Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Pages: 517

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Fantasy

Notes for Parents: Contains some coarse language and mature content

The Inside Cover

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 shop up.

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

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The author created the character of Simon Snow in her novel Fangirl where Simon was a fictional character in a series of children’s adventure novels that were the subject of much fanfiction written by the main character, Cath. The author says the character of Simon stayed with her after writing that novel and led her to make his story a new novel.

What’s good?

Short chapters, good flow, and a strong, narrative style are highlights of this unusual fantasy adventure. There is plenty of witty dialogue and irreverent humor amidst action, suspense, romance, and even a dragon battle. While the story has magic and mystery, it’s more a story about relationships. Baz and Simon’s love-hate-tolerate relationship was fascinating to watch, and the plot relies heavily on the strength of the friendships that develop throughout the story. The ending was nice, a bit predictable, but an enjoyable conclusion.

Best Part: “Let’s kill a virgin and write a great Led Zeppelin album.” (Pg. 378)

What isn’t good?

There’s no denying the Harry Potter parallels. This, apparently, was done on purpose, but it has a strange vibe and falls very short of being a parody. The first third of the book was slow and the plot was weak and predictable. With the exception of Baz, the characters are relatively flat and the relationships, especially the romance, can get a bit awkward.

Worst part: “Worsegers – like badgers but worse.” (pg 132)

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

I liked it, but it was silly. It’s definitely not a serious fantasy novel, and it doesn’t work as a parody either. It felt fan fiction-like before I knew it was based on fan fiction from another of her stories. Part of me thinks the title keeps this book from reaching its target audience, but I like the reference to "carry on" that it's taken from in the story. What kept me reading was the author's writing style, great dialogue, and irreverent humor.

Rowell, Rainbow. Carry On. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2015. (Hardcover)