jon sia figlio di Lyanna e Raeghar. Anche se in effetti il suo giuramento ai guardiani e un bel problema. Oppure Tyron? A quanto pare il Re Folle aveva un certo interesse verso la madre di Tyron....
-Non mi sta piacendo molto la piega che sta prendendo la storia di Bran, ma vabbè. Mi è piaciuta la visione che lui ha avuto quando ha visto attraverso gli occhi della'albero-cuore. La ragazzina era sicuramente Lyanna e questo mi fa credere che la storia del cavaliere sconosciuto del torneo di Harrendall raccontata dai due ragazzi Reed sia in realtà lei, che per vendicare i torti subiti dell'amico Howard Reed decide di sconfiggere i due Fey. Per questo Raeghar, scoperta l'identità del cavaliere, incorona Lyanna regina di bellezza donandole la corona di rose blu per dirle "so chi sei". Inoltre Daenerys in una visione avuta in uno dei primi libri, vede una rosa blu (la stessa della corona del tornea ) sopra un'immenso muro di ghiaccio, la Barriera. E questo mi fa credere sempre più che Jon effettivamente figlio di Raeghar e Lyanna.
4 stelle, non posso dargli di più. La scrittura è sempre fantastica ma il problema è che Nei fuochi di Valyria succede poco o nulla. Tyron è sempre divertente e simpatico, fa quello che può considerando la situazione in cui si trova. Jon, sulla Barriera, tenta di essere un buon Lord Comandante ma vorrei che non avesse iniziato a fidarsi (ok, forse non proprio a fidarsi, ma ci siamo quasi) di Melisandre. Non metto in dubbio la buona fede di Melisandre, ma credo che interpreti male le sue visioni (ormai ne ho quasi la certezza). Nella battaglia per Grande Inverno siamo ancora in una situazione di stallo, poco si è mosso. Mi sono molto piaciuti il capitolo sui Martell e naturalmente quello di Arya, uno dei miei personaggi preferiti insieme a Jon, Tyron e Bran. Peccato che invece non si abbiano notizie sul giovane Griff.
Sinceramente non riesco a immaginare la conclusione di questa saga. I libri sembrano disseminati di indizi che non riesco comunque a mettere insieme. Ora, siccome con qualcuno mi devo pur sfogare, sotto spoiler metto alcune mie opinioni.
Spoiler
-Se non fosse per la necessità di avere i Draghi alla Barriera, per me Daenerys potrebbe starsene benissimo dov'è (se non si era capito prima, non la sopporto)
-Dovendomi mettere il cuore in pace che prima o poi Daenerys arriverà a Westeros, dato che "tre teste ha il drago" gli altri due che sono destinati a cavalcare i restanti due draghi, secondo me devono essere anch'essi Targaryen. E dato che non libro precedente Aegon è "tornato dal regno dei morti" ci sono dubbi solo sul terzo. Io sono più propensa a credere che sia Jon la terza testa del drago, secondo la teoria che Jon sia figlio di Lyanna e Raeghar. Anche se in effetti il suo giuramento ai guardiani e un bel problema. Oppure Tyron? A quanto pare il Re Folle aveva un certo interesse verso la madre di Tyron....
-Non mi sta piacendo molto la piega che sta prendendo la storia di Bran, ma vabbè. Mi è piaciuta la visione che lui ha avuto quando ha visto attraverso gli occhi della'albero-cuore. La ragazzina era sicuramente Lyanna e questo mi fa credere che la storia del cavaliere sconosciuto del torneo di Harrendall raccontata dai due ragazzi Reed sia in realtà lei, che per vendicare i torti subiti dell'amico Howard Reed decide di sconfiggere i due Fey. Per questo Raeghar, scoperta l'identità del cavaliere, incorona Lyanna regina di bellezza donandole la corona di rose blu per dirle "so chi sei". Inoltre Daenerys in una visione avuta in uno dei primi libri, vede una rosa blu (la stessa della corona del tornea ) sopra un'immenso muro di ghiaccio, la Barriera. E questo mi fa credere sempre più che Jon effettivamente figlio di Raeghar e Lyanna.
phie's review against another edition
3.0
i’m sad he didn’t finish the series it truly has a different amount of potential than the series has
bookybrookey's review against another edition
2.0
This series really needs to come to an end. It has gotten to the point where I don't care about any of the characters. The story lines are just dragging on and there is almost too much happening. Daenerys needs to go to Westeros, Arya needs to leave that weird temple, the white walkers need to attack the Wall, and someone needs to win the Iron Throne. I am also disappointed that there aren't more chapters of Sansa, Brienne or Jaime. Feast of Crows and Dance with Dragons are probably my least favourite of the series, but I am really hoping Winds of Winter bring things back to Westeros and wrap it up a bit.