A Storm of Swords: Part 2 Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) Review

Although Blood and Gold is the second part of the third Game of Thrones books (A Storm of Swords) by George R.R Martin, it can be enjoyed as its own unique, individual book. At the time I bought the 2 parts on my Kindle, it was cheaper than buying the book as a whole so this is the way I read them.

Part 1 has set us up nicely for the second part of the book and even more shocking and outrageous story lines unfold in part 2. And just when I start to think I am beginning to understand a particular character, they throw me off and do something completely different to what I would expect of them. They’re cunning, they’re sly, and most of all they are full of wits, which makes the Game of Thrones books such an exciting and interesting read.

So, how do I describe this book without giving a whole lot of spoilers away?

Well, as all Game of Thrones fans should know by now, you should expect the unexpected. Expect a lot of deaths. Nobody is safe. Usually we can expect important characters to survive but oh no, not in A Storm of Swords: Part 2. For me, this was the most exciting book out of the 3 I have read so far and everything seemed so intense and brutal. But it was certainly exciting!

Part 1 left us with Jon Snow escaping the Wildings and making his way back to the Wall and in part 2 we see him arrive back at the Wall but not without making the Night’s Watch wary of his presence, who are all but convinced he has turned and now follows the King Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder. Jon Snow is in a sticky situation and has to prove to the Night’s Watch that his loyalty has always been with them.

Each character goes around gaining power and allies in an attempt to win the crown and be the king of Westeros. It is pretty much still up for grabs and it is interesting to see the characters try to gain the power they need to win.

And it’s not a Game of Thrones books if we don’t have a massacre at every opportunity and in this case at the event of not one, but two weddings. I won’t give any large spoilers away but there are a lot of deaths, some that will make you cheer and others where you will be upset and defeated that one of your most beloved characters has died. Martin sure knows how to pull at our heart strings!

What I liked most about A Storm of Swords: Part 2 however was the character development; you can see how John Snow has grown from the start of the first Game of Thrones books until now, we are made to sympathies with Tyrion, and we especially see how Danenery’s has turned in to this confident warrior-type leader. Each character has come a long way from the beginning where everything at first seemed at peace.

We watch the characters play the game of thrones and each character moves around and gains and loses power. At the end of the book we see Jon Snow becoming Lord Snow and here he is given the Commander of the Night’s Watch position.

It’s hard to describe the plot of this book without giving too much away but you will not be disappointed by it. It is beautifully written and is full of twists and surprises that will make you not want to put the book down. An excellent read full of adventure and action, and I can’t wait to find out how the story unfolds in the next book. This is the best book from the franchise yet!

Overall Rating: 5/5

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 2) Review

 

The first book of the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series left us on a bit of a cliffhanger and so I was extremely excited to get stuck in to the second book of the phenomenal series. With Robert Baratheon deceased and 12 year old, bad-tempered son, Joffrey Baratheon expected to hold the iron throne and rule the Seven Kingdoms, things were never going to be easy for the kingdom and their people.

In this book, it seems like everyone has decided to become king and even more so after people discover that Joffrey is a bastard (in both senses) and is in fact the result of brother and sister (and twins!) Cersei and Jamie Lannister long ongoing love affair. This means that Joffrey is not the rightful heir to the throne! So of course that means the brothers of the late king, Stannis Baratheon (who considers himself to be the rightful heir) and younger brother, Renly Baratheon have even more reason to fight for the Iron Throne. Both brothers have a very different style of ruling; Stannis is a very serious king who is not greatly loved by his followers, whereas Renly is greatly loved and comes across a lot more likable and friendlier than his older brother. Stannis however does not seem to play fair and explores “dark” magic after befriending priestess, Melisandre. She seems to hold some form of magic within her which greatly benefits Stannis and helps him get what he wants. Stannis seems to have a firm belief of what he deems to be right and wrong and in this case he believes that he should be the king to the Iron Throne and the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms due to being the older brother to the late king, Robert Baratheon. He seems to hold a great anger to all those rebelling against him and fighting for what he believes to be his rightful throne. Stannis and Renly have a great dislike for each other however which causes the two brothers to fight and bicker among themselves instead of taking advantage of each other and using each other to help take down their enemy which in this case is the Lannisters, who are the current holders to the Iron Throne.

It is not only Joffrey, Stannis and Renly fighting for the Iron Thone however, but also the son of late Ned Stark, Rob Stark and mother of dragons, Danenerys Targaryen. And the Night’s Watch (protectors of ‘The Wall’ and the Seven Kingdoms) even go off on a quest to find the king beyond the wall. And there is also Balon Greyjoy, who calls himself the Lord of the Iron Islands and also seeks to have power, and lets not forget his son Theon Greyjoy, who takes over Winterfell and also calls himself a king. If I am honest, it all gets a little bit confusing and it seems like everyone has decided to have a go at playing king (or queen in Dany’s case) but I suppose they all have their own reasons and with the recent death of Robert Baratheon and the Seven Kingdoms falling down thanks to bad-tempered and evil Joffrey, it gives the others a chance to rebel and take hold of the Iron Throne once and for all. Now I am not sure who would make a better king (or queen) but my money is on Rob Stark, however I would really love to see Dany take over with her three dragons and rule the kingdoms. Dany is a really strong, independent woman who doesn’t seem to take any nonsense from anyone. It would be great to see her claim the Iron Throne back and I think she would become a very likable queen. Failing that, Rob Stark would make the next best ruler; he is strong-willed, loved by all and has a strong sense of honour. He looks up to his dad a lot and tries to rule as Ned once did, however I find that his mother, Catelyn Stark, tries to influence her son on his decisions and it can sometimes become awkward listening to her tell him off in a sense and advise him what to do.

There are a lot of wars and fights that break out, as well as smaller but just as important storylines concerning Arya Stark, who is on a journey with the Night Watch, posing as a boy and is hoping to reach Winterfell before anyone finds out who she really is, Sansa Stark who is still a prisoner in King’s Landing and battling with her emotions towards Joffrey, and Tyroin Lannister, who is now the Hand to Joffrey and hopes to help him rule for the good of the court and its people.

Like the first book, this is very much a character driven novel with a lot of storylines taking place at once. Again the chapters are based around one certain character and we hear the story from their perspective, this time two new characters have been added and we get to see the story unfold from Theon Greyjoy, who was raised in Winterfell by Ned Stark, and Davos Seaworth. a serviceman to Stannis Baratheon, point of view.

George R.R. Martin has written another brilliant novel that is bound to keep you quiet for ages. The ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series is great for anyone looking for a slightly longer read. The characters come alive and we are made to hate, sympathise and pity the characters in the book.

Overall Rating: 4/5

The Vampire Diaries Season 5 Review

Scrolling through Netflix, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the words ‘New Episodes’ over ‘The Vampire Diaries’ picture. How did I not know this before now?! Netflix sure kept this one quiet. Being completely obsessed with the Salvatore brothers and the happenings of Mystic Falls, I started watching the latest season available and it didn’t take me long before I had finished it. And wow, the last few episodes are a total emotional roller coaster. But let not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

Now apart from the few minor storylines included, this season is mostly dedicated to a new supernatural being called travellers. Yeah, I have never heard of them either (except of course the travellers we are already aware about but I don’t think those type of travellers have supernatural powers). Basically, a traveller in ‘The Vampire Diaries’ is a supernatural being who can physically plant themselves in another person and take over their body. Sounds like ‘The Host’ to me. The travellers are technically witches but all they seem to do is take over people’s bodies so I can’t help but linking the two together. The travellers want to wipe Mystic Falls from all its magic and supernatural beings and this is the main storyline of the season. The travellers also want to shut down ‘The Other Side’ which is basically limbo for supernatural beings and therefore will stop any dead supernatural being coming back from the dead (which seems to happen WAY too much).

There’s also a few minor storylines at the beginning of the season before we are introduced to the travellers, which initially the season has been building up towards. Elena (Nina Dobrev) is no longer the super bitch vampire she was in literally the whole of season 4, having turned her emotions back on. She has been having the summer of her life with Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) and being totally oblivious that  her ex and new boyfriend’s brother, Stefan (Paul Wesley) is drowning over and over in a box after doppelganger, Silas put him in there. And can I also point out the complete oblivion of Elena and Caroline, (Candice Accola) when witch friend, Bonnie, fails to turn up for college or get in contact with them. I understand Elena’s brother and Bonnie’s boyfriend, Jeremy, (Steven R. McQueen) is covering up her death after she died bringing him back to life and he can see ghosts so he can still communicate with her but how can you not know your best friend is dead? It seems the characters are having too much fun being vampires and getting on with their eternal lives to question the whereabouts of their best friends.

I also found it very funny how we see the role reversal of Elena (being a vampire) and doppelganger, Katherine, who is now a human after Elena forced the cure upon her in a heavy fight in the last season. And human doesn’t suit Katherine well, who had openly admitted in the past that humanity is a vampire’s greatest weakness. As can be expected, Katherine soon falls back to her old ways and genuinely causes a lot of stress and problems for the other characters. But there is something I love about Katherine so much; maybe its the fact she is the complete opposite to Elena or she is cunning and manipulating or maybe it’s because we all love a bad guy deep down but Katherine is a great character. Katherine even shows us she may have a heart after all in the scenes where her long lost daughter is lying on her deathbed. I don’t want to give anything else away but Katherine has a big part in season 5 and no matter where she is, she will always be causing trouble. And keep a look out for her last scenes.

I love ‘The Vampire Diaries’ but I have to admit, season 5 has been a very sleepy season in comparison to the ones before this. And maybe the producers/screenwriters thought it too because Stefan, Bonnie (again) and Damon all die in the last two episodes. Although Stefan does come back from the dead (no surprise there) although we are still unsure whether this is the final goodbye for Damon and Bonnie. Bonnie is the anchor to the other side so when the travellers close it down, Bonnie has to go with it. It all gets a little confusing but basically the other characters have to die and pass through Bonnie to come back to the real world. The travellers are wiping out all the supernatural magic so the characters use Bonnie so the travellers magic won’t work on them and they will keep their powers. Or something like that, it all got a bit confusing if I’m honest. Although when hybrid, Tyler, (Michael Trevino) comes back to the land of the living, he is human again which makes us question why. Are all the supernatural beings who have passed through Bonnie human again or is this just because Tyler was involved in the travellers magic and they had taken over his body before dying?

What is probably most shocking about season 5 is that Alaric, (Matthew Davis) has passed through Bonnie and is now alive again. I love Alaric and so it’s great that he is alive again although possibly a little random. Can we grieve for any of our favourite characters deaths or will they magically come back to life again a few seasons down the line?

And this puts me in denial about Damon’s death. Come on guys! Damon pretty much makes ‘The Vampire Diaries’! The audience are made to side with either one of the Salvatore brothers and for me, I have always been Team Damon. It can’t possibly be a good idea to kill him off without any intention of bringing him back, right?! Sorry but I don’t buy this. There will be a way to bring Damon (and probably Bonnie) back from the dead. But then doesn’t it get a bit silly when we don’t grieve a characters death because we just KNOW they will be brought back to life?

Season 5 consists of 22 episodes and although I didn’t find it as engaging as the previous seasons, it’s still a really fun watch. I literally watched the whole season in about 2 or 3 days (I do have a life, I swear!). If you’re craving your vampire fix, look no further. Season 5 brings us back all our most beloved characters and as always, adds a few twists along the way.

Overall rating: 4/5

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) Review

After reading this phenomenal book, all I can do is ask myself what took me so long to get around to reading it? Why did I let myself miss out on this masterpiece for so long? ‘A Game of Thrones’ is the most gripping and detailed book I have ever read, going way beyond anything J. R. R Tolkien ever did.

George R. R Martin, the author of the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series, writes in incredible detail and brings these characters alive in a way no one has quite ever been able to manage before. The characters do not feel like a work of fiction but in fact real people with real emotions and complex lives. The reader will learn to fall in love with the characters and laugh at Tyrion’s wit, believe in Ned’s honour and sympathise with Jon’s loneliness. Every character is interesting and as you learn more about each character, it only grips the reader in tighter than ever making you read on to find out how the story unfolds. I couldn’t put this book down for a second; I truly was hooked and I had to find out what would happen. Somehow these characters were made to feel 3 dimensional, making the reader almost believe this really was happening as they read. This is a brilliant book for anyone wishing to escape for a few hours.

I really enjoyed that each chapter was focused on a different character and I got an insight of what was going on with them and how their minds worked. This however can make it tricky for the reader to decide which house to side with; one minute you are rooting for the Stark’s, the next for Daenerys and the Dothraki. For me however, my all time favourite characters in the book had to be Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targayen and Arya Stark. Each character is very different from the other, however we are made to feel love for them and defend them for their mistakes and crimes committed. Not one character is perfect and they all come with flaws which if anything, only makes the characters seem more realistic than ever. There is a long list of characters to remember and at times it can become complicated and for me, I some times found myself questioning who certain smaller character were and their position and relation to the house they followed but once I had learned who was who, it become a very enjoyable and gripping read.

To summarise, ‘A Game of Thrones’ focuses on honour, war and the battle for the Iron Throne. George R. R. Martin, writes in incredible detail and does not hold back on the murder and rape included in the book, which only highlights the horror of the time in which the book is set.

This is a fantastic read for any fantasy lovers; you will not be able to tear yourself away from this book for a second. I’m excited to read the next one, now!

Overall Rating: 5/5