Let me start by pointing out what some might not know.  This book is half of the book that GRRM intended to write.  He took certain chapters from that book out to make this book and the rest will make up the next book.  Unfortunately, what he really needed to do was get someone to edit the original book down instead.

A Song of Ice and Fire is a series that is often layered in complexities, but so far the interesting stuff has come in such large doses that the complexity hasn't outweighed the interest factor.

I'm sorry to say that this book is more complex than interesting.  The amount of throwaway characters in the book is unwieldy.  There are over fifty pages of lists of the various factions and their associated personages in the back of the book and I really did need those at times.

There is a more narrow focus on the Westeros factions in this book with the Lannisters and Martells getting a lot of chapters.  Many of these characters and their followers share similar names or even sometimes the same names and then GRRM mixes names with titles and it starts to get even more headache inducing. All this would probably have been forgiven if the majority of the book held my interest, but often I found myself skimming over the listings of bannermen, nobles or followers trying to keep moving along.

Then there are the individuals we follow in this book.  Jaime and Cersei Lannister get a large share of this book and they are just damned annoying.  Jaime is screwed up over his hand being chopped off and his father dying and Cersei is just completely amoral and nuts as she takes over as Queen.  Their inner dialogue often gets repetitive and predictable, especially Cersei.

Brienne of Tarth also gets a large share of the book as she tries to search out Sansa Stark.  The problem is that we know she isn't going to find Sansa where she is looking, so often it seems like her plotline is going nowhere.

Sansa is still in the Eyrie with Littlefinger and not much happens there for most of the book.  Arya is in Braavos and her chapters are some of the more interesting ones, but she doesn't make up for the various Greyjoy family members we have to follow around in the book.  They just don't fill out as characters very well.  They're too one-dimensional.

Overall, there is a lot of plotting and maneuvering in this book and not much action.  There were several plotlines that just felt like filler in this one, plotlines that could have been summed up in a few lines of dialogue somewhere else. I'm afraid the book just doesn't hold together as well as the past books.  Except for Cersei and Jaime most of the characters never interact with each other, in turn the storylines feel very disconnected from each other.  Here's hoping the second half of this novel works better.
Let me start by pointing out what some might not know. This book is half of the book that GRRM intended to write. He took certain chapters from that book out to make this book and the rest will make up the next book. Unfortunately, what he really needed to do was get someone to edit the original book down instead. A Song of Ice and Fire is a series that is often layered in complexities, but so far the interesting stuff has come in such large doses that the complexity hasn't outweighed the interest factor. I'm sorry to say that this book is more complex than interesting. The amount of throwaway characters in the book is unwieldy. There are over fifty pages of lists of the various factions and their associated personages in the back of the book and I really did need those at times. There is a more narrow focus on the Westeros factions in this book with the Lannisters and Martells getting a lot of chapters. Many of these characters and their followers share similar names or even sometimes the same names and then GRRM mixes names with titles and it starts to get even more headache inducing. All this would probably have been forgiven if the majority of the book held my interest, but often I found myself skimming over the listings of bannermen, nobles or followers trying to keep moving along. Then there are the individuals we follow in this book. Jaime and Cersei Lannister get a large share of this book and they are just damned annoying. Jaime is screwed up over his hand being chopped off and his father dying and Cersei is just completely amoral and nuts as she takes over as Queen. Their inner dialogue often gets repetitive and predictable, especially Cersei. Brienne of Tarth also gets a large share of the book as she tries to search out Sansa Stark. The problem is that we know she isn't going to find Sansa where she is looking, so often it seems like her plotline is going nowhere. Sansa is still in the Eyrie with Littlefinger and not much happens there for most of the book. Arya is in Braavos and her chapters are some of the more interesting ones, but she doesn't make up for the various Greyjoy family members we have to follow around in the book. They just don't fill out as characters very well. They're too one-dimensional. Overall, there is a lot of plotting and maneuvering in this book and not much action. There were several plotlines that just felt like filler in this one, plotlines that could have been summed up in a few lines of dialogue somewhere else. I'm afraid the book just doesn't hold together as well as the past books. Except for Cersei and Jaime most of the characters never interact with each other, in turn the storylines feel very disconnected from each other. Here's hoping the second half of this novel works better.