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.
The first time I read this, I plowed through the entire book in a single day. I remember eating it up and loving it from the first sentence, and not much else. I was so excited about it that I didn't actually remember most of the plot.
I finished re-reading it today, and it was just as amazing as I remember it being, possibly even moreso.
This book is not a ripoff of Harry Potter, and as a trans- reader, it hurts me just a bit to hear reviewers say that it is. This book is a love letter to gay relationships and it doesn't shy away from saying so. Rowell writes first-person gorgeously, and the book would not be the same without the POV changes. This is also a book that rewards re-reads--it's got just enough foreshadowing throughout that you'll go …
I'm actually reviewing this on my second read!
The first time I read this, I plowed through the entire book in a single day. I remember eating it up and loving it from the first sentence, and not much else. I was so excited about it that I didn't actually remember most of the plot.
I finished re-reading it today, and it was just as amazing as I remember it being, possibly even moreso.
This book is not a ripoff of Harry Potter, and as a trans- reader, it hurts me just a bit to hear reviewers say that it is. This book is a love letter to gay relationships and it doesn't shy away from saying so. Rowell writes first-person gorgeously, and the book would not be the same without the POV changes. This is also a book that rewards re-reads--it's got just enough foreshadowing throughout that you'll go back and be like "Oh! that's what that was!".
This is on my favorites shelf for a reason. It's got a bit of everything--charm, adventure, romance, and a best-friends dynamic that doesn't fall to the wayside in favor of the romance. Read it.
Well, that was probably the most fun book I've read this year. It's campy, delightful, and just an absolute romp. A little confused since it seems Rainbow Rowell has never heard of someone being bi, but hey, maybe she figures it out on subsequent books. Also, I would die for Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch.
I saw another review that said 'if you can ignore the obvious harry potter similarities...' so I wasn't expecting that much out of it and I decided to read it anyway (just for the gay). However, I was pleasantly surprised at how I didn't really think the book was like harry potter at all, other than 1) there's a big threat looming and 2) there's a 'chosen one' because come on, there's ALWAYS 1) a big threat looming and 2) a chosen one.
I really liked in particular how the spells come about, everyday phrases and such carrying meaning behind them. On to the next book in the series! (when it comes out)
Let's recap briefly: [a:Rainbow Rowell|4208569|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1342324527p2/4208569.jpg] wrote a book ([b:Fangirl|16068905|Fangirl|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355886270s/16068905.jpg|21861351]) about what it was like to be a Big Name Fan and in order to capture this experience she made up a fictional Harry Potter series, which the protagonist of Fangirl wrote a fanfic about. Then, Rainbow Rowell decided to actually write this fictional Harry Potter series, which is Carry On. Meta'ed out yet?
But, honestly, this kind of makes sense, because the Simon Snow snippets were the best part of Fangirl. Rowell is nothing if not wicked clever, and it shines the most in the way that she used the fact that everyone knows and understands Harry Potter to include huge swathes of background in a couple of paragraphs, which gave her inversions and subtle changes context. One of the coolest feats of literatures someone's pulled off in awhile, but I was worried that it was not particularly …
Let's recap briefly: [a:Rainbow Rowell|4208569|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1342324527p2/4208569.jpg] wrote a book ([b:Fangirl|16068905|Fangirl|Rainbow Rowell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355886270s/16068905.jpg|21861351]) about what it was like to be a Big Name Fan and in order to capture this experience she made up a fictional Harry Potter series, which the protagonist of Fangirl wrote a fanfic about. Then, Rainbow Rowell decided to actually write this fictional Harry Potter series, which is Carry On. Meta'ed out yet?
But, honestly, this kind of makes sense, because the Simon Snow snippets were the best part of Fangirl. Rowell is nothing if not wicked clever, and it shines the most in the way that she used the fact that everyone knows and understands Harry Potter to include huge swathes of background in a couple of paragraphs, which gave her inversions and subtle changes context. One of the coolest feats of literatures someone's pulled off in awhile, but I was worried that it was not particularly sustainable in a stand-alone novel.
Good news, bad news? The way in which Harry Potter provides a context and background to Carry On is probably the strongest part. The whole book exists in a dialogue with Harry Potter and the two most interesting themes of the novel grow from here: 1. Doesn't it kind of suck to be a mage in a magical/muggle world? The way HP is set up, you can only be a wizard if you're a wizard (you don't get the basic education required to be anything else.) What if you want to be a doctor or a mathematician or a chef in a big restaurant? Suck to be you: wizarding world or bust. But in the HP world, no one discusses this. Rowell actually explores this concept and how much magic destines people. 2. If you're a mage in a magical/muggle hybrid world, and you get to go to magic school, the rest of life is a downhill slog of hiding and never being around your people. Another thing Rowell does great is evoking the culture and community of teenagers and it's really on show here: the sadness of graduation is clear in a way that Rowlings did not succeed at. 3. I love the loyal opposition. That you can be boyhood enemies and play kid games, but if there's going to be a war and its going to be real, how does that change and mature your enmity. Because so much of childhood opposition is the loyal opposition: the person you depend on to antagonize you and play the foil. So, cool. This part is fun.
Bad news: The book reads like Harry/Draco fanfiction. Not that I read fanfiction (only pro-singularity propoganda, [b:Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality|10016013|Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality|Eliezer Yudkowsky|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1293582551s/10016013.jpg|14911331].) But still. So still some good news, in that those of us who have spent the last 14 years and 7 books growing to love the Harry Potter characters will be invested off the bat. But on the downside, very little actually happens. Literally, the first 20% of the book is HarrySimon wandering around HogwartsWatford looking for Baz. The majority of the rest is Simon and Baz mooning at each other. Also, it reads to me like Cath actually wrote it, i.e. that it was written by an 18 year old girl: Is falling in love with your sworn enemy actually a thing that happens in real life? Just one minute you're fighting and the next you're swooning and then a second later you're "snogging"? OK... Also, I talk a lot. I think in words. I need to talk to process my thoughts. My friends get sick of hearing me think out loud. Both the thinking and the talking. I get told "most people don't think that much; they just do" a lot. In Rainbow Rowell's world, I am both basically selectively mute and impulsive. Her characters talk about everything always and at length (usually sounding like self-important teenagers in their word choice and punctuation.) I have never in real life met someone who articulates quite so many thoughts, and definitely not a 17 year old boy who does so.
Finally, despite having read approximately 20 pages of Baz's thoughts on Simon's hair, I still have no idea why they actually like each other in anyway. (Besides the hair. It seems easier to have your boyfriend wear a wig than to date your sworn enemy because he has nice hair.)
So, in conclusion, its a fun romp, with interesting commentary on the world of Harry Potter and school fantasy in general, and it's the only book you'll ever read that's a fictionalized version of a fanfic of a fictional novel, so there's that.
