A review by dany_casimiro
Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

A head-first fall into the history of the Targaryens, which is absolutely a chef's kiss.
In Fire & Blood, Martin has chosen the work of an Archmaester of the Citadel to narrate this story. In his turn, this man has used various sources at his disposal to provide an in-depth overview of the tensions, emotions, and political ties within House Targaryen. So, we get a third- or fourth-person account of the events. This leaves a lot of questions and blank spaces behind, which I deeply enjoyed and the current TV show is exploring masterfully.
One thing that this book addresses way better than ASOIAF is the incest between Targaryens and how it was dealt with by the Faith of the Seven in Westeros. Other aspects include a bigger focus on feminism and women's oppression in a medieval-inspired setting, as well as great care to show people's suffering. Yes, I'm thinking particularly of Good Queen Alysanne, but also of the Moon of the Kings in King's Landing.
About the Dance, I loved it. The final moments of certain characters are still a source of bitterness.
Rhaenyra and Damon died as heroes, but maybe too soon? I wanted more of them.
But the worst-best part was the Storming - it quickly became an emotional moment, twisting its knives into my poor heart.
In the end, Targaryens are the bringers of their own demise. Their greed and unmeasured ambition manage to take away everything they have
- including the very symbol of their power, dragons, which is unforgivable.
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