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samflowerv6's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
“Every man must die, Jon Snow. But first he must live.”
“Old stories are like old friends, she used to say. You have to visit them from time to time.”
“Woman?” She chuckled. “Is that meant to insult me? I would return the slap, if I took you for a man.” Dany met his stare. “I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons, khaleesi to Drogo’s riders, and queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.”
I am the blood of the dragon. I must be strong. I must have fire in my eyes when I face them, not tears.
“Always keep your foes confused. If they are never certain who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next. Sometimes the best way to baffle them is to make moves that have no purpose, or even seem to work against you. Remember that, Sansa, when you come to play the game.”
“What . . . what game?”
“The only game. The game of thrones.”
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
kkalicky94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
theyannibannireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
But when we get story oh boy do we get story, every god damn storyline is exciting, dark and page turning 🔥🔥
Can't wait to read the next book shame I'll run out of them soon
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
joey1914's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
bookworm247's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
vigil's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
linnylionheart's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Suicide, Excrement, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Dysphoria
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Cannibalism, and Abortion
Further content warning: bestiality (moderate)jessthanthree's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War
Moderate: Child death, Incest, and Death of parent
kingcrookback's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Incest, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Slavery, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Mental illness, Rape, Alcohol, and Classism
earlc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It's a testament to Martin's characterization that I needed no refresher on who each of the main characters were and what they were up to; many of the minor characters (the Reeds, Gendry and Hotpie, Dolorous Ed, etc.) were also warmly remembered. There are a lot of great characters introduced in this book, like Mance, Missandei, and Oberyn, and we get to know others, like Sam and Jamie, better. No character feels redundant, each character is unique, a tremendous achievement with a cast this size. Every single viewpoint character grew and changed in really interesting ways, and Tyrion, Jaime, and Jon's internal struggles were among the most engaging and complex I've read in a fantasy book. Jon's relationship with Ygritte was especially heartrending, and Jamie's with Brienne surprisingly touching. Reading this book proved that "spoilers" are an exaggerated threat to one's enjoyment of a work. I knew (almost) all of the major twists going into this book, and each still surprised, thrilled, and horrified me.
Some minor criticisms: I thought Daenerys' chapters were good on their own (along with the world beyond the wall, Essos is fascinates me), but they broke up the flow of the novel. All of the other characters' chapters, to varying degrees, have some impact on another's; Daenerys is in her own story. I normally enjoy Arya's chapters, but she spent a lot of time wandering around the Riverlands and Reach with the Brotherhood, which wasn't always as engaging (Bran's chapters sometimes threatened to be long travelogues, but Myra's telling of the Crannogman's journey was pretty gripping); conversely, her journeys with the Hound felt cut short. Likewise, I thought Davos (one of my all-time favorite characters) didn't get enough attention, and I was surprised when he didn't get his own chapter at the end.
Nevertheless, this is high fantasy done so right. Definitely looking forward to the next two books, though I think I'll take a little more of a vacation; these books are a project.
Listened to the audiobook narrated by Roy Dotrice.
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Abortion