It looks like "The Winds of Winter" will hit the book shelves at least ahead of the "Game of Thrones" Season 7 broadcast start on HBO next year. A new report claimed that George R.R. Martin himself provided the confirmation that the book will see a release date no later than January 2017.
The book, according to GameNGuide, will launch at the start of 2017 as Martin is already working on the last leg of the final chapter. Once the finishing touches have been applied, editors will then proofread Martin's work, which the same report indicated is happening anytime soon.
Debut has been set January of next year, indicating that GoT Season 7 will not overtake the book like the show's Season 6 did. However, book spoilers will inevitably leak out.
One new storyline in hot discussion is the supposed romantic connection that will develop between Jon Snow and Arya Stark. While the two characters are known as siblings under the House Stark, a deeper relationship is not entirely impossible. As things stand now, Jon Snow remains an illegitimate son of Ned Stark and even if the two indeed share the same blood, brothers and sisters falling in love is nothing in Game of Thrones. The most prominent precedent is that of the incestuous Lannister affair of Jaime and Cersei.
Episode 9 of GoT also hinted that Daenerys' three dragons will become more active in succeeding seasons and episodes. But not the case with The Winds of Winter as iDigitalTimes reported that eventually the flying beasts will die, possibly alongside the Mother of Dragons.
How and when, the report did not specify. But the timing could be connected to the impending battle between Westeros and the Night King's army of the undead. It might be that the fire-spewing dragons and Daenerys are destined to play crucial in helping Man fend off the threat of extinction. Most likely, Man will survive but none of Daenerys and her dragons will.
As for Jon Snow, The Winds of Winter is believed to finally reveal his high breed lineage. That he is a mix of Stark and Targaryen bloods and is therefore the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. And that one day he will rule the Seven Kingdoms but in the end, it is Martin that will have the last say.