Characters wandering about the landscape, sometimes in circles. Plotlines unresolved while new characters are created and new plotlines set off. In one of them (can't remember which one now) it ends with a strange postscript explaining that the reason that so many previously important characters did not figure is because he could not find space for them in this vast tome, er, sorry about that. I have never seen anything like that in a book series. So why keep creating unnecessary new characters? It looks to me like the series had at one point a cataclysmic ending in view - Ice and Fire, the White Walkers coming down from the North and the dragons coming from the East, no doubt to meet in some Westeros Ragnarok. The trouble is that that doesn't fit well with the idea of a Wars of the Roses type feuding families and shifting alliances and that he got more interested in that.

If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review.

A new series from the author that brought us the steampunk series, London Steampunk, is now trying her hand at dragons in 1800s Iceland. This was a fresh spin on the dragon genre of paranormal romance and I liked Bec's take on the lore. The two main characters were strong and suited each other well. The plot developed nicely and slowly, and also kept the reader entertained. The conflict and villains varied in degrees of badness and not all bad guys ended up actually being bad guys, which kept it fresh and moving along. Freyja was a strong character and I am curious about her origins because Bec doesn't tell us in this book what her origins are though little teaser hints are dropped along the way. Watching Rurik work to win her was fun and their passion was good though I could have used more. Overall, this series definitely has potential and I am already wanting to read more about the dragons and Rurik's path towards returning home and confronting his uncle and mother. 

'He turned his head. Her eyes were only an inch away from his.

He wanted to kiss her, but instead he just said, 'Let's go.'

YES. Someone with common sense! there in a dangerous situation so you know whats a terrible idea? kissing passionately. you know what is a good idea, running like hell!!
How does a 14 (?) yr old boy, while fighting off all his teenage hormones have more brains in his head than every other female adult character i have read from?!? please tell me cause my mind is boggled right now.

Made me rather amused. 

What a fantastic, epic read. I was pretty much enthralled from the beginning. I enjoyed all the story lines and I liked seeing how these characters have grown and changed. Arya is still my favorite, Tyrion breaks my heart, Jamie is growing on me, I love Jon Snow, Davos has become a very interesting character and poor Sansa. They were some things that made me so happy

and things that made me so sad

. This author has spun a tale that has me 100% invested and I can't wait to see where it goes.