At this point, everyone and their dog knows about Game of Thrones. If they haven't read the books or watched the TV show, they've at least had to listen to their friends and family droning on about the Red Wedding and Jon Snow and blah blah blah...

I feel like I'm flogging a dead horse, talking about it on here, but I promised I would review the books I have read, so review it I shall. In case you had any doubt, it's incredible. I'm not what you'd call an avid reader and the though of 780 pages of battles, rape and murder isn't really my literature of choice. I loved the TV show, and I mean loved it. The first few seasons (which are made up of the plot from Book 1) sucked me in to this fantasy world.

George R.R. Martin has this amazing talent of switching between the narrative of the characters to make to story flow seamlessly along. The world of Game of Thrones is vast with so many different families, houses, kingdoms, tribes and races, but Martin breaks it up into manageable chunks by switching between the perspectives of 7 of the main characters. Catelyn, Eddard, Arya, Jon, Tyrion and Daenerys are all of different ages, houses, histories and opinions and, by exploring each character's plot line, the author is able to describe the world in such depth without burying us in endless dull details.

We learn of the history of the Seven Kingdoms, of the Old Gods and the New, what lies beyond the wall and the feuds between great houses whilst falling in love with so many characters. Good old Georgey manages to slaughter almost every character you grow attached to within seconds of them finding a place in your heart. Even though I already knew what was going to happen, I still felt the wave of emotion sweeping over me as Ilyn Payne unsheathed Ice on the step of the Sept of Baelor. The way  George R.R. Martin writes makes the characters come alive.

Now, we all know how complicated the plot is and I can admit, I'm a little lost when it comes to who is claiming what in the show. But having it in words in front of you with a handy dandy map at the start of the book really helps you understand who the seven thousand different knights are and who their allegiances are to. Eve if you've seen the show, I'd still recommend reading the books. There's so many tiny little important details that are glossed over in the TV show that are emphasised in the books. READ THEM!!