Book Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Before Reading:

I need something to make me chill from Illuminae. I need something to make me sane while I think about all of the homework that they made us do during the week long vacation. More importantly, hello there hype. I blame you for being so persistent on making me read another one of Rainbow Rowell’s marvelous creations. Quite frankly, I don’t have anything against boy love. I mean, I have read a lot of doujinshis (none R-18, promise) and I want to see how this will captivate me. Simon and Baz were too sweet in the chapters that Cath wrote in Fangirl. Now with Carry On, I can read the whole thing and fall on the floor because of the cavities they are giving me. It has a DraRry feel to it. Off to dive in!

Title & Author: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Genre:  Young Adult-Fantasy

Year Published: October 6th 2015

Series: None

Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Source: Paperback,Bought (National Bookstore)

Summary:

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters.

Goodreads

After Reading:

Well… That certainly was a refreshing ending. I did not expect any of that, and all of it blew me away. What just happened? What do I read next? Help me, I need more Simon and Baz in my life.

If you are thinking about stopping while you are just a few pages in, you will regret that decision. I might have spoiled myself into bookmarking the page where Baz shows up, but that technique worked for me to keep on reading. As everyone else said, it’s the road that matters. All the events leading up to Baz’ appearance made me all jumpy and fangirl-y because when he finally appeared, I know that something will happen and their relationship will be further explored. And I did not bother to put down Carry On until I finished it. Don’t put the book down. It gets better, trust me!

It might have been dragging when it started but a person’s perseverance is the key to finish this book. Once the reader(YOU) gets to Book II, I swear on my deathbed that the story only goes up until your fangirl/fanboy hearts explode. This is coming from the fangirl who read it in school and got scolded because of having fangirled too much. But that’s just a normal day for me.

You might want to read Fangirl first if you want more background about Simon and Baz. But if you do not want to, you can proceed into reading Carry On because it can support itself without Fangirl. But then again, this is Cath’s fanfiction. This is what all the fuss was about.

Rainbow Rowell wrote a “magical feels-plosion” book that makes your heart quench for more love. (Note that feels-plosion is not a real word. But you get what I mean.) Rainbow Rowell proved that she can write splendid works of fantasy, while still making you hold on to your dear heart because of all the cheesiness and cleverly-placed-at-the-right-romantic moments. If you would choose the “IT” couple, the crown definitely goes to Simon and Baz. Those two are all but perfectly imperfect, and because of them the book bursted with love.

The story itself is not entirely clićhe but it will give the nostalgia of reading another book with magics, dragons and a UK setting. It was different. And it does not lack the heart and soul that will make readers feel empty and hollow because of the ending. All the characters were all breaths of fresh air, and the book handled diversity in the best way possible. From Penelope Bunce to The Mage, all of them were all entertaining to read in perspective.

Crafted with the finest imperfections, I’m surprised that Rainbow Rowell has not written a fantasy book before Carry On. For she truly is a wonderful and unique author, just like her books. Carry On not only celebrates diversity, but it also made the fantasy aspect one bar higher.

Sometimes she writes about adults (Attachments and Landline).

Sometimes she writes about teenagers (Eleanor & Park, Fangirl andCarry On.).

But she always writes about people who talk a lot. And people who feel like they’re screwing up. And people who fall in love.

When she’s not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguing about things that don’t really matter in the big scheme of things.

She lives in Nebraska with her husband and two sons.

Know more about Rainbow Rowell on her website, rainbowrowell.com