Jon: I have to say, from what little we've seen of her, I actually like Val. I actually sort of wish that Martin had done a better job of dehumanizing the wildings, because the three or four we've seen the most of; Mance, Val, Ygritte, Tormund, are all pretty cool and honorable. I trusted and still trust all four of them, though warily, because I feel like he's trying to get across that we shouldn't trust them, since they have some different sort of wilding honor. Either way, the contempt that characters like Bowen Marsh show for the wildings has never come across the me as believable, and therefore all of Jon's choices regarding what to do about them have come across as very reasonable where I think we're supposed to see them as gambles. Oh well. It's amazing, and perhaps a little unbelievable as well, that Jon often comes across as the wisest character among a bunch of close-minded bigots. Duh, obviously of thousands of wildings die at Hardhome then they'll all turn into wights, and wights are a far more fearsome enemy. Even after the Fist of the First Men, are they really so blind to the dangers? Hm. Perhaps, but still, Jon being alone in his thoughts on this is tough to swallow.
Tyrion: I honestly feel like most of his chapters have been fairly well wasted thus far. I miss the Tyrion of the first three novels. With the exception of introducing Aegon in the first half of the book, I feel like Tyrion could have been left out entirely until he just appeared in Meereen, and with a halfway decent explanation, like "he'd been on a ship this whole time," I would have been fine with it as an alternative. Aegon and Jorah could have gotten their own point of view chapters, which might have proven far more interesting, since I've always wanted to get inside Jorah's head. He's really quite interesting, and I've missed him being around. I'm sure this is all set up for Tyrion to be awesome again next book, but seriously, people waited ten years in between Storm and now for this? Meh. I would even be okay with these do-nothing chapters if they explore his feelings more. His feelings towards Jaime have to be more complex than simply "I'm going to kill him," but we don't see that, or any of his plans, or any serious internal monologue of a fascinating character. Lots of wasted opportunities, if you ask me. Still, I look forward to him finally getting to Meereen, even as a slave, if it means he'll soon be able to interact with Dany.
The Turncloak (Theon): Pfft, Roose Bolton is certainly one to talk about the old gods 'loosing their wroth' on anyone. Stannis might be a zealot and a southron, but he's a hell of a lot more honorable than Roose, and I have a feeling the old gods respect that more at the end of the day...though I bet they'd be pissed about him burning a godswood or two here and there. Talk about your "damned if you do" choices for the old gods. Mance's ladies are clever for trying to get Theon to reveal the secret of his invasion, but really, it depended on stealth and small numbers. On the other hand, with all the snow, Stnanis might be able to get a few guys over the top to open the door. You really have to wonder every time a character gets near either a crow or a heart tree if Bran is somehow listening in, especially with all the references that characters make to feeling like they are being watched. It's interesting to see both a difference side to the Stark family, as Lady Dustin reveals some facts about Brandon and even Rickard, and we see a bit more how the north was never really one big happy family. It also shows the role that one bad turn can play. Lady Dustin didn't like being slighted or having her husband killed, so now she hates Starks. People aren't very forgiving of the consequences of war, just look at the Karstarks. I kind of wish we could meet Brandon. More and more I'd love to read the story of Robert's rebellion. I think it would be awesome to see everyone in their prime, and to be able to see Rhaegar in action. They've done a great job of turning him into a tragic hero of sorts, dying for the Mad King. Could be an awesome story, and hopefully a shorter one.
The King's Prize (Asha): I tend to agree with Asha regarding their chances of taking Winterfell. I have to imagine most of the northmen would abandon Roose as well, given the right impetus, but can they will they? And can Stannis provide that impetus? Can they even get there alive? You have to give Stannis a lot of credit for never falling for the crap prisoners tend to try and pull in this series. He doesn't buy Asha's feigned claims of loyalty for a second. He might not have Robert's ability to make a foe a friend, but he's no fool, and he's not likely to bite without a serious carrot. I also love every little mention of the northmen's loyalty to rescuing "Ned's little girl." In a world where loyalty is rarer than dragons, where people abandon causes as quickly as they join them, I get warm fuzzies whenever a character talks about their loyalty to the Starks even years after Ned was killed, even after the entire family is basically lost. Manderly was grasping at straws to find Rickon, and the mountain clans are willing to brave a blizzard at the chance of rescuing Arya. All too rare.
Daenerys: First off, interesting to see that Martell still claims that Dorne has 50,000 spears available. Given how everything north of Dorne has bled its strength off in these wars (except Highgarden perhaps), I can't imagine anyone having a chance at conquering Dorne from inside Westeros. They should be safe for a generation, and if they joined an invading army, they'd be powerful indeed. Nice to see that Quentyn made it safely to Meereen, and they went right about springing his marriage proposal, about as quickly as she shut it down. She really is committed to peace for Meereen and her wedding to Hizdahr. I have to give her credit for sticking to her guns, even as the reasons to leave for Westeros pile up around her, and really, Quentyn has made the best offer yet. She capped it off with the actual wedding. Things are really starting to come together in Meereen, but it's impossible to say where it will go from here.
For the first time in the book, I really feel like we're starting to get to the cusp of important events.
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