I have to admit that I first didn't like it very much because of the last of characters in this book. But somehow George managed to make it good anyway.
Brienne character developes a lot, you learn all about her childhood and her fears and it makes a wonderful and tormented character that sometimes just want to go home and forget everything but she doesn't because she knows she must keep her promise to Jaime because she couldn't with Catelyn and that's stronger than anything else.
Jaime character is as tormented as always. He tries to be a good person and sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't. But the important thing is that he tries while before he didn't even think about it. He's the perfect example for character development. He's so dark and his darkest side is with Cersei but he shows another face to the people who insult Brienne and that's a lot for someone like him.
Cersei is as evil as always, if not worse. She's the wickest of all the characters in these serie. She excuses herself with the 'I do it for my children' phrase but she knows that's not enough anymore. Jaime and her are not the same anymore, she knows it as well as him. He's changed, he's a better person; while she's worse than she was before. If anything, it keeps being a great evil character.
Samwell is the best of them, probably. He never killed anyone but a wight, and he always thinks the best for people. Jon's command goes hard on him but he knows he cannot disobey him. He's story gets more interesting than ever and I'm glad for that because he's character has a lot to work on.
Arya story is the saddest. She never stops being alone with people she doesn't even know in a place she doesn't even know the language. But she knows she doesn't have anywhere else to go. Nobody will take her with Jon, Sansa is King's Landing or so she thinks and then the rest she believes dead. So Braavos is her best option. But there she will become in something that no one will stop, maybe for good and maybe for bad.
Sansa is safe. That's what we believe in the end of the last book. She has to be, she's with someone who loves her and takes power from that relationship. In a way she's better with Petyr, I can't deny it. But he's constantly abusing the poor child with kisses in her lips and then it's the sickly child Robert with his sickness and he loves Alayne too much. It's incredible how things can go so well but then there's always something wicked about it.
The Greyjoy's fight for the throne is truly violent. Asha is probably the best of them, but no one wants a woman to defend them. They're more dangerous than they seemed, more savajes. And they want power so badly that they could ruin everything...
House Martell is a chaos. The prince isn't listening and the Sand Snakes are like crazy for their father's dead and his daughter wants justice so badly... Arianne Martell makes a lovely character. I really like this family.
All in all, the ending was so surprising and good that I couldn't put less than five stars to this book. As ever, Martin is incredible.