-t:

I know - I'm guessing that Bran can use the ravens and the heart trees to communicate with the other Stark kids. I'm hoping that Melisandre can do something to actually bring Jon back: I don't want a zombie!Jon. There are unicorns on Skagos? How did I miss that?? I was hoping we'd get an Osha pov but you know Davos' pov on Rickon should be good. I'm also guessing that Davos will be good for Rickon. (Being an experienced father of boys.) I was sad for Quentin and not sure why we spent so much time on his little red herring story. And I've been wondering where Aurane Waters is. . . how long does it take to get to Meereen from King's Landing?

And I have to say that reading GRRM's descriptions of Jorah Mormont cf the tv Jorah is distracting. They are so different.

And it is very interesting to see Jorah from Tyrion's pov. New rumors: Penny and her brother are the kids of Tyrion and Tysha (despite Penny's story about her father).

I still find myself shocked that I read the whole thing in one night.

I am worried about how or if Jojen and Meera are getting back to their Dad. I had a thought that if he can find a break in the collection of dead things around the cave that Bran should send Summer to look for Ghost. . . and then for Nymeria.

I'm impressed/jealous of all you people who've finished ADWD! I decided too late that I should reread the first 4 to refresh my memory, so I've just (re)started A Clash of Kings.

I started my reread early enough that I finished AFFC with about two weeks to spare. Which I thought was a mistake - but now I'm glad that's how it worked out.

I finished AFFC on Monday and got ADWD that evening, so that was perfect. And then I tried to be deliberate and keep reading ADWD at the same pace I'd been doing the reread (a couple hundred pages a day) because I was picking up details at that pace but making good time, but pretty soon I was just reading all the time whenever I could, must find out what happens next.

One night, sumi? Wow!

That is a good point about Davos being good for Rickon. I feel bad for Dorne, nothing they do works like they want it to. I am intensely curious about what Asshai and the Shadow are all about and why they might care about Daenarys. I don't think I like the Penny rumor. Jojen seems doomed (I mean he seems to think he is doomed and he is usually right, so) but I am hoping Meera isn't. A) she is fantastic and B) I really want to meet Howland Reed. Oh, how good would it be to get the wolves reunited? Very good.

There were fleeting mentions of unicorns, I think not just fanciful or heraldry-related. I may be wrong in putting them on Skagos but that's what I remember.

Oh yeah, I seriously upset my sleep schedule. I don't know when I went to bed Tuesday night - but I did. However, I was sooo tired that I had coffee at noon and therefore, did not sleep Wednesday night leaving me exhausted on Thursday. Thank goodness we're in Summer hours and I didn't have to work on Friday.

So I finished Specials yesterday. I don't know about this series. I know the comparison is unfair, but all I can think is, "This isn't The Hunger Games ." It may be objectively exciting, but it's not subjectively exciting. Even when cool things seem to be happening, I'm not really into it. And Tally is a maddening protagonist. She does have her badass moments, though.

I wasn't even sure if I would read Extras, but since it's not about Tally, maybe I'll like it more. I'm a little interested to see what the world is like post-trilogy; the ending resolution felt a little rushed.

So I finished Specials yesterday.

I'm still angry about Zane. I own my dysfunction. I just loved him and have no use for David (wait, was that even his name? Daniel? you know, dude from the Smoke who all the girlies loved).

I know the comparison is unfair, but all I can think is, "This isn't The Hunger Games ."

I think if I read the Uglies/Pretties/Specials trilogy for the first time *after* The Hunger Games, it would pale in comparison. On the other hand, Westerfeld doesn't bludgeon the reader to death with the message that War! Is! Bad! No! Really! I! Mean! BAD!!!

I also think he is much better at worldbuilding than Suzanne Collins is.

I wasn't even sure if I would read Extras, but since it's not about Tally, maybe I'll like it more. I'm a little interested to see what the world is like post-trilogy; the ending resolution felt a little rushed.

I was really iffy about it for the first quarter or so, and then I got sucked in.

The Westerfeld books that I *really* love, though, are the Midnighters books.

I'm still angry about Zane. I own my dysfunction.

Yeah, that was sad.

I just loved him and have no use for David (wait, was that even his name? Daniel? you know, dude from the Smoke who all the girlies loved).

David, yep.

I think if I read the Uglies/Pretties/Specials trilogy for the first time *after* The Hunger Games, it would pale in comparison.

Near the end, I wondered whether my issue was the POV. Maybe it would have been more effective in first-person.

I also think he is much better at worldbuilding than Suzanne Collins is.

I still don't understand this. I thought Collins's worldbuilding was great, and I thought this world was a little too simplistic in the way it painted the human race. It was just operation after operation and brainwashing after brainwashing. I thought the Hunger Games world was more complex and interesting, although I did find some of the ideas about standards of beauty, social hierarchy, and our Rusty way of living that Westerfeld played with cool. It was subtler than I expected.

I think I went in expecting something very different from this series than what I got, so it just bugged me the whole time, even thought what I got was still pretty good.

I was really iffy about it for the first quarter or so, and then I got sucked in.

That's good to know, thanks.

-t - about Skagos - you're right about the unicorns. Apparently, that information comes from one of Jon's dreams.

I so totally need to reread.

BTW, did you think that it's possible that Ashara Dayne's lover was not Ned but Brandon Stark? Apparently, there is some speculation on this topic.

sumi, yes I was starting to think that about Ashara Dayne. Brandon was a player. Though I partially want her to have liked Ned better, in the Young Ned and Friends drama in my head.

I'm firmly in the Jon is really Lyanna and Rhaegal's kid camp, too. And I'm tinfoil hatting my way to think they got married somehow because Targaryens can be bigamous as well as incestuous so he's a legitimate heir

edited for wayward apostrophe