A dense book, and as always, A Song of Ice and Fire is entirely inaccessible from any point but A Game of Thrones.

The plots grow deeper, thicker, and more wide-ranging than ever before, as we flit back and forth between Essos and Westeros. It shows, where some characters appear to be cast aside (Bran, Jaime) as the book progresses, while others are expanded on (sometimes to no apparent value, like Cersei).

Cersei's chapters, I think he just wanted to write about breasts.

Jon Snow is dead. I despair.