A Dance With Dragons
A Dance with Dragons is an intense, fast pace novel. This last book in the series A Song of Ice and Fire is the boldest, most plot twisting book yet.

One main plot of A Dance with Dragons is the war going on between Kingdoms. Ned Stark of Winterfell was just a simple Lord till he learned how the Lannisters had some dark secrets from the past. After he is beheaded in his attempts for justice, people start to question the new ruler of the seven kingdoms. Is Stannis Baratheon the real true heir to the throne instead of Joffery? Now all Kingdoms are thrown into a frenzy for power and knowledge. When you play the game of thrones you win or die.

Meanwhile  Daenerys Targaryen is the mother of dragons, Ruler of Meereen. She has risen from her haunting past. Everyone now wants to see the queen.... and her dragons. Daenerys now only wants peace for her kingdom and all her subjects.

There are many people in the Game of Thrones but I really liked Arya Stark of Winterfell.  Arya is a small, skinny girl around her eleventh name day. She use to have a wolf named Nymeria but had to let her go after Lady Lannister threatened to kill Nymeria. After Ned’s death her world goes upside down. She gets kidnaped by the dreaded Sandor Clegane, who use to work for the Lannisters. Tragically she is forced to grow up when with Sandor. She becomes a hardened warrior and sheds much blood. Later Sandor is wounded and begs for Arya to kill him and give him mercy. She refuses and leaves him to suffer till he bleeds to death. Arya soon finds herself blending in with the world, losing herself. Arya throws all her personal possessions in the ocean, but burriers her sword, the needle, and hides it instead. Another person I admire is Lord Petyr Baelish. He might not be the kindest folk but is clever and cunning. Petyr grew up with Aryas mother, Lady Catelyn. Back when Cat was still unwed, Petry fell in love. He then found about her marriage arrangement with Brandon Stark. Blinded by love Petyr challenged Brandon for her hand. Brandon defeated Petry and only spared him with Cat’s words “he’s only still a boy”. Shortly after Brandon died in battle and Cat married Brandon’s younger brother, Ned Stark. Years later Petyr still loves Cat, but Cat has learned to love Ned. Petyr use to be the master of coin for the king of the seven kingdoms but went away to become protector of the vale. He did betray the Starks but saved Sansa Stark, a 13 year old girl, who was in the clutches of the Lannisters. Petry who saw Cat in Sansa kisses her with love for Cat. Later on Petyr pushes her Sansa’s aunt out the Eyrie when he learns she found out about the kiss and planned to make Sansa pay. He then blames the bard, marillion, a singer who tried to rape Sansa before. Sansa then becomes his “Daughter” as a cover up.

On the wall, all men of the black are sworn to take no part in any kingdom war. They are only there to protect people from the other side of the wall. Wildings are people who call themselves “free folk” they all live outside the walls. Another thing that the Black must protect the people from is the Others. The Others are creatures called white walkers and are the dead back to life. White walkers look tall and gaunt with pale flesh and blue eyes, brighter and bluer than any human eyes, eyes that burn like ice. White Walkers go lightly on snow and leave no footprints. Their movements are lightning-quick and they wield crystal swords that are said to shatter anything they touch. They have reflective armor that shifts in color and they ride corpses of dead animals to. All the white-walking animals are trained as the white-walking men all are superior swordsmen. However like all things they have weakness. The Others fear fire and can be killed with Obsidian, also know as frozen fire. It is also believed that ‘Dragon Steel’ may kill white-walkers, which some think is Valyrian steel. On the wall is Ned Stark's bastard, Jon Snow. Jon grew up in Winterfell but decided to take the Black. Jon started as a little boy but grew up, ranking as Lord Commander. However he spent time with the wilding and grew close to a girl named Ygritte. They had a passionate affair which shamed him greatly, for it broke his vows not to be with woman. After that later on the wall is at war with the wilding and he sees Ygritte one last time before she dies of an arrow wound and whispering in his ear “You know nothing, Jon Snow”. He grieves for her then, but glad that it was not he who shot her. After the war is won Janos Slynt refuses Jon as commander and tells John he would never take orders from a man who had loved “Some unwashed whore”. Angered Jon seals off his emotions and beheads Slynt.

Over all I really liked A Dance with Dragons but one thing I didn’t like was when the chapter titles. Sometimes when it was a persons point of view and the chapter was the persons name but then when it was thier point of view again the author changed the chapter title, making it confusing. Another thing about the book was that the book had so many characters that it became very confusing with so many different Lords and Ladies. Other then that the book was very good. Some people I didn’t like were Joffrey Baratheon, Margaery, and Mirri Maz Duur. Joffrey was a spoiled boy who was to be king of the seven kingdoms when his father died. When Ned Stark found out that Joffrey was actually a product of the Lannister twins, Joffrey was the one who gave the direct order to Behead Ned. Later on when he still decided to marry Sansa Stark, he catches Sansa grieving for her father. Joffrey then grows angry and tells her not to sorrow for a turn-cloak. Then he whispers in her ear “My mother told me a king should never hit his Lady” and has some guards beat Sansa instead. Joffrey's uncle catches him beating her one day and then puts a stop to it. Joffrey then gets a new wife… Margaery. On Joffrey and Margaery’s wedding day Joffrey is poisoned and dies. Margery then marries Joffrey's younger brother after claiming to have not had any passionate affairs. Later on its found out Margery had many lovers before. Margaery is then locked up. Mirri Maz Duur was a witch that Daenerys saves while with a child. Daenerys begs the witch to help Khal Drogo, her dead husband. Shortly after Daenerys goes into labor. She wakes up to find Khal Drogo in a trance like state, still dead to the world. Mirri Maz Duur then tells her she killed the child, claiming that it was evil. Anguished Daenery reminds her how she saved Mirri Maz Duur but she only laughs and says how she was raped 3 times before Daenery ‘saved her’. Danery lights the witch on fire, Mirri Maz Duur stone faced and laughing as the flames come. But as the flames lick her legs she began to scream for mercy. Later on her pleads become one wordless sherik. Then she is burnt to death.

The Song of Ice and Fire series book 5 is the best, most incredible,brilliant novel of them all. I recommend this book, and hope the sixth one ‘Winds of Winter’ is just as good.