George R.R. Martin: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2) | Lara
A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, 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.
Here is the second volume in George R.R. Martin magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R.R. Martin stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.
“When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.”
Wooooo it's time to write a review for this big baby. I’ve been wanting to read this book for almost a year, but only recently found guts to actually finish it off.
Fyi this review is probably going to be 80% random quotes and 19% unarticulated screeching sorrynotsorry
I’ve read the first book in less than a day and almost instantly got hooked with the show. No, don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a comparison between the show and Martin’s books, I am just going to say this one thing: I love the show and it’s a good adaptation, but as the seasons go the holes in it keep getting bigger (that’s the main reason I decided to start considering seriously finishing A Song of Ice and Fire).
Martin’s books so far have been rather hard for me to read. For starters, they are really damn long. Don’t get me wrong I have no problem with wrestling a 900+ page book, but it does get exhausting. The writing itself was really good, pretty illustrious, kind of adult-y but I really enjoyed reading it. Martin’s descriptions are lengthy but picturesque, with a sort of elevated tone that made me feel like I was reading some epic story (which this actually is xd). Battle scenes in ASoIaF are probably the best things ever to exist, I just can’t begin to describe my awe and joy while experiencing events on a battlefield from multiple characters’ perspectives. Combine that with impossibly detailed histories, politics, court schemes, secrets and betrayals and you get a perfect plot which is EXACTLY WHAT THIS BOOK HAS.
“Power resides only where men believe it resides. A shadow on the wall, yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.”
What makes this book hard to read and follow is the amount of portrayed characters, places, and events. I had to keep a high level of concentration of all times and often had to get back and reread some part in order to catch some details or some parts important for further development of the plot.
“The brightest flame casts the darkest shadow.”
Oh, but no amount of Westeros Houses history can make me get bored with this book. I got so invested in this book, it’s plot, characters, and this marvelous world Martin created. From the moment I started A Game of Thrones I knew I was going to love this amazing world and from then it just kept getting better. It feels like every detail is well-thought trough, developed to the extremes and everything is connected and equally important. Every character, happening or battle is just a small piece of a huge puzzle, one I can’t wait to see whole but enjoy immensely in the process of seeing it unravel.
I’m just… ugh… my heart is swelling with love for this book.
There are so many characters, but each and every one of them is developed and special in their own way and I just love them all (lol even those who died and never even made an appearance in books, hello Rhaegar and Lyanna). There are a lot of POVs constantly changing as the book goes and it contributes to the dynamics and rounds up the story just perfectly. I can’t name one character that I found underdeveloped or irrelevant or even one that annoyed me.
“So many vows... they make you swear and swear. Defend the king. Obey the king. Keep his secrets. Do his bidding. Your life for his. But obey your father. Love your sister. Protect the innocent. Defend the weak. Respect the gods. Obey the laws. It’s too much. No matter what you do, you’re forsaking one vow or the other.”
“I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid.”
· Arya – well she is my #1 in this book. I am crazy about her, she is the ultimate badass girl. I love how she got tired of shit and decided to kill everyone at age of …10.
· Daenerys – book Dany is bae, she’s another super strong female character, knows what she wants and no one will ever stand in her way again. Mother of dragons please adopt me
· Jon Snow – I would call myself a basic bitch BUT I loved Jon before I started watching the show because he is a cinnamon roll and deserves the world
· Tyrion Lannister – How could I not love wicked little cunning dwarf who actually has a soft heart but cannot show it because vultures would tear him apart. I think his time as king’s Hand was his life-highlight. It was really his game, schemes, wits and all…
“It is real, all of it, he thought, the wars, the intrigues, the great bloody game, and me in the center of it… me, the dwarf, the monster, the one they scorned and laughed at, but now I hold it all, the power, the city, the girl. This was what I was made for, and gods forgive me, but I do love it…”
· Cersei Lannister – I lOoOve Cersei. Yes, she is a bitch and yes, I hate some things she did. But if you look at her character it’s actually pretty amazing. She is badass and knows what is hers and does everything to protect it. She is cunning and rotten but has that something powerful about herself that makes her really interesting.
“When we were little, Jaime and I were so much alike that even our lord father could not tell us apart. Sometimes as a lark we would dress in each other’s clothes and spend a whole day each as the other. Yet even so, when Jaime was given his first sword, there was none for me. ‘What do I get?’ I remember asking. We were so much alike, I could never understand why they treated us so differently. Jaime learned to fight with sword and lance and mace, while I was taught to smile and sing and please. He was heir to Casterly Rock, while I was to be sold to some stranger like a horse, to be ridden whenever my new owner liked, beaten whenever he liked, and cast aside in time for a younger filly. Jaime’s lot was to be glory and power, while mine was birth and moonblood.”
· Gendry – I just love Gendry even tho he doesn’t get much screen time
· The Hound – if he isn’t the eternal mood, I don’t know
“There are no true knights, no more than there are gods. If you can’t protect yourself, die and get out of the way of those who can. Sharp steel and strong arms rule this world, don’t ever believe any different.”
I’m reading A Storm of Swords as my March tbr because I had to take a break from such a long book, but honestly, the more I think about it I might start reading it even sooner. Any Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire fans out here? Show or books? And most importantly at this moment – are you ready for season 8?
“Because it will not last,” Catelyn answered, sadly. “Because they are the knights of summer, and winter is coming.”
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