While I didn't think any of the books in this series could best A Game of Thrones, I was blown away by this one. So well-written and so captivating that I couldn't put it down. 
 A Clash of Kings was slightly easier to get through than the first in the series, I think, because I was more familiar with the characters and wasn't having to backtrack to catch up with who is who and who is related to/allied with whom nearly as much. 
 I also watched all of the HBO series first, and while the first season was almost identical to the first book, things are starting to diverge between the two, which made this even more interesting. 
 I'll be starting the next in the series as soon as possible!