Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Hi there, guys!


BASICS
Title: Carry On
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Release Date: October 6th 2015
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1447299310
Number of Pages: 528
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBTQIA

MY OPINION

“(Just when you think you're having a scene without Simon, he drops in to remind you that everyone else is a supporting character in his catastrophe.)”

What a heartfelt, cute and funny story. I really couldn't put it down and read it in two? maybe three days.
I read it while I was sick and had to stay home from school and this book cheered me up and helped me to get well quickly!

To be fully honest, I wasn't sure what to think of Carry On back when I first heard about its release.
I adored Fangirl but I didn't really care about Simon Snow, Agatha or any of the characters of Gemma T. Leslie's story/Cath's fanfiction. During the snippets we got in Fangirl, the story felt pretty weak to me.
Nonetheless, I was excited. It's after all, a Rainbow Rowell book. And it was based on Harry Potter and the Harry Potter fandom (POC Hermione, gay lovestory). And it promised some diversity.
Simon Snow is "the worst the worst chosen one that's ever been chosen" - at least when you're asking Baz, his probably-evil roommate. And you can't deny it. Simon just doesn't know what do do with himself, or his magic for that matter. He's a lost case. Really I can't understand how Simon managed to get himself through the first seven years without failing a class.
He probably can't control his power, because he's thinking about his definitely-a-vampire roommate Baz way too much for his own good. And then Baz had the audacity to go missing.
Simon would go up the wall if it weren't for his best friend Penny, who was one of my favourite characters of the series. But an absent Baz isn't the only thing Simon has to worry about. There's his more-distant-than-ever-and-probably-in-love-with-his-enemy girlfriend Agatha, the shady Mage and, of course The Insidious Humdrum.

At the beginning I saw my fear come true. The characters appeared as shallow cardboard cut-outs. It took some time until they got more layers and I came to love them, especially Baz and Penny.
What really got me was the perfect combination of familiarity and originality. There are lots of things copied from Harry Potter, like Ebb the goat herd starring as Hagrid or Penny being Hermione. But it has never read like a cheap copy of HP. This story has so much Rainbow in it. Lots of talking, lots of kissing (thank god).

I loved the casual insertion of diversity.
1) We get a POC Hermione. This is a headcanon most of tumblr's Harry Potter fandom is agreeing on. And I love it. Just look at the drawings below. And as I've stated earlier Penny, half-Indian, as far as I can remember, is the Hermione of Carry On.

2) Baz and Simon. Gawd. I loved their relationship. I think I may have squealed once (or twice. probably more often.) I can't even tell you much about it, you have to experience, to read it for yourself.

Even though it's a fairly light read, there's so much said between the lines that I find it an unbelievably profound read.

Thanks, Rainbow, for another amazing book!


Purplethedragon                                               itsnucleicacid



         batcii                                                 mariannewiththesteadyhands

My favourite quotes:

“(You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.)”

“I lean into him, because I'm cold and he's always warm. And because I like to remind him that I'm not afraid of him.”

“No. 9—The Wavering Wood I should take this one off the list. Fuck the Wavering Wood.”
“And I’m hopelessly in love with him.”


RATING
4 out of 5 stars