A review by amaldae
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

2.25

After reading (twice. Double dammit): I like the idea of magic being phrases loaded with meaning through repeated use, and that its political implications are considered to some extent. This makes the world feel a little less sketched in even though most of the story has already happened when the book begins. The end, after evil has been defeated and Simon suddenly finds himself without purpose, having to face the revebrations of all he's been through, is by far the strongest part of the novel. Otherwise, this falls somewhat short. The characters are flat, one of the sidekicks a shallow diversity pick and the other a downright misogynistic manifestation of feelings that in the hands of a different author might even be interesting, the big bad is obvious, the fight uninteresting, and the romance is indeed like bad fanfiction of an entirely unfamiliar thing - in other words, sudden and unbelievable.