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ashleyc5's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book felt like a large setup for things to come. Unfortunately, there is nothing to follow it in the near future. There was a lot of development with Arya, and I found myself looking forward to her chapters the most. The introduction of the strange magic was captivating. The last 10-15 chapters were the best part of the book, but there were many moments when I found it difficult to stay engaged. There was plenty of background and plot development, but not much payoff for the individual characters, which is why I personally read these books.
emma6544's review
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It is tough to give this book an accurate rating as it took me so long to finish it.
Overall, there were enjoyable moments and plot points which dragged. I am disappointed that the next book is not published as I want to find out the fates of Jon, Daenerys, Tyrion, Arya, Sansa, Cersei, Jamie and Samwell as George RR Martin intended their characters to develop.
Overall, there were enjoyable moments and plot points which dragged. I am disappointed that the next book is not published as I want to find out the fates of Jon, Daenerys, Tyrion, Arya, Sansa, Cersei, Jamie and Samwell as George RR Martin intended their characters to develop.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Blood and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence
trapdorr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Maybe someday we’ll get the rest of the books but I doubt it. Such depth and incredible world building. So many moving parts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: War and Rape
autumnalsnow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
heather_boo's review against another edition
3.0
This book is my least favorite in the series. My favorite characters were less included. It also seemed to ramble more and introduced many new characters, often these characters have similar personalities that just sort of grey together. I loved the bigger more unique personalities of Jamie, Tyrion, Cersei, all of the Stark children, Theon, Asha, Jon, etc.
vlnntnn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
4.75
jeghe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
halthemonarch's review against another edition
4.0
this book took me a year to read holy shit. instead of writing my thoughts, i wrote a chapter by chapter summary. I tried to keep each one to one or two sentences and even with that, this is a loooong ass "review". It's a long ass book. Many of these are run-on sentences and the summaries get unhinged towards the end, Enjoy. (edit this future self, this is embarrassing)
A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5) by George RR Martin
Read and Reviewed April 2023 -May 2024
I’m going to try and summarize each chapter in a sentence. This review is for future me, and I want to actually remember the events of these enormous books, so here we go.
Prologue - a dying warg tries to find his second life and reflects on his first brutal, wildling one (and its taboos); on Mance Rader’s death, the doom it will bring everyone surrounding the wall, and on the Crow bastard shirking his gift.
Tyrion - A passively suicidal Tyrion reflects on his shitty life as he’s vcwhisked away to Pentos and told about the Dragon with Three Heads
Danaerys - Dany, pulled in every direction, cycles through thoughts of keeping Meeren under control, being a good and fair ruler, being a little girl who doesn't know the ways of war, and being the blood of the dragon destined to fly the narrow sea and conquer the usurpers.
Jon - Commander fuck-head wakes from a green dream and attends his duties at the wall, which includes the comfort of his guest Lord/King Stannis and being antagonized by his Red Lady the tragic Cassandra Melisandre.
Bran - Future Bloodraven commits atrocities while being escorted to the Three Eyes by his (mysterious and unknown) undead Uncle Benji.
Tyrion - Tyrion is running toward the Dragon Queen; his patron mentions Griff and his “son” young Griff.
Quentyn - House Martell plans a coup which looks like young and earnest Quentyn Martell and his company securing secret passage to Meereen for Dany’s hand in marriage.
Jon - Lord Commander dipshit (in preparation for his eventual role as Cesar) hustles Gilly’s son out of her custody, sends Sam + everyone with king’s blood (a baby, Aemond, Darrin?) away from Castle Black, beheads Janos Slynt, and makes other hard decisions, as the Maester’s advice echoes in his head: Kill the boy and let the man be born. -Aemond
Tyrion - Magister Illyrio hands Tyrion off into Griff the sellsword’s company; and Griff, learning the truth of Tyrion’s identity, agrees to take him to Volantis so long as he behaves.
Davos - Baseborn Davos struggles to get used to his new titles while some dude catches him up on WesterosToday, namely Tywin’s death.
Jon - He writes letters and laments the choices he made (yawn emoji)
Danaerys - Some of the Meereenese slaves want to be slaves again, Selmy tells the story of how he escaped King’s Landing after being fired from the white cloaks, then they went to contemplatively visit her beasty babies.
Reek - Holy fuck (A fubar’d Reek is summoned to Ramsey’s lordly table and bade to go with him to collect his new bride, Arya Stark.)
Bran - It's really cold for a while and then finally Bran and Co. make it to Bloodraven who says he has much to learn.
Tyrion - he settles into crewlife and learns the tongue of Volantis with young Griff, who he has since learned big Griff had him learn many languages and courtly hobbies.
Davos - Under his old cover as a smuggler, he learns from gossip around his old haunts that Stannis will find no friends in White Harbour; also he’s sad that some of his sons are dead.
Danaerys - Xaro Xoran Daxos tries to get Dany to abandon Meeren so that it can be profitable (a.k.a. have slavery) again, but Dany doesn’t give up on projects.
Jon - Stannis offers Jon legitimacy and Winterfell but he still won't leave the watch.
Tyrion - Tyrion and Griff’s company contemplate and then later sail through greyscale infested waters; Tyrion gets confirmation of who lil and big Griff supposedly before taking a dip.
Davos - Onion Knight tries to secure allies for Stannis, but the Lannisters are powerful, the North remembers, and White Harbour, loyal to the Bolton bastard— captures Davos for stirring the pot.
Reek - He thinks escape is impossible so even released and alone away from the Dreadfort, he does Ramsey’s bidding and returns his dog.
Jon - A rousing speech won't fix the trouble in Oldtown, guilt, more demands from the outposts and from Stannis’ vassals, callbacks to brotherslaying, and unrest within the barracks, but Lil Cesar is happy to have new wildling allies.
Tyrion - Saved, obviously, Tyrion swaps Targaryen stories with Prince Aegon as well as strategies to win the Dragon Queen’s love amidst absorbing rumors from the crew, before getting captured in a brothel by someone screwing a lass with long blonde hair.
Danaerys - Pressure is making Dany wish a strong and appropriate suitor will fall out of the sky; she argues with a returned Daario and laments how horny she is.
Griff - speaking of strong and appropriate suitors, secret Greyscale papa Griff (Jon Conningon?) & the company believes Tyrion ditched them and continues to the Golden Company (me reading this for the first time: holy shit what if he IS Aegon and it’s not Jon… impossible ik but what if)
Quentyn Martell - Temporarily marooned in Yunkai or Astapor, the tattered Prince schemes for Dany’s hand amidst checking out the scene in the slave cities.
Asha Greyjoy - Lady Heartbreaker resents her stupid uncle, has an affair with a dude called Qarl, and loses the craziest sounding fight ever out of Deepwood Mott to Stannis’ forces.
Tyrion - Jorah tries to find passage for him and Tyrion to Meeren, enter Penny who tries to kill Tyrion randomly because her brother died unjustly for him.
Jon - Jon hears about fake Arya (and is in turmoil obviously), Cassandra misinterprets some more flames.
Davos - He’s fake captured, it turns out, and we’re for sure getting a Reek chapter soon (aka Davos gets the download on the Dreadfort’s shitshow)
Danaerys - Tensions rise, she continues to be overwhelmed, maybe she’s gotta marry for politics.
Melisandre - She worries, she changes a face into Mance Rader’s face (perhaps House of Black and White style), she tries to convince Jon that magic is real.
Reek - Reek goes on a field trip with daddy Bolton who might be a fucking vampire fr.
Tyrion - We’re befriending Penny now and sailing for Volantis, Meeren, and the Dragon Queen.
Bran - Those Who Hear The Song Of Earth and old Bran the Builder give Bran the Broken a crash course in green seeing and skin changing; Eddard is there briefly.
Jon - Continues to make unpopular decisions, but he’s doing his best ig. (I can appreciate his story as a mirror of how his dad died, just doing his best but not considering Cersei/the Crows’ feelings, which eventually will kill him. Sigh.)
Dany - Queen D struggles with doing her duty to Meereen by marrying Hizdar Zo Lorac/marrying in the Merenese way/reopening the fighting pits, because she loves Daario Naharis. (+Prophecies suck)
Reek/Theon - the “turncloak” witnesses the marriage of Ramsey, Bolton and Jeyne Poole posing as Arya Stark, while thinking about how useful yet unloved his existence has been for everyone (his dad, the Starks, the northerners, the Boltons, and now Jeyne)
Doran Martell - Dorne mourns for Oberyn Martell, most of all his sandsnake daughters, but Ellia preaches peace and Doran schemes charismatically from within tall grass. Quentyn is his doing, probably.
Jon - Lord Commander is doing what needs to be done, yet still keeping the wildlings, and Stannis happy over the wants and wishes of the majority of his brothers.
Tyrion - Penny is a good friend now, Tyrion riles Jorah up, there’s a crazy storm, and the flagging ship comes across another-- a slave ship.
(Dear god, I’m only halfway through and this one sentence summary per chapter already has me at three pages, fuck)
Theon - Laments in the gods, his station amongst the Boltons, Jeyne/Arya's predicament, & his life in general.
Asha - Stannis' forces (and Asha as prisoner) are trying to get to Winterfell to save Ned Stark's daughter, but autum's kiss is harsh.
Danaerys - She screws Daario a bunch, greets Quentyn "the Frog" Martell privately in her audience chamber, and laments her duty to Hizdar right up to the moment they tie the knot.
Jon - cuckquean comes back to castle with Shireen and a bunch of demands.
No One - Arya is blind and training in the house of Black and White, but regains her sight by the end of the chapter.
Theon - Bran wargs into a tree but can’t interact with Theon who’s still going through it,as he’s literally begging to die.
Tyrion - Tyrion, Penny, and Jorah are sold to Yunkish maesters who want them to act as their benefactor’s obedient children and hired sword respectively; Jorah learns Dani’s married.
Jaime - Negotiates for King Tommen until a beaten Brienne stumbles up to him on Stoneheart’s dime talmbout some “the Hound has Sansa, you must come with me
A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5) by George RR Martin
Read and Reviewed April 2023 -May 2024
I’m going to try and summarize each chapter in a sentence. This review is for future me, and I want to actually remember the events of these enormous books, so here we go.
Prologue - a dying warg tries to find his second life and reflects on his first brutal, wildling one (and its taboos); on Mance Rader’s death, the doom it will bring everyone surrounding the wall, and on the Crow bastard shirking his gift.
Tyrion - A passively suicidal Tyrion reflects on his shitty life as he’s vcwhisked away to Pentos and told about the Dragon with Three Heads
Danaerys - Dany, pulled in every direction, cycles through thoughts of keeping Meeren under control, being a good and fair ruler, being a little girl who doesn't know the ways of war, and being the blood of the dragon destined to fly the narrow sea and conquer the usurpers.
Jon - Commander fuck-head wakes from a green dream and attends his duties at the wall, which includes the comfort of his guest Lord/King Stannis and being antagonized by his Red Lady the tragic Cassandra Melisandre.
Bran - Future Bloodraven commits atrocities while being escorted to the Three Eyes by his (mysterious and unknown) undead Uncle Benji.
Tyrion - Tyrion is running toward the Dragon Queen; his patron mentions Griff and his “son” young Griff.
Quentyn - House Martell plans a coup which looks like young and earnest Quentyn Martell and his company securing secret passage to Meereen for Dany’s hand in marriage.
Jon - Lord Commander dipshit (in preparation for his eventual role as Cesar) hustles Gilly’s son out of her custody, sends Sam + everyone with king’s blood (a baby, Aemond, Darrin?) away from Castle Black, beheads Janos Slynt, and makes other hard decisions, as the Maester’s advice echoes in his head: Kill the boy and let the man be born. -Aemond
Tyrion - Magister Illyrio hands Tyrion off into Griff the sellsword’s company; and Griff, learning the truth of Tyrion’s identity, agrees to take him to Volantis so long as he behaves.
Davos - Baseborn Davos struggles to get used to his new titles while some dude catches him up on WesterosToday, namely Tywin’s death.
Jon - He writes letters and laments the choices he made (yawn emoji)
Danaerys - Some of the Meereenese slaves want to be slaves again, Selmy tells the story of how he escaped King’s Landing after being fired from the white cloaks, then they went to contemplatively visit her beasty babies.
Reek - Holy fuck (A fubar’d Reek is summoned to Ramsey’s lordly table and bade to go with him to collect his new bride, Arya Stark.)
Bran - It's really cold for a while and then finally Bran and Co. make it to Bloodraven who says he has much to learn.
Tyrion - he settles into crewlife and learns the tongue of Volantis with young Griff, who he has since learned big Griff had him learn many languages and courtly hobbies.
Davos - Under his old cover as a smuggler, he learns from gossip around his old haunts that Stannis will find no friends in White Harbour; also he’s sad that some of his sons are dead.
Danaerys - Xaro Xoran Daxos tries to get Dany to abandon Meeren so that it can be profitable (a.k.a. have slavery) again, but Dany doesn’t give up on projects.
Jon - Stannis offers Jon legitimacy and Winterfell but he still won't leave the watch.
Tyrion - Tyrion and Griff’s company contemplate and then later sail through greyscale infested waters; Tyrion gets confirmation of who lil and big Griff supposedly before taking a dip.
Davos - Onion Knight tries to secure allies for Stannis, but the Lannisters are powerful, the North remembers, and White Harbour, loyal to the Bolton bastard— captures Davos for stirring the pot.
Reek - He thinks escape is impossible so even released and alone away from the Dreadfort, he does Ramsey’s bidding and returns his dog.
Jon - A rousing speech won't fix the trouble in Oldtown, guilt, more demands from the outposts and from Stannis’ vassals, callbacks to brotherslaying, and unrest within the barracks, but Lil Cesar is happy to have new wildling allies.
Tyrion - Saved, obviously, Tyrion swaps Targaryen stories with Prince Aegon as well as strategies to win the Dragon Queen’s love amidst absorbing rumors from the crew, before getting captured in a brothel by someone screwing a lass with long blonde hair.
Danaerys - Pressure is making Dany wish a strong and appropriate suitor will fall out of the sky; she argues with a returned Daario and laments how horny she is.
Griff - speaking of strong and appropriate suitors, secret Greyscale papa Griff (Jon Conningon?) & the company believes Tyrion ditched them and continues to the Golden Company (me reading this for the first time: holy shit what if he IS Aegon and it’s not Jon… impossible ik but what if)
Quentyn Martell - Temporarily marooned in Yunkai or Astapor, the tattered Prince schemes for Dany’s hand amidst checking out the scene in the slave cities.
Asha Greyjoy - Lady Heartbreaker resents her stupid uncle, has an affair with a dude called Qarl, and loses the craziest sounding fight ever out of Deepwood Mott to Stannis’ forces.
Tyrion - Jorah tries to find passage for him and Tyrion to Meeren, enter Penny who tries to kill Tyrion randomly because her brother died unjustly for him.
Jon - Jon hears about fake Arya (and is in turmoil obviously), Cassandra misinterprets some more flames.
Davos - He’s fake captured, it turns out, and we’re for sure getting a Reek chapter soon (aka Davos gets the download on the Dreadfort’s shitshow)
Danaerys - Tensions rise, she continues to be overwhelmed, maybe she’s gotta marry for politics.
Melisandre - She worries, she changes a face into Mance Rader’s face (perhaps House of Black and White style), she tries to convince Jon that magic is real.
Reek - Reek goes on a field trip with daddy Bolton who might be a fucking vampire fr.
Tyrion - We’re befriending Penny now and sailing for Volantis, Meeren, and the Dragon Queen.
Bran - Those Who Hear The Song Of Earth and old Bran the Builder give Bran the Broken a crash course in green seeing and skin changing; Eddard is there briefly.
Jon - Continues to make unpopular decisions, but he’s doing his best ig. (I can appreciate his story as a mirror of how his dad died, just doing his best but not considering Cersei/the Crows’ feelings, which eventually will kill him. Sigh.)
Dany - Queen D struggles with doing her duty to Meereen by marrying Hizdar Zo Lorac/marrying in the Merenese way/reopening the fighting pits, because she loves Daario Naharis. (+Prophecies suck)
Reek/Theon - the “turncloak” witnesses the marriage of Ramsey, Bolton and Jeyne Poole posing as Arya Stark, while thinking about how useful yet unloved his existence has been for everyone (his dad, the Starks, the northerners, the Boltons, and now Jeyne)
Doran Martell - Dorne mourns for Oberyn Martell, most of all his sandsnake daughters, but Ellia preaches peace and Doran schemes charismatically from within tall grass. Quentyn is his doing, probably.
Jon - Lord Commander is doing what needs to be done, yet still keeping the wildlings, and Stannis happy over the wants and wishes of the majority of his brothers.
Tyrion - Penny is a good friend now, Tyrion riles Jorah up, there’s a crazy storm, and the flagging ship comes across another-- a slave ship.
(Dear god, I’m only halfway through and this one sentence summary per chapter already has me at three pages, fuck)
Theon - Laments in the gods, his station amongst the Boltons, Jeyne/Arya's predicament, & his life in general.
Asha - Stannis' forces (and Asha as prisoner) are trying to get to Winterfell to save Ned Stark's daughter, but autum's kiss is harsh.
Danaerys - She screws Daario a bunch, greets Quentyn "the Frog" Martell privately in her audience chamber, and laments her duty to Hizdar right up to the moment they tie the knot.
Jon - cuckquean comes back to castle with Shireen and a bunch of demands.
No One - Arya is blind and training in the house of Black and White, but regains her sight by the end of the chapter.
Theon - Bran wargs into a tree but can’t interact with Theon who’s still going through it,as he’s literally begging to die.
Tyrion - Tyrion, Penny, and Jorah are sold to Yunkish maesters who want them to act as their benefactor’s obedient children and hired sword respectively; Jorah learns Dani’s married.
Jaime - Negotiates for King Tommen until a beaten Brienne stumbles up to him on Stoneheart’s dime talmbout some “the Hound has Sansa, you must come with me