"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 against you" 
 4.5/5 
 I'm sure I don't need to explain the premise of this famously adapted novel, so I'm just going to list off a few reasons to read it if you haven't already: 
 1. The gory detail: 
 -Proceed with caution if you're squeamish. I don't particularly think of myself as a squeamish person but I fell nauseous reading certain scenes, twice. (It takes a lot to make me lose my appetite or physically react to a book so you're in for a treat if you like gory detail, if not - ignore this and continue reading) 
 2. The intricate world building: 
 -The world building is done in a way that gives you the necessary information when you need it, but it's not done in a way that you feel like you're being spoonfed. He laces information and reasoning perfectly throughout the story, so you're not expected to catch every ounce of history and alliance in one go. The world is vast and rich with culture and varying religions, it was interesting to see how it shaped the people of that kingdom. 
 3. The incredibly well written characters: 
 -There are a lot of characters sprinkled into this tome, but they all have their own voices and reasoning behind their actions or thoughts. Sometimes, when it comes to multiple pov you'll find some voices blur together, these characters don't. You always know exactly who's pov you're reading. 
 4. The strong females: 
 -I love the women in this series because they're written realistically, they're just as important as the lads. We have brave women that want to learn to fight, women that choose to look after their family, women that have a deep thirst for power, conniving women, women that want to marry for love, and women that won't take shit from anyone. 
 5. The characters that aren't the chosen ones: 
 -I'll just gloss over this one because I've been going on about characters for a bit now, but I am sick and tired of reading books solely focused on the chosen ones and how they can do no wrong. This book has outcasts which give a fresh perspective. We have an imp and a bastard that are fighting for what they want instead of being handed it. We also have flawed and morallly questionable characters. 
 6. The pacing: 
 -The length of this series is intimidating, it's a huge commitment. But this book flew by, it was fast paced and thrilling. You'll be surprised how fast it goes. 
 This could have been written better but I want to get onto the next one so... soz.