A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5) by George R. R. Martin - Paul's pre-reading

--I've read the other 4 books in this series, but I didn't do blog posts for them as we were still figuring out this blog. We used to each have a monthly pick. And we used to do pretty much only Young Adult reviews. We have since diverged. So, I'll post posts for this book that I am so excited to read!--

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Title: A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Year Published: 2011

Synopsis: In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance — beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys's claim to Westeros forever.

Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone — a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.

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Why?: I've absolutely loved every book so far in this series. Martin tells such an epic tale and in doing so tells so many different stories. The characters and locations are so interesting. I have also loved the HBO tv series and I've mostly been ahead of the series. The current season, which is the fourth, loosely adapts the second half of the third book, but some of the stories have diverted more. Since the fourth and fifth books take place at the same time, just from different perspectives,  the tv series is catching up to my reading. I pre-ordered this book when it came out in mass market paperback.    

Expectations: I'm expecting more of the same. This series has only gotten better as I've grown to learn more about these characters and locations. I'm also expecting some unexpected surprises, whether they be deaths or crazy awesome reveals.    

Judging a book by its cover: This cover is similar to the other mass amrket paperbacks I have. I like that it matches, but it's not all that unique.  


--PAUL