Started: 21/07/20
Finished: 28/07/20
Spoilers: No
When counting the two parts as one book, this is the biggest book I've ever read. Coming in at a colossal and ridiculous, 1302 pages.
I gave part one a respectable 3★
And part two is a much better 4.5★
On whole I give this book 4★
Characters
There's too many characters to write about each individually, and we all know who they are anyway. We've all already picked (and mourned) our favourites. So to save boring you and me both to death going into detail about such well-known characters, instead I'll list all the POVs from my personal favourite to least favourite.
Arya
Tyrion
Jon
Jaime
Samwell
Daenerys (yes I find Sam more interesting than Dany. So fight me already.)
Sansa
Davos
Catelyn
Bran
Didn't get any Theon this time, but normally he's a rival bottom postion with Bran. So no complaints from me that Theon wasn't present in this novel.
Plot
Splitting this book into two was a bad decision by the publisher, because the better part of the story's action is in part 2. Part 1 is very slow with very little actually happening. In fact, part 1 & 2 are such a contrast in storytelling that rating this was a struggle. Part 1 was arguably the worst in the ASOIAF series so far, but part 2 is arguably the best.
So much happens in the second part, yet so little happens in the first. One could argue that the book didnt need to be in excess of a 1000 pages, considering how contrasting the two parts are.
There were so many chapters (mostly in part 1) that were a whole lot of nothing. Just characters travelling and talking while they travel. Chapters very guilty of this were Bran, Arya and Catelyn. These chapters could have benefitted from a serious trim. Jon was also travelling a lot, but his felt a little more interesting and relevant, but it was still just a lot of travelling. It wasn't until part 2 when people started dying, and we lose a lot of big players in this book. Some of the most memerable deaths from the TV show were in this book and it was satisfying to relive them, able to visual the horror of it.
Setting
Still the only fantasy setting I've read to rival Tolkien's Middle earth. Again, I won't go on about Westeros in too much detail cause we all know how amazingly vast the world-building is.
My only gripe is the amount of songs. Yes, we get it, Westeros has songs, but are you seriously going to make me read Bear and the Maiden Fair for the tenth time? Just tell us someone's singing it, you don't need to keep writing all the lyrics, its fine, honestly.
The only Westeros song I do like, however, is Rains of Castamere, and only cause I have the TV show version in my head. And that shit is dark as fuck.
Writing Style
Although GRRM is indisputably a great writer, I'd be lying if I said this book was exciting from start to finish.
I wish he'd done just a tad of self-editing, just to trim the fat. Sometimes I just want to give GRRM a pat on the shoulder and remind him that, just because you can write it, does mean you should write it.
But in general, I don't know what it is about these books--maybe it's the sheer length of them--but there's something about the writing style that just leaves me exhausted and drained.
Not the 'man, that was exciting. I'm emotionally spent' kind of way. (The way I used to feel watching the show)
But the 'man, is this book over yet?' Kind of way.
Maybe it's because I already know basically everything that will happen, but I'm not finding much enthusiasm for the series in general, even though part 2 has possibly been my favourite in the series so far, I can't quite overlook how boring part 1 was.
Final Impression
I think I'll take a month break between each book just because I do fine them so draining to read.
I'm trying to work my way through the whole series before Winds of Winter comes out because, like every other GoT fan, I was disappointed by that abysmal finale and need to cleanse that flith from my mind.
Please, GRRM, give us the ending we deserve. Give us any other ending but that.
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