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rafacolog's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Kidnapping
mauripage's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book was definitely an enjoyable read! I loved how it gave me lgbtq Harry Potter vibes (due to its focus on mages and magic) and how extremely funny some of the characters were. The tone was lighthearted and unique, and I enjoyed that the author wasn’t shy to explicitly tell us when a POV was being changed by having their name on the bottom of the chapter number. The characters (all except one) were likable and the dynamics were cute. I love the romantic relationship with the main characters Simon and Baz. They were so cute!
Howver, I do have a few nuances with this novel. For one, the pacing. Though it got to the point, I feel like doing such took away from building upon the relationship between Simon and Baz and of course the world building,.
starting this story relationships are already set as the characters have known one another for seven plus years now. Simon, our ticking time bomb, our “chosen one”, and Baz, our cursed one, are destined to be enemies.
They Are destined to fight to the death and save the magical realm. The author talked so much aboir these destinies and the grips that came with it (neither one wanting to actually kill each other). And the conflicts that provided that fact. So why weren’t we able to even TEASE a bit of it? I feel like this book dragged when it came to setting execution to the world that was provided. The world building was so unique and fun, but we didn’t get too see too much of that. I feel as if the main “plot” was being swept under the rug a bit.
Now for the POV Switches- most of the characters held strong in their tone of voice and I enjoyed their point of view! However, the POV in one of the main characters of the story, Agatha, was absolutely grating to get through.
Her character was a nuscience the entire book, and her personality was a little hard to swallow. In this first book Agatha seems so selfish and self entitled. She’s the character that years for a “normal life” and likes to mind her business, but in being complicit makes me loath her even more.
She doesn’t have a backbone, always follows the rules and the currents that sweep her, and is a bit two faced. She wants a destiny for herself she chooses, which is understandable when dating the “Chosen One”, but to not have the backbone to fight for injustice but also wanting to keep others safe? She’s an irony in itself. She did not grow at all by the end of the book.
Also, the ending was so underwhelming and the big bad plot twist villain was hardly a plot twist, anyone could have seen it from a mile away. All in all this book was good for what’s it for, and I’d definitely read it again. Also! This is a series with two more books on the way to my front doorstep as we speak so I won’t hold off on this series yet as things could change!
Howver, I do have a few nuances with this novel. For one, the pacing. Though it got to the point, I feel like doing such took away from building upon the relationship between Simon and Baz and of course the world building,.
starting this story relationships are already set as the characters have known one another for seven plus years now. Simon, our ticking time bomb, our “chosen one”, and Baz, our cursed one, are destined to be enemies.
They Are destined to fight to the death and save the magical realm. The author talked so much aboir these destinies and the grips that came with it (neither one wanting to actually kill each other). And the conflicts that provided that fact. So why weren’t we able to even TEASE a bit of it? I feel like this book dragged when it came to setting execution to the world that was provided. The world building was so unique and fun, but we didn’t get too see too much of that. I feel as if the main “plot” was being swept under the rug a bit.
Now for the POV Switches- most of the characters held strong in their tone of voice and I enjoyed their point of view! However, the POV in one of the main characters of the story, Agatha, was absolutely grating to get through.
Her character was a nuscience the entire book, and her personality was a little hard to swallow. In this first book Agatha seems so selfish and self entitled. She’s the character that years for a “normal life” and likes to mind her business, but in being complicit makes me loath her even more.
She doesn’t have a backbone, always follows the rules and the currents that sweep her, and is a bit two faced. She wants a destiny for herself she chooses, which is understandable when dating the “Chosen One”, but to not have the backbone to fight for injustice but also wanting to keep others safe? She’s an irony in itself. She did not grow at all by the end of the book.
Also, the ending was so underwhelming and the big bad plot twist villain was hardly a plot twist, anyone could have seen it from a mile away. All in all this book was good for what’s it for, and I’d definitely read it again. Also! This is a series with two more books on the way to my front doorstep as we speak so I won’t hold off on this series yet as things could change!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, and War
halaagmod's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
reinik's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death and Cursing
Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide
justinareads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Kidnapping, and Grief
blewballoon's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-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
If you liked Harry Potter (especially if you liked Harry/Draco fanfic) you will probably really enjoy this. You've got a UK magical school, a "chosen one" who is more impulse than strategy, a best friend who is a super competent and intelligent girl, a rival who's family is elitist about bloodlines, a headmaster with dubious intent towards the "chosen one," and an animal-loving figure who lives on the grounds of the magic school who treats the "chosen one" like family. The main characters are older and more diverse, the magic system works differently, and there is some great humor along with the action and drama. (For anyone who has had Harry Potter soured for them after J. K. Rowling's words and actions in recent years, this may be a nice alternative that scratches the itch for a similar story and world.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, and Murder
letiross's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
dallas_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Car accident, and Death of parent
crufts's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.75
18-year-old Simon Snow is a student in his final year at Watford, a school for British teens with magical abilities. But Simon isn't just anyone; he's the Chosen One of the magical world, singled out by a prophecy to defeat the evil and mysterious Insidious Humdrum.
For seven years, Simon has battled the Humdrum and its legions of dangerous monsters, while reluctantly sharing a dorm room with his nemesis Baz (Basilton Pitch). But this year, something's wrong. The Humdrum's reach is spreading further and further, and Baz has gone missing. Can Simon live up to the prophecies, find Baz, and stop the Humdrum before it's too late?
For context, Carry On is the epic-length fanfiction written by the protagonist of another book by Rainbow Rowell, Fangirl. The protagonist of Fangirl (Cath) writes Carry On as her imagined final volume to the end of the "real" Simon Snow series, which at the time was unfinished. I mention this to explain why Carry On jumps straight into Simon's final year at school.
The opening chapters of Carry On are rather slow-paced, as Simon spends a lot of time reflecting on his past seven years of schooling, effectively giving the reader the necessary exposition to bring them up to speed.
This was helpful to establish that despite some parallels drawn during Fangirl, the magical worldbuilding and character dynamics are significantly different to that of the Harry Potter series. Simon is not really a Harry Potter analogue at all; he's more of a generic Chosen One analogue who just happens to go to a magic school, as clarified in the author's closing notes.
This was refreshing and interesting. Without going into spoilers, characters like the Best Friend, the Girlfriend, the Wise Mentor Figure, and the Big Bad were all significantly different and created different dynamics to the Harry Potter series.
This was refreshing and interesting. Without going into spoilers, characters like the Best Friend, the Girlfriend, the Wise Mentor Figure, and the Big Bad were all significantly different and created different dynamics to the Harry Potter series.
The other distinguishing quality was the use of first-person point-of-view, with the POV switching between many different characters. At times I found these rapid back-and-forth switches a tad disorienting. However, it was also intriguing to see the inner thoughts of the characters, and it made characters like Agatha more sympathetic.
By the 25% mark of the book, the inciting incident had been planted and I was keen to see how the rest of the story would turn out. I was enjoying watching the characters interact and seeing the magic system play out, and generally having fun following the progression of the mystery.
Some parts of the text were a little bulky, with a lot of navel-gazing and extraneous detail. Fortunately, if you read through these parts without paying close attention, you won't miss anything important. All points in the book that are actually important have attention clearly drawn to them.
Much of this bulky text was the exposition of the seven-year backstory. I couldn't help but feel that something was lost by jumping straight into this "final book" (well, the final fanfiction) of the Simon Snow series. To ensure that events made sense, the author had to frequently call back to events that would have happened in the "previous books". This was a little frustrating, but given that this is supposed to be Cath's "final book" fanfiction, I'm not sure how else it could be done.
On that note, I didn't notice much of Cath's influence on the writing. I was expecting to see some kind of hint that this was a story written by Cath, specifically, containing all the elements that she would want in a fanfiction.
But the text reads like it was written by a neutral, professional third party. And apart from theSimon/Baz relationship, there didn't seem to be any overt author appeal in the way that fanfictions often have. Arguably, this was a necessary stylistic choice to make the book palatable to people who haven't read Fangirl.
But the text reads like it was written by a neutral, professional third party. And apart from the
The ending of the novel was dramatic, exciting, and made logical sense. There was plenty of character development in supporting characters like Agatha and Baz , which was great.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it as an entertaining take on the Chosen One trope.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Violence: A number of magical fights break out.Abandonment: Simon reflects on being an orphan.
Pregnancy: Occurs in a flashback sequence.
Homophobia: Mentioned in backstory.
Eating disorder: A character is suspected of having one, but does not actually have one.
Death, death of parent: A supporting character dies onscreen. A parent is mentioned having died in a character's backstory.
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts