So my friend is taking a break from ASOIAF "because it's just too depressing"

[Jayce]

So if we had 5 books of bad how can 2 books of good be balanced? I expect some good good.

Whatever we expect, we simply wont know until we read it, will we?

[Alisa]

Yes, it can be depressing. I am most bothered by the fate of the common folk: Pia, the innkeeper's daughter, the orphans at the inn with Gendry, the people killed/tortured by Clegane.

Those are the ones that get to me too. It's often the people we don't hear much about, just enough to disturb me, that I find myself dwelling on - Tysha, Ramsey's victims, Elia, Pia, the Inkeeper's daughter etc.

[I can't think of one]

It's proof of skill in writing when all these completely fictional characters in a completely fictional world can make people genuinely upset. To be able to attach yourself to a character/s, or to hate them and take pleasure in their death (I'm sorry to say that I have done this in Joff's case) is a mark of awesomeness in GRRM's writing. I'm not saying he's the best writer ever but I am saying that in choosing to make the books so realistic and the characters so multi-faceted (is that a word? Sorry if it's not) he's made fans and emotional messes out of the best of us. He's shown some true talent.

That's enough to make me appreciate all the bad stuff.

Though I have to admit, the RW made me cry and put down the book.

[Sworn Shield]

I wasn't surprised by Robb dying as he was the king of The North and Riverlands (so pretty important), but was the only Stark not to be a POV character. So I always suspected he was going to die, but I thought that he would die a hero saving The North in some massive battle. I probably would have puched GRRM if was in the room after I read the RW and Arya took a axe to the head (didn't realise at the time it was the blunt end).

What really sent me over the age was to nearly giving up was 1) The RW, 2)Oberyn Martell dying and Tyrion looked as though he was about to be killed and 3) After Jon had saved the Wall it looked as though Janos Sylnt was going to hang him as a deserter. After those 3 incidents I decided I was giving up and threw my book across the room, although after an hour curiousity kicked in and kept going.

[rmholt]

To be able to attach yourself to a character/s, or to hate them and take pleasure in their death (I'm sorry to say that I have done this in Joff's case) is a mark of awesomeness in GRRM's writing.

Though I have to admit, the RW made me cry and put down the book.

GRRM specifically mentioned Joff as being a real <expletive> but did say he wanted to make him human at the end, a frightened child, which he did. And the RW was so difficult he left it for last.

[Alisa]

Even at the end I didn't see the human side of Joffrey, the mortal side maybe, but not the humanity. He taunted Tyrion until the very end and I cheered (internally at least) when he croaked it.

[rmholt]

Even at the end I didn't see the human side of Joffrey, the mortal side maybe, but not the humanity. He taunted Tyrion until the very end and I cheered (internally at least) when he croaked it.

Maybe that was the best GRRM could do.

[Jolene Brown]

I thought the way we saw Joffrey through Tyrion's eyes was well-done - Cercei was genuinely grieving, and Tyrion realized that he had "Jaime's eyes," and at that point, he loves Jaime, so for this dying child to remind him of the brother he loves... it's moving, even though I was certainly not sad that Joffrey was dead.

[carmela28]

GRRM specifically mentioned Joff as being a real <expletive> but did say he wanted to make him human at the end, a frightened child, which he did.

Agree; he did make Joffrey somewhat "human" at the end. The description above is exactly what I saw: a frightened child fully aware that he is dying. Of course, nothing about the manner of his death changes the fact that he was a real <expletive>. I thought that Joffrey's death was well-done.

[smallfolktypeperson]

I did feel some pity for the dying child, but I have to admit it wasn't until the second or third read. I was reading too quickly the first time to see if he made it or not, and when he didn't I felt exhultant, which didn't make me feel too proud, but he was such a little prick!