I'm disappointed. It's not a _bad_ book, but the previous books in the series were far better. Too much of "everything's bad -- oh, no, it just got worse". And people kept making huge mistakes that didn't feel true to their characters. (view spoiler)[The worst one was Daenaerys failing to train her dragons. But also daddy Bolton: "Hey, this marriage is incredibly important, and if the bride is unhappy I may lose important allies. So I'll just leave the bride completely in the hands of my sadistic son, instead of giving her separate living quarters, ladies in waiting and personal guards." Cercei also seems far to stupid for someone whith her background (defaulting on the loans to the Iron bank? She's been living and breathing politics her whole life, why would she make that mistake? (hide spoiler)] I'll read the next ones when they come, though, and hope they return to the high level of the earlier books.