No laws
A common motif found in the book is that during the war, the laws that are more or less respected during peaceful times can be fully ignored during the war. Such an example is when Yoren travels towards the Wall with the new recruits and they are stopped by the Gold Cloakes who want to take Gendry with them. Yoren refuses, letting them know that the only law he recognizes is that of the Sword.
The need to be recognized
This is another motif commonly found in the book. We see men born into noble families who are willing to do almost everything to get their father’s approval. Such character is Theon, who takes Winterfell with a small army.
The red comet
The red comet is on omnipresent motif in the first part of the book, and it is being interpreted in different ways by the characters that see it.
Magic
Supernatural elements start to become a recurring element in the book. We have dragons, prophetic dreams and priestesses with strange powers able to conceive shadows who kill people.
Sacrifice
More and more characters sacrifice their lives for the greater good. In the prologue, we see master Cressen willingly drink poison because he hoped that he will kill Melisandre who was starting to have too much of an influence of Kings Stannis.
