Reviews

I'm always fascinated how some authors can describe the shit out of things and not bore me to death. George R.R. Martin brought me into this world and it was really hard to leave (I've started referencing The Lannisters in everyday life and I think the new words for House Glass are 'Winter is Coming'.) It also makes the HBO show so much more impressive. I usually don't care for books that are adapted into TV/movies since they take so many artistic liberties, but save for some condensing, it really stays true to the book. The benefit of reading the books though is you get insight into some characters that aren't as well explained on the show such as Catelyn. I can't wait to get the next book!

clairealiw's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow! Now I understand why so many people love the series and I can’t wait to read the rest. Hooked me from the prologue. I love GRRM’s writing style.

gend333's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

usmaank's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

ashleycdarling's review against another edition

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4.0

rachel_ls_gebauer's review against another edition

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2.0

For the first half to three-quarters of this book, I really enjoyed it. I would have given it a 4 star rating. I enjoyed the rich new fantasy world and the history of the different kingdoms and families. I enjoyed getting to know the different members of the Stark family and the adventures of Daenerys and of Khal Drogo. The descriptions and landscapes were well crafted. It was definitely a good read and I was excited to know that there was a whole series that I could spend a lot of time with. Then, at some point in the second half of the book, I started to get slightly disturbed by the descriptions of some of the actions of the “bad” characters. Sure, there are always bad guys, and bad guys do mean things—that’s part of the exciting adventure. But, I started to notice a disturbing trend, there were a number of bad characters who were serious misogynists. The descriptions of evil done toward women in this novel are at a more cruel and personal level than any of the evil done to men, to a point of creepiness. It actually brought me out of the engrossing storyline to wonder about the author’s motivations. I found the descriptions of the male-on-female cruelty excessive. It felt as if the author almost enjoyed the lengthy descriptions of cruelty to women. I’m not usually overly sensitive to bad or scary things happening in books, but I realized that this author had somehow crossed a line that I didn’t really know was there. So much so, that, although I do enjoy this created fantasy world and many of the characters in it, I will not be reading any more of this series.

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