Game of Thrones

I will freely admit that a friend got me hooked on the show a few months back and when I ran out of episodes to watch I immediately jumped to the book series. Just like with Attack on Titan, I was looking to find out what happened next. I also wanted to know how the two compared. Wow, they are so incredibly similar that it really is like HBO brought the books to life.

I wont give away any spoilers by telling you where the book ends in comparison to the series, but I will say that more than just season one is in this first book. Sh, that's all you're getting.

So, in case you have absolutely no idea what these books or the show are about (because you are cozy under your rock) I will try and give you the briefest overview:
Martin created a vast world where most of the land is united under a King with Lords that have sworn fealty to him. This first book starts with King Robert making the trip north to Winterfell to ask his old friend (and almost brother-in-law) Eddard Stark to be his right hand man, the Hand of the King to be exact. Meanwhile, across a sea are the last two members of the Targaryen family, the former rulers of the kingdom before they were overthrown by Robert. Viserys, the brother, is trying to amass an army to help take back his throne, only things are not going his way.

So much goes wrong, chaos fills this world as people betray others, families fight, and the common people kind of get stuck in the middle of it all. And all the while Winter, a years long frozen season, is coming, bringing bad things from the North.

Martin weaves an incredibly complex tale aptly titled that resembled a very intense game of chess. There are a few good guys, plenty of bad guys, and even more people with intentions that are so muddled I am not sure how Martin himself kept them all straight.

I do have to warn you, there is plenty of inappropriate moments throughout the book as well. Scenes of gore that made me a little sick and other...intimate moments that made it a little awkward since I was listening to the book on my phone. It is also a long read. Something like 50 hours on audio that took me a full month to listen to.

All that being said, I think this is an incredible read! If high fantasy, intrigue, plot twists, are your thing, this book will fill your heart with glee. Right before someone you like dies, but that is a risk you won't mind taking because there will be someone new to love!

Pick this one up! Let me know what you think! Or if you have seen the show, let me know too, I love fangirling over it with people!

Cinder

September: eBooks/Audio book

A friend of mine has been a huge fan of this series since the first one came out and has been hounding me to pick them up. I'm pretty sure the only reason she gave me access to her Audible account was so that she could take away my last excuse for not reading them. And now I owe her an apology for putting it off for so long. This book was fantastic!

As I am sure you can tell from the title and cover art, Cinder is a retelling of the Cinderella story. But this one is unlike any you have ever heard. For starters, Cinder is a cyborg. That's right, our leading lady had metal limbs that she hides from everyone around her because of the unveiled contempt people feel toward the half-humans int heir midst. But that part of her sure comes in handy when one of Cinder's stepsisters contracts a deadly plague and Cinder is signed up as a research volunteer to help find a cure. Throw in a prince that needs the renown mechanic, again Cinder, to work on an android of his caring valuable information but has no idea what Cinder is, and you have a story wrought with opportunities for everything to go wrong. And so of course it does.

This story does not have a happy ending. In fact it has no ending because Meyer continues Cinder's tale into the next book, but that is another post. What this story does have is humor that will have you laughing out loud, a love story that is endearing and awkward, intrigue that will have you on the edge of your seat, and a villain you will despise for all the best reasons.  Not only am I going to encourage you to pick this one up and read it right now, but I am going to heavily suggest that you have the next book on standby so that you don't have to wait to know what happens next. (I am already 4 chapters into it.) Even more, I am going to nudge you to listening to the book on tape because the narrator does an amazing job!

In every way this book was wonderful. So go read it!