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pacifica'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? Yes
4.75
i enjoyed reading ACOK much more than AGOT. this book in the series ramps up the tension and the stakes greatly from the first installment and despite all the pieces moving on the board, George R. R. Martin proves his skill by keeping it engaging, exciting, and at an even medium pace.
favorite POVs:
- Arya - she's my favorite character so no surprise there. Arya's chapters are just so clever. she really is a sharp little girl. her narration is full of both childish naivete and playfulness and absolute despair/horror. it's been said many times before that one of Arya's narrative purposes is to show the devastating effects of war and lordly politics on the common people, and GRRM does it masterfully here. can't wait for her ASOS chapters.
- Theon - it surprised me that by the end, Theon became one of my favorite POVs to read. he was admittedly very obnoxious in his first couple chapters (and violently misogynistic honestly), but by the end i really saw GRRM's reason for including his story. Theon's inner conflict grows with each of his chapters and there's just an underlying feeling of despair and dread. throughout the novel he's absolutely torn between two aspects of his identity/past, and you feel that no matter the choice he makes, he's doomed. i grew to sympathize with him and it made me so sad knowing that the next time we see him in the books, he's a tortured, broken individual.
- Tyrion - Tyrion really shines as a political player in King's Landing and his wits get the spotlight. i especially loved his dynamic with Cersei and how contentious it is. there are moments of small joy where it seems like they can be tentative allies, but then they stab one another in the back again and we're back to square one. really makes me anticipate reading her POV chapters in AFFC.
- Davos - though his portion in the book was smallish, it's great to see the Stannis camp and Melisandre through Davos's lowborn eyes. Davos possesses a simple nobility and uprightness without being pretentious or holier-than-thou. he's just a good solid guy and it's extremely refreshing to read him.
least favorite POVs:
- Jon - his chapters weren't as entertaining as his chapters from AGOT. i felt that his chapters meandered a lot once the Night's Watch leaves Craster's Keep and i didn't find myself as invested in each chapter.
- Daenerys - this mostly had to do with the setting of her chapters. Qarth is interesting to be sure, but not nearly as dimensional as the culture and characters of the Dothraki, which we spend all of AGOT with. also, knowing that Dany never returns to Qarth makes her chapters feel like a setup with no real payoff. i know she hears prophecies from Quaithe and sees important visions in her Undying chapter, but these could have occurred in any other Essosi location and left the series mostly unchanged.
final notes:
i didn't expect to cry in the last chapter, not having cried the whole rest of the novel, but i did. GRRM builds a quiet atmosphere that could not even be called bittersweet, though nor is it wholly bitter. it's just quiet and somewhat reserved. one of the best endings to a novel i've read in a while, i think. anyway, onwards!
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Incest
cvkirkpatrick'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? No
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Drug use, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
jayden_314's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Excrement, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
sav_22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Sexism, Blood, and Kidnapping
Minor: Abortion
atalea'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
4.25
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
rosie135790's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War
catunbound's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Okay so fav POVs in order (sort of)
1. Catelyn (MILF extraordinaire and literally the only one with a brain cell)
2. Jon
3. Daenerys (House of Undying chapter ftw!)
4. Bran
5. Davos (the whole red priestess business, my man aged 5 decades in 5 minutes lol)
6. Arya and Sansa
7. Tyrion (fairly neutral on his POV though he’s so misogynistic towards his sister and Tysha, not to forget Shae)
8. Theon (he’s dumb of ass and I really do not like him)
Scared for the next book so I am going to take a few days and then start it 💀
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
rainieschulte's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Murder, and War
Minor: Sexism
averi'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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
kimbb339's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War