A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

This has been my least favorite of the series so far.  Too hard to keep up with some of the plot lines and missing a lot of important people, I just couldn't get into it like I could the others.  If you haven't read the first three books please don't waste your time with this review.  Start at book one or be hopelessly lost.

When last we heard of them Daenerys was conquering people, Jon Snow had become the head of the Crows, and Tommen was ruling with his mother close beside him.  And many other people were doing many other things.  In this book, we are introduced to several new characters and even get a glimpse of Tommen's sister and her life, although only a glimpse.  Cersei is ruling for Tommen and not taking kindly to those who would oppose her, she's hatched several new plots and none of them kind.  Sam has left the wall to travel with Maester Aemon and a girl called Gilly so that he can join the Citadel and become a Maester himself.  And Arya has crossed the sea to Braavos, where she isn't sure what fate has in store for her.

Arya is probably the best character in this book.  I was ok with her before, but really, her story is the most interesting here.  We hear nothing of Tyrion and Daenerys, who are my favorites.  I know they're supposed to be in the next book, but perhaps a mix and smattering of them here would not have been out of place.  As it is there were a bunch of new characters added that I just didn't care about and who really didn't add to the story for me.  Maybe they'll serve a purpose later, but they just made the book tedious as is.  Cersei continues to be unlikable, but we always need a good villain I suppose and she fills that role well.  Likewise, Petyr is always walking that line between good and bad and I can't figure out if I like him or not because of his cunning. 

The plot was all over.  With the amount of characters and the lack of major battles or plotlines, I just couldn't keep track of anything.  And it seems like we were told about things more than shown them in this book.  There are a good several woundings of important characters and we hear about them after the fact, which is unusual in these books.  Like all of Martin's books there is rape, murder, violence, torture, regular sex, and everything else that could make people cringe.  It's not for those people who like their books tame and might even offend a few.

I'll continue reading of course, but I just didn't like this book as much as the other three I've read.  It served its purpose for continuing the plot along, but not as enjoyably as the others.

A Feast for Crows
Copyright 2005
684 pages