I'm sure you do, and that's fine. I would rather you read SOIAF than nothing.

And there is notable interpersonal conflict and character growth, but quite a bit is written purely for shock value, there is (as far as I got, which I admit was only three quarters the way through the second book) no one that can actually be considered a 'hero', and while the entirety of the apparently cursed House Stark fills this role, other than embarassment for their various deaths and/or betrayals at the hands of their once allies, only in the tragic sense.

As of yet, there are none of the classic themes of honor (excepting where it is considered a weakness to be used as a lever by borderline sociopaths), nobility (which is employed in almost a satire fashion by the Lannisters, and even Tyrion, arguably one of the most noble character is only such because of the pettiness, cruelty, or despair of all of his peers.

Additionally, authors writing style leaves a lot to be desired as far as descriptive content, or pacing. There were so many times during my readthrough that I had to stop, and go back and re-read the last page because I realized I had skimmed through it, not absorbing a word.

And before you try and say that this is due to the complexity of the plot and density of prose, I want you to know that my first readthrough of The Silmarillion was when I was eleven, and yes I absorbed most of it.

In actuality, it is due to the lack of follow through on plot points, a general lack of cohesiveness. This may give the impression that the author is actually building up to some great confluence of events, but all I see him doing is milking this setting for the next few decades in what amounts to a fantasy version of Jersey shore, where instead of housemates, you have Great Houses.

I am truly amazed that so many people have such high opinions of this series, and I am not denying the fact that many people enjoy it.

No matter what can be said though, at least it is a better love story than Twilight.

TL;DR: It actually isn't necessary to remove the sting of scorpions before you blend them into your morning workout shake