Carry On: My Review

Carry On was published by Rainbow Rowell a while ago now, and was immediately recognized by her fans as the fanfiction from Fangirl, one of my all-time favourite books. I have to admit that at first, I was reluctant to read this book, as I wasn’t sure what to expect. All of Rowell’s previous books were contemporaries, while this one is very obviously a fantasy. And in addition, I wasn’t sure how much I had enjoyed the “fanfiction” parts in Fangirl, so I pushed back reading this one for quite some time. However, now that I have read it, I can tell you it was all I ever wished for. This book was brilliant, funny, moving and amazing, and you should definitely check it out.

Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: YA, Fantasy, LGBT+, borderline fanfiction
FOR OLDER READERS
Release: October 2015
My rating: ★★★★★ obviously

The story:

Simon Snow is the chosen one, he has always been told so. But not a very good chosen one apparently. He is supposed to save the magickal world, but how can he do so when he can’t even control his own powers, and when his enemy, the Hundrum, is going around wearing his face?

Simon is starting his last year at Watford, things are going rubbish with his girlfriend Agatha, and his nemesis and roommate Baz is not even there to make fun of him. And Simon is determined to find out why. It’s only too late when he realises he can’t stop thinking about Baz…

My thoughts:

Honestly, this book is everything I ever wanted, and I didn’t even know it. I gave it five stars without a second of hesitation. If you like Rainbow Rowell’s contemporary novels, then you will be pleased to see she is just as brilliant when it comes to fantasy and magic.

This book was beautiful, moving, but also funny and hilarious when it came to it. It also had its sexy moments, and managed to get more serious when necessary. It was a rather original story, with unexpected plot twists. The characters, though they may have seemed cliché at first, really grew on me and turned out to be full of surprises. I especially liked Simon’s best friend Penelope. And of course Baz, and Simon himself.

I really appreciated that we got to see the story through several points of view, especially that of Baz. His parts were a lot more emotional than Simon’s, and really were a great touch. I don’t always like stories told through several POV, but I have to say it was really well done here, and brought the best out of the story.

I liked the fact that this book was very unique, and had an original ending. I won’t say more because I want to avoid spoilers, but know that I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Never once was I disappointed or did I feel let down by this amazing, amazing story.

This book is an incredible diverse read, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, what are you waiting for?

Recommended for:

Fans of Harry Potter and fanfiction readers.