Up there with Ship of Magic, A Storm of Swords is one of the best books I've read all year. From the incredible set of point of view characters to the deepening magic of this world, I'm now finding myself thinking about lands of Westeros and beyond as I eagerly await picking up the next book in this series.

As I read A Storm of Swords, I was struck again by the simple and yet clever naming of this series. With a focus on magic re-entering Westeros from the North (Ice) and South (Fire), A Storm of Swords spins a compelling political tales as magic awakens and the song of the story begins to crescendo. Through this structure, Martin plays powerfully with dramatic irony. As a viewer, I'm screaming for people in this world to PAY ATTENTION to things besides the iron throne, which is frustrating in just the right way. The inclusion of a map of the world beyond the wall and of Valyeria in addition to two of Westeros helped to make this world feel all the bigger.

One of the praises I've heard this book receive is that every viewpoint character is compelling, so no matter what chapter is next, you'll be excited to read it. Particularly in the second half of the book, this statement held true for me. While Tyrion Lannister and Caitlyn Stark continue to be my favorite viewpoints

will we still get Caitlyn chapters now that she's dead but not really but can't speak?

, the introduction of perspectives from Samwell Tarly and Jaimie Lannister were fantastic. In addition to showing us  new complex worldviews, these new perspectives enabled different viewpoint characters to once again cross paths and for Martin to write chapters in the same place and the same time in a row while still changing perspectives. I still find Arya Stark to be the least compelling main character, but I think that is mostly because I continue to be confused by the magic that's going on in her story.

It's worth briefly mentioning that while less upsetting than in the first book, the sexual content in A Storm of Swords is still very present and continues to lean towards the male gaze. In addition, the violence in this book is, while not grossly written, probably more present than in any other book in the series so far.

Which transitions us directly to the plot. Plot beats from this story have entered the global cultural zeitgeist and for good reason.

While I had heard the term red wedding before, I imagined that it would refer to Geoffrey's wedding, and so I was shocked when it played out as it did

. A Storm of Swords has one of the tightest plots I've read in a long while and puts it to great effect to develop and complete wonderful character arcs.

With every move feeling balanced on a knife's edge this whole book, I cannot imagine myself stopping after this entry like I had initially planned to. While some have told me that A Storm of Swords feels like the end of a trilogy, I found it to open more doors than close, in a profoundly exciting way.