A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin | Goodreads
@SympathysSilhouette This one star essay review of Game of thrones- with has 2089 likes is the most piercing criticism of the main flaws of the series. I don't agree with everything he says but I think he hits the nail on the head that Game of Thrones is really about enjoying worldbuilding and characters over plot and progression. I read some of the reviews for Feast and Dance and they say the plot moves even slower! than in Storm of Sword.
So GOT may be more like a high quality fantasy soap opera; it is more about enjoying the journey rather than expecting to be blown away from the saga as a whole once it ends, and all the pieces of the puzzle connect together. Perhaps this is why GRRM has writer's block.
"If you need some kind of closure, avoid this series. No arcs will ever be completed, nothing will ever really change. The tagline is 'Winter is Coming'--it's not. As the series goes on, there will be more and more characters and diverging plotlines to keep track of, many of them apparently completely unrelated to each other, even as it increasingly becomes just another cliche, fascist 'chosen one' monomyth, like every other fantasy series out there. If you enjoy a grim, excessively long soap opera with lots of deaths and constant unresolved tension, pick up the series--otherwise, maybe check out the show."