yilianimorfe's review against another edition
4.0
After almost two weeks, I’m finally done with this book. I wanted to read it because I watched first season of House of the Dragon and I wanted to know what happens to the characters. I’ve watched GOT so I should have known what may happen but it was so painful to read. I love Rhaenyra and Daemon and their children and well I didn’t like how things ended. But at last, this was a good book. Just a bit difficult to read I guess.
tom_as's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
robinwritesallthethings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I feel like it’s only fair to say that I have a vaguely antagonistic mindset when it comes to Martin and his books. While I find his straightforward style refreshing, especially in the fantasy genre, I think his subversion of tropes is simplistic, his representation of women dubious, and his slow writing pace absolutely ridiculous. However, his lore is both interesting and impeccable, so I keep coming back despite my misgivings.
I decided to crack this volume open after watching part of the first season of House of the Dragon because I am now admittedly obsessed with Daemon Targaryen. As a history buff and a lore nerd, I highly enjoyed that this was written as a chronicle. Even though all fans of the series know that the Targaryen dynasty ended during Robert’s Rebellion, it’s still fun to go back and see how it all started. It’s also a bit sobering to realize that no one’s ever done anything but fight over the Iron Throne, but if they didn’t, there wouldn’t be much of a story, I suppose.
If you’re interested in the lore of Westeros, this is definitely something you should read. I’m excited to pick up the second one when it comes out, but I assume that will be at least a decade from now, so I have a while to wait.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest
Just... so much incest. The family tree might as well be a straight line. Since it's written as a chronicle, though, none of the scenes are graphic in nature. However, there are quite a few ribald rumors and jokes included for posterity.ste_dawg_97's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
electrozombie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lenci's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
5.0
the_bookbasket's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
scarlettnevill23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mclark224's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0