Reviews

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

lindsayelk's review

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

madsanne_'s review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious 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

4.0

labunnywtf's review against another edition

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4.0

200th book of 2015, people. Break out the party hats and let loose the conga rats.

And of course, NO ONE would let me read this book in peace. Reading at home is difficult when you're only there (and conscious) three or so hours a day. Reading in my car at work only works if no one's invited me to lunch. And if I stay, people all around me who have ignored me for the last few months I've worked there are all talking to me now.

One week until I get canned, and you people NOW figure out that I'm interesting? Damn you all.

So, I devoted a day and a half of my weekend to this, and thank you, Rainbow Rowell, for making a very thick book a very fast read.

In my review of [b: Fangirl|16068905|Fangirl|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355886270s/16068905.jpg|21861351], I demanded someone point me to the Simon Snow fanfiction. Because I know fandom, and I know it exists in droves for everything from TV to music. I never did end up hunting it down, but I definitely wanted more of Simon and Baz.

Needless to say, when I heard she was making a stand alone, I was tickled bright pink. I was concerned, naturally, because Simon Snow = Harry Potter, and it takes reading 7 big books to fully appreciate good Harry Potter fanfiction.

This is AU Harry Potter. To the extreme. It's literally impossible to read this and not draw comparisons. Which is all good and well, unless you get aggravated that it's AU Harry Potter fanfiction published as an original story. I've read the other reviews complaining about this, and drawing comparisons to certain other authors who've wanked out their own fanfiction (fanfiction based on their own shitty book, no less, Meyers, you right cunt).

But I don't see that being a problem here. Rowell wrote a book about being part of a fandom. For all of us fanfiction nerds out there who understand the absolute glee that is reading a story set in your favorite chosen universe with your favorite characters, and twisting and playing with them. Making up your own plots which aren't anywhere near the original creator plots, but are what you dream could happen to them.

Publishing a book of fanfiction based on a book about fanfiction? It's meta as fuck, and it's fun. And I hope Rowell enjoyed herself through the process.

I was a big fanfiction reader back in the day. My poison was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And my favorites were almost always slash (Giles/Oz, forever, for life). I didn't read HP fanfiction, I think I've read literally a handful. But I saw the appeal of Harry/Malfoy. Yes, yes, I did. And when reading Fangirl, it was easy to picture them.

Needless to say, that's what I imagined here.

The plot is weak, and very thin. All of the characters are pretty one dimensional, not entirely well plotted out. But again, seven Harry potter books vs one Simon Snow fan novel.

This is why it feels real as a work of fanfiction. Because fans don't flesh out the phlebotonum. They don't have to. I also noticed that, though this takes place entirely in the UK, there are several spots where the British spelling isn't used.

This could be an actual error on the part of Rowell/the editors, but I hope they never fix it. Because that's what happens when Americans write fanfiction using Britspeak. We don't always get that part right.

The way to enjoy this is to treat it as what it is. It's fanfiction. It's not a book that stands on its own, you have to read Fangirl first (and I will be listening to the audiobook of Fangirl now that I've finished this). If you didn't enjoy the Simon Snow bits of Fangirl, you will not enjoy this.

But maybe you will. Maybe, if you have read and enjoyed fanfiction, especially Harry Potter fanfiction, you'll recognize enough to really enjoy this world.

labunnywtf's review against another edition

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4.0

The vibe here is very, "Let's kill a virgin, and write a great Led Zeppelin album."

How many people have picked this book up to read it without having read [b: Fangirl|16068905|Fangirl|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355886270s/16068905.jpg|21861351] first? How many people are confused as HELL? I should look through the other reviews and find out.

There is an advantage, I feel, to listening to audiobooks. Maybe not always on original reads, but when re-reading a book, I find I catch more things when I'm listening to them being read aloud.

For example, the spells in this world are just not practical. The spell to summon Simon's sword is like a full paragraph. By the time he gets through it, someone could've shanked him through the head. Though considering one of the spells is the words to freaking "Bohemian Rhapsody." HA!

Also, for some reason, I'm tickled by the amount of obscenities in this book. Probably because this is generic HP, and since I don't read HP fanfiction, I haven't come to expect the characters to spit curse words at each other. It's jarring, and always makes me titter like a 12-year old.

The parallels to HP are so fantastic. RR doesn't try to pretend this world is anything other than. It's like if an author took the entire world, and just changed two or three main features. Like instead of a spell being "Ridikulous", it's "Nonsense." Just hilarious.

And in one scene, Malfoy Baz is wearing a suit completely in the Slytherin colors. How do you not love that?

And I do so love the Baz/Simon scenes. My non-romantical self loves slash fanfiction. No shame. And this relationship starts with one of my favorite tropes,
Spoilerthe one who's experiencing the "unrequited love" gets kissed by the one we think is oblivious and uninterested.
It shouldn't work as well as it really does.

And I love that, while Baz has no problem being gay, Simon's sexuality is never really questioned and angsted over. He questions it to himself a couple of times, and Baz questions it, but it's never labeled. That's a RR touch, and it's perfect.

Despite the fact that the plot of this book is still paper thin, I do genuinely want more of this world. I really do need to seek out some Simon Snow fanfiction. I'd love to see what the fandom has done with this world.

And that leads me to wonder, is there [b: Fangirl|16068905|Fangirl|Rainbow Rowell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1355886270s/16068905.jpg|21861351] fanfiction? Is that how meta we've become? Because if so, I have to read it just to say I read Fanfiction about a book based on Fanfiction about a book. This is my new goal. Fuck, I may even WRITE Fangirl Fanfiction. That's how far I want to take this.

And, as with the last time, halfway through reading, I set Fangirl up in the audiobook queue. I love this little universe.

-----
Almost a year to the day since I read it for the first time. Not on purpose.

labunnywtf's review against another edition

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4.0

My library still hasn't gotten in Wayward Son, but I'll be ready for it any. freaking. day now.

Also, apparently both times I read this previously, it was also in October. Weird.

-----

Still as fun and sweet as I remember it.

And my library still hasn't gotten Wayward Son in.

Grrrrrrrrrrr.

labunnywtf's review against another edition

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4.0

I need to look at my other reviews to see if I caught that Fangirl easter egg at the end before.

labunnywtf's review

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4.0

If I can't read a new fucking book, I'll re-read old faves that I've read a million times because screw you, brain.

mariannabnk's review against another edition

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4.0

Amazing book. The characters are amazing and the overall experience was awesome! Really liked the writing and the magic system. Also loved the connection to 'Fangirl'

eames222's review

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring tense

4.5

pavs1d's review

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5.0

“You were the sun, and I was crashing into you.”
“You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.”
“You were the centre of my universe and everything else spun around you.”
“Light a match inside your heart.”

I freaking love this book. I mean it is honestly incredible. Baz has my entire heart. and Simon is wonderful as well! Penny and Agatha are delightful and the storyline my god just reminds me of home I mean very well written! treasured this book all in all and absolutely adored the characters. exceptional read!❣️