Whattt there’s so much gratuitous violence and suffering in ASoIaF, it’s one of the most depressing series I’ve ever read. (And I mostly read adult sci-fi & fantasy, not YA or whatever.) I dropped it after the Red Wedding scene iirc because it felt like there was just no way for any main character to have a happy end after that trauma and grief :/ And I still remember the scene where they locked someone in a tower, and she was starving so much she chewed her own fingers off. Not grimdark, my ass.

(Sorry for the rant, but ASoIaF was one of my most negative literary experiences, so it’s a touchy topic 😅)