A Game of Thrones

Title: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire- Book One)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Edition: Paperback (694 pages)
Date Read: January, 2013 - February, 2013

Rating: 10

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.
- Goodreads

My Review:

Let me just get this out of my system now: OH MY GOODNESS!!!

(A really good friend of mine just showed me these GIF things....Couldn't resist adding them!)
I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED this Book!!! I could totally sit here and be all screaming, swooning fan-girl for hours, but that just won't do so I'll spare you're eyes.

Because I can't tell you how much I loved this book without giving you all these spoilers, Here is a too the point, quick, why this is different and you'll love it list:
- Amazing Characters -hands down, the best, ever
- No set Villain
- Magic doesn't overwhelm the characters roles - there is magic in the world of Westeros but it's not major part of the story which is a lovely change
- Multiple Points of View - each chapter is a different character's perspective which lets you see what is happening on their side of the fence
- Several Stories going on at once - this can be a bit confusing, especially with the hundreds of characters but I found that was what made it so real and breathtaking, because just like in real life its not just one character making choices that change things, its an entire world of people.
- Strong Male and Female Characters
- Seamless, Flawless, Breathtakingly Beautiful Writing - George R.R. Martin is probably my new favorite writer, he is just aw-inspiringly amazing.
- Surprises EVERYWHERE - This is not a story that you see coming, its all about deceit and lies, literally Politics of ancient times but in the most amazing storyline.

Only warning:
     Rated R - lots and lots of sex, cursing and death. Not for the meek or young.
     Enormous Series - Each book is over 600 pages and so far there have been 5 released, though there is to be at least another 2 to be published in the future.

If you enjoy these kinds of things or are willing to put that aside, I can assure you it is well worth the effort. These books are magnificent, and you will simply fall in love with them.

 ***Spoiler Review***

Legend

Title: Legend (Legend - Book one)
Author: Marie Lu
Edition: Kindle
Date read: February, 2013
Genre: Dystopia, Fantasy, YA

Rating: 8

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
- Goodreads

My Review:
I had been looking at Legend for a few months now, but wasn't all sure if I really wanted to spend the 10$ to download it on my kindle and between homework and life I haven't had much time to read anything for fun in months anyhow. So this weekend when I finally came across some downtime I decided to try this book out and I am so glad that I did! It was just a lot of fun to read and full to the brim with action.

Legend is set in a future United States in the West, now know as the Republic, where they're warring against the colonies in the East. At fifteen, Day and June represent the lowest and the highest points of their society -- the most wanted criminal and the government's best soldier. In my own weird way I was kind of reminded of this Robin Hood/ Aladdin story. Day steals from the rich government to help the poor while June is the very top of society. After the death of her brother, Metias, the government uses June's anger and hunger for revenge to track down Day and bring him to 'justice', or so they tell her. June soon finds however that the perfect cause she was brought up to fight for may not be all it appears.

I had this love-wish-there-was-just-a-bit-more relationship with the characters. June was such a strong heroine for the story, even though there were moments when I found myself getting so frustrated with her narrow-mindedness though I completely see how it fit with the story. Day was wonderful and, unlike some other reviews I had read, I found his  voice in the story to be quite realistic and masculine. He's ridiculously kind and in touch with the hardships of life as the poor of the Republic, though at times he tried to be more stoic than he really was though multiple of the scenes where he was trying to provide for his family did pull at my heartstrings. Tess was an awesome character, though she ended up being much more minor than I had thought she'd be. I also kind of felt hanging on if she really did have a crush on Day or not. At first I was actually feeling quite bad that Day didn't like her more than a little sister figure, though I do think Day and June are great together. Metias sort of bothered me at first though as the background information fell more into place I found myself liking him more and more even though he did die so early on in the story. I really wish Day's family would have been more in-depth however. I felt like there could have been more to their story than just a way of getting Day to cooperate,though I was shocked and quite taken by his mother's fate and his brother John's sacrifice, which I think was one of the points that made the novel so compelling to read. I itching to get my hands on the next novel in the series so I can find out what happened to his younger brother.

I was a little taken aback with Day and June's characters though, just because they were so young and yet so important to the government in their own ways. I'm not really sure I minded their "super-power" likeness and being so unstoppable in a sense, though I do see how it put a bit of a scratch in the story. I did however keep finding myself seeing them as being older than 15, especially because their thoughts sounded so much older and their relationship seemed so much older. I was also a bit unsure of how I felt with June being such a rule breaker in the very beginning and yet held so strongly to being unwaveringly loyal, though I did like the tension of the "Will she believe him? Will she help him?" part of the plot.
The romance part of the plot was rather muted, which I really thought worked well when considering Day and June's personalities. I did however, again, find myself having an issue with their ages and did wish they were older. I just feel like that would have helped the whole story out. I'm also not so sure I liked their instant love attraction with each other, I was really reminded of the whole Romeo and Juliet storyline, though I do admit I was routing for the Soul-mate factor the entire time so I can forgive the rushing into a relationship. I suppose I was just hoping for a novel where they have to become friends first and then maybe in the second installment they could be all proclaiming love....maybe I'm just old-fashioned like that though.

I really did enjoy this book though. It was a lovely, quick read that let me escape into this fun, fast-paced, action filled world where I didn't have to analyze what the author was trying to tell me or what strategies they were using and how I could write an essay on what rhetorical strategies the author was using...(can you tell I'm tired of AP. Eng. Comp. yet?)
I would definetly recommend this to anyone, and can't wait to read the second book, Prodigy, in the near future!

Favorite Quotes:

“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.”