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agnesgailx's review against another edition
3.0
My problem with this book is that I somehow could not take it seriously. I know, I know. That's my problem; not the book's fault. Carry On is basically about a book from another book, Fangirl (which I loved, btw). If I could just disregard that little fact, I think I would have loved this book more. It's a good book, but I feel like the author didn't really take this seriously. But then again, these characters are fictional characters from another fictional book. So yeah. There was so much going on but at the same time there really wasn't much going on..? I don't know. It was a fun read, but definitely not a must-read.
clurrr's review against another edition
5.0
This was my favorite of the series. Obsessed with all the characters, and the plot was fun. Felt a bit like gay Harry Potter.
alpal21's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
odurant8's review against another edition
4.0
I’m sorry it took me so long to read this! Excited for the sequel. :)
cecibc's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
katmystery's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A sweet, fun, queer homage to Harry Potter which, contrary to how it seems from the first few chapters, mostly takes place outside of the magic school and has a very different plot. I enjoyed it but never quite fell in love with it, and the romance felt a bit rushed- it was a much smaller part of the story than I'd expected, with a lot of build-up and then a very quick fruition and ending.
ruhi_d's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
coco127's review against another edition
2.0
Honestly I love fanfic trash like this but this book just kind of wasn't my kind of trash
rychelereads's review against another edition
3.0
[contemporary, young adult, romance elements, magical elements, gay boyfriends with no smut]
Meta factor:
This is supposed to be the final book in a fantasy lit series called the “Simon Snow Series” in the world of Fangirl, a contemporary romance book by the author Rainbow Rowell. Carry On is not the book written by the protagonist in Fangirl - who herself writes a fanfiction called “Carry On, Simon.”
Without pretense, this can get very confusing. The classic worldbuilding and introduction is missing and can be very intense in the first 100 pages. I felt as though I had been dumped right into a world I did not understand even though all the casual references to creatures and aspects of magic made me feel like I should have a very deep or at least compulsory understanding of the ins and outs of this world. Once you research the meta factor, it’s much more enjoyable. There is already a lot of assuming happening when reading fantasy in general and a lot of i-hope-they-explain-that-later, but this book is almost entirely that.
I do not know the rules of this world or its creatures, but thankfully that is one of the plot points and we explore that with the characters. Spoiler:
Atmosphere:
Jarringly contemporary. The writing gets the job done so I won’t blame the author’s pen for this but there is something oddly contemporary about the writing that I personally didn’t vibe with. I have read other fantasy contemporaries with a modern tone that I’m totally into, but something about this book just lacked the whimsy and magic of what I have come to love about the fantasy genre. It felt very much like a video game (or rather ecommerce) world rather than the setting of a fantasy epic.
As a fanfiction:
It is very obvious that Simon Snow is a fanfiction original character depiction of Harry Potter (or other "Chosen One" types.) The world-logic of Carry On changes rules here and there and the appearance of characters take on a life of their own but by and large the book can be seen as a commentary or a work derivative of Harry Potter. Knowledge, love, and bias for the Potter fandom may impact reading Carry On and for me personally that impact wasn’t always good or always bad. But, I think reading this as a fanfiction rather than a novel or series on its own helps the rating significantly.
THIS IS A FANTASTIC WORK OF FANFICTION, this is an okay fiction on its own.
Characters:
I liked the different perspectives, though I did feel like the voice of Simon, Agatha, and the Mage were sometimes not unique enough from each other (especially in the beginning 3/4 of the book.) Baz also took forever to show up and neither the voice of the characters nor the dialogue or plot really had much significance until he did show up. The first half of the book builds largely on the relationships Simon has with Penelope and Agatha, while also spending so much time on his obsession with Baz’s absence. As a reader this made me wish Baz was absent a whole 100 pages less.
I didn't really care for Agatha until she found the photo of Lucy. I think the author should have given more time devoted to Ebb (and her brother who had a weird cameo for almost no reason) in order to build up to that climax. I also felt like the Mage and the Pitches who were a part of this larger world conflict and all the background stuff were glossed over and neatly dealt with in the end, so it was meh.
Genre:
Fantasy YA? Barely, this is more of a contemporary YA with elements of romance and fantasy. The relationships in this book are the main storyline. In my opinion, the fantasy elements are merely for fun and for plot and not for world immersion. Remove the goblins and ghouls, replace the magic with something skill based like a sport or a chess club, and make the main villain some super powerful authority in that sport or club world and you basically have the same story.
Once I realized this was not a FANTASY book but a ROMANCE book I just wanted more gay. Spoiler alert, take the fantasy out, it’s not doing anything, add more Simon and Baz (and Penelope) interacting = better.
Overall, the book is fun. It's a cute little romp but the action doesn't pick up at all until the second half. World building is almost non existent, so romance and action are all this book has to go on. I had no problems putting this down for days at a time which is a testament to how easy a read it is but also tells you how basic I thought it was. I may read the second and third installments if I have an inclination to see what else Simon and Baz get up to, but it won't be an immediate curiosity.
Meta factor:
This is supposed to be the final book in a fantasy lit series called the “Simon Snow Series” in the world of Fangirl, a contemporary romance book by the author Rainbow Rowell. Carry On is not the book written by the protagonist in Fangirl - who herself writes a fanfiction called “Carry On, Simon.”
Without pretense, this can get very confusing. The classic worldbuilding and introduction is missing and can be very intense in the first 100 pages. I felt as though I had been dumped right into a world I did not understand even though all the casual references to creatures and aspects of magic made me feel like I should have a very deep or at least compulsory understanding of the ins and outs of this world. Once you research the meta factor, it’s much more enjoyable. There is already a lot of assuming happening when reading fantasy in general and a lot of i-hope-they-explain-that-later, but this book is almost entirely that.
I do not know the rules of this world or its creatures, but thankfully that is one of the plot points and we explore that with the characters. Spoiler:
Spoiler
I’m speaking of how vampires work and the overall plot point of what the heck the Humdrum is up to.Atmosphere:
Jarringly contemporary. The writing gets the job done so I won’t blame the author’s pen for this but there is something oddly contemporary about the writing that I personally didn’t vibe with. I have read other fantasy contemporaries with a modern tone that I’m totally into, but something about this book just lacked the whimsy and magic of what I have come to love about the fantasy genre. It felt very much like a video game (or rather ecommerce) world rather than the setting of a fantasy epic.
As a fanfiction:
It is very obvious that Simon Snow is a fanfiction original character depiction of Harry Potter (or other "Chosen One" types.) The world-logic of Carry On changes rules here and there and the appearance of characters take on a life of their own but by and large the book can be seen as a commentary or a work derivative of Harry Potter. Knowledge, love, and bias for the Potter fandom may impact reading Carry On and for me personally that impact wasn’t always good or always bad. But, I think reading this as a fanfiction rather than a novel or series on its own helps the rating significantly.
THIS IS A FANTASTIC WORK OF FANFICTION, this is an okay fiction on its own.
Characters:
I liked the different perspectives, though I did feel like the voice of Simon, Agatha, and the Mage were sometimes not unique enough from each other (especially in the beginning 3/4 of the book.) Baz also took forever to show up and neither the voice of the characters nor the dialogue or plot really had much significance until he did show up. The first half of the book builds largely on the relationships Simon has with Penelope and Agatha, while also spending so much time on his obsession with Baz’s absence. As a reader this made me wish Baz was absent a whole 100 pages less.
I didn't really care for Agatha until she found the photo of Lucy. I think the author should have given more time devoted to Ebb (and her brother who had a weird cameo for almost no reason) in order to build up to that climax. I also felt like the Mage and the Pitches who were a part of this larger world conflict and all the background stuff were glossed over and neatly dealt with in the end, so it was meh.
Genre:
Fantasy YA? Barely, this is more of a contemporary YA with elements of romance and fantasy. The relationships in this book are the main storyline. In my opinion, the fantasy elements are merely for fun and for plot and not for world immersion. Remove the goblins and ghouls, replace the magic with something skill based like a sport or a chess club, and make the main villain some super powerful authority in that sport or club world and you basically have the same story.
Once I realized this was not a FANTASY book but a ROMANCE book I just wanted more gay. Spoiler alert,
Spoiler
the mc comes to a realization about his sexuality and attraction for the other mc in the book thus the pairing, BUT this doesn’t really hit the gas until the final quarter. So….Overall, the book is fun. It's a cute little romp but the action doesn't pick up at all until the second half. World building is almost non existent, so romance and action are all this book has to go on. I had no problems putting this down for days at a time which is a testament to how easy a read it is but also tells you how basic I thought it was. I may read the second and third installments if I have an inclination to see what else Simon and Baz get up to, but it won't be an immediate curiosity.