A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
First things first. I'm such a big fan of the HBO series A Game of Thrones. I can honestly say I may never have picked up the books if I hadn't watched the shows. If you're thinking "How can you watch the show and then read the books" I always try to read the book before the tv/movie, but I loved the show so much that I knew there had to be more details that I was missing, so I started A Game of Thrones about a year ago. Yes, a year ago! A Game of Thrones is over 800 pages in hardcover form, so it's not easy to carry around. I decided to get the e-book for my iPad, but I would only get like 10 pages and then a tweet/email/gchat would distract me.
Each chapter of A Game of Thrones is told from a different point of view so at first it was difficult keeping track of who was where. Reading A Game of Thrones was about studying the characters and how the book is different from the show. I found that the book and the show are really close, but you do learn more about the past and Ned's promises to his sister Lyanna. There are a number flashbacks and dreams that were never shown on the show that I'm glad I got to learn about. Some people only got creepier in the book. Yes, I'm looking at you Cersei Lannister! If you love the show and are looking for a fantasy novel then pick this one up! Don't let the size of the book or the hype deter you, it's a great read.
I loved A Game of Thrones so much that I started Clash of Kings, book two in the series. Interesting side note a number of YA authors are big fans of A Game of Thrones, the books and the show!