A highborn maid of three-and-ten, with a fair face and auburn hair.

She was a vision to behold, her youthful beauty enhanced by her noble birth. Her fair complexion seemed to glow with an otherworldly radiance, and her auburn hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft waves.

At just thirteen years old, she carried herself with an air of grace and poise that belied her age. Despite her tender years, she was well-versed in the ways of the court and knew how to conduct herself with dignity and charm.

Her eyes, a deep shade of green, sparkled with intelligence and curiosity. She was always eager to learn and explore new things, and her inquisitive nature made her a favorite among the other ladies of the court.

With her beauty, charm, and noble birth, this highborn maid was sure to have a bright future ahead of her.

“Every man should lose a battle in his youth, so he does not lose a war when he is old.” This profound statement sets the tone for an interesting exploration. I didn't actually start reading this particular work until about a week ago. I was in the middle of reading another book at the same time, and I truly admire those who can handle two books simultaneously (as I, coincidentally, cannot).

I had heard from numerous people that this book was the weakest in the series. However, I couldn't disagree more. I absolutely LOVED this book! Admittedly, I wasn't overly “fond” of the idea that I wouldn't be able to read about some of my favorite characters. Instead, I was bombarded with a whole lot of Cersei. By the way, I really...hate her. Well, hate might be a strong word. Let's just say I STRONGLY dislike her. I don't quite understand why everyone seems to love her. Does she improve throughout the last two books? Anyway, the introduction of new characters (or rather, additional new characters) wasn't as bad as I had initially anticipated. In fact, I really enjoyed this new aspect of the series and the way the points-of-view were presented.

The story was incredibly compelling and a great deal of fun to read. Well, perhaps “fun” isn't the most accurate term; “enjoyable” might be more fitting. The characters were superb, and so was the character development! I'm aware that many people claim that George R R Martin could make his books significantly shorter. But, quite frankly, I think that would destroy the atmosphere and the amazing touch of magic within the stories. It's precisely because he includes so much detail regarding food, clothes, surroundings, and so on that I truly, truly love reading his books.

I'm actually not sure if I mentioned this before, but I listen to the audio books while reading along with the physical copy. This is because I really want to immerse myself in the story and feel as if I'm there with Arya, Sansa, and the rest. I would highly recommend these books regardless, but if you also listen to the audio books, you'll love the series even more!

**A Feast for Crows: A Mixed Bag in the Song of Ice and Fire Saga**

A Feast for Crows, the fourth installment of the remarkable Song of Ice and Fire series, has often been criticized as the weakest link so far. This reputation is partly due to the unusual circumstances surrounding its publication. George R.R. Martin produced books two and three in under two years, from February 1999 to November 2000. However, book four grew in size and complexity, taking years to complete. As it neared 2,000 pages, Martin decided to split it into two. Instead of a simple chronological division, he removed certain point of view characters and saved their stories for book five. This meant that when A Feast for Crows finally arrived five years after A Storm of Swords, many beloved characters were absent or had only minor roles. Understandably, readers were disappointed and frustrated.

I vividly remember reading Storm of Swords shortly after its release and then enduring the long wait for A Feast for Crows. The initial disappointment with this book has, in my opinion, somewhat clouded its perception for some readers. Nevertheless, A Feast for Crows has its strengths. It focuses mainly on events in southern Westeros and the consequences of the events in Storm of Swords. The book features a great storyline for Jaime Lannister, with his POV chapters being particularly outstanding. By the end of the book, Jaime had become my favorite character in the series. There are also interesting developments for Cersei in King’s Landing and an engaging story involving Sansa Stark. Additionally, the Arya storyline is fascinating, although I had to wait five years to read more. Martin also introduces new point of view characters, which some readers found frustrating as they wanted to know what Tyrion was up to. However, I thought the Greyjoy POV chapters were excellent and led to one of my favorite scenes in the entire series, the Kingsmoot.

On the downside, some of the other storylines were less engaging. The time spent in Dorne seemed to be setting up future developments but was not as interesting as the events in the north. I also wasn't a big fan of many of Brienne's POV chapters, which seemed to cover similar ground as Arya's in A Storm of Swords. Moreover, while I liked Cersei's storyline, her characterization in this book felt a bit off. This was the first time she appeared as a POV character, and her shrill and maniacal behavior was a bit jarring.

Overall, A Feast for Crows is not as amazing as A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. However, reading it a second time, knowing that I could immediately pick up book five, I enjoyed it more than the first time. It's my least favorite of the five books so far, but that's like saying it's my least favorite rainbow or puppy. If you loved the first three books in the series, you'll still find a lot to like here. 4 stars.

Reread in July, 2011.

Though it wasn't my favorite installment of the series, it was still an outstanding read. Martin has an extraordinary talent for constructing a world that is so incredibly rich and vividly imagined. It's as if once you start reading, you are irresistibly drawn into this captivating realm.

I must admit that I did miss the chapters featuring Tyrion and Dany in this particular book. However, I found myself growing to appreciate the Arya chapters much more. Her story has proven to be truly fascinating, filled with unexpected twists and turns. It's hard to believe that there is only one book remaining in the series that is currently accessible! Now I have a better understanding of the agony people endure while waiting for the next installment.

I simply can't wait to discover what lies ahead! I'm not entirely sure when I will pick up book 5. Typically, I wait for about six months before delving into the next one, but for this series, I may have to make an exception. The anticipation is just too great!

It has taken me quite a while to get around to it, but I am finally back on my ASOIAF re-read!
A Feast for Crows, with over 1000 pages, is truly a mammoth of a book. I spent most of July reading it while in a bit of a slump. However, I still enjoyed a significant portion of it and I'm glad I picked it back up. These books have a remarkable way of completely captivating me and keeping me thoroughly hooked on the story.

A Feast for Crows is often regarded as the "worst" book in the series, and I must admit that I do understand the reasoning behind this. After all the drama of the third book, the pacing of this story really slows down. Some of the point-of-views (POV's) feel particularly sluggish and lacking in direction.

Brienne's chapters, although long-winded and rather dull at times, did at least offer us a glimpse of the impact the war has had on the rest of Westeros. This was a nice touch and left us on an incredibly suspenseful cliffhanger! I vividly remember when I first read the Lady Stoneheart reveal and I actually gasped out loud!

My favorite aspect of this book, however, is Dorne. The TV show really did it a great disservice as the storyline and the characters are truly brilliant. Arianne is my absolute favorite character in the entire series. She is a total badass and I can't help but root for her. I really wish we had had more chapters set in Dorne instead of 10 chapters focused on Cersei!

Overall, I liked this book, just not as much as the others. It does lay the groundwork for what could potentially be some really fascinating plot points, but it takes a rather long time to do so.

In the captivating world of "A Song of Ice and Fire," the story continues to unfold with great intensity. The arrival of the Sparrows in Kings Landing has brought chaos and uproar, leaving no one safe, not even the royals. Jaime and Cersei's relationship is strained as he is dispatched to reclaim lands for the crown, while she tries to rule through her son and oust his new Queen. Meanwhile, Brienne is on a perilous journey to find Sansa, facing numerous terrifying villains. Arya has adopted a new identity in Braavos and is living in the temple of the many-faced god. Sansa, too, has a new name and is hiding in the Eyrie. Samwell Tarly has left the wall to study and become a Maester. There are also new POVs from the Ironborn and the Dornish, adding different perspectives to the story.

However, my only complaint is the omission of some key POVs such as Dany, Jon Snow, Davos, and Tyrion. This made it a bit more difficult for me to get through the book as I really can't stand Cersei's chapters and Jaime's were just average. I much preferred Sam and Brienne's chapters. Nevertheless, the storylines remain fantastic as this world is constantly evolving and changing. Now, it's time to dive into "A Dance with Dragons."

“In the game of thrones, even the humblest pieces can have wills of their own.”


4.5 stars rounded up!


Another fantastic instalment in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Sparrows have flocked to Kings Landing and created uproar! No one is safe - even the royals.


“How much can a crown be worth, when a crow can dine on a king?”


Jaime and Cersei become estranged from one another, he is sent to reclaim lands for the crown while Cersei attempts to rule through her son, and remove his new Queen.


“Queen you shall be...until there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down and take all you hold dear.”


Brienne is on the road hunting for Sansa - facing many godawful villains along the way.

Arya takes on a new identity in Braavos, currently residing in the temple of the many-faced god.

Sansa too has a new name, hiding in plain sight in the Eyrie.

Samwell Tarly has left the wall, under instructions to study to become a Maester.


There are also many other new POVs we experience including some of the Ironborn and the Dornish, which certainly brought different perspectives.


My only gripe is the POVs that are left out - no Dany, Jon Snow, Davos or Tyrion! This meant I found this one harder to plow through as frankly I can’t stand Cersei and Jaime’s chapters were just average. I lived for Sam and Brienne’s chapters mainly.

Still fantastic storylines as this world constantly moves and changes. Time for A Dance with Dragons!


“It is being common born that is dangerous, when the great lords play their game of thrones.”

This is still a solid book, and to heck with the haters. There was simply no way that anything could follow up "A Storm of Swords" and be at the same level as that book because it is truly incredible. I believe this book has its drawbacks. It removes several point of views that we all care deeply about and introduces a whole ton of new characters. Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with this decision. I really miss those characters who were excluded, yet I am incredibly interested in some of the new ones. It's kind of nice that after the absolute bloodbath in "A Storm of Swords," we can have a book where half the cast isn't murdered, lol. However, some of the storylines just aren't quite as interesting.

I dislike the fact that we have no Jon, Dany, or Tyrion in this book. But on the other hand, I loved getting to see more of Dorne and the Iron Islands. The King's Moot was quite something!

Jaime really holds this book together, and we get more insight into just how truly insane (and stupid) Cersei is, so the Lannister dynamics are great.

Whew, this is truly a challenging book to review. The main reason is that it doesn't meet the expectations of readers who have devoured A STORM OF SWORDS.

Now, some people are already loudly proclaiming that the book is terrible and a huge letdown. On the other hand, there are those who go to the opposite extreme and firmly believe that it's just as good as the previous installments.

I don't think either of these views is entirely fair or accurate.

To be fair, yes, this book doesn't progress in the same way as the previous ones, especially not like A STORM OF SWORDS. There simply aren't the same level of big, impactful moments or shocking revelations (such as who killed Jon Arryn?). Additionally, some of the readers' favorite characters, like Jon, Dany, and Tyrion, are absent from this novel. Moreover, there are two new main points of view that we need to get used to. By the way, since other readers are spoiling the mystery POVs, did most of you notice that Brienne is apparently a descendant of Dunk from THE HEDGE KNIGHT? That's really cool. :)

Let's get back to the debate. Remember that:

(1) This is only half of a mega-sized book. GRRM is only releasing half of it now, and the other half will be in the next book. So, in essence, for those who are complaining that he's taking too long, this is like four books considering the average novel is 400 pages. Also, remember that the guy has been writing for something like 30+ years and he's finally achieving national acclaim. He has been asked to write scripts for some of his old novels, there's a game based on his series that he has overseen, he's also worked on the HEDGE KNIGHT comic strip, he's written two novelettes on the hedge knight, he's been invited to attend dozens upon dozens of readings at various book and convention events (and most recently, the prestigious one in D.C. where he was asked to give a long speech), he tends to answer the thousands of emails he receives from everyone, and he taught at the Odyssey program for about six weeks back east, among other things. Most of these activities have occurred in the last two years.

So, good for him for getting more recognition, but keep in mind that he has said he can't write except back in New Mexico. Things are going to progress more slowly.

(2) While several of the POVs don't have resolutions, also remember that they may show up in the next book with all those exciting moments that everyone is longing for. Additionally, it's probably not fair to view this as a stand-alone book simply because book four and five are like one continuous story. The reason he split it up, as per his webpage at [...], is that his publishers demanded he release it. For all we know, book four may be the midpoint of the story, and book five is going to have a lot of climactic moments.

AFFC is really a bit of a letdown after several climaxes. As the dust settles, a great deal of information is shared. There's a significant focus on characters. Lots and lots of characters, even if some only make brief appearances. As a result, not as much seems to be happening. To some, this might seem like aimless meandering, and well, yes, some of it probably is. Lol. For those who want to know more about the world, this is your opportunity. Just don't expect it to be like ASOS.

I remember several complaints from earlier reviewers of previous books that there wasn't enough context and almost nothing about the religion of the times. People complained that the religion should have had a greater impact and political power base than was shown in the last three books. Well, you get that in this book. Big time.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there are probably about 35-50% more character POVs simply because there are several smaller focuses on various characters all over the globe. We get a lot of attention on Dorne and the Iron Isles, as well as King's Landing. There are also sprinklings in other areas, like Oldtown and where Brienne travels (I don't want to spoil it, so I won't say where).

As a result, these additional characters slow down the story from having those big, show-stopping moments because there's more to tell.

While I understand that this is probably the least popular book of the four, assuming we were to take a tally, I still believe that GRRM is the best living fantasy author out there if you want tales that don't overuse archetypes and have complex characters and plots.

I challenge anyone to email me and suggest a better author.

On that note, for people who haven't read the previous books, here's why GRRM is a superb writer from my previous review on ASOS:

First off, I'm a die-hard fan of GRRM. I've read over a hundred different fantasy authors in my time. I took about five years off from the genre because I felt it was all becoming too formulaic and cliched. The typical archetype character who turns out to be the missing heir or the boy wonder who saves the world against the Dark Lord.

So, when I returned to fantasy at the end of 1999, I read the usual suspects: Goodkind, Jordan, etc. And then someone told me about GRRM, and man, that was the game-changer!

Here are the reasons to choose GRRM. I've also listed the reasons not to choose him to be fair because I know there are certain personalities who won't like this series:

WHY TO READ GRRM

(1) YOU ARE TIRED OF FORMULAIC FANTASY: The good lad beats the dark lord against impossible odds; the boy is the epitome of good; he and all his friends never die even though they face great dangers... the good and noble king; the beautiful princess who falls in love with the commoner boy despite their drastically different stations... the dark lord is very evil and sometimes almost one-sided... you get the idea. After reading this over and over, it gets old.

(2) YOU ARE TIRED OF ALL THE HEROES STAYING ALIVE EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE UNDER CONSTANT DANGER: This gets even worse when the author kills off a main hero but then brings that person back later in the story. Or, a hero does die, but magic resurrects them.

This sometimes extends to minor characters where even they may not die, but most fantasy authors like to kill them off to show that some took risks and perished.

(3) YOU ARE A MEDIEVAL HISTORY BUFF: This story was influenced by the WARS OF THE ROSES and THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR.

(4) YOU LOVE SERIOUS INTRIGUE WITHOUT STUPID OPPONENTS: There's lots of layering; lots of intrigue; and lots of clever players in the game of thrones. Unlike other fantasy novels, where one side, usually the villain, is stupid or not very bright.

(5) YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BIASED OPINIONS AND DIFFERENT TRUTHS: GRRM has set this up so that each chapter has the title of one character, and the whole chapter is told from their viewpoint. An interesting tidbit is that you get their perception of events or truths. But, if you pay attention, someone else will mention a different angle of truth in the story, something we rarely see in other novels. Most importantly, GRRM doesn't try to tell us which person's perception is right. He purposefully leaves it vague so that we are left guessing.

(6) LEGENDS: Some of the most interesting characters are those who are long gone or dead. We never get the entire story but only bits and pieces, something that other fantasy authors could learn from to increase suspense. Additionally, because the points of view are not congruent, we sometimes get different opinions.

(7) WORDPLAY: If you're a fan of metaphors and description, GRRM is your guy. His writing has an almost flawless flow.

(8) LOTS OF CONFLICT: There's all types of conflict, not just fighting but also between characters through threats and intrigue.

(9) MULTILAYERED PLOTTING; SUB PLOTS GALORE: Each character has their own separate storyline, especially as the story progresses and everyone gets scattered. This is one of the reasons why each novel is between 700-900 pages.

(10) SUPERLATIVE VARIED CHARACTERS: These are not the typical archetypes that we're used to in most fantasy. Some are gritty; few are completely evil or good. GRRM does a great job of changing our opinions of characters as the series progresses. This is especially true of Jaime in book three.

(11) REALISTIC MEDIEVAL DIALOGUE: It's not to the point that we can't understand it, but it's well done.

(12) HEAPS OF SYMBOLISM AND PROPHECY: If you're into that sort of thing.

(13) EXCELLENT MYSTERIES: They're very hard to figure out the culprits. GRRM must have read a lot of mystery novels.

(14) RICHLY TEXTURED FEMALE CHARACTERS: He's the best male fantasy author I've read when it comes to female characters. They're also realistic in how women think.

(15) LOW MAGIC WORLD: Magic is low key; it's not over the top so that heroes can't easily get out of jams with it.

REASON TO NOT READ GRRM

(1) YOU LIKE YOUR MAIN CHARACTERS: GRRM does a good job of creating more likable characters after a few die. But, if that's not your style, you probably shouldn't be reading it. He kills off several main characters, not just one, so be warned.

(2) DO NOT CARE FOR GRITTY GRAY CHARACTERS: If you prefer more white and gray characters, this may make you uncomfortable. I suggest Feist or Goodkind or Dragonlance if you want a more straightforward story with strong archetypes.

(3) MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEWS TURN YOU OFF: If you prefer that the POVs only focus on a few characters, this might be confusing for you.

(4) SWEARING, SEX: There's a lot of it in this book, just as there is in real life. If you have sensitive ears, this book may upset you.

(5) YOU DEMAND CLOSURE AT THE END OF EVERY BOOK: This isn't the case for all stories in the series. Some are still ongoing; some have been resolved; others have been introduced and are in progress.

(6) IF YOU WANT A TARGET OR SOMEONE TO BLAME: This can be done to some extent, but not as much. This is because he doesn't try to make anyone necessarily good or evil.

(7) ARCHETYPES: Some readers like archetypal characters because it's comfortable. We like the good young hero (sort of like Pug in Feist's THE RIFTWAR SAGA). It's familiar, and we sometimes like to pretend we're this upcoming, great hero. You won't get much of this in GRRM, with the exception of one or two characters. There really aren't any super heroes compared to all the other characters as it's more gritty, and no one is shooting fireballs every millisecond or carrying around some super powerful sword.

(8) LENGTH: You don't want to get into a long fantasy epic series. In that case, look for shorter works as this is really long.

(9) PATRIARCHY: Men are most of the main characters with a lot of power (with one female exception). While this is realistic of the medieval era, some readers may not prefer this if they want more female empowerment, so to speak.

By the way, if you don't want to commit to a big book until you know the author better, check out his short story, THE HEDGE KNIGHT, in LEGENDS.

No quips, no jokes, no sarcasm. I will keep it as clear as I possibly can and say it out straight - George R. R. Martin really proves what a windbag he is with the fourth novel of his Heptalogy. My faith in this series has been in the process of a steady attrition over the last book and there couldn't possibly be a worse book to seal its fate.

It's not so much the plotting which fails as the pace and the supreme dullness of the characters that populate this miserable tome. Before going into the review, I ought to explain the origins of this book a little more to newcomers who might not be acquainted with its frustrating history.

The first three books were released every two years. After this, readers had to wait five long years before the fourth book. What happened in the interim was this - Martin was hard at work on book four and then he realised that the book had grown too large for him to publish as one book. He would have to split it. Rather than splitting it in half, he decided that he would split the book geographically, concentrating ONLY on the characters in the South of Westeros and King's Landing and finishing off their stories. Any dimwitted village oaf would tell you this was a bad idea but I think Martin had too much confidence in his writing to have reasoned it through and thought of a viable alternative. Nothing in the world is worth this boring dump of a book.

There are several reasons why:

1) The characters in this book are not in the least interesting. Brienne is tragic in the "I am too stupid to solve my own problems" kind of way. Sansa Stark is still dumb and idiotic and her story seems extremely pointless. Jaime Lannister is interesting as his character seems to be changing from handsome scoundrel to brave honourable hero. However, all he does is scowl, whine and repeat the words "My Sweet Sister" ad nauseum. Cersei Lannister gets her own share of the limelight in this novel. Martin squanders what could have been a disturbing story of Cersei's paranoia and bores you to death with her stupid thoughts. Waaay too much paper is wasted on Cersei...

2) The rest of the book is divided into chapters which deal with the Ironborn and the Dornishmen. These stories serve to reveal little of the plot. Samwell is another character who could have had a good story, had Martin bothered, but he cuts his story short as well. To sum it up, Martin makes you read long chapters where nothing happens, filled with characters you don't care about in a book filled with boredom, on quests that go nowhere. Kind of like Terry Goodkind.

3) Where are Bran Stark? Jon Snow? Tyrion Lannister? Daenerys Targaryen? They are nowhere to be found. Martin ditches his favourite characters (and ours) to bore us with the stupid and aimless wanderings of Brienne of Tarth. (Who needs to be finished off by the way, lest she come wandering into the pages again.)

4) I never said Martin was a good writer. His prose is clunky and his descriptions are overly long, pointless and have never added anything to the story. However, it was his gift for penning dialogue that made his first three books so memorable. The heavy dialogue was always a pleasure to read even if nothing much happened in the chapter. There is only a smattering of dialogue in this book. Had a better man edited this book, it could have been SHORTENED by 400 pages - full of useless descriptions of food and clothing.

The story itself goes nowhere. I understand that Martin might have been moving his pieces for further development down the line but there should be some payoff for the suffering inflicted on you while reading this book. There is none. I am yet to think of a single plot point that actually made any sense or struck me as being important.

Martin delivers because of his shock value and characterisation. We already know that every character is miserable in this series. The only thing that shocks us out of the misery is more misery and even this was lacking. Everyone was equally miserable, some more than most, but none miserable enough for us to care for them. In addition to all this, Martin seems to have given full control to his weird misogynistic side in this book. It's not that reading about rape or ill treatment of women is difficult, it happens - and when realistically and sensitively written it serves to espouse the causes of women. Martin seems to "enjoy" writing the sick stuff he does and towards the ending you are either insensitive to these scenes or you just don't care. Personally, I was really turned off by this repetitive cycle of female exploitation...

So what was GOOD about this book? Nothing. Nil. Zilch. Zero. You get the picture. Mind you, I have not really written off the series yet and Martin still has three books to change my opinion and this is the only book out of the four I have read so far that I did not quite like. However, looking at the size and scope of the series, I am still not very sure Martin is up to finishing his magnum opus. Only time will tell.

My Rating - 1 star on 5

P.S - I firmly believe that no matter how bad this book is or the series gets from here on, the T.V show is much better and all the exposition transfers onto the screen neatly. I am also going to see this series of novels through. I still want to see how things turn out.

Hey everyone, it's George RR Martin here.

I thought I'd take a break from meticulously planning my highly intricate and complex storylines (spoiler alert: there's a lot of sexual entanglements and then everyone ends up killing each other) to introduce A Feast for Crows, the long-awaited fourth installment in my epic fantasy series. You're in for a real treat, trust me, this one is awesome.

The last book was quite the wild ride, wasn't it? There was the chaos of the Weddings of Death, Tyrion killed his father, Jon Snow finally became cool and is now the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Arya continued to be a tiny but badass fighter, Bran seemed to be finally moving towards a real plot, and Daenerys decided to temporarily put on hold her plan to unleash the dogs of war and be a queen for a while. Oh, and I made Christmas come early for Madeline when I killed off Catelyn Stark, only to crush all her hopes and dreams when it turned out she's a zombie now and will never die. Hee hee hee.

Anyway, with all that cool stuff, you probably thought this book was going to be utterly amazing, considering all the fallout from the events I described above. And it will be, but unfortunately my attention to detail and complex storylines finally came back to haunt me, and it turns out I couldn't dedicate an entire book to all the plots I started in the last book. So I divided them into two volumes, and saved all the really cool people for Book Five. Want to read about Jon Snow, Daenerys, and Tyrion? Too bad.

Don't worry though, this means we get to meet a whole bunch of fun new characters, like Theon's crazy uncles and a bunch of random people from Dorne. They each get just one chapter, of course, because they only exist so I can have a different perspective to show all these events from (my changing single-character viewpoint structure has also started to cause me problems, unfortunately), and you'll probably never see them again, but that's what makes it exciting!

It's not all bad, at least. Arya's still here, even though she's not doing much murdering or really anything significant. This is where Arya learns how to be even more awesome, so she can wreak havoc on everyone later - or maybe not, because in the last chapter we see her in, she's just gone blind. Is it temporary or permanent? You'll just have to buy the next book and find out (maybe).

And hey, I finally gave you guys some Cersei chapters. And yes, she's just as much of a psycho bitch as you always suspected. You're welcome. Also, there are Jaime chapters - bet you didn't think he would turn out to be one of the only decent characters in the series, huh? (of course, if he's becoming one of the good guys, that means I'll probably kill him soon). And there are more Samwell Tarly chapters! Everyone loves reading about Sam, right? Guys? Guys? Where are you going?

Don't worry, the next book will be all about Tyrion, Daenerys, Bran (look, it's going to pay off soon, I swear. Really guys, he's going to be interesting eventually), and all the other cool characters that I completely ignored in this book and that you really wanted to read about. As for all the character-based cliffhangers I set up in this book, will they be resolved in the next volume? Probably not! I am George RR Martin, and I demand your money and your tears!

PS: Quit bugging me to write faster. You'll get your books when I say you get them, and not a day sooner. Don't push me, or the next volume published will be titled A Siege of Tears and it'll be nothing but Jon Snow, Bran Stark, and Samwell Tarly sitting around and thinking about how inadequate they are. Do not test me on this, nerds.

In the game of thrones, even the tiniest figures can play as they please. Sometimes they refuse to make the moves that have been determined for them. Remember that well, Aline. This lesson from Cersei Lannister she is yet to learn.

"The Winds of Winter" is an amazing novel! Although the fourth and fifth parts of "A Song of Ice and Fire" do not reach the magnificence of "A Storm of Swords", they undoubtedly have their own merits and provide a huge number of interesting details about the fantasy world. The action develops more slowly and follows the adventures of some of the unforgettable and multi-faceted main characters, but it is still engaging and emotionally charged. I think in "The Winds of Winter" Martin focuses the readers' attention on the "game" of Quentyn, and in "The Dance with Dragons" - on that of Varys. At the same time, we follow the dangerous and exciting events on the Iron Islands and in Dorne, and are also captivated by the mysterious atmosphere of Braavos...

"...Because I heard the god say: 'No godless man can sit on the Seastone Chair!' "

Merlyn crossed his arms over his chest.

"— Asha then? Or Victarion? Tell us, priest! "

"— The Drowned God will tell you, but not here. — Euron pointed to Merlyn's fat white face. — Don't look at me, nor at the laws of men, but at the sea... "

"The more you give to one king, the more he wants. We ride a bridge of ice, with a chasm on both sides. It's hard enough to satisfy one king. To satisfy two is hardly possible."

"Surprised how much the candle has burned down. Was it today that little bob, or yesterday? "Yesterday. It must have been yesterday." Prose. Jon would wonder what had happened to him, but Maester Aemon would surely understand. Before he lost his sight, the maester had loved books as much as Samwell Tarly. He understood how sometimes a man could drown in them, as if each page were a hole to another world."

"...If his story contradicts mine and Lord Nestor looks me in the eye and sees how scared I am... "

"— A little fear will not be out of place, Aline. You saw something可怕. Nestor will be moved. — Petyr looked into her eyes, as if seeing them for the first time. — You have your mother's eyes. Honest and innocent. Blue as a sunlit sea. When you grow up a little more, many men will fall into those eyes."

"— And that lie may spare us. Otherwise, the two of us must leave the Eyrie through the same gate through which Lysa went. — Petyr raised the quill again. — We will offer him lies and Arbor gold, and he will drink them greedily and want more, I promise you. "

"He offers lies to me too," Sansa realized. But they were comforting lies, and well-intentioned. "A lie isn't such a bad thing if it's well-intentioned." If only she could believe them...

"Asha had loved her father, but she was not deceived. In some ways, Balon was truly blind. "A brave man, but a bad ruler."

"— Does that mean we have to live and dream as slaves of the Iron Throne? If there are cliffs on the left side of the ship and a storm on the right, the wise captain chooses a third course. "

"— Show me that third course. "

"— I will... at the council. Uncle, how could you even think not to attend? This will be history, alive... "

"— I prefer dead history. Dead history is written with ink, alive history is written with blood."

"I'm sure Jilly wouldn't leave her baby voluntarily. What the Lord Commander threatened her with, what he promised, I can only guess... but that there were threats and promises, there is no doubt. "

"— No! That's not true. Jon would never... "

"— Jon - no. Lord Snow did it. Sometimes there is no happy choice, Sam. Only a less hard one than the others."

"...I don't want a single Tyrell on my council. "

"— You mean Tommen's council. "

"— You know what I mean. "I know very well."

"— I know that Aurane Waters is a bad choice, and Hallyne is even worse. As for Qyburn... gods be good, Cersei, he rode with Vargo Hoat! The Wall took his chain! "

"— The eunuchs. Qyburn has proven extremely useful to me. Besides, he is loyal, something I can hardly say about some of my own kin. "

"The crows will feast on all of us if you continue down this path, my dear sister."

"— Your Grace — said Pycelle with a trembling voice, — I'm afraid you don't realize what kind of trouble this could cause us. The Iron Bank... "

"...is in Braavos, far across the sea. They will get their gold, maester. Lannisters pay their debts. "

"The Braavosi have a saying too. — Pycelle's precious chain softly rattled. — "The Iron Bank will take what is owed to it," they say."

"...Euron laughed. — Godless? Eeron, I am the most devout man who ever raised a sail! You serve one god, Wet Hair, but I have served ten thousand. From Ib to Asshai, whenever people see my sail, they pray."

"— How can you be bastards when you have mothers and fathers? — asked the girl. "

"— They are rivermen — explained Arianne. — Their mother is the river Rhoyne. Myrcella didn't understand. "

"— I thought you were rivermen. Dornishmen, I mean. "

"— In part it is so. In me flows the blood of Nymeria, as well as of Doran Martell, the Dornish ruler to whom she was married. On the day they were married, Nymeria burned her ships, so that her people would understand that there was no turning back."

"— You must part with all this — he said about her treasures. Arya was offended. "

"— They are mine. "

"— And who are you? "

"— No one. "

He raised her silver dagger. "

"— This belongs to Arya of House Stark. All these things belong to her. There is no place for them here. There is no place for her. Her name is too proud, and here there is no place for pride. We are servants here. "

"— I serve — she said, hurt. She loved the silver dagger. "

"— You pretend to be a servant, but in your heart you remain the daughter of a lord. You took other names, but you wore them lightly like a dress. Under them you always remained Arya. "

"— I don't wear dresses. A man can't fight in a silly dress."

"He charms them," thought Aline as she lay in her bed that same night, listening to the wind outside the windows. She couldn't say where this suspicion had come from, but once it crossed her mind, it wouldn't let her sleep. She tossed and turned restlessly in the bed and it nagged at her like an old dog.

"Sam was surprised. — Maester, this is just a story. A sea story. — Dareon was to blame for this too. He would come back with all kinds of strange stories from the taverns and brothels. Unfortunately, he had turned too many cups when he heard the story about the dragons and couldn't remember the details. — Dareon could have made it all up. Singers do that. They make up all kinds of things. "

"— True — said Maester Aemon. — But even the most made-up song can contain a grain of truth. Find that truth for me, Sam."

"Jaime's golden hand hit him in the mouth so hard that he tumbled down the steps. His torch fell and broke, the oil spilled and caught fire. "

"— Speak of a noble lady, ser. Call her by name. Call her Brienne. "

Connington backed away from the flames, on all fours. "

"— Brienne. If it please my lord. — He spat out a bloody clot at Jaime's feet. — Brienne the Beauty."

"— I don't have time to ride out of the mountains and pick flowers — said Cersei. — I have a kingdom to rule. "

"— Only one, Your Grace? Who rules the other six? — Margaery smiled, cheerfully and sweetly. — I hope you'll forgive my cheek."

"— Tired? — Lelia asked him. — Well, of course it's true. It was hard for Kevan, all his life to live in Tywin's shadow. It was hard for all my brothers. The shadow that Tywin cast was long and black and each of them had to struggle to find a little sunlight. Trystane tried to prove himself, but he could never measure up to your father and as the years passed it bothered him more and more. Gerion made jokes. It's better to smile at the game than to play and lose. But Kevan saw early on how things stood and found his place beside your father. "

"— And you? — asked Jaime. "

"— The game wasn't for girls. I was the precious princess of my father... and of Tywin too, until I disappointed him. My brother never learned to like the taste of disappointment."

"...Sometimes she learned three new jokes or three new tricks, or tricks from this or that trade. And sometimes she learned secrets. "

Braavos was a city built for secrets, a city of mists, of masks and of things said in whispers. Its very existence had remained a secret for a whole century, as the girl had learned; its location had remained hidden for three times as long.

"...But once they had left the shore and were rowing towards the southern side of the Broken Tower, Edmure Tully grabbed Jaime by the arm. "

"— Why? "

"Lannisters pay their debts," thought Jaime. "And you're the only coin I have left."

"— Take it as a wedding gift."

"— Belandra — said Arianne after a few days, — if you ever loved my lady mother, pity her daughter and tell me when you think my father will come to see me. Please. Please. — But Belandra too seemed to have lost her tongue. "

"Is this my father's idea of revenge? Not chains or torture, but just silence? " It suited Doran Martell so well that she smiled.

"She had only one woman to whom the Maid of Tarth had sworn to serve. "

"— It can't be! She's dead! "

"— Death and the right of hospitality — muttered Long Jeyne Heddle. — They don't mean as much as they once did, either of them."

Cersei covered her face with her hands, already in grief. When she raised her head again, a tear shone in one of her eyes.

"— Sad times, indeed. But I'm glad we've reached such an agreement. If Tommen were here, he would thank you, knowing. Together, the two of us must find the truth. "

"— We will find it. "

"— I must return to the castle. With your permission, I will take Sir Osmund Kettleblack with me. The small council will want to question him, to hear the accusations against him firsthand. "

"— No — said the High Septon. "

It was only one word, one short little word, but Cersei felt it like a bucket of cold water thrown in her face...

"— I expected you to have left with Frey. "

"— That one is Frey — said the singer and bowed to Lord Emon. — And this castle looks like a nice warm place to spend the winter. Watt the White Rat left with Ser Forley and I said I'd see if I could earn his place. Watt has a high and sweet voice, something most of us can only dream of. But I know twice as many filthy songs as he does. Forgive me, my lord. "

"— You should get along well with my Lelia — said Jaime. — Since you hope to prevail here, see that you win the favor of Lady Jena. She's important. "

"— Aren't you? "

"— My place is with the king. I won't stay here long. "

"— I'm sorry to hear that, my lord. I know better songs than "The Rains of Castamere". I can sing you... oh, whatever you like. "

"— Another time. What's your name? "

"— Tom of Sevenstreams, if it please you. — The singer politely removed his soft hat. — But most people call me Tom Sevenstrings. "

"— You sing sweetly, Sevenstrings."

A Feast for Crows was, to some extent, a good read. However, it falls far short of the incredibly high standard set by the previous three books in the series. In my previous review, I stated that A Storm of Swords could potentially be the pinnacle of Martin's writing career, and I still firmly believe in that statement. Unfortunately, there is a significant possibility that this book will be the opposite, marking the lowest point of the series. There are several circumstances to take into account here.

If I had waited five years before reading this book, I would have undoubtedly hated it and given it a maximum rating of 2 stars. If I had not received any warnings about the odd structure of the story and the character's POV choices, I would most likely have disliked it even more. If I had not watched the TV series, I might have enjoyed or disliked it to a greater extent. And if I had not read A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms or was in the midst of reading The World of Ice and Fire, again, I would most likely have disliked this book even more. Taking all these circumstances into consideration, my experience of reading A Feast for Crows was not as bad as I had expected, but it was truly a disappointment after the brilliance of the previous book.

The odd structural choices that Martin made are a major issue. In most series, when writing a direct sequel, it is simply crazy not to include the main characters (unless they are dead), especially when the main characters are the favorites of the majority of readers. Well, Martin did exactly that. He left out the main characters for the next book instead. Other writers have done this, but what made it worse in this book was that the characters he focused on were mostly uninteresting side characters of the series. In my opinion, the chapters that did not feature any character's name as the title in this book were just unbearably boring, specifically the Ironborn and Dorne storylines.

Reading the Ironborn's story was one of the most boring and cringe-worthy experiences I have ever had in reading fantasy. Who really cares about the Ironborn anyway? "What is dead may never die" is a stupid catchphrase. Try telling that to Reek's dead cock and see if it means anything. I have also heard from many book purists that the TV series butchered the Dorne's storyline. But what is there to butcher when the story is already extremely uninteresting? I have not read A Dance with Dragons yet, but from what I have read so far, the Ironborn and Dorne storylines were utterly boring and uninteresting.

Finally, there was also a major problem with pacing. Despite this book being the shortest in terms of word count, there was a plethora of content that simply did not add any value to the story or characterizations. The book could have been shortened, and it most likely would have made for a better reading experience.

That being said, I was still able to finish the book in four days. I have always loved Martin's prose, and his talent for characterizations, even though most of the central characters here were uninteresting, was still great. The two Lannisters featured as the main POVs in this book, whether you love or hate them, were superbly written. The world-building remained intricate, and although it was not as expansive as the previous three books, combined with the knowledge gained from reading A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and The World of Ice and Fire, it made me realize just how difficult it is to write this series. I also really wish that the TV series adaptation had kept Lady Stoneheart; she appeared briefly near the end, but her appearance completely increased the intensity of this book. Finally, the last chapter of each character here was incredible and展示了 Martin's excellent storytelling ability. However, I must warn you that all of them ended in quite a significant cliffhanger.

Overall, as I mentioned above, despite my enjoyment of reading Martin's prose, A Feast for Crows ended up being a downgrade for A Song of Ice and Fire. If I had waited five years for this book and gone into it without any knowledge of the awkward structural choices, I'm sure I would have been severely disappointed and rated it even worse. There is only one book left, A Dance with Dragons, waiting for me. Once I'm done with that, I'll be joining every reader's wait for The Winds of Winter.