cepbreed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
“A woman's life is nine parts mess to one part magic, you'll learn that soon enough...and the parts that look like magic turn out to be the messiest of all.”
Oh my god. I loved this book in all of its 1000 page glory. Martin continue to surprise me, even after watching the show I am so engaged in a plot I already know about because of the way he writes. The end of each chapter is masterful. Every cliffhanger still hits home, disregarding all my previous knowledge. I loved the foreshadowing as well.
Spoiler
Hearing the story of Bael the bard, only for his tale to come back in the form of Bran and co's method of escape was a detail I thoroughly enjoyed. I was shocked to see that Arya isn't cupbearer for Tywin in the book, but Roose Bolton. Still this tidbit of information had a much larger purpose, foreshadowing the Boltan's betrayal. To think Roose was most definitely plotting the red wedding in Arya Stark's midst. Even Bran and Rickon's death was heart wrenching to me, no matter how secure I was in the fact that they lived. I know it's stupid because currently he is less than scum, but I have so much sympathy for Theon. I know fully well that my feelings are highly exaggerated at this point because of his actions in the show, yet his desperation for validation is really tugging at my heartstrings. "I am your only protection against the likes of him, he wanted to scream." In no way am I justifying his actions, he is wholly unlikeable here, but at this point in time Martin is so obviously laying out his confusion surrounding his identity for us to understand. Like him or hate him, objectively Theon is an amazing character. Another dynamic I didn't expect to be so changed was that between the Hound and Sansa. It feels almost much more intimate from her perspective, teh romantic ideals of a young impressionable girl. Her head is filled with the ideals of 'true knights' and without any in existence she must project onto the closest match. I find the Hounds protective nature quite sweet, but that doesn't change his violence towards her when he was leaving after the Battle of the Blackwater.Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Kidnapping, Violence, War, Classism, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Death, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Sexual violence, Confinement, Incest, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol and Cursing
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pregnancy, Child death, Drug use, and Medical content
shiveryteacup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol, Grief, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, War, Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Excrement
linnylionheart's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Confinement and Pedophilia
Minor: Cannibalism, Misogyny, and Trafficking
Other content warnings: genital mutilation ; labor / giving birth