The ending of this book punches you in the gut and then asks you if you want some more. We get really happy victories for some characters: yay, Robb Stark captured Jaime Lannister and the Lannister army is on the run. But we also get some really unhappy defeats: boo, Eddard Stark was executed. And then we get some mixed stories: yay/boo, Daenerys loses her beloved husband and gains three dragons.
Ultimately, however, the ending for all of the characters sets up some major cliffhangers that just beg you to read the next book. Robb is declared King of the north: will he be able to keep that title? Arya is captured by Yoren: what's he going to do with her? Sansa is still a prisoner of cruel King Joffrey: how will he torture her next? Jon is going to face the dangers beyond the Wall with Jeor Mormont: what will he find? Catelyn wants to protect her children: how will she do that when there's a war on? And Tyrion is being sent to King's Landing to become the Hand of the King: so what will he do with that power? A lot of questions, we know. But guess what that means?: a lot of answers. Time to read Book 2.
Oh, and yes, Daenerys has dragons, which have been extinct for hundreds of years. Something tells us that's going to come up again.