A Feast for Crows ( a Song of Ice and Fire, book 4) by George R.R Martin

After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. But it's not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters of the Seven Kingdoms gather. Now, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—emerge from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges of the terrible times ahead. Nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages, are coming together to stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.Goodreads

Meanwhile back at the wall  reads the last chapter of a  Feast for Crows that's not a chapter. It's a letter or some words from George Martin explaining WHY Tyrion, Bran, Daenerys, Jon, Davos, Stannis and all the other characters are absent! It's very well written this letter and I'm not really annoyed He is after all the story teller and I'm just the eager listener waiting .

On to the book:  it wasn't as devastating as a Storm of Swords but I did have another reluctant phase when I saw that Cersei had chapters . I mean really ?? I had to endure being in Jaime's mind( which I'll admit wasn't so bad and even in aFfC he's becoming more honorable). But Cersei, she's just so fickle and arrogant and paranoid and I could barf. She thinks she's Tywin's son but with breasts (she actually says this or thinks this). In comparison to Jaime: When reading Jaime's pov's I learned more about what drives him and why his done so many bad things. He wanted to be the good guy but some how became the bad one. His character is flawed but he has some good in him . As for Cersei the only redeeming part (maybe) is that she loves her children and wants to protect them. She still mourns her son and is afraid  of losing Tommen. At the same time she wants to be Queen and hates Margaery and plots to have her killed. *really woman get over yourself. Her plan backfires and she ends up lock up aswell just like Margaery. In Jaime's case I came to understand him and now (aFfC) maybe like him a little bit.  Cersei on the other had........

"Whilst you snored, I would lick your sons off my face and fingers one by one, all those pale sticky princes. You claimed your rights, my lord, but in the darkness I would eat your heirs " -pg 693

When I said I could barf, I meant it quite literally. Cersei is disturbed . I think that comes out more in the end. Some time in a cold dark cell might help her. Now I see where Joffrey got it from.

Something I was looking forward too was the Martells. When prince Doran had arrived in Kingslanding in a Storm of Swords , it was impressive. Dorne was the last kingdom to bend down to the Iron Throne,Unbowed,Unbent,Unbroken are their words.They have a lot of history . Doran came for revenge and in a way he did get it. Although wen he died I expected more of a retaliation or a revolt something from Dorn! At first reading about Prince Oberyn and his meekness toward the whole thing. I was disappointed. was this what impressed me so much? Although the sand snakes and Arianne did prove to be like prince Doran. Ariane tried to crown Myrcella but her coup didn't go so well. Her failure on the other hand turned the waves. Prince Oberyn chastises her, he tells her not to mistake his forbearance for patience or meekness. What he does he does in the better good for their hearts desire. what's that you ask? well only vengeance, justice and fire and blood.

Then there's the Greyjoys, Balon's death brings his brothers back Euron 'crows eye comes back from "whoknowswhere" to claim the Seastone Chair. But his other bother Damphair won't have a godless man sit the chair so he goes and calls a Kingsmoot. oh look  at that the thieving pirates have something that resemblance democracy. Notable competitors were Asha and Victarion (another of Balon's brothers) . Euron wins , how? oh you know he has  a horn that can enchant DRAGONS. I mean really we already have a horn that can bring down the wall , Yo Martin you know  that big thing keeping the white walkers out of the realm. Why can't you add magical  blowtorches so the Westorosi people can defend themselves better rather then putting them in horrible places where they're most likely to DIE.

Victarion Greyjoy is an interestingly disturbed character. He often says he has no luck with wives. He's had three. His last wife slept with he's brother Euron which pissed him off immensely. BUT because Vicky didn't want to kill his brother and become a kinslayer he went and killed his wife instead. oh dude you missed the point of compromise..He's still pissed about what happened and I think he feels guilty aswell . He tells himself he had to do it, he often recollects the blood on his hands and her face. He wants revenge so he agrees to do something for his brother. to go and fetch he's brothers lover but he's really going to take her for himself. Oh such brotherly love

One of the castles I love the most is The Eryie. It's brilliant and impregnable. For some odd reasons I like the sky cells , they seem amazing. I'd like to see the view from one, but not long enough for me to get any notions of flying. Sansa has to play the role of Petyr's daughter Alayne. She must be Alayne at all times, even the titles of Sansa's chapters have changed to Alayne to mark this change. I don't like Petyr, he's a sneaky untrustworthy person. Yes, he's smart and could probably sell you anything you don't need but it's hard to trust this guy and now after reading a Feast for Crows I am stumped. Petyr wants Sansa to make Harry Waynwood fall in love with her so they can be married. When he proposes this I'm like * I knew it you bastard littlefinger. Then Petyr explains that Harry Waynwood is a distant descendant of one of Jon Arryn's brothers and when Robert dies Harry would inherit the Vale. No, there's more and when Sansa shows up at her wedding with red hair covered in a maidens cloak emblazoned with the Stark direwolf. The Vale will pledge fealty to her and help get Winterfell back! Petyr Baelish *who are you?! what are you up to?!

Tyrion's absence from this book is felt. Cersei has a bounty on his head and is paranoid Tyrion will come back and try to kill her. Jaime is haunted by Tyrion's words. One of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Jaime," she said, tugging on his ear, "sweetling, I have known you since you were a babe at Joanna's breast. You smile like Gerion and fight like Tyg, and there's some of Kevan in you, else you would not wear that cloak... but Tyrion is Tywin's son, not you. I said so once to your father's face, and he would not speak to me for half a year. Men are such thundering great fools. Even the sort who come along once in thousand years.”

All right you probably want me to shut up now, but the most chivalrous knight I know is Brienne of Tarth, who's currently being hanged but I'm sure she'll think of something.

Although Davos's pov's weren't in this book ,he's name was mentioned a few times. In my aCoK review I said he was dead, and in my aSoS  review it turns out he wasn't dead and now in aFfC he's apparently dead (again) so I'm not going to comment on he's state of existence or non-existence. Let's just say he's MIA

A Feast for Crows, a very fitting name . There are a lot of crows in this book as there are bodies. Lady Stoneheart is adamant on hanging all the Fry's and traitors . She's no longer Catelyn Stark, she knows no mercy. Then again what do you expect from a zombie. Beric Dondarion is dead, he gave he's zombieness to her.

Speaking of the dead, Aemon Targeryn also dies on his way to oldtown. Sam and Gilly honour him by naming Dalla's son Aemon. Aemon Battleborn, Aemon Steelstrong very impressive names. Sandor Clegane is also said to be dead. I kinda liked him.

In this book we leave Arya waking up blind.............grrrr WHY??!

Right I was suppose to stop 4 alinea's ago, my bad. I love this series but I can't say I'm eager to read a Dance with Dragons because it's currently the last book published. Winds of Winter isn't out yet, as far as I know there isn't even a release date, and if I read aDwD now. Then what am I going to do then?! George Martin took six years before he finished aDwD, six years!! May the Seven judge you justly!

A Storm of Swords ( a Song of Ice and Fire, book 3 ) by George R.R Martin

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world...

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords...GOODREADS

(While) read(ing) till pages 693- 710    " Devastation"

You should know I specialize in spoilers. As the warning in the header (or whatever you call it) sincerely states. I haven't finished a Storm of Swords yet but I'm putting it aside because of the Red Wedding.  This book is amazing yet horrible and sad , badass and just, just epic! I fear picking it up and reading the rest . I fear what the other books might hold. I am  really not liking George Martin right now but also admire his writing and what he's done and doing with this work. ///Reading hiatus July 24th

Resumed reading : July 28th

Now commence very long review/rant

A Clash of Kings ( a Song of Ice and Fire , book 2) by George R. R. Martin

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles. GOODREADS

In the beginning  there's a comet with a red tail in the sky. It can be seen from everywhere. Kingslanding, the  North even in the south where Dainery's is. Everybody interprets this differently.  Stannis sees it as a sign of his victory but so do the Lannisters . This is interesting because it reminds me of omens and their parts in history, how people tried to explain natural events .

It's called a Clash of Kings because after Robert's death , Joffrey became King, A very awful and disgusting King. Either way many aren't happy with Joffrey  being King and are rebelling against Kingslanding. Rob is now known as the king in the north. Stannis Baratheon names himself the rightful king of Westeros, but currently rules over the Narrow Sea and plans to take kingslanding. Renly Baratheon also names himself king, well because he'd make a better King than his brother and he's loved by all. Then there's the vile old man, Balon Greyjoy, King of the Iron Islands. There's your five Kings all fighting for one throne.The only people who will truly suffer in this game they play are the people between he Kings and their armies.  

We get to learn more abut Stannis through a new character Davos,the onion knight. Stannis also has a new adviser , a red priestess of R'hllor  , Milisandre (new character) a lady from the Asshai with a new religion of the light. She uses some kind of dark magic to help Stannis , she predicts his victory and seduces him body and soul, maybe shadow to her religion. Eerie woman and odd. She helps Stannis kill his brother, Renly Baratheon. for the night is dark and full terrors. I think anybody could like Davos. He's a simple man really,loves his wife ans sons and is honest and loyal to his friend and lord, Stannis. But he dies.

Rob's still a young lad leading an army ,being a King. He has a lot of victories and he has the Kingslayer. although he needs more men so he sends Theon Greyjoy to get more men from the Iron Islands, to make an ally out of Balon Greyjoy(Theon's father) and his mother he sends  to Renly. Theon the douchebag betrays Robb and becomes a monster. Lady stark is there when Renly is murdered. She flees with one of Renly's kingsguard, Brienne (new character). 

Theon fails to convince his father to help Robb. Balon is still angry about his failed rebellion and hates the Starks and wants revenge. Lady  stark was right about  Theon, the dude is all wrong. He's arrogant and thinks he's better and he's pathetic. Eventually he gets his father's trust and together they will (try) take the Iron Throne (whatever). but no Theon will disobey his fathers orders and take Winterfell. It's not a completely  stupid plan, Winterfell is poorly guarded and the only Starks there are but little boys. Theon succeeds in taking Winterfell but then it all goes down hill from there. The boys escape, so he murders two other little boys to prove a point (whatever it  was has escaped me). On top of that he gets screwed over by Ramsey Bolton, you gotta give the author kudos for the awesome names. I liked this scene when Bolten arrived and told Theon who he was. It felt conspiracy-like. and I love conspiracies <3.
One thing I will say about the Greyjoys is, this thing about paying the iron price or the gold one. please you lot shut it, you're all thieves!!

Tyrion arrives in Kingslanding with Bron and his own guard of crazy cavemen people. I love this guy. He comes at Kingslanding with one purpose, Justice. Tyrion isn't bad not really. He'd do the right thing just like Eddard would have but he knows how to play the game, he's a pseudo-conformist. At the end of this book he almost dies and  is no longer the  Hand of the King. But he was a great Hand.

Arya's been taken to Harrenhall. Jaqen H'ghar is probably one of my many favorite characters from this book. I love the way he talked. “The Red God has his due, sweet girl, and only death may pay for life. This girl took three that were his. This girl must give three in their places. Speak the names, and a man will do the rest.” Arya tricks Jaqen when she uses her last name. She wants to escape Harrenhall but needs Jaqen to help her. He refuses because she has one name left. Arya then says Jaqen's name instead. So if Jaqen wants Arya to take the name back he must help her escape. This he does. Jaqen leaves and gives Arya a coin and the words 'Valar Morghulis'. Arya's facing a lot of bad and ugly stuff but she's a wolf and a survivor and if George Martin kills her off ,I will be pissd off!!

One of my favorite scenes  from the TV serie  , I found it in the book too: when Tyrion arrives and sees Joffrey punishing Sansa for her brothers "crimes". Page 488-489 . My favorite quote is when Joffrey says "You can't talk to me that way, the King can do as he liikes" I imagine it the way he says it in the show. He sounds more like a spoiled brat (which he is) than a King.

There's also another scene which wasn't in the TVserie neither were the characters: The Reeds , Meera and Jojen, come to Winterfell to swear fealty. The scene of their arrival and when they swear fealty was great and it sucks it wasn't in the TVserie . I love these characters and they help Bran with his dreams.The scene is  on page 328-329 
excerpt: 

"To Winterfell we pledge the faith of Greywater. Hearth and heart and harvest we yield up to you, my lord. Our swords and spears and arrows are yours to command. Grant mercy to our weak, help to our helpless,and justice to all,and we shall never fail you. I swear it by earth and water. I swear it by bronze and iron. "we swear it by ice and fire".

We leave the characters: after the news of the deaths of her two youngest sons we leave lady Starks in Jaime's cell asking Brienne to give her a sword, Tyrion waking up from his injuries defending the city from Stannis. Sandor has disappeared, Jon  "joins" the wildlings, Bran and Rickon have left Winterfell and go separate ways.

There's a lot going on in this book to love, hate and the scares. It's worth a read, so go on and pick it up.

Grade:

A Game of Thrones (a Song of Ice and Fire: book 1) by George R.R Martin

"In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones" G

First impressions: when I first came across this book. I thought the title interesting and beautiful. A Game of Thrones, a Song of Ice and Fire saga. Even the titles of the following books, a Clash of Kings, a Storm of Swords,a Feast for Crows. You get what I'm getting at. Pretty words. when I read about what it was about that made it seem a  bit uninteresting. Five families ,seven kingdoms. Didn't think that would be a good read. BUT I WAS WRONG. This book is more than who sits on the Iron Throne. It's about family, brotherhood, loyalty, honor,love, betrayal and there are wolves and dragons!! knights and adventure. It's more than pretty words. I've been blown away by this magnificent work of fantasy . I haven't felt like this since Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

There are a number of people narrating. We jump from one person to another, this is how the story is told. It's mainly told from members of  House Stark,but beside them we have Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryn. This is a good thing because then we get to know what's happening in different locations in the Seven kingdoms and experience it from the (many) protagonist's view point.

Some of my favorite characters:

Eddard Stark: he's the lord of  House Stark. What I liked about him is that he's honorable and knows the difference between right and wrong and will always (try) do the right thing. Sadly that's what he was trying to do and he ended up with his head on pike!

Robert Baratheon: the King of the Seven kingdoms. Although he's a horrid king, you still feel for the man. He was  once a fierce warrior and now he's a fat King sitting on this awfully uncomfortable chair. On numerable occasions in the book Robert tells Eddard how much he hates being a king and wants to run away. He dies aswell. and ruins everything!!

Arya Stark: I love her. She's a tomboy . She wants to be a knight. It's a great dream to have in a medieval world being a girl and all. She's one of the many strong female leads and I love reading her chapters.

Sansa Stark : Arya's sister , What a blind fool. She's 11 and is betrothed to the new King Joffrey Baratheon(what kind of name is that anyways, 'Joffrey"?). At the end she does get some sense and sees Joffrey for what he is. I'm really looking forward to reading more of her chapters in the other books. Her interactions with Sandor are interesting to read to aswell.

Then we have: Jon Snow : bastard son of Eddard Stark. Jon has issues with being a bastard but by the end Jon accepts who he is and has found a place for himself. There's also Sam Tarly: A Black Brother to Jon, Sam's a coward but he finds a strange kind of bravery by the end. Sam grows a lot aswell. Then we have Tyrion Lannister( the imp): you will love this guy, he's a dwarf, but is he really? another character had described him as a giant in disguise(I'm thinking maybe he is). Tryion is cunning, his mind is as sharp as a blade. I like him but I don't know who's side his one.

As you can see the characters are wonderful and (in my opinion) well developed and dynamic. Each one is their own person, has their own struggles to overcome. It's wonderful reading.

The book itself is well written ,easy to understand. The words and phrases are amazing. The different Houses and their words and sigils and histories are fantastic, brilliant and rich. House Stark is by far my favorite (also the main narrators). Their words are Winter is Coming. All the other Houses have their own words. Lannisters: Hear us roar (sigil: lion),  Baratheons: Ours is the fury (sigil: crowned stag),  Targaryns:  Fire and blood (sigil; three headed dragon). As you can see the Starks are different from the other houses. They don't boast of their strengths, their words are one of warning. The Stark sigil is that of a Direwolf. Which are really big wolves(I love wolves). 

"Here and now, you ought to see it when it blooms,all dark red flowers from horizon to horizon,like a sea of blood. Come the dry season,and the world turns the color of bronze . And this is only Hranna,child. There are hundred kinds of grass out there, grasses as yellow as lemon and as dark as indigo, blue grasses and orange grasses and grasses like rainbows. Down the shadow lands beyond Asshai, they say there are oceans of ghost grass,taller than man on horseback with stalks as pale as milkglass, it murders all other grass and glows in the dark with the spirits of the damned. the Dotharaki claim that someday ghost grass will cover the entire world,and then all life will end'<- Grass, he's talking about grass!! and yet I'm hanging on every word!

Although it has a medieval kind of feel to it. There's also scary atmosphere while everybodies fighting to sit on the Irone Throne there's a threat in the north they all ignore.  A threat of dead men who walk (whitewalkers) while more and more Rangers go missing bringing back  the numbers of men guarding the wall. The wall that keeps the walkers out and the realm save. but for how long?

A lot happens in this book. Eddard goes south to serve as the new hand of the kind. He takes his two daughters with him, Arya and Sansa. He should never have gone south! Eddard investigates the murder of he's friend Jon Arryn (former hand of the king) and discovers that the Queens children are not The kings. Then like I said Roberth dies and ruins everything. Now there's war . While Roberth's brothers plot to take the Irone Throne ,Eddard's son Robb is leading his bannermen from the north to avenge his father. Arya is being taken North by a Ranger . While Daenery's is also planning to take the Irone Throne from across the narrow sea with dragons.

There are more characters involved than just those who narrate. It's not easy telling who's good or who's bad. It seems everybody has their own agenda. Only Varys(one of the kings Councillors) seems to have a seemingly good agenda.  He serves no one but the realm and everything he does is to keep the peace in the realm (so he claims) . The people don't really care who sits on the Irone Throne as long as they're left alone, to grow old, work and watch their children grow. There's also a really simple thing to this book.

Robb's 14 and is leading an army to avenge his father. 14! in his chapters or his mother's we forget he's 14 but then the author reminds us. We're always reminded . Even in Daenerys chapters who's also very young, 13 when she's wed(sold)   to Drogo by her brother to gain an army. Arya who's 9,Sansa who's 11 (who's to wed Joffrey). Jon Snow also 14, Joffrey 12. All children.

I am desperately looking forward to reading a Clash of Kings. A Game of Thrones leaves me wanting more and with questions. Who's Jon's mother? Why was Jon Arryn going to send his son to Dragonstone? who really sent  the assassin for Bran?Is Benjen Stark alive?  I need  more of Westeros.

The author:

<- The true King of Westeros. Now if only he would stop killing my favorite characters and leave the people BE!!!!

Author George R.R Martin was asked if he had a resolution or ending to the seemingly endless conflict. He replied that the end would be a cloud of dust or snow being driven by the wind across a vast graveyard full of tombstones.

Me:Why can't we just follow the butterflies?

I've only ever read Lord of the Rings to which I can compare this to. So if you're a fan of LTR then try this book. It's Amazing! I'm telling you you have to read it. You must. It's "phantastic"

Grade:

Oustanding

Winter is coming

*Sorry if this is more a rant than a review.I had to get it out