I finished GRRM’S Fire & Blood. It was…okay. Good, but not great. It started off really strong, and I was loving the history and details. But around the Dance of Dragons, it started to wobble. The ending was abrupt and arbitrary. And honestly, the last time GRRM published a book solely written by him was 2011. A lot has changed in the world since then, and what was once gritty and grimdark felt more misogynist than anything else.
I wouldn’t say it was terrible, but like Martin’s last few books, it needed an editor with a stronger hand to chop it down and focus it, I think. The book does provide some insights into the main series, which is nice. But much of the worldbuilding falls into "the great clomping foot of nerdism" category.
Now I’m going to a quick re-read with C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.