I've been on a real Game of Thrones kick - watching the second season of House of Dragon got me inspired to read Fire & Blood, and that got me inspired to rewatch Game of Thrones, and then I decided I needed to reread the series. I read the first two or three books when I was in high school but never read the latter part of the series, and I'm really excited to dive in. This first book really is an exemplar of the genre: the world-building is tight and concise, we get perspectives from all the main characters, the pace moves fast, and there's just enough dread and tension. I remember being so shocked as a kid when Ned dies, but reading this book, you can see the multiple times Ned makes the wrong choice. I also have so much more sympathy for Sansa than I did when I was younger; her and Arya's disparate dispositions and fates are incredible examples of the boxes the patriarchy put them in and the few choices they had. Dany's story as always was my favorite and I wanted to get back to it (it also reminded me how much more violent the show decided to go with her storyline with Khal Drogo, and how much more rape they inserted in, which is gross), and Jon's storyline feels a little detached from the main arc, but that's the point. I can't wait to read the next one.