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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
So enjoyable. It took me about fifty pages to get over the similarities to Harry Potter, but once I did, I couldn't stop reading.
This was good. The kind of good where I want a sequel. However there isn't one, so I'll just have to move onto something else. There was definitely more loose ends that could have been wrapped up. I enjoyed Simon and Baz individually but I loved them together, especially with their love-hate relationship that they have going on. At times I did want more though. That was most of the reason I actually finished it.
If you intend to read this book, know that it is very confusing especially with Lucy's POV being sort of set at a different time. Know that it all comes together closer to the end. And Agatha. Yep, I hated her. She was a complete hypocrite.
Also, it was very slow at the beginning. So slow in fact that this the second time I've tried to read this and the first time I've finished it. The first time I picked this up, I just couldn't get into it because it felt like the story wasn't moving anywhere.
Some people hate this (or love it) because it is basically Harry Potter fanfiction. Now I've never read Harry Potter but I have seen the movies, and even some part of me has to agree that the similarities are uncanny. But that didn't put me off. I only compared it to Harry Potter a couple of times and the rest of the book felt like I was reading an original story.
If you intend to read this book, know that it is very confusing especially with Lucy's POV being sort of set at a different time. Know that it all comes together closer to the end. And Agatha. Yep, I hated her. She was a complete hypocrite.
Spoiler
Towards the end, when she basically admits to wasting or using magic for that matter, only to be the first person to run to the Mage. Then she disappears to go to California. I swear, I could've hit her. I also didn't understand where Lucy went and what happened to her.Also, it was very slow at the beginning. So slow in fact that this the second time I've tried to read this and the first time I've finished it. The first time I picked this up, I just couldn't get into it because it felt like the story wasn't moving anywhere.
Some people hate this (or love it) because it is basically Harry Potter fanfiction. Now I've never read Harry Potter but I have seen the movies, and even some part of me has to agree that the similarities are uncanny. But that didn't put me off. I only compared it to Harry Potter a couple of times and the rest of the book felt like I was reading an original story.
adventurous
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DNF @ 150
I just couldn't continue. I found all the characters extremely annoying and very childish. The magic was bizarre and even when I tried to ignore the things that annoyed me, I wasn't having an enjoyable reading experience. I still love all of Rainbows other books however!
I just couldn't continue. I found all the characters extremely annoying and very childish. The magic was bizarre and even when I tried to ignore the things that annoyed me, I wasn't having an enjoyable reading experience. I still love all of Rainbows other books however!
I read this book every December, it’s like a bite-sized imagining of Harry Potter but gay and deeply unserious. I love these characters and every time I read this book I am reminded of their complexity! The entire world of mages trilogy is fun but Carry On pulls at something in me each time I read it.
Well it's about goddamned time!
I was looking forward to this book coming out for months and then October came and went and I still hadn't read it.
Well, I was a little pre-occupied in October, if you remember, what with me being very invested in reading Magnus Chase and Life and Death. Not that that's an excuse! I just didn't feel like I could properly commit to this book.
And I was sort of right, because I've been book-dry for a while which means this one was like FWOOOOM!(That's the sound of a tidal wave in case you didn't catch it)
ANYWAY
To start, let's mention all of the little in-jokes in the book. Putting aside the fact that it's Drarry fanfic without being Drarry fanfic, it is absurdly rife with clever references and sly jokes that I was half laughing/half rolling my eyes every page.
This girl that happens to be a pixie gets a little manic? Manic Pixie Girl.
Rainbow, pls.
Saying straight up, to a vampire, 'I know what you are'? Twilight reference.
Rainbow, pls.
"There were even werewolve attacks back then - in London proper, can you imagine?"
AWOOOO Werewolves of London!
Rainbow, pls.
And having a concielment spell be 'These are not the droids you're looking for'?
Like, Jesus Christ, Rainbow.
But even beyond all that, or maybe because of it, the book just reads extraordinarily like fanfiction.
I read a lot - a lot - of fanfiction, and over time, you pick up the differences between fan works and independent works. Or whatever. It's really subtle and I don't think there's any one, two, or even a dozen things that I could pick out that would make me say 'aw yes, this is fanfiction' as opposed to something that wasn't. It's just a thing, you know?
Like I've read Rainbow Rowell's books. She did something different here. It's not like this story lacks nuance or that it's so much different than anything else she's written, because even if it is different, it's not lacking in nuance. And fanfiction can be TOTALLY nuanced, like I could give you some recs...
Anyway.
It's not anything she did wrong: on the contrary! I think she did something amazing.
IT READS LIKE DRARRY FANFICTION! Like change everything about Hogwarts and Harry and friends -but change it JUST A LITTLE- and you have this. Which was the point, right? Simon Snow was the Harry Potter of Fangirl, and Simon/Baz the Draco/Harry. And it TOTALLY WORKS. It's brilliant. She's totally pulling this off and I am amazed yet completely unsurprised because Rainbow Rowell is a goddess among us and I bow before her.
And even though I've resigned myself to totally being Rainbow's bitch foreveragain, goddamn these authors, I can still be amused/exasperated by the amount of title drops she managed throughout the book. All in wildly different contexts. Most amusing, though, is the last spiffing line of the book. "Carry on, Simon."
Like, Rainbow, how could you?
Wildly entertaining, absolutely squee inducing, it is 8am and I haven't slept(I'll let everyone take a moment to compose an artificial look of surprise) and yet the next thing I'm doing is looking for fan art of those two stupid boys because I love them and am never letting them go.
Goddammit.
I was looking forward to this book coming out for months and then October came and went and I still hadn't read it.
Well, I was a little pre-occupied in October, if you remember, what with me being very invested in reading Magnus Chase and Life and Death. Not that that's an excuse! I just didn't feel like I could properly commit to this book.
And I was sort of right, because I've been book-dry for a while which means this one was like FWOOOOM!
ANYWAY
To start, let's mention all of the little in-jokes in the book. Putting aside the fact that it's Drarry fanfic without being Drarry fanfic, it is absurdly rife with clever references and sly jokes that I was half laughing/half rolling my eyes every page.
This girl that happens to be a pixie gets a little manic? Manic Pixie Girl.
Rainbow, pls.
Saying straight up, to a vampire, 'I know what you are'? Twilight reference.
Rainbow, pls.
"There were even werewolve attacks back then - in London proper, can you imagine?"
AWOOOO Werewolves of London!
Rainbow, pls.
And having a concielment spell be 'These are not the droids you're looking for'?
Like, Jesus Christ, Rainbow.
But even beyond all that, or maybe because of it, the book just reads extraordinarily like fanfiction.
I read a lot - a lot - of fanfiction, and over time, you pick up the differences between fan works and independent works. Or whatever. It's really subtle and I don't think there's any one, two, or even a dozen things that I could pick out that would make me say 'aw yes, this is fanfiction' as opposed to something that wasn't. It's just a thing, you know?
Like I've read Rainbow Rowell's books. She did something different here. It's not like this story lacks nuance or that it's so much different than anything else she's written, because even if it is different, it's not lacking in nuance. And fanfiction can be TOTALLY nuanced, like I could give you some recs...
Anyway.
It's not anything she did wrong: on the contrary! I think she did something amazing.
IT READS LIKE DRARRY FANFICTION! Like change everything about Hogwarts and Harry and friends -but change it JUST A LITTLE- and you have this. Which was the point, right? Simon Snow was the Harry Potter of Fangirl, and Simon/Baz the Draco/Harry. And it TOTALLY WORKS. It's brilliant. She's totally pulling this off and I am amazed yet completely unsurprised because Rainbow Rowell is a goddess among us and I bow before her.
And even though I've resigned myself to totally being Rainbow's bitch forever
Like, Rainbow, how could you?
Wildly entertaining, absolutely squee inducing, it is 8am and I haven't slept
Goddammit.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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:
No
The first half of this book I was like this is too meta and not very interesting. But when Baz got into the story it improved significantly and I sped through the rest of the book. I thought it was very cute and will be reading book 2.
I hadn't read Fangirl so I wasn't aware of the backstory with these characters or the Harry Potter fanfic angle and, I must admit, I was a bit turned off at first because of the blatant similarities. That said, the more I read, the more these characters diverged from their inspirations and the plot really came into its own. I loved Simon and Baz and their dynamic and hope to read more stories about their adventures.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the chance to review this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the chance to review this book.