One of the things that Daenerys haters who have read the books love to say to the show watchers (to convince them to join their ranks I guess?) is that the show version is an “ideolized version” of the character, that the show writers “whorship” her and that in the books she is much worse and it is utterly untrue!
The show removed a lot of Daenerys’ kindness, her intelligence and political mind, as well as her emotions. The true Daenerys is softer, sweeter, brighter (without mentioning ten years younger) and her so called “questionable actions” are few in the novels. In fact, the only “questionable” thing I can think of is when she agreed to allow one of her advisors in Meereen to use torture on the only witness/suspect they had following the torture and slaughter of dozens of innocent people. But even that part - which is the darkest moment in Daenerys story - was made worse on the show, where she gave two Masters to be devoured to her dragons.
In the second novel, Daenerys never said the “when my dragons are grown we will lay waste to armies and burn cities to the ground” speech. She wasn’t insisting that the merchants of Qarth have to give her ships, she never locked up Doreah and Xaro Xhoan Daxos in a room to die of starvation, she didn’t plunder the city (not that I have a problem with show Daenerys about it, but she did not do that in the books). Doreah died in the Red Waste in Daenerys’ arms, and she gave her her last water although Doreah was dying and they were in a desert without provisions.
In the third novel, Daenerys didn’t enjoy the sack of Astapor and her quote was not “all men must die but we are not men” but “all men must die, but not for a long while, we may pray.” She really wanted to forgive Jorah despite his betrayal but his behavior towards her is what made her banish him (he was insisting that he did no wrong and that she had to forgive him, and that in front of others) - and even after he was gone, she thought a lot of him and wished for him to find happiness back on his Bear Island.
In the fifth novel, Daenerys is the one who is compromising and navigating in the very complex political situation of Meereen. She is the one trying to negotiate with the former slavers and slaves. She never ordered one of her followers to be decapitated, and she never let her dragons eat the Masters. It is not Drogon who rescued her from the Sons of the Harpy, but she who ran toward him to help him after Hizdahr’s men tried to kill him. She didn’t fly away leaving her friends behind in danger, she and Drogon were the only ones in direct danger and she needed to protect him from harm - besides it was the very first time she rode a dragon and did not know how to control him.
Book Daenerys loves to hug children, kisses people on the cheeks, smiles and laughs and has a great sense of humor, doesn’t say things like “I am a Queen not a politician” and does not need men around her to restrain her from using dragonfire - it is actually the other way around. Everyone of her advisors in the fifth book wanted her to use dragons to burn her enemies but Daenerys was insisting to negotiate and build peace without using force.
I love show Dany, but book Daenerys is amazing and anyone who tries to claim that the show version is “overhyped” or “whitewashed” or “idolized” compared to the real, canon version is a liar.
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