What was your "hook" into the series?

[Aderyn]

I was one of those ppl who were first introduced to the TV show. I got hooked pretty much immediately, however, I think the twincest scene and Bran the kid being pushed out the window (two 'taboos' happening in the same scene) was what made me swear that I would follow this series till the end. 

Then later on, when I started reading AGoT, I discovered even more reasons to like the series. The book prologue was even better than on screen, the narrative was so capturing and interesting. The vaguely threatening presence of magic and mystery fascinated me hugely and I realised that this is going to be one of those fantasy series where the role of magic is limited in a good way.

It was clear already with the show that the worldbuilding was excellent (god I was so excited when I saw the map in the opening titles for the first time) and the characters, both major and minor ones, had so much depth to them. Realising that there probably isn't going to be just one hero and one villain in the story was a welcome change. Instead, you get an endless amount of grey characters and, like someone here said earlier, bad things happening to good people and vice versa. Getting a chance to see the story told from so many PoVs was also what made me want to turn the page every time.

 

[Lion of the West]

For me it was the characterizations and then the unconventional and realistic storylines. When Eddard was executed and Robb declared King in the North I was hooked because then I knew that I wouldn't be fed off-the-mill fantasy cliches for a couple of hundred pages.

[Faint]

“I looked for you on the Trident,” Ned said to them.

“We were not there,” Ser Gerold answered.

“Woe to the Usurper if we had been,” said Ser Oswell.

“When King's Landing fell, Ser Jaime slew your king with a golden sword, and I wondered where you were.”

“Far away,” Ser Gerold said, “or Aerys would yet sit the Iron Throne, and our false brother would burn in seven hells.”

“I came down on Storm's End to lift the siege,” Ned told them, and the Lords Tyrell and Redwyne dipped their banners, and all their knights bent the knee to pledge us fealty. I was certain you would be among them.”

“Our knees do not bend easily,” said Ser Arthur Dayne.

“Ser Willem Darry is fled to Dragonstone, with your queen and Prince Viserys. I thought you might have sailed with him.”

“Ser Willem is a good man and true,” said Ser Oswell.

“But not of the Kingsguard,” Ser Gerold pointed out. “The Kingsguard does not flee.”

“Then or now,” said Ser Arthur. He donned his helm.

“We swore a vow,” explained old Ser Gerold.

Ned’s wraiths moved up beside him, with shadow swords in hand. They were seven against three.

“And now it begins,” said Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. He unsheathed Dawn and held it with both hands. The blade was pale as milkglass, alive with light.

“No,” Ned said with sadness in his voice. “Now it ends.”

[Lord Jeffrey]

I started reading in 2011. Unless I'm mistaken, the books hadn't been published in Brazil prior to the HBO series as the only editions I can find date back to 2011. At the time I'd gotten hold of an HBO GO password and was about to watch the first season when a friend of mine lent me the book and said I should read it first.

I enjoyed the story from the very first chapter, as it was unlike anything I'd read so far (truth be told I hadn't read anything out of my own free will for about 6 years) but I didn't become hooked until Robb called upon his bannerman to march south. There was something about that specific part that turned that book from a "cool LOTR-like story" to a portal to Westeros which I simply did not want to cross back.

To illustrate my point, it took me about 3 weeks to get to that point in the story and 3 days to read the rest of the book.

The book turned me into a voracious reader and I've read so many amazing books since finishing ADwD that even if the story comes to a crappy ending I'll still be grateful I decided to take my friend's advice and read AGoT.