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raddyy02's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
5.0
maxmalak's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
heather_boo's review against another edition
5.0
Just wow. If you are on this adventure be prepared for literally anything and everything, and don’t get attached to anyone. Fashioned after the Middle Ages there’s blood, and treason, and wilderness. There’s the unknown in nature, the power of gods, and the duplicity of people wanting power. Just like the characters in the novel your loyalties and allegiances may change, so beware because even you, dear reader, are not safe from the game of thrones.
why_balloo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.5
tarostar's review against another edition
3.0
No spoilers, but plenty of personal opinion. The second book was slow going at first and I was actually quite bored as I knew from the TV series the main plots and how they resolve at the end. However, about half-way it really started to pick up for me and the book diverges significantly from the TV series and is much richer and more interesting than the simplified TV version with fewer characters and many skipped plots. Strangely many things that were very interesting in the book have been changed in the series, perhaps because they work better on screen in the shorter time available to tell the story, but I think in many cases also to appeal to mass audiences with more sex and focus on a smaller set of central characters. The book really came out fighting by the end and can't wait to read the next one. I would have liked to give it 3 1/2 stars.
exist0ni's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
david54's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
halthemonarch's review against another edition
4.0
I was thinking to myself last week: hey, I wonder what’s going on in Westeros? Which is miraculous because after bingeing the whole show in one summer and reading book one the next year, when I had put down A Song of Ice and Fire I thought: holy shit that was tough, cynical, and dense and my brain needs a good long rest before the next one. Exactly a year later according to my review log, I wanted to visit Westeros again.
I have to say, I couldn’t have asked for a better read if I just wanted to meander around Martin’s world. It had a lot of filler; it was a lot of minor characters filling out their minor character roles and it was a lot of set up for what I knew would be extraordinary pay off in the next book. I knew Ramsay Snow would be a problem for Theon, I knew that Robb’s marriage would be his downfall, I knew that Jeoff marries Margery, I knew what a big deal the Faceless Men were. Clash of Kings feels like a 900 page wind-up for the next book and a whirl of information about the customs and things on the horizon. Lucky for Martin, I LOVE infodumps, especially if they're as rich, intricate, and have the payoff these twists and turns often do.
Tyrion (the love of my life, who was a 26 year old misfit when I, another 26 year old misfit at the time, read the first book) shines brightest in this book. He arrives at King’s Landing and makes the brutal boy king and his vicious mother look almost respectable. Meanwhile Davos has misgivings about Melisande after seeing her birth the shadow of Stannis, Arya is being smuggled to Riverrun along with Gendry— the last Baratheon bastard, Jon finds dragonglass, Bran meets the Reeds, and Catelyn witnesses the death of Renly. Sure, other things have happened in the book, but those are the biggest bullet points as of page 488. It’s a dense read, full of things that are meaningful to the continuation of the series and reading this taught me that I really can get through anything if I enjoy it. It doesn’t feel like a slog, especially since each pov chapter is relatively short. I wish I liked them all as much as I like Arya, Sansa, and Tyrion. When I’m behind Davos’ eyes, I’m judgmental of him. When I read Catelyn, I always remember how I mildly dislike her. And Danerys is so removed from the story, being across the water as she is, that I find myself only intermittently caring about her struggles as of this book, knowing Meeren is to come.
Another thing I’m noticing is that the show takes drastic liberties compared to the strategic moves the book sets out. For example, Arya was never Tywin’s cupbearer. Such tense situations were good for the screen but the book feels like part travel montage for all of these different camps, and part sleuthy conversations. Like puzzle pieces these events run together. Theon feels emasculated so he takes Winterfell and fosters peace with the Lannisters, winding up for the eventual Bolton takeover. Actions as big as these send tremors all over the world; this book felt like a collection of small ripples.
Re: my last review and the coming “fork in the road” where adaptation deviates from the original seems way ahead of me. Lady Stoneheart and all the other stuff guaranteed to rock my shit is two maybe three books away. This one ends around the Battle of Blackwater and Jaime’s task with Brienne and Sansa, with Danerys buzzing with questions and exiled from Qarth, and with Theon in turmoil over dividing the North in the name of his ungrateful ass father. The chess pieces have moved thus on the board, and I’ll need time to soak it in before gobbling A Storm of Swords.
I have to say, I couldn’t have asked for a better read if I just wanted to meander around Martin’s world. It had a lot of filler; it was a lot of minor characters filling out their minor character roles and it was a lot of set up for what I knew would be extraordinary pay off in the next book. I knew Ramsay Snow would be a problem for Theon, I knew that Robb’s marriage would be his downfall, I knew that Jeoff marries Margery, I knew what a big deal the Faceless Men were. Clash of Kings feels like a 900 page wind-up for the next book and a whirl of information about the customs and things on the horizon. Lucky for Martin, I LOVE infodumps, especially if they're as rich, intricate, and have the payoff these twists and turns often do.
Tyrion (the love of my life, who was a 26 year old misfit when I, another 26 year old misfit at the time, read the first book) shines brightest in this book. He arrives at King’s Landing and makes the brutal boy king and his vicious mother look almost respectable. Meanwhile Davos has misgivings about Melisande after seeing her birth the shadow of Stannis, Arya is being smuggled to Riverrun along with Gendry— the last Baratheon bastard, Jon finds dragonglass, Bran meets the Reeds, and Catelyn witnesses the death of Renly. Sure, other things have happened in the book, but those are the biggest bullet points as of page 488. It’s a dense read, full of things that are meaningful to the continuation of the series and reading this taught me that I really can get through anything if I enjoy it. It doesn’t feel like a slog, especially since each pov chapter is relatively short. I wish I liked them all as much as I like Arya, Sansa, and Tyrion. When I’m behind Davos’ eyes, I’m judgmental of him. When I read Catelyn, I always remember how I mildly dislike her. And Danerys is so removed from the story, being across the water as she is, that I find myself only intermittently caring about her struggles as of this book, knowing Meeren is to come.
Another thing I’m noticing is that the show takes drastic liberties compared to the strategic moves the book sets out. For example, Arya was never Tywin’s cupbearer. Such tense situations were good for the screen but the book feels like part travel montage for all of these different camps, and part sleuthy conversations. Like puzzle pieces these events run together. Theon feels emasculated so he takes Winterfell and fosters peace with the Lannisters, winding up for the eventual Bolton takeover. Actions as big as these send tremors all over the world; this book felt like a collection of small ripples.
Re: my last review and the coming “fork in the road” where adaptation deviates from the original seems way ahead of me. Lady Stoneheart and all the other stuff guaranteed to rock my shit is two maybe three books away. This one ends around the Battle of Blackwater and Jaime’s task with Brienne and Sansa, with Danerys buzzing with questions and exiled from Qarth, and with Theon in turmoil over dividing the North in the name of his ungrateful ass father. The chess pieces have moved thus on the board, and I’ll need time to soak it in before gobbling A Storm of Swords.