How, HOW is this book averaging 4 1/2 stars?? When did abject overwriting and lack of plot advancement warrant such a rating? Here were my thoughts going into this book (Spoilers):

1. Surely Daenerys would finally at least BEGIN her journey to Westeros to claim the Iron Throne with her super Unsullied army. - Nope (But ANOTHER Targaryen, whom the reader has spent a whole 30 seconds with, is poised to fight for the throne).
2. Surely we'd see a good, dramatic trial for Cersei. - Not a chance.
3. Surely Tyrion would do something, ANYTHING to get the story moving. - Negative.
4. Surely the White Walkers would finally factor into the story. - No.
5. Surely Stannis would wreak havoc in the North and at least somewhat avenge the annihilation of the Starks and be a real threat for claiming the throne. - Sorry.
6. Surely Dorne would begin to play a larger role in the Game of Thrones. - Don't be silly.
7. Surely Bran will begin to play a part in all of this. - Not quite. He's a tree now. Or a crow. I'm not really certain.

How can Martin write SO many pages yet have so little happen? I mean, if you want to know what a character is eating to break their fast, or what color someone's surcoat or tokar is, or what color the bricks of a city are that day, or that words are wind, then this book will be riveting to you. And are we supposed to care more about Westeros or Essos? Becasue ADWD sure is Essos-centric. In fact, 99% of Martin's world seems to be made up of it, with the people living there viewing Westeros as some insignificant backwater. Reading AGoT, I thought that part of the world would just be a jumping-off point for Daenerys. But no, it now has become the virtual main setting of ASOIAF. Why did Martin make that decision? I want to find out what happens in Westeros. Or do I? I'm not sure what the reader is supposed to be focused on because Martin is just all over the place. Toward the end of the book, Dany hallucinates and talks to Jorah Mormont who reiterates that he told her to go to Westeros because Meereen was not where she belonged. I felt as if Martin was mocking us because it's what every frickin' reader would have told her as well. So why did you make us read hundreds of pages about her fretting away in Meereen?! And, at the end, she seemingly ends ups in the same place she was in AGoT!

There are also numerous characters whom I think Martin wants us to be invested in, but we just aren't because they're either not too interesting or they get lost in this morass of a book. I'm sure some readers do, but do most of us care at all about characters like Asha, Victarion, and Euron? Even Theon/Reek got old by the second half of the book. And honestly, are we supposed to care about what happens to the the billions of people in Meereen like the Brazen Beasts, Stormcrows, Sons of the Harpy, Hizdahr, etc.? Everyone in Meereen, save a couple, are pretty much terrible people and I couldn't care less what their ultimate fate is.

And let's talk about Quentyn Martell. He and his journey to court Dany get no little page time, but the only purpose he serves is to free the dragons. That's it. Now that's fine, but there was no reason for Martin to spend the chapters he did on him if he was a simple plot device.

Lastly, everything in this series is miserable and depressing; and this is coming from someone who LIKES dark books and movies. But, my goodness, nothing uplifting at all happens. It's just one gloomy event after another and everyone is either angry, oppressed, or psychotic. Martin goes out of his way to ensure that absolutely nothing remotely pleasant happens. I understand there are books with such tones, but after nearly 5,000 pages of it, you get a bit worn down. I know a big appeal of the series are the "gray" characterizations, and I agree, but does nearly everyone have to be a murderous sociopath with no regard for human life? This worked in the first three books because we weren't sure what characters we were going to root for or against. But now, we know who has a shred of decency or not and the incessant melancholy is tiresome.

This was the first book which I had to put down and read another book in between with before mustering up the motivation to finish. Usually, I'd just abandon a book I wasn't enjoying, but after reading 4,000 pages of the series I couldn't quit on it. Books 1-3 were fantastic. A Feast For Crows began the downslide but I figured it was merely setup. But ADWD was even worse than setup because NOTHING HAPPENS. I'm really torn over whether I'll read The Winds of Winter if and when it's released. I don't think I have it in me to read another novel like ADWD. I only started this series a few months ago, so I read all these books back-to-back (excluding the one I read three-quarters of the way through ADWD to keep my sanity), so I saw the decline of storytelling with this series happen in real time.

I did not get involved with the TV show when it first came out, although my entire family was obsessed with it. I like to read the book that movie/TV projects are based on before I see how characters are portrayed, as I like to see the characters and story in my own mind first. OMG...this author is amazing. The word painting is incredible, he is able to transport readers in to his world, and he leaves you desperately wanting more. I still have not seen one single episode, but I have seen far more of this world than any viewer has. Great book. Now, that being said, I am livid that the story simply STOPS, leaving every single character and situation hanging in limbo. There is no resolution for anyone or anything. Oh, please, Mr. Martin, finish this series before I am forced to contaminate my perceptions by finally watching the show (which I know does not follow the book exactly, and geez, how does your mind pictures compare to the commercial pictures?). Fortunately, or not, my daughters and I spend a lot of time discussing what they are seeing versus what I am reading, and I at least have some idea where my beloved Tyrion goes. And that is the only reason I gave this a 4 star instead of the 10 star it so deserves.

I enjoyed book 1, 2 and 3. Book 4 bogged down a bit so not my favorite. Book 5 is making me wish that the story would end because it's time. I have almost finished it. The story as written is different in many ways from the TV series. I don't mind that at all. Surprisingly, the author Martin did not have all the gratuitous sex as the TV series, but I guess that's what sells on TV. Over all I've enjoyed reading the books but as I said, I'm ready for it to end.

As a fan of the aSoIaF series, I have to say, I understand why the series has come under scrutiny post-Storm of Swords. After that book, which was the best in the series (well-plotted, fast moving, just overall awesome), a Feast for Crows was released, which showed a noticeable slowing down of things. I believe George RR Martin, while still being able to write beautifully and create whole characters, has lost his ability of pacing the story well. Ultimately, A Dance with Dragons, like aFfC, suffers the same problems, but this time even more so than its predecessor.

At least in aFfC, things were kicking into high-gear in the last 150 pages or so. A Dance with Dragons only became exciting to me in the last chapter and the epilogue. The first three books were filled with exciting moments placed throughout the story--that's why they call them 'page-turners'. Getting through this book at times was a struggle. When I got to chapters that I knew would be boring (Barristan Selmy and Quentyn, for example), the only thing that got me through it was flipping ahead and seeing that a Reek or Arya chapter was soon to follow. Don't get me wrong, I like Barristan Selmy and Quentyn, but particularly with Dany's story in Meereen, barely ANYTHING happens in the book. It is paced so poorly that I really feel like half of her chapters could've been axed. Also, what is up with the ONE Jaime chapter in which, again, basically nothing happens? Martin ended aFfC with this huge (and kind of lame) cliffhanger with Brienne...and when we finally see her again, we learn absolutely nothing. We're just left with another cliffhanger, this one just lamer than the last.

There are still occasional bright spots in aDwD, particularly with the Dreadfort/Stannis scenes in the North and Victarion Greyjoy. Theon has always been a compelling character to me (I believe Bran will communicate through him through the weirwoods and the ravens), and Victarion's storyline is very well done. He seems like a menacing guy, and I can't wait to see how he ties into the main plot concerning Dany.

So, in summary, I hope George RR Martin has recognized the pacing problem his last two novels have suffered from. Fans are still invested in this story and these characters, but please, get things moving! We read a nearly 1000 page book, and the events that actually happened that were interesting and of importance probably could've been condensed into 500 pages. In the end, aDwD builds up to two major battles that NEVER HAPPEN!