Since the start of 2014 I've been completely addicted to the HBO-series Game of Thrones. I binge-watched the first three seasons and when the forth came out I loyally watched each week. I knew I would want to read the books (definitely cause waiting for the next season takes so long...) so I started collecting them. Standing on my shelf, they kind of frightened me: these huge books, filled with complicated names and complex story lines. It turns out, that was completely unnecessary: the first book got me hooked and I finished it in just over two weeks. If it wasn't for all the other books I want to read, I would be reading the second one already. 
 "Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you." 
 Because I've seen the tv-series, this book wasn't as complicated as I expected. Most names I recognized and the map in the front of the book definitely gives a good image of the world. I think that when you haven't seen the tv-series though, it's hard to keep up with all the different story-lines and perspectives. Also, as a person who watched the tv-series: the book is very much alike (well actually, it's the other way around, but you know what I mean). This book is 768 pages long and almost everything that happens, is put in the tv-series. This didn't make the book any less exciting for me; at some times I almost wanted to skip lines just to get trough the tension (for example with Arya, Joffrey and Sansa at the river). 
 "When you play a game of thrones you win or you die." 
 The world created in this book is amazing. The characters are awesome. My favorites definitely are Daenerys Targaryen (I even have a Funko figurine of her), Khal Drogo, Arya and Tyrion. Daenerys is by far at the top because she is so extremely bad-ass. Even though I want to read some other books before starting the second, I can hardly contain myself. I just hear A Clash of Kings calling my name.