I had originally planned on reading the series when GRRM was done with it, but...the best-laid plans. Two weeks ago I binge-watched all 4 seasons of GoT over 3 days and then I just had to read the books. So here I am, done with book 1. 
 For the most part the series remained true to the books; but what they did alter also altered the effects, so that both the books and TV show have have nuances that are unique to each of them. Anyway! 
 The writing and plot: 
 GRRM did a STELLAR job setting up this new universe. It is obvious a lot of thought and details went into it, enhanced by a masterful execution of the setting. In his acknowledgements he mentions that "the devil is on the details" - boy is that ever true with this monstrosity of a book! 
 As for the writing, I cannot be sure if I would've thought the same if I hadn't watched the tv show, but I did think that there were a lot of extraneous details and fillers that could have been excised and done no damage to the integrity of the books - that damned raven at Castle Black is one of them. I also think that the way the chapters were each written from a different character's POV was ingenious and provided a way to seamlessly integrate different settings, motivations and histories into the books. 
 The characters: 
 Obviously there are characters we are supposed to love/good guys, the outright villains, and the ambiguous ones. I think I fell into just about every web GRRM wove. I loved the Starks, hated the Lannisters, feel ambiguous about Tyrion. 
 How could you not love the Starks of Winterfell? People to who duty, honor, love, loyalty...are everything. And also, "Winter is Coming" is the best house motto ever! Ever, I tell you! I especially enjoyed Bran and Arya. Sansa is pretty silly, and little Rickon wasn't included in enough scenes to get a good feel of his personality. Rob and Jon are bae. 
 Ned.....I really liked Ned. I liked his honorable-ness. I liked that he wasn't afraid to tell the truth to power and tried to keep to his personal integrity always; I liked that he valued gentleness and kindness in men, as evinced by the new match he proposed he would make for Sansa after realizing that the Lannisters/Baratheons were horrible people. I didn't like, however, that he didn't always exercise good judgement. To be in the midst of all court intrigue and not think about consequences is tantamount to spelling death for yourself and those you are responsible for - which is exactly what happened. 
 His wife Catelyn....Catelyn is a complex character. She is in turns loving and thoughtful, and then unkind and just petty. Her inability to love Jon because he represented her husband's unfaithfulness, her having to basically raise this boy because she had right to defy her husband....Catelyn's weaknesses are real, human, and for very good reasons. They humanize her, and again, add to the complexity of her character. Her fierce love for her husband and children was also a plus. 
 The one character I absolutely disliked, though, is Daenerys Targaryen. I started out indifferent to her and her storyline, then swiftly moved to 'dislike', and am now well on my way to disdain. No, Dany - you aren't the rightful queen of anywhere. Your ancestors bullied people into subjection because they had dragons; inasmuch as your family was wronged, your family did their own share of wrongs too. Rhaegar's children were killed - well, Rhaegar killed others' children and was also a rapist. Ehn. 
 Being that I am black, I also don't do well with the whole, 'Lily-white, pure Daenerys, the white savior of brown people' narrative. Miss me with that, all the way outta this universe. 
 In keeping with that notion, I haaaated that we had none of the brown people be a POV unto themselves. I didnt enjoy seeing them through the white gaze - aka Jorah Mormont, and flippin' Daenerys and all those other people who knew about Dothraki and others' customs, who were themselves not Dothraki or Others. I didn't like that none of the brown people seem to have taken a critical look at their customs/fought for change - that the only people who expressed outrage at rape nem was Ms. White Savior; that all the brown people simply went "but I see nothing wrong with slavery, or war, or rape-as-a-weapon-of-war, this is how we've always done things. Again, miss me with that crap. Like I said, as the book wore on, Daenerys and her ppl quickly became my least favorite setting/characters. 
 All in all, stellar effort went into producing a stellar narrative (except for Daenerys and her story arc). Bring on book 2!