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numinaluna's review against another edition
4.0
It's been two years and two television seasons since I read [b:A Storm of Swords|62291|A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)|George R.R. Martin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406378909s/62291.jpg|1164465], so I was a little fuzzy on where certain characters left off, and that left me confused for a good 200 pages before I really dug into this. For that reason, though, I am glad that this was the supposedly "slow" book in the series. I was able to get my bearings before anything really happened. (It still would have been good if something happened a little sooner.)
I apparently didn't write reviews for #2 or #3, either, so I'm really stumped for how to write one here. I do know that Brienne put me to sleep every time I tried to read, even when people were dying left and right around her. Jaime, as everyone assured me, gets better with time. I have always hated Cersei, and there is something grossly satisfying about watching her collapse into madness and failure. I definitely like Alayne better than Sansa, and reading that last statement from Littlefinger was a giant "Ah-ha!" and "Hm" all at once. (Still hating little lord Robin. Yuck.)
I want so much more from Arya/Cat of the Canals. She had such amazing potential, and I worry that she's going to grow up and be boring. I wanted to scream at her when she threw her things in the canal, but that might just be the hoarder gene in me. I wanted her to recognize Sam, at the very least, even if he didn't realize that he'd met ANOTHER Stark in hiding. Poor Sam. At least he got to live a little. There's a lot more for him to do, but I'm not sure how he'll do it (or survive) from Oldtown. Not with the ironborn around. (Also, WTF, Jon Snow?)
I did not care for Asha in previous books, but I was rooting for her in this one. I knew she wouldn't be queen, of course, but I had hoped she'd get a little more of a voice. I like the priest brother, and I have always been fascinated by GRRM's ability to invent so many religions with expansive, contradictory, and intertwining histories. Truly, the religion stories are my favorite part of these books, and almost none of that makes it into the TV series. Pity.
I felt like there should have been more from Sunspear, etc. Were there five chapters? If that? I guess I was expecting that new characters would get more attention, so we'd care about them more, maybe? It was obviously important to introduce them here, because Dany is going to have a LOT of visitors in the next story arc, but shouldn't there have been more? I'm not even sure I liked them enough to *want* more, but I wonder if I would have had clearer opinions with more "screen time." Hm.
Also, I do not care even a little bit about Lady Stoneheart/Catelyn Stark.
So, Tyrion, Dany, Jon Snow, and Bran are in the next one, right? Because I know I'm not alone in naming them as four of my Top 5 (I love Arya). I suppose I'll have to suffer through a shit-ton of Theon/Reek, too. Stannis? Or will he only be seen through Jon's eyes on the Wall? The Tyrells? Probably more new and minor characters to describe the action from more objective perspectives, right? Shouldn't they all be dying off soon? I'll jump in soon. I enjoyed being in Westeros, especially this August, but I need to go somewhere a little more familiar for a while. I'm thinking Buffy comics and Richard Castle novels for a few weeks...
I apparently didn't write reviews for #2 or #3, either, so I'm really stumped for how to write one here. I do know that Brienne put me to sleep every time I tried to read, even when people were dying left and right around her. Jaime, as everyone assured me, gets better with time. I have always hated Cersei, and there is something grossly satisfying about watching her collapse into madness and failure. I definitely like Alayne better than Sansa, and reading that last statement from Littlefinger was a giant "Ah-ha!" and "Hm" all at once. (Still hating little lord Robin. Yuck.)
I want so much more from Arya/Cat of the Canals. She had such amazing potential, and I worry that she's going to grow up and be boring. I wanted to scream at her when she threw her things in the canal, but that might just be the hoarder gene in me. I wanted her to recognize Sam, at the very least, even if he didn't realize that he'd met ANOTHER Stark in hiding. Poor Sam. At least he got to live a little. There's a lot more for him to do, but I'm not sure how he'll do it (or survive) from Oldtown. Not with the ironborn around. (Also, WTF, Jon Snow?)
I did not care for Asha in previous books, but I was rooting for her in this one. I knew she wouldn't be queen, of course, but I had hoped she'd get a little more of a voice. I like the priest brother, and I have always been fascinated by GRRM's ability to invent so many religions with expansive, contradictory, and intertwining histories. Truly, the religion stories are my favorite part of these books, and almost none of that makes it into the TV series. Pity.
I felt like there should have been more from Sunspear, etc. Were there five chapters? If that? I guess I was expecting that new characters would get more attention, so we'd care about them more, maybe? It was obviously important to introduce them here, because Dany is going to have a LOT of visitors in the next story arc, but shouldn't there have been more? I'm not even sure I liked them enough to *want* more, but I wonder if I would have had clearer opinions with more "screen time." Hm.
Also, I do not care even a little bit about Lady Stoneheart/Catelyn Stark.
So, Tyrion, Dany, Jon Snow, and Bran are in the next one, right? Because I know I'm not alone in naming them as four of my Top 5 (I love Arya). I suppose I'll have to suffer through a shit-ton of Theon/Reek, too. Stannis? Or will he only be seen through Jon's eyes on the Wall? The Tyrells? Probably more new and minor characters to describe the action from more objective perspectives, right? Shouldn't they all be dying off soon? I'll jump in soon. I enjoyed being in Westeros, especially this August, but I need to go somewhere a little more familiar for a while. I'm thinking Buffy comics and Richard Castle novels for a few weeks...
nednewbi3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
oaklinks's review against another edition
4.0
really solid entry from GRRM, took me a while to come round to some of the POV chars this book but they were some of my fav by the end, the dorne and ironborn plotlines were honestly but great by the end and i love the foreboding of danys coming through their and even cersei and sams POV’s. overall it felt like this was quite a lot of setup for later plotlines especially as a few conflicts are left unresolved / right about to happen which makes sense since ADWD was supposed to essentially be a part 2 to this. either way i think this book stands strong in its own right with the same spectacular world, characters and lore i’ve come to expect from GRRM
jackiezee's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the others mostly because of the frustration from wondering what was going on with the other half of the characters. Martin makes a note that this book and the next were really supposed to be one book, and rather than cutting the story in half chronologically, he decided he'd rather tell all of half the characters' stories than half of all the characters' stories. I think that was a silly decision, because it's not "all" of half the characters' stories either; there are two more books to go! So now I spent half of this book frustrated that I wasn't hearing anything about other characters, and I'll spend half the next one worrying about characters in this book that won't be mentioned in the next one.
I appreciate the originality of the idea, Martin, but there's a reason why everyone else writes in chronological order. It works.
I appreciate the originality of the idea, Martin, but there's a reason why everyone else writes in chronological order. It works.
donbrown's review against another edition
4.0
A bit tedious of a read, but an important book in the ongoing Song of Ice and Fire series. A Feast for Crows has many great stories to tell from myriad points of view. As usual, character development is strong, and ever evolving. It's not the strongest book of the series I've read, but still has plenty of surprises and twists. A friend suggested skip A Feast for Crows, but I disagree after reading it. It's a must read that not only furthers the stories of known characters, bit introduces new ones important to the broader saga. Four stars.
sewwriter's review against another edition
3.0
Oh, George. Why will no one edit you? Did anything happen in this book? I truly don't remember.
redheadd2's review against another edition
5.0
This was probably my least favorite of the series so far, not because of the writing but because of the characters it focused on. While we occasionally touched base with Sansa and Arya it was mostly a Cersei driven book and I make it no secret that I can't stand that wench. However, with that being said, it did show me more about characters that I hadn't thought about much or didn't know a lot about.
nicolem_young's review against another edition
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4 Stars= It was a very good read. Might read it again.
GEORGE R.R. MARTIN *clap* IS *clap* OUT *clap* OF *clap* POCKET! *clap*
I must mention that the most out of pocket thing he has done thus far was having a fourteen-year-old boy get married to a damn toddler.
A close second is having an eight-year-old boy marry a sixteen-year-old girl. That just makes me want to vomit. But that's not what I'm here to talk about.
This book has made my mind such a mess that I can't even form a proper review of what I just read. So, I apologize in advance.
There are so many things in this book that were just the sloppiest of the sloppy:
*Jaime finally gained a backbone when dealing with Cersei. Yes, Jaime, honey. A lovely golf clap for you, sir. He has won me over. He wiggled his way into my cold, dead heart.
*Asha just being Asha (I can't say much more than that without giving some things away). She is out here trying to change up the game.
*Petyr Baelish just being Littlefingerish. (Again, I can't say much more than that.) Don't ever change you, little rascal. Young Sansa has learned how to play his game well. Plus, she is nice to young Lord Robert. God knows she is better than me.
*Jon's absolute 360 when it came to his character. I don't like this new Jon Snow. I want the old one back. However, at times I understood why he did what he had to do. In his defense, we barely saw him in this book, but what I did see I did not like!
*Kevan Lannister is out here, finally standing up to his niece. Dropping hints that he knows about all her deep, dark secrets. Dare I say that he is one Lannister who may have a bit of sense in his brain?
*Arianne Martell is out here being a petty princess and does not mind using Arys Oakheart for all her dirty deeds. But as we quickly learn, the Martell family is a messy one. They just might be one of the messiest families out there. But I will forever and always love Oberyn. Nothing will change that.
*Aeron Damphair has lost his ever-loving mind, and all hell breaks loose on the Iron Islands. No, Aeron, baby, what is you doing? Honestly, that whole family is just a mess. Asha, Theon, Aeron, Euron, and Victarion (who finally decided to join the party), the lot of them. They are all just banana sandwich. However, Euron is the most banana sandwichiest of them all. It is Greyjoy against Greyjoy.
*Arya Stark is still out in the world, trying to find her way. She slips in and out of trouble, per usual. She does what she needs to do to survive. You do you, girl.
*Cersei. That's it; that's the whole sloppy thing. Just Cersei Lannister. She must want to catch these hands with the way she's acting because they are rated E for everyone, even self-proclaimed queens. She always says, "Everything I do. I do for Tommen". No, sweetheart, everything you do, you do for your damn self. Hopefully, she will get what's coming to her soon enough.
There were so many things I was here for:
**Please see Jaime's backbone comment above*
*Brienne of Tarth is still out here doing the damn thing. *snap* Yes, honey! *snap*. Brienne is the kind of friend you want by your side when you're out on a mission. If you tell that girl to do something, you better believe she is getting it done.
**Please see Kevan Lannister standing up to his niece comment above*
*BRONN! That's it. Just, BRONN! I just love that guy.
Folks, as always, I must warn you not to get too attached to any of the characters in these stories. Don't make the same mistakes that I have, because the death count climbs. NOBODY IS SAFE FROM GRRM'S SWORD. NOBODY!
There was only slight or no mention of Bran Stark, Meera Reed, Jojen Reed, and Daenerys Targaryen in his story. Which is great if you don't care for any of them. So yay for you if you don't like any of them, and boo for you if you do.
The story is told from the different points of view of many of the same characters in the past. However, a few new ones are added. (Asha, Brienne, Arys, Areo, Vicatrion, Aeron, and Arianne)
I wish I could tell you that I'm sick of all the drama, but that would be a lie. Because I'm not, and I want more.
I must note that, as much as I loved this book, it is my least favorite out of the four I have read from the A Song of Fire and Ice saga. The first three books took over my life while I was reading them. They were all I could think about. When I wasn't reading them, I was thinking about reading them, and I just don't feel the same way about AFFC. And for that reason, it is getting only four stars from me. But a solid four stars nonetheless!
I don't even know when I'm going to read the fifth book because I want this high to last as long as possible, and I'm not ready for things to come to an end. Well, at least until GRRM decides to finally give the people what they want and finish this glorious piece of work.
4 Stars= It was a very good read. Might read it again.
GEORGE R.R. MARTIN *clap* IS *clap* OUT *clap* OF *clap* POCKET! *clap*
I must mention that the most out of pocket thing he has done thus far was having a fourteen-year-old boy get married to a damn toddler.
A close second is having an eight-year-old boy marry a sixteen-year-old girl. That just makes me want to vomit. But that's not what I'm here to talk about.
This book has made my mind such a mess that I can't even form a proper review of what I just read. So, I apologize in advance.
There are so many things in this book that were just the sloppiest of the sloppy:
*Jaime finally gained a backbone when dealing with Cersei. Yes, Jaime, honey. A lovely golf clap for you, sir. He has won me over. He wiggled his way into my cold, dead heart.
*Asha just being Asha (I can't say much more than that without giving some things away). She is out here trying to change up the game.
*Petyr Baelish just being Littlefingerish. (Again, I can't say much more than that.) Don't ever change you, little rascal. Young Sansa has learned how to play his game well. Plus, she is nice to young Lord Robert. God knows she is better than me.
*Jon's absolute 360 when it came to his character. I don't like this new Jon Snow. I want the old one back. However, at times I understood why he did what he had to do. In his defense, we barely saw him in this book, but what I did see I did not like!
*Kevan Lannister is out here, finally standing up to his niece. Dropping hints that he knows about all her deep, dark secrets. Dare I say that he is one Lannister who may have a bit of sense in his brain?
*Arianne Martell is out here being a petty princess and does not mind using Arys Oakheart for all her dirty deeds. But as we quickly learn, the Martell family is a messy one. They just might be one of the messiest families out there. But I will forever and always love Oberyn. Nothing will change that.
*Aeron Damphair has lost his ever-loving mind, and all hell breaks loose on the Iron Islands. No, Aeron, baby, what is you doing? Honestly, that whole family is just a mess. Asha, Theon, Aeron, Euron, and Victarion (who finally decided to join the party), the lot of them. They are all just banana sandwich. However, Euron is the most banana sandwichiest of them all. It is Greyjoy against Greyjoy.
*Arya Stark is still out in the world, trying to find her way. She slips in and out of trouble, per usual. She does what she needs to do to survive. You do you, girl.
*Cersei. That's it; that's the whole sloppy thing. Just Cersei Lannister. She must want to catch these hands with the way she's acting because they are rated E for everyone, even self-proclaimed queens. She always says, "Everything I do. I do for Tommen". No, sweetheart, everything you do, you do for your damn self. Hopefully, she will get what's coming to her soon enough.
There were so many things I was here for:
**Please see Jaime's backbone comment above*
*Brienne of Tarth is still out here doing the damn thing. *snap* Yes, honey! *snap*. Brienne is the kind of friend you want by your side when you're out on a mission. If you tell that girl to do something, you better believe she is getting it done.
**Please see Kevan Lannister standing up to his niece comment above*
*BRONN! That's it. Just, BRONN! I just love that guy.
Folks, as always, I must warn you not to get too attached to any of the characters in these stories. Don't make the same mistakes that I have, because the death count climbs. NOBODY IS SAFE FROM GRRM'S SWORD. NOBODY!
There was only slight or no mention of Bran Stark, Meera Reed, Jojen Reed, and Daenerys Targaryen in his story. Which is great if you don't care for any of them. So yay for you if you don't like any of them, and boo for you if you do.
The story is told from the different points of view of many of the same characters in the past. However, a few new ones are added. (Asha, Brienne, Arys, Areo, Vicatrion, Aeron, and Arianne)
I wish I could tell you that I'm sick of all the drama, but that would be a lie. Because I'm not, and I want more.
I must note that, as much as I loved this book, it is my least favorite out of the four I have read from the A Song of Fire and Ice saga. The first three books took over my life while I was reading them. They were all I could think about. When I wasn't reading them, I was thinking about reading them, and I just don't feel the same way about AFFC. And for that reason, it is getting only four stars from me. But a solid four stars nonetheless!
I don't even know when I'm going to read the fifth book because I want this high to last as long as possible, and I'm not ready for things to come to an end. Well, at least until GRRM decides to finally give the people what they want and finish this glorious piece of work.
ughusernamesaredumb's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this because I desperately want to know what's going on with all the characters, but I got lost in all the new characters, and it left me wanting more.