Cover via Goodreads.
Rating: 4/5 stars.
At this point I’ve learned that George R.R. Martin writes in waves. Even though this probably isn’t how real science works, I visualize his plot structure as a giant tsunami: he adds little oscillatory currents that contribute to a huge tidal wave, which eventually crashes down and drowns us all in the most beautiful and devastating way. Though this might sound like how all books function – with a rising action leading up to a climax – Martin spends so much time developing and honing the rising action of his story that the inevitable climax calls for a great deal of praise.
Like A Clash of Kings, A Feast for Crows serves as the buildup of the tsunami. We see the aftermath of the destruction and chaos in A Storm of Swords with about only half of the characters: Cersei and Jaime, Sansa and Arya, Brienne, Samwell, and a few more. Not only do the separated pieces from the last book start to coalesce, but new divisions form, ones that will take a lot to tie together.
Martin’s characters earn A Feast for Crows its acclaim. Besides the strenuous situations they find themselves in, their complexities still capture my attention with every page: how Jaime’s honor hurts him more than it heals him, how we derogate Cersei for her actions while detesting the patriarchal system that motivates so many of her actions, how Sansa and Arya both adapt new identities to shield themselves, and more. When these characters interact, all the nuances and twists come together in unexpected and ingenious ways.
Recommended for fans of the first three books of the series. Even though this one is a bit slow, it adds plenty to the characters, and I’m confident Martin will capitalize on this development in future installments.
the quiet voice 
I’m glad you liked AFfC! I also found it slow, and actually I haven’t finished it yet. I put it aside for a few months so I could read other books.
I hope you return to it eventually if you want to! Perhaps your time was better spent reading those other books, though. Thanks for reading and commenting. (:
Arya is my favourite TV show character… I’m so tempted to start the books to see if I like her so much on paper! Great review, I like the tsunami analogy, as someone who has yet to read a GoT book it made the huge page counts seem worthwhile. (Every time I see the books I picture huge lists of ships and supplies like in Homer’s Iliad, then I slink away, lol.)
I hope you enjoy the books if you decide to read them! On a somewhat similar note to what you wrote, I’m tempted to watch the TV show just to see how they portray some of my favorite characters in the books. Your vision of the ships and supplies doesn’t surprise me; it’s rather fitting, considering a certain character in the story who I will not name. Thank you for reading and commenting!