“Dogs and wolves and lions, may the Others take them all.”
My last A Song of Fire and Ice book for a while, since Dance of Dragons has quite a waiting list at the library and I refuse to pay $20 for a hardback because I’m cheap. That being said, I cannot WAIT to start the next one because A Feast for Crows really leaves you wanting more.
Like the others in the series, A Feast for Crows darts back and forth between narratives. Unlike the others, it really only focuses on some of the characters: Cersei, Jaime, Brienne, Sansa, Arya, Samwell, several Greyjoys and several new characters in Dorne. As you can see, Bran, Daenarys, Tyrion and Jon are barely in this one at all. I loved the sections with Brienne, Arya and Samwell, but the Greyjoys are dull (except for Asha, who isn’t given much to do).
The characters that are developed are done wonderfully. Jaime becomes more and more likable every chapter, which is almost disconcerting. I keep reminding myself that he threw Bran from a window years ago, but he hardly seems like the same man. Arya amazes and astounds me, and seems to be put through more trials than anyone (well, her and poor Sam). And there’s some good twists and turns in the Sansa chapters. So overall, an enjoyable book.
It’s just not long enough! Even at over a thousand pages. George R.R. Martin (evil bastard) acknowledges in the epilogue that obviously, he has so much more to say, and it will all be covered in the next book. While I hate to wait a few weeks to read it, at least it won’t be years!
Cannonball Read V 