I enjoyed this volume of A Song of Fire and Ice primarily because of the scenes with Arya and Jaqen H’ghar. My favorite part of the world around Westeros is the religious traditions therein, and H’ghar introduces Arya to some of the basic tenets of the faith of the faceless men in this book.

Like the other books in the series, I found A Clash of Kings to be a little too graphic when it comes to depictions of sex and violence. It often seems excessive even when read as a de-bowdlerized Lord of the Rings.