This has been an insanely good read. Although written in a limited 3rd person narrative through different point of views of individual characters.
I'm not gonna spoil the plots or such so don't worry.
The story all takes place on a fictional land created by George R.R Martin, insanely intricate detailed maps are inside the book, as are the Houses of the Lords. Just like in medieval times, when you'd have paintings of bloodlines, the book has it all in the back, from the bloodline to the house's sigil. I.e Stark is a wolf, Lannister is a lion, Greyjoy is a Kraken.
I'll be perfectly honest with you, I found the story slow starting, and builds up as you gather more and more information about each house and the battle for the throne.
I highly recommend this for people who read alot, people with big imaginations. If you don't like fiction, such as Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, don't read this. You'd be wasting your time.
Favourite character in this is probably Tyrion Lannister. A dwarf, but he takes a special liking to 'broken' people. People with faults and flaws, as he can relate to them.
Lord Eddard Stark too, he's a very honorable man.
I loved the twist in the plots and the shocks you get throughout the book, its not typical save every character kinda book, and even though you find yourself sometimes thinking why on earth the author killed off a character, he manages to roll the story through and make it even better.
Probably a 4 out of 5 stars. Simply because it takes awhile to get into the story.
