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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
This book is the biggest departure from the show in the series so far. GRRM split this one into two books so you're reading 1000+ pages without some of the biggest characters being involved (Jon, Dany, Tyrion).
But the focus on these characters worked for me. The Sansa chapters kind of dragged on after awhile, but every other PoV I was pretty invested in. Especially Brienne, Arya and Cersei.
The subplots of Dorne and the Iron Islands are also so much
more intriguing than they were in the show. Straight up left out key figures and nerfed Euron so hard.
And it's a travesty we didn't get a Lady Stoneheart plotline in GOT.
4.5/5
But the focus on these characters worked for me. The Sansa chapters kind of dragged on after awhile, but every other PoV I was pretty invested in. Especially Brienne, Arya and Cersei.
The subplots of Dorne and the Iron Islands are also so much
more intriguing than they were in the show. Straight up left out key figures and nerfed Euron so hard.
And it's a travesty we didn't get a Lady Stoneheart plotline in GOT.
4.5/5
over 700 pages about semi-important characters only… nice
still enjoyed it, even though it felt like waiting for a climax that just didn't come
still enjoyed it, even though it felt like waiting for a climax that just didn't come
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Cersei to her equally evil bestie: “Let’s be bad” 🍷😏
It's easy to see why A Feast for Crows was considered a disappointment to fans of the series, particularly those who waited five years for its publication. After such a long time, it better be good, and if readers can only catch up with half of the characters they've waited so long to hear about, while new characters are introduced and subplots expanded on… well, I can understand the frustration.
But I don't share it. Oh, I know it's the late fans' advantage: I didn't have to wait, and I don't have to wait to read A Dance With Dragons either. So I'm not raging over the wait and then raging that, when I finally get the book, I'm still waiting to hear about X-character.
Instead, I'm going, "oh, well, I see your point there, George R. R. Martin, you do whatever you feel is right, just keep writing." I won't get into the muck of debating whether or not Martin is my bitch or not (If we're getting into that kind of talk, I'm pretty sure I should be his), except to say that writers aren't trained monkeys.
At any rate, I liked A Feast for Crows a lot – I didn't feel like that it was as good as the earlier books in A Song of Fire and Ice, but it was still enjoyable. It also lacks the suspense and action that the others had in spades. But, still, A Feast for Crows was still a great book.
And I'm loving the way Jaime's character is developing from being the worst Lannister to one of the better characters. Oh, and Brienne. She's awesome. I'm really skeeved out by Littlefinger tho. D:
But I don't share it. Oh, I know it's the late fans' advantage: I didn't have to wait, and I don't have to wait to read A Dance With Dragons either. So I'm not raging over the wait and then raging that, when I finally get the book, I'm still waiting to hear about X-character.
Instead, I'm going, "oh, well, I see your point there, George R. R. Martin, you do whatever you feel is right, just keep writing." I won't get into the muck of debating whether or not Martin is my bitch or not (If we're getting into that kind of talk, I'm pretty sure I should be his), except to say that writers aren't trained monkeys.
At any rate, I liked A Feast for Crows a lot – I didn't feel like that it was as good as the earlier books in A Song of Fire and Ice, but it was still enjoyable. It also lacks the suspense and action that the others had in spades. But, still, A Feast for Crows was still a great book.
Spoiler
I was so glad when Cersei's plots turned around and started biting her on the arse. She's such a vile character. I don't feel like she'll get her comeuppance so soon, but fingers crossed that when she does, it will be magnificent. I'm loving how Jaime is growing as a character and moving away from his evil ways too.And I'm loving the way Jaime's character is developing from being the worst Lannister to one of the better characters. Oh, and Brienne. She's awesome. I'm really skeeved out by Littlefinger tho. D:
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another enormous read finished. A lot happened in this book but at the same time nothing at all. The first half I read rather quick considering the amount of pages it has. But then it got troublesome. So many pages still left and a lot of it was just discussions discussions discussions. The writing was like in all the previous books fitting for the kind of story. But the book just had too little content for my opinion - compared to the previous book where shit went down to hell basically. This book was only really exciting in the last few chapters.
What I found fucking awesome though: Cersei you bitch, your brother abandoned you, tehihihi ^__^ I hope you rot and die in that cell you are in atm, but who will scheme like a pro then?
In total the book gets 3.5 stars from me because it was still a good read and I guess or hope that some of the information given will be important for later events. I have the next book at home already, but I need a pause after this once again heavy read. But I am longing for it.
Spoiler
Why!!! Why did you kill Brienne D: Or at least let it seem like she got hanged - I still have the hope that the word she said in the end was sword, not Jaime or something else like this. I wanna see her again. No killing loveable characters anymore please Q_Q I'm still mourning Oberyn.What I found fucking awesome though: Cersei you bitch, your brother abandoned you, tehihihi ^__^ I hope you rot and die in that cell you are in atm, but who will scheme like a pro then?
In total the book gets 3.5 stars from me because it was still a good read and I guess or hope that some of the information given will be important for later events. I have the next book at home already, but I need a pause after this once again heavy read. But I am longing for it.
Grew towards four stars. Both difficult to rate and difficult to differentiate (from the other books). Somewhat less action-heavy, more focus on failing diplomacy, foolish plots and cunning schemes. Political infighting and character development combined with (comparatively) new characters and fresh conflicts is rather captivating. Martin also manages to bring across an "All Quiet on the Western Front"-Feeling, although he uses the title-giving phrase/metaphor a tad too often. Funeral marches may be heard in the background, the camera panning to show gloomy devastation. The secretive, alluding narration, the competent style and the high frequency of well-crafted sentences are praiseworthy. Of course, Martin's project of writing a realistic, complex and conclusive fantasy series with "unlikely" (female, disabled, disenfranchised) characters the storyline of which eludes simple means of prediction and classic tropes is noticeable on every page. Still, it is less and less clear to me why the man wrote himself into certain issues he is now (at last predictably!) struggling with. The entire world-building suffers from a lack of consistency: Either the place is magical or symbolic (so that actual geography or physical laws can be ignored), or it cannot be made credible why places like the inn at the crossroads would exist or why characters sometimes travel weeks to cover distances on the map that are described as a "day's ride" a few hundred pages later. The choice of individual, unreliable narrators leads to lack of overview that neither the appendix nor afterwords can deliver. The novella-like narrative strategy (i.e., to tell the story as a juxtaposition of 'unerhörte Begebenheiten) is certainly a large part of Martin's success but also means that a lot of action has to happen 'between the pages and chapters'. It is neither a task nor a possibility for the critic to provide solutions for such issues. But it seems to me that while pulling a deus-ex-machina-narrator (an all knowing scribe or maester) out of the box would be a cheap trick, releasing a chronicle of sorts (as Martin has done before) to bridge the gap between this and the final two books, close storylines, inspire libraries of fan-fiction and pave the way for future stories (and writiters working) in the ice-and-fire-universe could be tenable. Obviously unlikely to happen. Meanwhile a fierce winter and another final book is waiting for me. If world literature has taught me anything, it is that open endings and fragments are to be praised and celebrated. Thus, I must continue. For the pleasure and pause for thought this book has given me and since it has proven to be closer to genuine high literature than I (as a true Scotsman!) anticipated, four stars are deserved.
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes