Reviews

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

unikornreads's review against another edition

4.0

THIS IS AN HONEST REVIEW, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

4 stars

Yeap, A Storm of Swords is the best book in the series so far. I liked it very much. Anyway, I'll review by major characters and some minor in the book.

* Arya Stark - liked her adventures in Seven Kingdoms, some are interesting, some aren't
* Jon Snow - loved his adventures at the Wall and Beyond-the-Wall, especially the wars and another best thing is I don't have to read his pathetic whinings anymore yay
* Tyrion Lannister - loved his adventures in King's Landing, especially when there are two weddings featured; one's boring and another is brutally amazing
* Jaime Lannister - can't believe I said this, surprisingly I came to liking him. He returned as a reformed person, befriended with someone he disliked at first, and helped saving his brother.
* Catelyn Stark - I've never liked this woman and will never be. She has problem with her husband's bastard and all bastards out there in Westeros, probably The Known World. She's always doing something without measuring out the consequences. Worst of all, my joy ends coz of all person alive and survive the Red wedding, it is her!
* Sansa Stark - I guess she learnt some lessons that the world she's living in all about politics, power, brutality, lies, and deaths. No love, for certainly.
* Davos Seaworth - him, I care naught at all but his POV gives insights on the two most hated characters; stupid King Stannis and delusional, her R'hollor fundamentalism Melisandre.
* Daenerys Targaryen - she's plundering, saving slaves and recruiting a mass amount of armies yay.
* Samwell Tarly - reading him complained being loser at the beginning was annoying and torturous experience and started to get old but slowly, there's improvement in him that I liked.
* Bran Stark - I just simply don't care about him.
* Robb Stark - why oh why the author killed him? I was prepared for him though coz I watched the TV. It was his own fault, he signed for his death but it's just so hard to accept his death.
* Cersei Lannister - this woman is crazy. She hungers for power but just like what others said about her, when she has it, she just clueless what to do with it. Please just die already.
* Margaery Tyrell - she gives impression as a really nice girl but I do believe she's up to no good. Evidence, her grandma. I hope in upcoming two new books there'll be POV from Tyrell clan, please?

Alright, that's all. I'm gear up to read Book 4 and I'm also ready for its worst coz I heard the book's the worst in the series but don't know, I might like it. Dear author, do take your time finishing the two remaining books. As much as I want them fast, I rather you write them slowly - it's all about quality, eh?

maxsebastian's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• 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

4.75

Up there with Ship of Magic, A Storm of Swords is one of the best books I've read all year. From the incredible set of point of view characters to the deepening magic of this world, I'm now finding myself thinking about lands of Westeros and beyond as I eagerly await picking up the next book in this series.

As I read A Storm of Swords, I was struck again by the simple and yet clever naming of this series. With a focus on magic re-entering Westeros from the North (Ice) and South (Fire), A Storm of Swords spins a compelling political tales as magic awakens and the song of the story begins to crescendo. Through this structure, Martin plays powerfully with dramatic irony. As a viewer, I'm screaming for people in this world to PAY ATTENTION to things besides the iron throne, which is frustrating in just the right way. The inclusion of a map of the world beyond the wall and of Valyeria in addition to two of Westeros helped to make this world feel all the bigger.

One of the praises I've heard this book receive is that every viewpoint character is compelling, so no matter what chapter is next, you'll be excited to read it. Particularly in the second half of the book, this statement held true for me. While Tyrion Lannister and Caitlyn Stark continue to be my favorite viewpoints

will we still get Caitlyn chapters now that she's dead but not really but can't speak?

, the introduction of perspectives from Samwell Tarly and Jaimie Lannister were fantastic. In addition to showing us  new complex worldviews, these new perspectives enabled different viewpoint characters to once again cross paths and for Martin to write chapters in the same place and the same time in a row while still changing perspectives. I still find Arya Stark to be the least compelling main character, but I think that is mostly because I continue to be confused by the magic that's going on in her story.

It's worth briefly mentioning that while less upsetting than in the first book, the sexual content in A Storm of Swords is still very present and continues to lean towards the male gaze. In addition, the violence in this book is, while not grossly written, probably more present than in any other book in the series so far.

Which transitions us directly to the plot. Plot beats from this story have entered the global cultural zeitgeist and for good reason.

While I had heard the term red wedding before, I imagined that it would refer to Geoffrey's wedding, and so I was shocked when it played out as it did

. A Storm of Swords has one of the tightest plots I've read in a long while and puts it to great effect to develop and complete wonderful character arcs.

With every move feeling balanced on a knife's edge this whole book, I cannot imagine myself stopping after this entry like I had initially planned to. While some have told me that A Storm of Swords feels like the end of a trilogy, I found it to open more doors than close, in a profoundly exciting way.

autumnalsnow's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

ashtonlee's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The fact that they didn’t include Lady Stoneheart and the Westerling plot in the show was a crime.

crystalstarrlight's review against another edition

On hold while I watch Season 3 of the HBO series - then back again to finish 'er off!

smolcap23's review against another edition

4.0

Nearly gave this thing five stars and then I remembered I skipped most of the bran and Arya chapters because they bored me

book_baron's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

enragedgoose's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-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

ralfcazam's review against another edition

5.0

This book is great, particuraly if you have read and enjoyed the first two books in this series. It is very complex, both in chracters and plot. It has lots of detail, but I think that all of the details only add to the story because they enhance the world that Martin has created. This world is enormously extensive, with its own history, religions, legends, politics, and many terrains and kingdoms.

nenacall's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.75