Fangirl

Book Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

~ Cheyenne Raphael ~ Leave a comment

Carry On Cover

Title: Carry On 

Author: Rainbow Rowell 

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press 

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance 

Published: October 6, 2015

Pages: 384 

Synopsis: 

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, 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.

 

*Synopsis and cover art from www.rainbowrowell.com. 

 

☆☆☆☆☆

I am giving Cary On five out of five stars because it is absolutely amazing! If you’ve read Fangirl, (click here for my review), you will understand the meaning behind Carry On a bit better. In fangirl, Cath is writing fictional fan fiction for a fictional fantasy series, and Carry On is Cath’s fictional fan fiction brought to life by Rainbow Rowell! A lot of people are criticizing Cary On for being a rip off of Harry Potter, but honestly I don’t see that. Yes, it features a school of magic, a dark creature trying to harm magic, spells that relate to common words and phrases, and a young chosen one who seems like the worst chosen one ever, but the story still seems to be a world away from the Potterverse in my opinion. Harry Potter has a more fantastical flow to the words, like it’s set in a far away world, while Carry On is set in the modern world, and has a more modern flow to it. I would consider HP full on fantasy, while Carry On to me is “modern fantasy,: if there is such a genre. 

I absolutely LOVE the romance in Carry On, and that coming from me is a huge complement since I’ve been called an “anti romantic” for my views of romance in YA literature. It’s amazing to me that Rainbow Rowell was able to turn two complete enemies around and make them fall for each other in one single book.

**Possible romantic spoiler alert!!! Baz and simon are sO awesome together, and I was shipping them even as I was reading Fangirl. I love how the little bit of diversity in Carry On seemed perfectly natural, unlike in some books when it seems forced, or like it’s there simply for the sake of being diverse. 

**Possible spoiler ended… 

Carry On is meant to be the eighth book in the fictional Simon Snow series that is portrayed in Fangirl, and I would honestly love to see Rainbow Rowell publish the other seven books. I really like how Carry On encompasses so much world building and character development in one novel without it seeming overwhelming, but I really would love to spend more time in the Simon Snow universe. In short, Carry On is amazing, and you should totally read it if you A: read Fangirl and loved it, or B: like YA romance/fantasy and want something a little bit different to read. 

Buy it now at: 
Let’s start a discussion! 

Have you read Carry On? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? I’d love to know what you think in the comments or on twitter @writergirl1999! 

Book Review: Fangirl

~ Cheyenne Raphael ~ 1 Comment

Fangirl Cover

Title: fangirl 

Author: rainbow Rowell 

Publisher: st. Martin’s Press 

Copyright: September 10, 2013 

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Romance 

Pages: 445 

Synopsis: 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath it’s something more. Fandom is life. It’s what got her and her sister, Wren, through losing their mom. It’s what kept them close.

And now that she’s starting college, introverted Cath isn’t sure what’s supposed to get her through. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? 

 

*Synopsis and cover art from www.rainbowrowell.com 

 

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

I am giving Fangirl four out of five stars. I really love the characters, but I wasn’t that impressed with the plot… Honestly there was nothing that surprised me about it, and I would’ve given it a lower rating had it not been for the amazing characters. Cath, the main character, is someone I can really identify with. She’s the nerdy girl who loves books and writing, and who doesn’t really understand other people her age. I could totally see myself feeling the way Cath does about college. She’s the kind of person who over-analyzes every situation before she actually gets into it, and that is one of my biggest faults. Cath also writes fan fiction for a fictional fantasy series, and you get little snippets of what she’s writing at the start of each chapter. It’s almost like you’re reading two books in one, and I was completely fascinated with how that was done. Rainbow Rowell also published the story that Cath was writing during Fangirl, and I am currently in the midst of reading it. I can’t wait to review that as well because so far it is amazing! Cath’s writing in Fangirl features some diverse, (LGBTQ), characters, and I think that incorporating them into a YA contemporary novel was very well done! 

Fangirl is not the sort of thing I normally read, (I usually won’t touch it if it doesn’t involve magic or SciFi), but lots of people kept telling me to read it. I’m so glad I did, mostly because I’m a sucker for character focused stories and well-written diversity of any kind. It’s the kind of book that anyone can pretty much enjoy because it captures a bit of real life between the pages. It really gives you something to connect with because it demonstrates how you are going to grow up and away from things, and how it’s ok to let that happen. It shows that the things that used to make you who you are will not always define you as well as they once did, and that it’s ok to let other things define you as you grow and change. In short, (before I continue to ramble), Fangirl probably isn’t for you if you like twisting, surprising plots, but it does give you some things to think about. I’m really glad I stepped outside my fantasy bubble and gave it a chance. 

 

Let’s start A Discussion 

Have you read Fangirl? Do you agree with my thoughts? I’d love to know what you think in the comments!