Even though this wasn't my favorite of the series, as it was missing all the best characters :P, I can't give it anything other than five stars. George R.R. Martin has put such a huge amount of care, thought, skill and time into creating a perfect series. I can't even fathom the amount of planning that must have gone into it. 
 If I had known that books four and five were actually part of the same timeline, I would have read them both at the same time!