A Feast for Crows

I found a site that combined both 4 and 5 together in a chronological order, and it made these two books, often vilified as slow and plodding, as engrossing as 3.

http://boiledleather.com/post/25902554148/a-new-reader-friendly-combined-reading-order-for-a

I'd complain how slow this book was and how nothing happens the entire time, but GRRM may kill me.

3.5 stars

Well that was a painfully slow read... not to say that I didn't enjoy the story because I did, it just took a lot more effort to get through than the others as the pacing was a bit odd. Definitely my least favorite so far.

I enjoyed the insight into some of the more minor characters and surprisingly found myself anticipating Cersei's chapters the most and of course, Arya's chapters as well. The few chapters about the Iron Islands and Dorne were also quite enlightening.

There were some plot lines that I was confused about and I'm not sure how some characters come into play, but I'm assuming that will be cleared up in the next one. Hopefully the action will pick up as well! Can't wait to get back to the Wall and the dragons!

Still an engrossing story, but by the end of this volume, I was pretty tired of Freys and false Hounds.

It was a good read but seemed like a filler for the finale books rather than a novel in itself.

So many people complain about this book in the series and I can see why after the excellent third installment that upped the action, the intrigue and the surprises. Feast for Crows seems to return to the buildup stage that felt more like Clash of Kings, which makes sense as new players start to emerge in the story and their motivations need to be showcased for future events, but as a whole seems to be a bit ‘less' than its predecessor in terms of story. Mix that with the fact that there were so many missing characters and A Feast for Crows feels somewhat lacking after the events of A Storm of Swords. Although I felt it was much more low key, I also still enjoyed it. There are little bits and pieces if you look hard that point to big things to come and I certainly appreciate Martin taking his time to build up to it. I remember that the first two books really did a lot of build up for A Storm of Swords and if that is anything to go by then I am looking forward to seeing how the seeds that are planted in this book come to grow in the following books. I don't think this volume will become a favourite out of the series, but it will likely hold much importance for future events, without which would seem lacking. Luckily for me though, I don't have to wait for A Dance with Dragons and can continue right away!

Ok I loved books 1-3, This book seems like a big reset button. Adding new characters giving small characters larger rolls. And skipping some characters altogether. The author has stated this is only half of a much larger book so the next book will have those missing characters. But as I was reading I was wholly confused as it seems he talked about events that were not in the books and often drifts off in some story that did not seem to go anywhere were quite forgettable that when he returned hundreds of pages later you had no idea what I was reading I had to look back. No why did I give this three stars? This is still better than a lot of books that I have attempted to read. Even though it was boring at times and not much happened I still wanted to see what was going to happen next. I have already downloaded the fitfh book and hope to read it soon

Ok I loved books 1-3, This book seems like a big reset button. Adding new characters giving small characters larger rolls. And skipping some characters altogether. The author has stated this is only half of a much larger book so the next book will have those missing characters. But as I was reading I was wholly confused as it seems he talked about events that were not in the books and often drifts off in some story that did not seem to go anywhere were quite forgettable that when he returned hundreds of pages later you had no idea what I was reading I had to look back. No why did I give this three stars? This is still better than a lot of books that I have attempted to read. Even though it was boring at times and not much happened I still wanted to see what was going to happen next. I have already downloaded the fitfh book and hope to read it soon

Finally finished this bad boy. Love how the story is developing.

Not the best book in the series so far but it sets up enough changes that I think I want to read the next one.

George RR Martin just keeps getting better.... loved this book from beginning till end!

The least of the four SONG OF ICE AND FIRE novels I have read, but still highly enjoyable... what a series.

I have to say, after the total awesome goodness that transpired in the third book, the fourth book left me wanting more. Which isn't to say that this wasn't a good book, but it did rather feel like a lul in the middle of the series. Half of the story felt like resolutions to plot points that had happened in the previous book, and the other half of the story felt like set-up for things to come. It isn't so much that I wasn't interested by the events that transpired (there was some great political and religious maneuvering that had been building up throughout the series), but rather that it didn't feel like much transpired at all. Or, well, perhaps it is just that this book focused almost completely on the political maneuverings of only a few of the characters, with very little insight into any of the magical happenings in this world. Which was important because the major political factions have been somewhat tidied up (or at least are more clearly defined), but compared to the previous novels where magic, religion, and politics were all so richly layered, this really only feels like half the story. A cake without the frosting, if you will. A perfectly baked, delicious cake, but, still, I want my frosting dangit! Ah, well, based on sneak peaks and hints from the peanut gallery it sounds like I will be getting my frosting in the next installment, A Dance with Dragons. Of course, I haven't yet acquired said book (no paperback available yet, boo) so I can't say how soon I will get around to it, but it is definitely at the top of my queue once it finds its way into my greedy little hands. If nothing else, this book definitely left me wanting more.

In the meantime I will just have to find something else to read...

Another excellent book in this series. I reached the end far too soon.

Ugh, ugh, ugh, and more ugh. It just ends.

There really isn't much to say about these books when you get this far. They are standard GRRM fare, and that is alright. If you are this far you've been roped in by the characters and want to know what'll happen to them. The only difference here is that the main characters it follows are some of the lesser characters or new ones. You won't find Jon Snow, Dany, Tyrion, Stannis, Davos, Bran or Theon. Instead the focus is on the recently likable Jaime Lannister, Cersei Lannister, Samwell, Sansa Stark, Araya Stark, Brienne and a few new characters.

GRRM essentially overwrote for the fourth book in the series, and instead of simply cutting it in half and leaving some cliffhangers, he chose to tell the stories of half of the characters, and the next edition is the other half of the characters. It is a giant pacing change from the previous two books, where everything kind of went to hell. This one is more the machinations of the non-warriors like Cersei and Jaime, the trials and tribulations of Samwell, Araya and Sansa as well as a few others. If you've come this far, you'll read this, it might just take you a while.

I decided to reread the whole series as a prelude to the excellent TV show on HBO and in anticipation of the next book to be released this summer. I was not disappointed. Each book leaves you captivated and desirous of the next “story”. Martin's writing is excellent and his ability to portray multiple characters, stories, and shape the reader's perceptions is remarkable. It is a difficult challenge for both author and reader to balance the multiple story lines and character development, but Martin does a great job. There are points where he overextends himself with the sheer volume of characters and important story arcs, but that is easily dismissed as you understand the epic scope he is trying to convey. An incredibly detailed story and characters that the reader truly becomes involved with mark all of the books. I anxiously await the next in the series. Winter is Coming!

It felt strange without the main characters.. Like half the book was a spinoff.
Still decent though.

This was probably my least favorite of the series. The world Martin created is so vast, and I understand why he chose to split the cast the way he did. That said, boy was it frustrating to plow through the chapters based in Dorne and Pyke to get back to the characters I was so frantic to find. I wanted to spend a lot more time with Arya and Sansa than was allowed. Brienne was not as compelling a narrator as I'd hope she'd be, but I still am nail-biting over her cliff-hanger.

I have officially lost any sympathy I ever had for Cersei but gained more than I thought possible for Jaimie. I was planning on taking a break before going into Dance (everyone else waited six years after all), but that's not going to happen. Not when I've been denied Tyrion's story for 800 pages. Here's hoping the HBO series puts on enough pressure to get “Winds of Winter” out before I crack.

Drunk Cersei is a more interesting POV character than Emo Jon Snow

While this was probably my least favorite in the series, I didn't dislike it nearly as much as other readers. I am also apparently the only person in the world who doesn't hate Cersei. I am taking a break from the series for a while in anticipation of the 6th book being released....some day.

This was a tough book to slog through. None of my favorite characters were present, and I could really care less about the Iron Islanders and most of what happens in Dorne. I also didn't appreciate that nearly every other chapter was Cersei, who I think is my most hated literary character ever. Looking forward to returning to Jon and Daenerys in book 5.

Great book. Even better the second time.

The fourth book of the Song of Ice and Fire series disappointed many, and left readers holding their breath for so long, some may have perished waiting. Many fan-favorite characters do not even appear in Feast. In Martin's words:

“I felt that readers would be better served by a book that told all the story for half the characters, rather than half the story for all the characters.” - George R.R. Martin

A Feast for Crows

A Feast for Crows

Feast

A Storm of Swords

Feast

Ice and Fire

A Storm of Swords

A Feast for Crows,

Feast

Feast

A Feast for Crows

Ice and Fire

Feast

Feast

A Dance with Dragons

A Dance with Dragons

A Feast for Crows

A Feast for Crows

Very good read indeed. Can't wait for the continuation in “A Dance with Dragons”.