I’m afraid I’m a little (alright, a lot!🙈) behind on my Game of Thrones reaction posts, but it’s time to talk about A Storm of Swords, the third book in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.Â
(You can read my reactions to A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings here and here).Â
Before you read any further, I’d like to take a moment to remind you all that this post is intended to be a discussion post aimed at those who have already read the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and will therefore contain spoilers.
So, my most surprising observation from A Storm of Swords is that it actually made me feel surprisingly sympathetic towards Jaime. My parents and boyfriend had warned me that this might happen, but I’d always insisted that my hated was too strong. In the end, it was Jaime’s point of view chapters that helped me warm to him, as certain revelations about his past made me feel as though his cold demeanour is more understandable, and I enjoyed his entertaining relationship with Brienne. I particularly enjoyed the way the relationship between Jaime and Brienne changed over the course of the novel, as they progressed from hating one another, to affording each other a kind of begrudging respect.
Now, if you’ve read A Storm of Swords or seen Game of Thrones on TV, I’m sure you’re waiting for me to discuss…THE RED WEDDING!!!
For context, all I knew about the Red Wedding before reading A Storm of Swords was that important characters died. I had no idea who was actually getting married, where the wedding took place, or which characters were involved. When I started the book, I knew that at least two weddings would occur, but I had no idea which one would be THE wedding. It’s safe to say that this made me rather tense!
As for the actual events of the wedding, I have to say I was taken by surprise. Despite my wishes for a family reunion (see my previous post💔), I didn’t expect all of the Starks to make it to the end of book three. However, I also didn’t expect Robb and Catelyn to die at the same time. Given Robb was a ‘king’, I’d expected him to die in battle… But that’s the beauty of the Red Wedding! Eventhough I knew it was going to happen at some point, when in the novel it occurred and who died was just totally unexpected.Â
Given the attention that’s usually paid to the Red Wedding, it’s easy to forget that  A Storm of Swords also features two other weddings. Most obviously, there’s Joffrey’s wedding to Margery Tyrell, which ends with him being poisoned during the feast. This was, quite frankly, my favourite moment of the entire novel.Â
Tyrion and Sansa Stark’s wedding, on the other hand, was much less pleasant. Being forced to marry definitely contributed to Tyrion’s downfall. (Speaking of which, I still love him, and have decided to write off his patricide as a bad day… ).Â
As for my predictions for the next novel… I’m ashamed to say that I’m publishing this post so late that I’ve actually already finished A Feast for Crows! However, the notes I made during A Storm of Swords show that I predicted that Tyrion wouldn’t feature much in book four, allowing Martin to keep readers trying to guess his whereabouts. I also felt sorry for Jaime, as A Storm of Swords sees him being faithful to Cersei, whilst she repeatedly sleeps with other men behind his back. I predicted that, should Jaime find out, this could have an interesting effect on their relationship in A Feast for Crows…
Do you agree with my thoughts on A Storm of Swords?
Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Em x