Title: A Clash of Kings (Song of Fire and Ice #2)

Author: George R.R. Martin

Publisher: Bantam 1999

Genre: Epic Fantasy

Pages: 1009

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Genre -- Epic Fantasy; TBR Pile; 52 Books -- W18; Bingo -- 5 from Everyone But Me

How I Got It: I own it

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

I am devastated by this book.  After taking my time, I finally finished it this morning and I am speechless.  I did not see all the twists and turns coming.  I did not see all the deaths coming, and there were a lot.  Martin has created a world full of interesting people and places.  I loved reading more about his world.  I loved the sweeping scenery.  I even loved the battle scenes.  They were written beautifully.  Overall, I am just in awe of this series.  After finishing, I rushed onto Amazon and bought the next book.  Can't wait to continue the series and find out what happens to some of my favorite characters...

A Song of Fire and Ice:

1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. A Storm of Swords
4. A Feast for Crows
5. A Dance with Dragons
6. The Winds of Winter