Title: A Clash of Kings 
Author: George RR Martin
My Rating: 4 stars
Goodreads. Book Depository.
This book continues in the world of Westeros continuing the whirlwind of a Game of Thrones. The book is huge and has a whole lot of storylines interweaving with one another. With Kings and Queens appearing from all corners, you keep reading because you just have to know.
Synopsis:
Time is out of joint. The summer of peace and plenty, ten years long, is drawing to a close, and the harsh, chill winter approaches like an angry beast. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who held 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, as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms prepare to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.
As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky—a comet the color of blood and flame—six factions struggle for control of a divided land. Eddard’s son Robb has declared himself King in the North. In the south, Joffrey, the heir apparent, rules in name only, victim of the scheming courtiers who teem over King’s Landing. Robert’s two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest. And a continent away, an exiled queen, the Mother of Dragons, risks everything to lead her precious brood across a hard hot desert to win back the crown that is rightfully hers.
A Clash of Kings transports us into a magnificent, forgotten land of revelry and revenge, wizardry and wartime. It is a tale in which maidens cavort with madmen, 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, the price of glory may be measured in blood. And the spoils of victory may just go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel…and the coldest hearts. For when rulers clash, all of the land feels the tremors.
Audacious, inventive, brilliantly imagined, A Clash of Kings is a novel of dazzling beauty and boundless enchantment;a tale of pure excitement you will never forget.
My Thoughts:
A Song of Ice and Fire is a long series but one that I am in for the long haul. It’s such an intricate story with so many different parts to it. I read this a long time ago but really enjoyed it. Often I find while reading a big book that I want to read other books, but this managed to keep me interested and intrigued all the way through. While it took me a while to read, I finished it ready to start the next one (which I am yet to read).
This book picks up where it left off – the whole Stark family is separated and reeling from the loss of Ned, Joffrey is a King and wreaking havoc on King’s Landing, Robb is a King and struggling as he’s what 14?, Stannis is a King and a two dimensional character who doesn’t ever have fun; It’s not called Clash of Kings for no reason. Each King (except Joffrey) has positive and negative traits, though when you think about it, do they actually? Morally grey characters abound in this book, excepting Joffrey who is just a . . . well, just think of lots of explicit words.
Every character goes through a lot in this book. Sansa goes through hell and back being stuck in KIng’s Landing, Arya is stuck trying to get home, Jon is experiencing wildlings for the first time and Tyrion is just trying to hold onto the power he can grab. While some of the storylines are a bit dry, each of them intersect into others, so it’s important not to skip them.
There’s a lot of power play in this book, and a lot of Kings yelling about being in charge. When you step back, it’s actually quite humorous to look at.
I love Deanerys’ parts, Tyrion’s parts and Sansa’s parts. I feel like they are some of the characters which have the best character progression and are just so interesting. One of the other things I love is reading lots of hints of prophecies, hints of dreams and things of the past – it adds to the fantasy aspect of the story and really shows the depth of the world George RR Martin has created.
This book can be a bit repetitive with the Kings, battles and intricacy but it’s a good book nonetheless. I didn’t enjoy it as much as GoT but I will definitely continue reading this series – probably in January when I have a lot of long flights.
Recommended for: High fantasy lovers. This book is complex and intricate, but it’s definitely one that High fantasy lovers will enjoy.
Quotes (Spoiler Free):
“The night is dark and full of terrors.”
“All sorts of people are calling themselves kings these days.”
“What is dead may never die,” his uncle echoed, “but rises again, harder and stronger. Stand.”
“The man who kills his own blood is cursed forever in the sight of gods and men.”
“Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.”
“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.”
“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.”
“I want to weep, she thought. I want to be comforted. I’m so tired of being strong. I want to be foolish and frightened for once. Just for a small while, that’s all …a day … an hour …
…One day, she promised herself as she lay abed, one day she would allow herself to be less than strong.
But not today. It could not be today.”
Buy it here.
Have you read this book? Are you in the Game of Thrones camp? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time,
Maddy xx
Advertisements Share this:
