A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

** spoiler alert ** This series is only getting more enthralling! I was a bit worried as I continued on I would become bored since I have already watched the show. That is definitely not the case! The books have all of the characters I have grown to love, but as is often the case, there is so much more inside! The things I found most intriguing that weren't featured in the show weren't actually huge aspects of the book either. The first only occurred in the prologue: Patchface. Although he isn't a character in the show, I have a feeling he is going to prove to be important later on. His songs are fascinating, and when researching him online, I found a fascinating blog digging a bit deeper into the songs he sings. If you remove the sea aspect of them (he says "under the sea" because that is where his life changed completely...just like Melisandre says "through the flames" when making her predictions), they are actually accurate predictions of events that occur much later on (if you haven't read or seen the entire series yet, do not look this up because there are MAJOR spoilers). Once again this is a testament to Martin's fascinating ability to make even the most seemingly minor characters important. Another thing I found fascinating that didn't occur in the show was the addition of Ramsay Bolton switching identities with his servant Reek...it shows us an even deeper glimpse into his brilliant yet sadistic nature. We also get a deeper glimpse into Roose Bolton's nature, which is nonetheless fascinating in spite of his evilness. I can't bring myself to feel any sympathy for Theon despite what I know his future holds because he is such a stupid, cowardly traitor! I am excited to see how his sister plays out in the books, however. One thing I really missed in this book was Daenerys. We don't get enough chapters from her perspective in my opinion, but I'm excited to see her continue to be a badass moving forward. I continue to love the chapters with perspectives from different characters, and love how Martin plays with our emotions and changes who we side with depending on whose perspective we get. This is perhaps Tyrion's book more than any other character. We truly see the depth of his brilliance in his role as hand of the king, but also see his softer side and how desperately and fiercely he loves and longs to be loved, both by his family and Shae. I believe his love for Tysha was genuine, making it all the more heartbreaking, especially considering what his father did to him! I liked seeing his relationship with Bronn and Pod develop as well. This book was perhaps even more violent then the first, and we aren't left with a lot of hope, so I'm taking a small intermission before beginning book 3. Despite its darkness, I still adored this book and am excited to see how the series further expands upon this world I have come to love so much!