Wow. There is a whole lot to process here, isn't there? And I don't know if I will be able to do that fully until I have a chance to discuss the events of this story and their ramifications with other fans of the series. I may not be able to fully process it until I've done another reading. I did not do a re-read of the series to date before the release of the latest volume, relying instead on summaries of the previous books and my own possibly flawed memory of the story so far. I've read the other books about three times, but it's been almost three years since I've been through them. So...what to say. I was glad to get back to a number of my favourite characters, especially Tyrion, of course, and to see storylines that were rumoured or hinted at in Feast played out. There are a lot of game-changing events and characters here, and it will be interesting to see how they play out in the two final books of the series. (It's still two, right? Because seven is a super important number?) I would have liked more information on what happened with Brienne of Tarth than the one small and inconclusive glimpse we are given. I can't say for sure yet, but I think maybe this was better than Feast, and together the two might make a whole book. I'd be interested in finding a guide for reading the two in tandem with one another, since there is a lot of overlap. I'm sure one will pop up sooner or later. In conclusion, Martin is still unafraid of shaking up the story or killing important characters. It can be jarring to be reminded that no one in this series is safe.