You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
ajsterkel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It turns out that Carry On is ridiculous, but it’s ridiculous in the most epic way possible. Seriously, this book is over 500 pages, and I blew through it in two days because I loved it so much. I want to talk about everything in this review, but I can’t because of spoilers. (And the review would be ten pages long.)
So, Carry On is the final book in the “fictional” Simon Snow series from Fangirl. Simon is a wizard in his final year of magic school, and he has a lot of problems. He’s struggling in his classes, being ignored by his mentor, arguing with his girlfriend, and being harassed by his evil vampire roommate, Baz. To make things worse, Simon is the Chosen One who is supposed to save the magical world.
This book is a standalone, so you can read it without reading Fangirl. However, if you haven’t read Harry Potter, you might miss a lot of the humor. This book feels like a Harry Potter parody. That’s why I love it so much. I’m a fan of anything related to Harry Potter, even parodies.
Rainbow Rowell does amazing things with fantasy tropes. This book really lets you see how ridiculous and overused some of them are. Rainbow Rowell flips the tropes on their heads. Simon is an incompetent Chosen One. Baz is a loveable villain. The magic system is silly. The witches and wizards drive cars, own laptops, accidently forget their wands at home, rely on Google to solve their problems, and talk like modern teenagers. This book is full of literal laugh-out-loud moments. Like all of Rainbow Rowell’s books, the dialogue and characters are on-point.
Other than Simon and Baz, my favorite character is Agatha. I like that she doesn’t want to be Simon’s sidekick or his happily ever after. She knows herself, and she knows what she wants in life. I also really like Baz. This story is told from multiple points-of-view, and his was my favorite. He’s hilariously sarcastic.
There is a love story in this novel. I’m not the biggest fan of romance in books, but this one didn’t bother me. The book has enough politics and mystery to keep the love story from being the only focus of the plot. I also care about the characters enough that I didn’t mind seeing them fall in love.
I can’t find too much to criticize. If this book doesn’t mesh with your sense of humor, you might have a hard time “getting” it. I wish the ending had been a little clearer. I wanted more explanation about a few things. Also, some of the first-person POV voices sounded very similar, so I sometimes had to flip back to the beginning of the chapter to remember whose POV I was in. None of those issues are big problems for me. I enjoyed this book.
If you’re a fan of Rainbow Rowell, fantasy fiction, or Harry Potter, you need to read Carry On.
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Abandonment
strange_little_ranger's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
vaguely_pink's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Animal death, Biphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
apersonfromflorida's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia
gentleprocrastination's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Confinement, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts
gayshipsandanxiety's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
quasinaut's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
wet_towlette's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Pregnancy
20sidedbi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
anna978's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts