Book Review: A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies

Finally I read A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin, with more than enough time to spare before The Winds of Winter is set to released. I don’t think this was the worst of the 5 enormous books, but it also wasn’t the best.

Book Review: A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Rating:


Title & Author: A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Release Date: July 12 2011
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire
Publisher: Voyager Books

Synopsis

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.

Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone—a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.

I give A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin four out of five hearts because I thought it had some better quality than most of the novels except for A Storm of Swords.

I really enjoyed reading the pieces by Tyrion because of his struggles between his name and staying alive. He is a Lannister, used to riches and service, but because he killed his father he needs to take care people don’t kill him because of it and find Danny to help her clean the Iron Throne. But first he has to survive storms, boat trips and becoming a slave. His humor is something I really like.

Arya is still in training with the Faceless Men. She had little presence in this novel, which I found I missed. I enjoy reading pieces from her point of view because I think she is interesting.]

Daenerys is trying to keep her soldiers alive while assassins are trying to pick them off and a plague is going around. In the mean time she tries to keep her dragons together and get into a good marriage while she is in love with someone else and there are others who are asking for her hand. I enjoyed these squables, but I mostly liked the chapter where she is assumed dead by her friends, even though she is just lost in the Dothraki Sea.

Most of all I missed Sansa’s presence in this novel. I think she could have done some interesting things and I really like her as a character.

The entire series will never be, for me, a five heart read because there are way to many characters to keep an eye out for. I understand that all the events in the novels couldn’t have happened to a less grand cast, but George could have cut half of these events and it would still be interesting to read.

Overall I think this series has way to many characters and pages, but if you really want something epic I would say go ahead and read these bricks of books.

Let me know what you thought of this book!
If you have any requests for which book I should talk about next, please let me know in the comments down below.

For now, let books enrich your life!

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