A Feast for Crows (ASoIaF #4) by George R.R. Martin

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*Synopsis may contain spoilers of previous books in the series*

Synopsis:"It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears. . . . With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out. 
But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead. 
It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes . . . and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors." -Goodreads

Review:

I had a like/hate relationship with this book. There were some interesting tidbits (mostly coming from Cersei's POV) but for the most part this is the worst book in the series by far. Filled with uninteresting characters and plots (even the couple of well-known characters were lackluster,) the book seemed like a never-ending wave of "oh COME ON! Something has to happen eventually!" This book filled me with anticipation in wanting to carry on the cliffhangers that a Storm of Swords left us on, as I was skipping pages of humdrum conversations and repetition. I must say that I am glad that this book contained Cersei and Jaime because now we have more insight of what may come, and I'm quite looking forward as to how their stories pan out. Thank goodness for GRRM's little note at the end, because now I can't wait to put this book behind me and get cracking on a Dance with Dragons.

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First Line: "'Dragons,' said Mollander" (1, Prologue)

Last Line: "Tyrion, Jon, Dany, Stannis and Melisandre, Davos Seaworth, and all the rest of the characters you love or love to hate will be along next year (I devoutly hope) in A Dance with Dragons, which will focus on events along the Wall and acros the sea, just as the present book focused on King's Landing." (777)

Quotes:
"Nine sons had been born from the loins of Quellon Greyjoy, but only four had lived to manhood." (23)

"She dreamt she sad the Iron Throne, high above them all." (51)

"Arya never seemed to find the places she set out to reach." (96)

"How much can a crown be worth, when a crow can dine upon a king?" (138)

"history is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging." (185)

"We had one king, then five. Now all I see are crows squabbling over the corpse of Westeros." (187)

"In the game of thrones, even the humblest pieces can have wills of their own. Sometimes they refuse t make the moves you've planned for them. Mark that well, Alayne. It's a lesson that Cersei Lannister still has yet to learn." (376)

"Thrice that day she heard the sound of distant shouting drifting up from the plaza, but it was Margaery's name that the mob was calling, not hers." (743)

Kindle Edition, 852 pages

Published November 8th 2005 by Bantam (first published October 17th 2005)

ASIN B000FCKGPC