*GUSH* 4.5-5 stars. 
 I loved this. Firstly, George R. R. Martin's writing is gorgeousss (I ate it up). Honestly, some of his 'scenes' were so beautifully described I felt Iike I was floating on a cloud of happiness. And his attention to detail was just impressive to be honest. It added so much depth and world-building that the book felt real. I have to admit, though, at sometimes it was a bit hard to follow along as it's the first book and there are so many new characters that you are being introduced to. That being said, it's nothing that google/the appendix can't fix. 
 Speaking of characters, I reaaalllllly enjoy the way they are built up. You get a really solid idea of the main characters and the ones that you read in their POV, but you still get enough intrigue with other characters who remain a mystery to you. I loved the character dynamics between Ned & Arya, and Syrio & Arya, and Robb & Cat, and Jon & Jeor, the the direwolfs, and Bran & Osha and Daenarys & Drogo... I honestly could go on forever about the characters and their relationships. Not going to lie, there are some downright frustrating characters, but it's so nice to be frustrated by them as if they are real people rather than having frustration because of the way they are written or the lack of believability surrounding them as a character. This whole world and it's people didn't seem unbelievable at any point in time and for that it deserves all the credit. 
 My only complaint is that the book is quite dense and also it's long so it will take you a really long time to get through, but honestly I enjoyed every second of reading it so... Oh and finally, really solid end to the book (I NEED THE NEXT ONE NOW). 
 So... if you haven't read this yet (whether you like the tv show or not - I didn't really get into it before reading the book, but now I'm hooked) READ IT.