Reviews with content warning for Confinement - A Clash of Kings

I cannot express how happy I am to have started reading ASOIAF. George R R Martin is a fantastic author and I feel so deeply encapsulated in the world whenever I open the book. I truly believe that there is not another author who has made me feel the way I have felt like Martin. The characters can be so easily hateable but the plot and story is so good that I can't even hate the characters. I feel like the world that has been built in this novel is so vast and detailed and I am never really left questioning something. I cannot wait to keep going because while I loved this book, the finale definetly did not have the same impact as Game of Thrones. A Clash of Kings is truly another masterpiece in this series and I recommend that anyone reads it. The world was expanded upon really well however I did feel like the majority of the characters do not have a fully completed arc (I know that it is a series but the first did not leave me with this feeling. Luckily I can just start the next book now but I cannot imagine waiting years for the next book to come out and being left with a feeling of incompleteness). I am excited for a few new perspectives that are introduced in A Storm of Swords (just wanted to mention that I love how the title is hinted at towards the end of the novel - 'a storm is coming')

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samflowerv6's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I love GRRM more than words. The battle on the black water seemed to go on forever. I loved Tyrion in the show but in the book… I honestly hate his POV. But I love these books and will be thinking about them forever!!

“People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up.”

“I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid.”

“When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say.”

“He who hurries through life hurries to his grave.”

I want to weep, she thought. I want to be comforted. I’m so tired of being strong. I want to be foolish and frightened for once. Just for a small while, that’s all …a day … an hour ...
...One day, she promised herself as she lay abed, one day she would allow herself to be less than strong.
But not today. It could not be today.”

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kkalicky94's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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cepbreed's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

“A woman's life is nine parts mess to one part magic, you'll learn that soon enough...and the parts that look like magic turn out to be the messiest of all.”

Oh my god. I loved this book in all of its 1000 page glory. Martin continue to surprise me, even after watching the show I am so engaged in a plot I already know about because of the way he writes. The end of each chapter is masterful. Every cliffhanger still hits home, disregarding all my previous knowledge. I loved the foreshadowing as well.

Hearing the story of Bael the bard, only for his tale to come back in the form of Bran and co's method of escape was a detail I thoroughly enjoyed. I was shocked to see that Arya isn't cupbearer for Tywin in the book, but Roose Bolton. Still this tidbit of information had a much larger purpose, foreshadowing the Boltan's betrayal. To think Roose was most definitely plotting the red wedding in Arya Stark's midst. Even Bran and Rickon's death was heart wrenching to me, no matter how secure I was in the fact that they lived. I know it's stupid because currently he is less than scum, but I have so much sympathy for Theon. I know fully well that my feelings are highly exaggerated at this point because of his actions in the show, yet his desperation for validation is really tugging at my heartstrings. "I am your only protection against the likes of him, he wanted to scream." In no way am I justifying his actions, he is wholly unlikeable here, but at this point in time Martin is so obviously laying out his confusion surrounding his identity for us to understand. Like him or hate him, objectively Theon is an amazing character. Another dynamic I didn't expect to be so changed was that between the Hound and Sansa. It feels almost much more intimate from her perspective, teh romantic ideals of a young impressionable girl. Her head is filled with the ideals of 'true knights' and without any in existence she must project onto the closest match. I find the Hounds protective nature quite sweet, but that doesn't change his violence towards her when he was leaving after the Battle of the Blackwater.

I didn't like this book as much as the first, most likely my fault due to the amount of time it was taking me to get through ( 36 days total...), but the second half picked up dramatically and I become fully immersed.

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