emkaho's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
daisie21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-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
3.75
alecjira'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? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I put off reading this until the tail-end of 2023 because (1), I had an English Honours degree to get, (2), fantasy books such as the Wheel of Time, the Cosmere and the Green Bone Saga are more my cup of tea, so they take priority, and (3), the longer I delayed, the less I'd have to wait for The Winds of Winter. Nevertheless, I'm very glad I read this.
Martin's prose and his way of structuring chapters is incredibly narratively satisfying. I'll definitely continue with the series, but first I've got other stories to explore. Honours has deprived me of the usual diversity of reading I do for fun, and I'm trying to rebuild that.
Hopefully the rock I've been living under for the past decade will protect me from ASOIAF spoilers. It's worked, mostly, so far. On to the next one!
I give A Game of Thrones five stars.
Martin's prose and his way of structuring chapters is incredibly narratively satisfying. I'll definitely continue with the series, but first I've got other stories to explore. Honours has deprived me of the usual diversity of reading I do for fun, and I'm trying to rebuild that.
Hopefully the rock I've been living under for the past decade will protect me from ASOIAF spoilers. It's worked, mostly, so far. On to the next one!
I give A Game of Thrones five stars.
grantg11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, War, and Sexual assault
pumpkinchars's review against another edition
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
bigsexy's review against another edition
4.0
I don't read fantasy. Ever. Okay, maybe just this series because it is the classic, "I can't put this down and it's 2 am". I started reading this after watching the first season of the HBO series. It is a fast, easy read with great characters and interesting, very interesting, turns of events.
mariewithabook's review
3.0
Took me way too long to finally finish this book. But i think coming from someone where English is not their first language, this book would be difficult to understand at some point. Which is why this book deserves a 3 stars.
It dragged at the beginning and I found myself putting the book on hold for months because of it. I think finally watching the series made me read this book much quicker. I can finally put a face to the character and makes it easier as there is so many perspective in this book. I will continue with this series since I've heard that the later season of GoT doesn't follow the book.
It dragged at the beginning and I found myself putting the book on hold for months because of it. I think finally watching the series made me read this book much quicker. I can finally put a face to the character and makes it easier as there is so many perspective in this book. I will continue with this series since I've heard that the later season of GoT doesn't follow the book.
carpenoctumpoetry's review
3.0
Well, after a loooong time, I finally finished this book. As a fantasy novel, I certainly understand the reverence for it, but I really don't think the series is for me. For once, I'm grateful I watched the show first, because I think I would have struggled to follow it if I hadn't. Part of me wants to finish the series, because I find the characters interesting and the story interesting, but I don't think I can handle the density.
mbomersheim's review against another edition
3.5
I read this book as part of a deal made with a friend; I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain…
I feel like I really don’t have to give a synopsis for A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, so I’m simply not going to haha! I will preface this by saying that I watched the first season of the HBO show before reading this book, and I did enjoy that more. I felt like the vast majority of this book was exposition; it took me until around 30% of the way through to get into it, which is a while considering the book is over 800 pages. I’m usually all for a chonky book but something about this just seemed a bit too long. I like the multiple POV aspect of this book; however, it was very evident at times that the author is male. The way the female characters are described and their thought processes just seemed funky and unrealistic to me at times. Also, the ages/age gaps in this book (especially for the chicks) was kind of uncomfortable if I thought about it too hard. This book was by no means bad, but I didn’t love it. I can see how this could turn into a good series in future books due to how the book was left off, but I don’t really have a desire to pick up the next book in the series — at least not anytime soon; I’d rather watch the show.
3.5 out of 5 stars
I feel like I really don’t have to give a synopsis for A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, so I’m simply not going to haha! I will preface this by saying that I watched the first season of the HBO show before reading this book, and I did enjoy that more. I felt like the vast majority of this book was exposition; it took me until around 30% of the way through to get into it, which is a while considering the book is over 800 pages. I’m usually all for a chonky book but something about this just seemed a bit too long. I like the multiple POV aspect of this book; however, it was very evident at times that the author is male. The way the female characters are described and their thought processes just seemed funky and unrealistic to me at times. Also, the ages/age gaps in this book (especially for the chicks) was kind of uncomfortable if I thought about it too hard. This book was by no means bad, but I didn’t love it. I can see how this could turn into a good series in future books due to how the book was left off, but I don’t really have a desire to pick up the next book in the series — at least not anytime soon; I’d rather watch the show.
3.5 out of 5 stars
nicolemelnyk's review against another edition
4.0
I thought that this book and the story inside were well written and unique. I have read a lot of fantasy books, but nothing quite like this. There are dragons, direwolves, seasons that last for decades, and an interesting medieval-esque ruling system.
I usually don't like books that bounce around between different perspectives, but it is done well in this book. Each chapter is named after whose perspective it is from (it switches between 7 characters). They rotate often enough that you never feel like you don't remember what was happening in that person's storyline. I think my favorite chapters were the ones from Daenerys, Arya, or Eddard's perspective.
My one criticism is about the world building. This is a fantasy novel set in an imaginary world. While a lot is explained about the history of the kingdoms, a lot of my questions were never answered (maybe they will be in the following books!) There were also A LOT of characters, which made it hard to keep track of who was who and what was going on.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers and even those who normally don't like fantasy, and I'll definitely be continuing the series!
I usually don't like books that bounce around between different perspectives, but it is done well in this book. Each chapter is named after whose perspective it is from (it switches between 7 characters). They rotate often enough that you never feel like you don't remember what was happening in that person's storyline. I think my favorite chapters were the ones from Daenerys, Arya, or Eddard's perspective.
My one criticism is about the world building. This is a fantasy novel set in an imaginary world. While a lot is explained about the history of the kingdoms, a lot of my questions were never answered (maybe they will be in the following books!) There were also A LOT of characters, which made it hard to keep track of who was who and what was going on.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers and even those who normally don't like fantasy, and I'll definitely be continuing the series!