As a huge fan of both George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and the HBO series Game of Thrones, I’m extremely ecstatic (and sad) about the upcoming final season. The books and show are one of my favorite things to talk to others about, and I decided in honor of the premiere coming soon, I will be posting a fun Game of Thrones inspired post every on various Sundays before the first episode airs and throughout the season. If you’re a fan of either of the show or books, please chat with me in the comments with your thoughts and opinions!
For my first post, I’m so excited to talk about all of my favorite characters! The great thing about Game of Thrones / ASOIAF is all the different characters present: good, bad, and every shade of gray in-between. There are many POVs in the books (and on the show) that I enjoy reading/watching, but don’t particular hope they succeed in their endeavors. And then there are other characters whose storylines I cannot get enough of and wish all the happiness in the world for (HA. We all know GRRM by now).
SANSA STARK
My Queen in the North. All I want is for her to end up alive, happy, and surrounded by her loved ones in Winterfell. The amount of hate she gets is not only completely unwarranted and uncalled for, but extremely upsetting and frustrating. People are always so surprised when I tell them she’s my absolute favorite. Must of her hate stems from the fact that she’s a female character that is not oversexualized in the show but is also not a “fierce, warrior” type woman, and so they believe her to be useless – despite the fact that she is sharp, intelligent, kind, and arguably the character with the greatest character growth. People blame her for her idealistic, naive behaviors/thoughts she had when she was a CHILD and continue to hold it against her. The fact that is 2019 and there are still so many people who think she deserves all the abuse/rape/trauma that has happened to her is sickening and you can miss me with that bullshit. 
JON SNOW
Given my track record with favorite male characters, you may be surprise to learn that I didn’t like Jon Snow at first. It actually took me until season 4/5 until I really began to like his character. While reading the books, however, he was quickly one of my favorite POVs to read. BookJon and ShowJon have many similarities, but BookJon is a bit more harder and possesses a more questionable sense of honor than in the show – and I kind of dig it. His chapters also helped me appreciate his show character so much more, and it has made a tremendous difference. The last couple of seasons, besides Sansa he is the one character I treasure and hope all the best for.
CERSEI LANNISTER
Let me preface this by saying I do not like Cersei Lannister, but she is a fantastic character – book and showise. In the show, Lena Headey does such a marvelous job with her character. While I never want her to succeed in her schemes, she is just so damn entertaining to watch. In the books, I still despise her as a person and pray for her demise, but I’d be lying if I said her chapters aren’t some of my absolute favorite to read. Cersei’s mind is so interesting to be inside of: she’s diabolical, manipulative, and vain. A Feast for Crow was the most boring book of the series for me, and one of the only redeeming qualities was all of the Cersei chapters.
ASHA / YARA GREYJOY
Asha – known as Yara in the show – is such a badass female character and I love following her! She’s an easy character to root for and I really want her to claim the Seachair in the Iron Islands. Throughout both the books and the show, she has proved herself to be a strong, intelligent, courageous woman. I’m still making my way through A Dance with Dragons, but I’m excited that there will finally be more chapters from her POV! 
ARYA STARK
She’s about as opposite as you can get from her sister, but I really enjoy her character. Throughout the story, Arya has gone through some really tough shit. I’ve enjoyed watching her grow as a character immensely, and I absolutely love every time she gets revenge on someone. She was so close so many time to reuniting with different members of her family; it was both heartbreaking and extremely frustrating. I was ecstatic when she finally made her way home to Winterfell.
DAENERYS TARGARYEN
She is such a fascinating character, and I’ve really enjoyed reading and watching her transition into an anti-hero as the time has gone on. As with Cersei, I don’t necessarily like her as a person, but I love being in her mind. Even though there a lot of things she does that I don’t agree with and that make her a borderline villain, there are a few situations in which I rooted for her and applauded her success. There’s no denying the fact that Daenerys sets out to do good, and yet the way she gets things done is not always right or just. Do I want her to ultimately sit on the Iron Throne? Gods, no. Have I enjoyed watching her journey to the throne? Hell yes. 
Thanks for reading! Do you watch or read Game of Thrones? Who are your favorite characters? If you enjoyed this post let me know below and be sure to look for my next Game of Thrones themed post next Sunday!
Paws & Paperbacks 
Of course, I watch Game of Thrones! 🙂 I read the first 3 books. my favorite character was Shireen, Stannis’ daughter. She was pure and innocent, and her love for the Onion Knight touched my heart.
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Shireen is such a great character! I really love her and her relationship with Davos as well!
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Honestly, everyone that loves Sansa Stark has to be a good person 🧡
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Aww thanks so much! I seriously question people when they say they hate her. I just got in a huge argument with coworkers about her 😂
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Ohh I love this idea! Can I do this on my blog too? 🙂 Anyways, I love Sansa too, I think she’s super underrated and doesn’t deserve all the hate she gets 😦 I agree that she was a child in the early seasons, then her self-preservation kicked in and she did what she had to to survive in King’s Landing and beyond. I think she’s one of the best character and I agree, has the best character growth!
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Oh yes of course you can do it as well! I would love to read your posts! And yes, the hate for Sansa is so sad and completely underserved. Jon acted just as naive early on but everyone loves him and ignores his faults.
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OMG do I love GOT?! Of course. I am currently on the rewatch of the shows and have just reached the last season. Your favorites are spot on, except Cercei. I seriously hopes she gets the ax. Granted she is a good character but the things she does, I just want to stab her myself. I plan to read the books when the show is over.
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Oh, don’t get me wrong, I completely hope she gets killed as well! I just really enjoy reading from her diabolical mind 😂 I’m really glad I watched the show before I began reading the books, I truly feel like it helped me understand them a bit better. I hope you enjoy them after this season ends!
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I love this post! I just started rereading the series and it’s so interesting reading about the characters, knowing how far they’ve come. My favorites are Arya, Jon, Sansa and Daenerys ❤️
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Thank you! You have some pretty great favorites 💕I love reading about their journeys, and I really hope GRRM doesn’t abandon the books 😩
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You love Sansa Stark! That’s already worthy a follow!!
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Love this post! Sansa is one of my favourite characters in both books and show- I don’t understand the hate she gets, and it really bothers me that D&D seem to think that rape is the only thing that can make a female character strong or interesting… Cersei! Another fantastic character, one of the things that worked about season 7. I don’t know how I feel about Jon Snow, I mean I love his chapters in the books but all the stuff that happened in season 7 just makes me laugh whenever I see him on screen! My favourite character in both show and books is Barristan Selmy and I am still angry as to how he was treated in the show. I’m currently writing a series of posts about my misgivings with the show and he is next on my list! I have so far written about season 7 and the season 8 trailer. and OH MY GOD you love Asha Greyjoy- she is my pirate queen. A Feast for Crows is my second favourite of the books! My ultimate favourite is A Dance with Dragons: After the feast because of Ser Barristan’s chapters and how Tyrion changes over the course of it. I love a Feast for Crows because of Cersei’s chapters but also because of Jamie’s redemption coming full circle and the Dorne plot and the Kingsmoot plot, and Sansa learning to play the game of thrones with Littlefinger… I am also planning a post about my disappointment at his death which I thought was ridiculous. Again love the post and am following! All the best! 🙂
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Refreshing to see someone else enjoy the character of Cersei. I agree that while we don’t root for her, there is still something so endlessly fascinating about her and *especially the way Lena Headey plays her. Her stillness, her regality, her viciousness seeping through the cracks. For some, Cersei is easy to not like. For me, it’s hard to straight up hate her.
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Great post! I love that you also love Cersei, who is an even better character in the books. My personal favorite is Jaime, particularly for his great redemption arc.
Would mean a lot if you checked out my Game of Thrones posts. I’m writing the season recap and best moments from each season.
Recap: https://letstalkcinema.movie.blog/2019/02/23/game-of-thrones-season-1-recap/
Top 10 Moments: https://letstalkcinema.movie.blog/2019/02/23/game-of-thrones-season-1-top-10-moments/
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Love your list! The Stark sisters make a formidable duo. And I don’t care what anyone says I’ve stanned Sansa since Season 1 and her POV in the book series is easily my favourite. Her chapters have far more meaty politics. Love both Book Jon and Show Jon. Jon is just lovely, albeit lovelier on the show.
The show would not be what it is without Cersei. Not even a little bit. Plus Lena Headey is easily the best actress on the show.
Love her or hate her, Dany is fascinating.
I would add Jaime, Gilly and Sam on my favourites list too!
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Arya is the favourite character, hands down. The moment we were introduced to her, I fell in love with her character and I just knew she was going to have a beautiful arc
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I have a love/hate relationship w cersei. I hate her and how evil she is, but I can’t help but be fascinated with her character. I guess that’s just brilliant acting for you. She’s mesmerizing.
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