I wanted to write a short review. Honestly. However, it seems I am unable to write a short review for a 780 page book. 
 I first read A Game Of Thrones a couple of years ago, after watching a handful of episodes of season 1 of the TV show. Since then, I've had to abandon my policy of reading a book before I watch the TV series, as I only got halfway through book 2 before life got in the way of giving these books the time and attention they deserve. 
 This book is full of great characters and incredible worldbuilding. The complicated plot and interwoven storylines are very impressive, but at times it seems too complicated; some of it only made sense the second time I read the book. 
 The first time around, the chapters about Jon and the Night's Watch, and Daenerys and the Dothraki seemed like unnecessary additions. Yes, they were great (Daenerys has been my favourite character from the start, in both the book and the TV show), but their connection to the main story was lost on me the first time I read the book. This time around, I realised they're far more connected to the story than I thought. 
 Despite the fact that it makes it harder to remember all the different characters, it's oddly refreshing to read a fantasy book that doesn't really seem to have a main character; I love the changing POV's. However, this did make me struggle to remember who some of the characters were when I first read it, making me take quite a bit more time to read the book. I guess it helps that I've seen the TV series since then. Even the second time around, however, it was by no means a quick read. 
 As much as I'd like to give it 5 stars, I can't give it more than 4, because it was such a slow (and confusing) read for me the first time, and because it still doesn't feel like this book has a clear story of its own. It feels like it's one big prequel to the rest of the series. Sometimes it's possible to only read the first book in a series, without feeling like you've read only half a book. A Game Of Thrones is different. I don't think I'd be able to summarise what it's about in just a single paragraph, like I'd usually be able to. This is both great (it makes me want to read the other books) and not so great (what is the story of this book?) 
 In short, only read this book if you plan on reading all of them.