Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on October 6th 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal Fiction, Fantasy & Magic
Pages: 522
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
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Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.\r\nThat’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.\r\nHalf 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.\r\nCarry 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.\r\n

I may have squealed out loud when I found out that Rainbow Rowell had actually written a Simon Snow novel! I read Fangirl last summer, and absolutely adored it.  I would definitely recommend reading that one first, so you’ll better understand what Simon Snow is all about. When I first saw the book (and finished squealing), I admit that I was a little confused. Is this supposed to be the fanfic that Cath (the main character from Fangirl) was writing? Or was this actually supposed to be the last book in the (fictional) Simon Snow series? As it turns out, it’s neither one. It’s Rainbow Rowell’s take on Simon Snow. And it’s brilliant.   It was a little slow to get going, but once it did, I didn’t want to stop listening! The magic spells that were song lyrics or common phrases cracked me up. I loved the characters, especially Baz and Penelope. I loved the banter between Simon and Baz, and the connection that they had despite the fact that they were supposed to be mortal enemies. I liked that they were flawed, that not every problem could be solved with a little magic. I was 100% invested. I didn’t want the story to end, but I couldn’t wait to find out what happened.   Carry On by Rainbow Rowell has a little bit of everything – mystery, suspense, romance, magic, self-discovery…seriously, it has everything. I would caution prospective readers to not go into it comparing it to Harry Potter. There may be a lot of outward similarities, but these characters are nothing like our beloved Harry and Dumbledore, or the dreaded Draco Malfoy. Nope, I genuinely liked Baz and his sarcastic wit and biting comments (See what I did there? Because Baz may or may not be a vampire…). When we see things from his perspective, there is so much more going on!   If you were a fan of Fangirl, I think this is a must-read. And if you haven’t read Fangirl, then you have two must-reads to add to your list! Rainbow Rowell has once again created characters that grabbed my heart. This one will easily go into the “read again” pile.  

“You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can’t carry on at all.”

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Jessica @ Bookshelfery

Jessica’s addiction to books began at age 4, going on weekly trips to the library with her mom. After being a young fan of Sweet Valley High and The Baby-Sitters Club, she discovered the thrill of reading a book that made her want to leave the light on and check under the bed. Her all-time favorite author is Stephen King, but she will read just about anything! Jessica never leaves home without her e-reader, and considers it the best gift she ever received. Her other hobbies include running and going to Disney World as often as possible.

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