Am I the only one who really enjoys ADWD?

[Damsel in Distress]

2 hours ago, Tagganaro said:

I actually love Q's chapters- they are greatly-written, he's a highly enjoyable and relatable protagonist, they have a clear theme and purpose, etc...but all that being said, why?  If GRRM is having trouble combining all these POVs into one book for AFFC/ADWD, why is he adding 4 chapters of a new POV that is entirely unnecessary?  When I say unnecessary, I mean that this could take place entirely off-page.  You already have Arriane's POV in which Quentyn's mission is somewhat revealed by Doran (add a half-page more to fully describe what he is doing if you need to) and then you have Dany's POV to pick up right when Quentyn arrives in Meereen.  The only thing you actually need Quentyn's POV for is his death scene, and why do you need to show that other than it's cool?  Even the stuff with the Tattered Prince which I assume will have some kind of payoff can be present in another POV like Dany's or Barristan's.  

Overall, that's my biggest issue with ADWD, even though I agree that I love it and think it is one of the better books in ASOIAF.  But if you could cut out a few POVs and maybe fit in the Battle of Ice into ADWD, it's even better.  

But yes, I think ADWD is great.  Jon's chapters are among my favorites in the series along with Theon's, and Tyrion's beginning and ending chapters I love (basically everything pre-Jorah and Penny and post-escaping from the Yellow Whale).  I love Tyrion's interactions with Connington, Faegon, and Lemore and Halfmaester on the Shy Maid as well as Illyrio and Brown Ben Plumm.  Dany's chapters do drag a lot for me (nothing unique to ADWD) I must admit, but they certainly stick the landing in her final chapter.  And Davos and Barristan are great POVs with some really memorable moments (the North Remembers and Barristan beating the shit out of that pit fighter).  

 

I will tell you what is unnecessary.   Arya's chapters.  Quentyn's chapters were more important because it is the character study of another suitor who failed to measure up.  Everybody wants the most beautiful woman in the world and her dragons.  But this particular suitor was not up to the task.  Quentyn's chapters perfectly fit the theme of "dancing with dragons" and the dangers inherent in playing with fire.  It is Arya's chapters that I found unnecessary but this may have something to do with the fact that I do not like her.  I also would have rather the scenes at the wall be condensed with the only important one with Snow Flake getting skewered for treason, (which could all have taken place in a couple of chapters instead of the excess that we got) and given more of those pages to Theon and Asha.  

Qyentyn's line is about a son who so badly wanted to please his father and it drove him to play with fire.  He may have a drop of Targaryen blood but not enough to make a dragon bond to him.  You have to know when to quit and Quentyn didn't.  He could come back to Dorne and the Martells can stay neutral.  But this is really about Quentyn competing with Arrianne for the right to succeed their father.  These Quentyn pages are the perfect prologue to the Arrianne chapters in the next book.  

[btfu806]

I liked ADWD a lot. I even liked AFFC, now it's not by any means the strongest book in the series (AFFC that is) but I still think it was alright. I was just happy to get away from Jon and Dany, really can't stand either of those characters in the series. Jon I at least started to not mind in ADWD, then the end happened...

[Starkz]

ADWD was a great book only thing was how it ended on a cliffhanger which hasn’t been revealed in almost a decade . Jon was just about to face off with Ramsay which would of been one of the most interesting reads in the entire series imo. 

[Count Balerion]

It's a problem with GRRM's writing in general, I suppose. There's a fair bit of fat. A lot of it is enjoyable fat, but is it good writing? I have to reserve a judgement until he finishes and I know whether the fat was worth it or not. If he doesn't finish, my judgement of FFC and DWD might be harsher.

[Makk]

It was my favourite of the series so far. Asos had the most action and craziest twists, but I really like the way dance slowly pulls itself into a more uplifting mood despite the onset of winter and how bleak things were before (from a Stark point of view)