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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
It took me a couple chapters to really get into this, but I'm glad I stuck it out because it is delightful!
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i'm swooning over how much I adore this book!!! Full review is up HERE!
Absolutely fan-freaking-tastic. I cannot express how much I adore this book but here’s a slice of my feelings toward it - Simon Snow felt muggy in the beginning because he kept going on about Baz and Baz and then again Baz. A character we’d never met before but someone who clearly mattered to Snow.
The setting was easy to like and is probably my favourite type, dark academia, and I’m a little upset that the main characters are in their last-ish years because I don’t want to let go of Watford and the academic setting.
Penelope was my favourite from the get go, she was a 3-dimensional character and extremely likeable. But when Baz came into the story, when his perspective came into play - WOw, Simon’s character sharpened and the narrative fastened up.
I honestly believe this book should’ve been a lot longer just to delve into Baz’ as background and give us more romantic moments between _____ and ______. But 5 stars nonetheless - I hope this is a LONG series so I can cherish the characters a little longer.
The setting was easy to like and is probably my favourite type, dark academia, and I’m a little upset that the main characters are in their last-ish years because I don’t want to let go of Watford and the academic setting.
Penelope was my favourite from the get go, she was a 3-dimensional character and extremely likeable. But when Baz came into the story, when his perspective came into play - WOw, Simon’s character sharpened and the narrative fastened up.
I honestly believe this book should’ve been a lot longer just to delve into Baz’ as background and give us more romantic moments between _____ and ______. But 5 stars nonetheless - I hope this is a LONG series so I can cherish the characters a little longer.
You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all
This story was cheesy, and predictable, and a weird take on what everyone loved about Harry Potter, and I absolutely loved it!
What made it so special to me were the characters, so self-aware at times (though being caricatures of certain tropes).
The spells being "popular/famous" words was a nice idea, even though it made me cringe more than once over the course of this little story.
It was predictable, I know, but I carried on (ha!) reading, because of the characters. What can I say, I'm a sucker (ha! 2x) for Baz and Simon.
Would definitely recommend it to:
a: fans of Rainbow Rowell
b: fans of queer fiction with a happy ending
c: anyone who can see this book for what it is - a light-hearted take on stories about The Chosen One™ à la Harry Potter that doesn't take itself too seriously.
I finished this book in one day; it's a book to devour if I ever met one. Rainbow Rowell takes some of the most frustrating parts of Harry Potter and rectifies them: she gets rid of a Ron character entirely; the character of Penny is such an improvement on Hermione; Simon is a much more sensitive, likeable version of Harry Potter. The romance between Simon and Baz is perfect. Everyone loves a slow burn, and their relationship develops sweetly, despite the fact that they "hate" each other.
This book is very readable, accessible, and lovingly written. For people who have been immersed in the Harry Potter fanfiction community, it is everything we dreamed of.
I did have a few issues with this book--first and foremost was its plot. There were many small plot points that were abandoned before coming to fruition, and the pacing was strange, especially as the book came to a close. I appreciated the bittersweetness of the final scenes, but the climax felt rushed, and frankly a little disappointing. Some of the switches in perspective seemed unnecessary and jarring, and many of the minor character's perspectives were never properly tied up. I wish Agatha hadn't even been a character in this book. While most of the characters had fairly complex and detailed perspectives, Agatha as a character was lacking from beginning to end. While most of the other characters were given complex interiorities, Agatha seems to be only the bare bones of a character and her motivations for her actions were never clear. I also wish that Simon had been written as explicitly bi, rather than, at the end of the book, half-heartedly identifying as gay. Harry Potter, in fanon, is more often portrayed as bi than gay, but I suppose we must take what we are given.
Ultimately, though, I didn't come to this book for a stellar and faultless plot, I came for the angsty gay romance that I wanted so desperately from Harry and Draco, and I got it.
This book is very readable, accessible, and lovingly written. For people who have been immersed in the Harry Potter fanfiction community, it is everything we dreamed of.
I did have a few issues with this book--first and foremost was its plot. There were many small plot points that were abandoned before coming to fruition, and the pacing was strange, especially as the book came to a close. I appreciated the bittersweetness of the final scenes, but the climax felt rushed, and frankly a little disappointing. Some of the switches in perspective seemed unnecessary and jarring, and many of the minor character's perspectives were never properly tied up. I wish Agatha hadn't even been a character in this book. While most of the characters had fairly complex and detailed perspectives, Agatha as a character was lacking from beginning to end. While most of the other characters were given complex interiorities, Agatha seems to be only the bare bones of a character and her motivations for her actions were never clear. I also wish that Simon had been written as explicitly bi, rather than, at the end of the book, half-heartedly identifying as gay. Harry Potter, in fanon, is more often portrayed as bi than gay, but I suppose we must take what we are given.
Ultimately, though, I didn't come to this book for a stellar and faultless plot, I came for the angsty gay romance that I wanted so desperately from Harry and Draco, and I got it.
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Por não ter gostado da parte de Carry On em Fangirl, eu passei muuuito tempo fugindo desse livro. Quanto tempo perdido! Engraçado e relevante, Carry On me transportou pra sua história. Foi maravilhoso torcer por Simon, Baz e Penny. <3 será que Rainbow não cansa de ser incrível não?
“Once, I started listing off all the people that I truly cared about. When I got to number seven, Penelope told me I either needed to whittle down my list or stop making friends immediately. “My mother says you should never have more people in your life than you could defend from a hungry rakshasa.”
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes