Published in: 2005
Pages: 852
Edition read: Paperback
Book #: Book 4 in the A Song of Ice and Fire series
Book Description:
The war in the Seven Kingdoms has burned itself out, but in its bitter aftermath new conflicts spark to life. The Martells of Dorne and the Starks of Winterfell see vengeance for their dead. Euron Crow’s Eye, as black a pirate as ever raised a sail, returns from the smoking ruins of Valyria to claim the Iron Isles.
From the icy north, where Others threaten the Wall, apprentice Maester Samwell Tarly brings a mysterious babe in arms to the Citadel. As plots, intrigue and battle threaten to engulf Westeros, victory will go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel and the coldest hearts.
My review:
Argh, so close to catching up to the series, but then Martin goes ahead and throws this at me. This book is from the viewpoint of half the characters of the series. Half of them. I was reading it and going “Hmm, where’s Tyrion? Where’s Dany?”.
They are in book 5.
Yup, I finished this book, thought “FINALLY CAUGHT UP!!!” and then read the little end bit where the author tells us that he split the book into two because the stories needed it. I shook my fist at the book, swore colourfully at it and it’s author, felt a little bit like crying in the corner. I thought I had caught up. You do not understand my despair here. I have spent the entire life of the TV series of this show playing catch-up by book. They are so long, and so involved, that each book takes months to read. To catch-up is a huge achievement, and I thought I was close… but it was a lie.
Long story short. I threw this book on the ground, stomped over to the bookshelf, picked out book 5, and started that. With a really nasty look on my face, I bet. I was not a happy camper.
Anyways. Book itself was good, I love what happens to Cersei in the end (Now if only we can get her pretty blonde head to roll, then things might be good) but I do think that a lot of this story could have been left out. I didn’t really need to know or care about reading about the sea throne. Did not care one bit. Found that placing this at the begining of the book meant I was less than motivated to keep reading the book (to be honest, I should never have started this book on a 5am flight, surrounded by my co-workers, who were all sleep deprived and super excited to be heading to our yearly retreat).
Final review:
A Feast For Crows rating: 8/10. Good, but damn long, and seriously could have left things out.
Would I re-read it? I am sad to say that this series has turned into a “one and done” thing. One reading, then never again. It isn’t that the story isn’t good. The story is awesome. I love reading these books. I just hate how long they are. How it becomes a chore after the 500 page mark to just finish the book, because I am so sick of reading it. How it rambles and goes off on tangents and you wonder what this has to do with anything. How when it gets to the best parts, the chapter ends and a boring character like Davos is the next chapter and you are just like WHAT ABOUT JAIME THOUGH??? WHAT HAPPENED NEXT????? FUCK YOU MARTIN!!!!!!
Who would I recommend it to? Fans of the series. Fans of the television series- read the books people! Fans of epic fantasy series.
Links:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11735456-a-feast-for-crows
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Feast_for_Crows
Wiki: http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/A_Feast_for_Crows
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Feast-Crows-Song-Fire-Thrones/dp/055358202X