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popsiclerainbow's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Favorite moments:
- The entire first section where Simon is just obsessed with Baz I'm living for it.
- Baz's grand entrance like yes boo you deserve it
- The entire Simon/Baz relationship. From the mothafuckin pining, to the flirting, to the kissing and the occasional "fight" here and there I am here for this!
- The mystery as a whole was nice. I liked how the Mage ended up being a villain and was a subversion of the wise old mentor trope.
- Also Fiona and Nick? Ebb and Nick? Mitali and Lucy? They know each other/are related? DID I JUST NOT READ THIS BOOK OR SOMETHING?
- I loved how Agatha was just "fuck this shit I don't wanna die." Even though she was kind of a downer at times I still related to her a lot.
- I love how Baz says "Carry on, Simon" but then the book just ends like fuck the irony alksjflak
Why I thought this book was 4.5 stars:
I remember really loving this book back when I first read it and I'm glad I picked it up again cause it just reaffirms all those feelings I had for this book and then some. Simon and Baz are amazing and I totally get why everyone loves Baz now. They are easily the best part of this book and I would find my self squealing like an idiot so many times every time they were together. But at the same time, they are also somewhat this book's downfall-not because they're bad though! It's because there wasn't enough of these two. When I saw love story I expected kissing and though I did get the kissing I wanted more.
Luckily for this book, the mystery was actually pretty fun to read. (Which is good because that's the reason they aren't kissing more!) Is it the most complex mystery out there? No, but things don't have to be complex to be enjoyable. (Just look at "What If It's Us".) I especially really love how when the mystery is solved, we find out the Mage is behind all the chaos in the magickal world. It was a nice subversion of the trope and it's nice to see he wasn't just another Dumbledore. Speaking of the mage, I actually think he's not that bad of a guy. Well idea-wise. His actions were absolutely terrible and I don't excuse any of them. But his vision of a less elitist world really resonated with me, it's just a shame he got so power hungry at the end.
A lot of people have compared this book to Harry Potter and while it's not unreasonable that they would make that comparison, I personally don't think its similarities detract from the book at all. Although, maybe this is because I've yet to read Harry Potter. (It's on my wish list, I just need the money. And time. *2020 update OOPS JK ROWLING'S A TERF FUCK THAT*) Also Carry On is just gayer which is always a plus in my book.
Overall it's a wonderful book and a super light read; quintessential Rainbow Rowell. If you enjoyed her other books, you'll probably enjoy this one too as the experience isn't that much different. Aside from you know, the magic, and the vampires, and the dragons.
- The entire first section where Simon is just obsessed with Baz I'm living for it.
- Baz's grand entrance like yes boo you deserve it
- The entire Simon/Baz relationship. From the mothafuckin pining, to the flirting, to the kissing and the occasional "fight" here and there I am here for this!
- The mystery as a whole was nice. I liked how the Mage ended up being a villain and was a subversion of the wise old mentor trope.
- Also Fiona and Nick? Ebb and Nick? Mitali and Lucy? They know each other/are related? DID I JUST NOT READ THIS BOOK OR SOMETHING?
- I loved how Agatha was just "fuck this shit I don't wanna die." Even though she was kind of a downer at times I still related to her a lot.
- I love how Baz says "Carry on, Simon" but then the book just ends like fuck the irony alksjflak
Why I thought this book was 4.5 stars:
I remember really loving this book back when I first read it and I'm glad I picked it up again cause it just reaffirms all those feelings I had for this book and then some. Simon and Baz are amazing and I totally get why everyone loves Baz now. They are easily the best part of this book and I would find my self squealing like an idiot so many times every time they were together. But at the same time, they are also somewhat this book's downfall-not because they're bad though! It's because there wasn't enough of these two. When I saw love story I expected kissing and though I did get the kissing I wanted more.
Luckily for this book, the mystery was actually pretty fun to read. (Which is good because that's the reason they aren't kissing more!) Is it the most complex mystery out there? No, but things don't have to be complex to be enjoyable. (Just look at "What If It's Us".) I especially really love how when the mystery is solved, we find out the Mage is behind all the chaos in the magickal world. It was a nice subversion of the trope and it's nice to see he wasn't just another Dumbledore. Speaking of the mage, I actually think he's not that bad of a guy. Well idea-wise. His actions were absolutely terrible and I don't excuse any of them. But his vision of a less elitist world really resonated with me, it's just a shame he got so power hungry at the end.
A lot of people have compared this book to Harry Potter and while it's not unreasonable that they would make that comparison, I personally don't think its similarities detract from the book at all. Although, maybe this is because I've yet to read Harry Potter. (It's on my wish list, I just need the money. And time. *2020 update OOPS JK ROWLING'S A TERF FUCK THAT*) Also Carry On is just gayer which is always a plus in my book.
Overall it's a wonderful book and a super light read; quintessential Rainbow Rowell. If you enjoyed her other books, you'll probably enjoy this one too as the experience isn't that much different. Aside from you know, the magic, and the vampires, and the dragons.
Content Warnings
Minor: Toxic relationship
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