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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve been obsessed with the show for as long as I can remember so I finally decided to read it after moving to the UK!!
And omg I’m obsessed again. I love it
Unfortunately spelling mistakes take me out of it completely and there was 1 or 2 (a record for other books I’ve read yay!)
But I will definitely be reading number 2 mayhaps next year
A longer book but I’m proud of myself for reading it all the way through. It took a while and I was studying for my exam throughout but it was worth it!
And omg I’m obsessed again. I love it
Unfortunately spelling mistakes take me out of it completely and there was 1 or 2 (a record for other books I’ve read yay!)
But I will definitely be reading number 2 mayhaps next year
A longer book but I’m proud of myself for reading it all the way through. It took a while and I was studying for my exam throughout but it was worth it!
So I know that the good guys can't win all the time or there's no good story to tell, but there seems to be an inverse relationship between the dickness rating and the likelihood of death for all characters here. Buuuuut people tell me to keep reading, so I will.
adventurous
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
12/20/2022: Updating with the news that 6 years after finishing this book, I have finally started watching the show. Except now I'm past where the first book ends, so I'm in that weird place of "Do I stop watching the show to catch up on the books or just watch the show and finish the books later?" Decisions, decisions.
---------
12/17/2016:
I did it. I finished A Game of Thrones.
What this should mean is that I will reward myself by finally watching the show. What it actually means is this:
There are a crapload of really great reviews out there on this book already, so I'm going to keep this review only as long as the cup of coffee in front of me lasts. Note: I go through coffee the way a child of the 80s/90s went through Kool-Aid (thanks for the flavored sugar water, Mom!).
1. I Will Remember You (Will You Remember Me - Do Do Doot Doot Do)
I don't know what the deal is, but my memory has become terrible. Old age? Brain is at max capacity? I don't know. What I do know is that I read this book over a span of THREE MONTHS. This is no indication of how good or bad the book is. I started reading on an airplane (the perfect place for me to read - no interruptions except for a beverage delivery) in September and then picked it up when I had the time afterwards. I would have to restart most books if it took me this long, but I was always able to pick this up from where I had left off because it's memorable. Martin has done a wonderful job of creating a completely new world that is fantasy but feels very real. I was easily transported to each location. And there are many locations. With each chapter comes a different character and usually a different location. I loved the chance to experience so many different places and characters. Speaking of characters...
2. Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today - Oooh Hey Hey)
There are a billion names in this book but not necessarily a billion characters.
Example: Lord Westerling, Lord Banefort, Ser Garth Greenfield, Lord Estren, Ser Tytos Brax, Mallor the Dornishman...and three Lannisters besides Jaime, Lord Tywin's own nephews, two of his sister's sons and one of his dead brother's...
Don't be discouraged by all the names! The trick is to pick through the ones that really matter. In this case, there are two names you should know/recognize. All those other names are not there for your benefit. They are there because if this dialogue were really happening, that is how they would actually relay the news. If you get lost on the names, there is a handy guide located at the back of the book. It's useful. Use it.
3. Although We've Come to the End of the Road (Still I Can't Let You Go)
There are two reactions when you reach the last page of a 800+ page book.
Reaction #1: WHAT THE HELL?! I WILL NEVER GET THOSE (INSERT # OF) HOURS/DAYS/MONTHS OF MY LIFE BACK.
Reaction #2: THERE HAD BETTER BE ANOTHER 800+ PAGE BOOK IN THIS SERIES FOR ME TO START IMMEDIATELY. AND THEN ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER.
I'm clearly in the #2 category. I would have been devastated had the book just ended as is. Or if I had hopped on the Game of Thrones train early on and didn't have another one waiting on my bookshelf. By the end of a large book, you should care enough about the characters and their "world" that you want to stay on the journey with them. Which reminds me...
4. Another One Bites the Dust (and Another One Gone and Another One Gone)
Don't get too attached. Any one can go at any time. And you aren't going to have a sweet, lingering scene of them on their deathbed with weeping family kneeling at the bedside. There were a few times I had to reread the few sentences I was given to make sure I had actually read what I thought I read. SPOILER ALERT: If you ever wonder if it's a joke, IT'S NOT.
---------
12/17/2016:
I did it. I finished A Game of Thrones.
What this should mean is that I will reward myself by finally watching the show. What it actually means is this:
There are a crapload of really great reviews out there on this book already, so I'm going to keep this review only as long as the cup of coffee in front of me lasts. Note: I go through coffee the way a child of the 80s/90s went through Kool-Aid (thanks for the flavored sugar water, Mom!).
1. I Will Remember You (Will You Remember Me - Do Do Doot Doot Do)
I don't know what the deal is, but my memory has become terrible. Old age? Brain is at max capacity? I don't know. What I do know is that I read this book over a span of THREE MONTHS. This is no indication of how good or bad the book is. I started reading on an airplane (the perfect place for me to read - no interruptions except for a beverage delivery) in September and then picked it up when I had the time afterwards. I would have to restart most books if it took me this long, but I was always able to pick this up from where I had left off because it's memorable. Martin has done a wonderful job of creating a completely new world that is fantasy but feels very real. I was easily transported to each location. And there are many locations. With each chapter comes a different character and usually a different location. I loved the chance to experience so many different places and characters. Speaking of characters...
2. Ball of Confusion (That's What the World is Today - Oooh Hey Hey)
There are a billion names in this book but not necessarily a billion characters.
Example: Lord Westerling, Lord Banefort, Ser Garth Greenfield, Lord Estren, Ser Tytos Brax, Mallor the Dornishman...and three Lannisters besides Jaime, Lord Tywin's own nephews, two of his sister's sons and one of his dead brother's...
Don't be discouraged by all the names! The trick is to pick through the ones that really matter. In this case, there are two names you should know/recognize. All those other names are not there for your benefit. They are there because if this dialogue were really happening, that is how they would actually relay the news. If you get lost on the names, there is a handy guide located at the back of the book. It's useful. Use it.
3. Although We've Come to the End of the Road (Still I Can't Let You Go)
There are two reactions when you reach the last page of a 800+ page book.
Reaction #1: WHAT THE HELL?! I WILL NEVER GET THOSE (INSERT # OF) HOURS/DAYS/MONTHS OF MY LIFE BACK.
Reaction #2: THERE HAD BETTER BE ANOTHER 800+ PAGE BOOK IN THIS SERIES FOR ME TO START IMMEDIATELY. AND THEN ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER.
I'm clearly in the #2 category. I would have been devastated had the book just ended as is. Or if I had hopped on the Game of Thrones train early on and didn't have another one waiting on my bookshelf. By the end of a large book, you should care enough about the characters and their "world" that you want to stay on the journey with them. Which reminds me...
4. Another One Bites the Dust (and Another One Gone and Another One Gone)
Don't get too attached. Any one can go at any time. And you aren't going to have a sweet, lingering scene of them on their deathbed with weeping family kneeling at the bedside. There were a few times I had to reread the few sentences I was given to make sure I had actually read what I thought I read. SPOILER ALERT: If you ever wonder if it's a joke, IT'S NOT.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated