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A review by cepbreed
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

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, the 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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