Carry On
By Rainbow Rowell
Rating: 5/5 Stairs
I haven’t read much by Rainbow Rowell. I’ve heard her young adult books are outstanding. (They are on my always-growing to-read list.) I can say based on reading two of her novels – Landline and Carry On – I think this woman could write anything and it would be fantastic. Any genre. Any characters. Her writing is just…magical. Which is a great lead-in to Carry On, a fantasy novel full of magic.
My original plan was to read Fangirl first, and then follow up with Carry On. I knew that Carry On was a sequel of sorts, but not really. Now, I happened to be at the library a few weeks ago (surprise, surprise), and the Carry On audio book was sitting on a table, calling out to me. Reading the summary, I realized it wasn’t exactly a sequel to Fangirl, but more of a companion. I picked it up.
It hooked me from the start. The narrator – Euan Morton – was perfect, I could listen to him narrate all day. At first, I thought Carry On would be more of a fanfic of Harry Potter. It’s not. Ms. Rowell has created her own unique universe, full of wizards and vampires, dragons and numpties, with spells based on common phrases, and mysteries waiting to be solved. Every page is magic.
- The names – Simon Snow. Penelope Bunce. Agatha Wellbelove. Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch. The Insidious Humdrum.
- The spells – Any book that turns “these aren’t the droids you’re looking for” (Star Wars) into a spell is number one in my book.
- The narrative – Primarily told through Simon, Ms. Rowell does flip the narrative quite a bit so we hear from Penelope, Agatha, and Baz, and some secondary characters narrate from time to time when needed. A ghost named Lucy weaves her tale from the past in as well.
- The characters – They are all wonderful. I must say, I think I like Baz the best.
- The word Crowley – Baz uses “Crowley” in his speech all the time. “Crowley, Wellbelove, there must be a better way to get your parents’ attention.” or “Aleister Crowley, I’m living a charmed life.” I love it.
Carry On has something for everyone. A little magic, a little mystery. It’s an epic battle of good versus evil. But it’s also a YA novel featuring terrific characters and a great story. This is one of those great books that I will be buying to add to my library. Enjoy.
Hidden Staircase 
Ok, I didn’t really think I’d like Rainbow Rowell, but you have really made me want to read this book! 🙂
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I hope you like it. Do the audio book if you can!
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I’ve been listening to a lot of audio lately – I’ll check my library for it. 🙂
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I really really enjoyed this too but I have lived all her books. I will say it did take me a minute to get into though . Still it was amazin . Great review!
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I may have been sucked in right away due to the narrators fabulous accent. 🙂
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I love this book. It was one of my favorites of last year.
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It seems to be a great book! I considered it for some time, but then I read the synopsis but then I changed my mind… and then I found it on Kindle with a MAGNIFICENT cover… that I would totally buy on paperback haha
I think that the cover convinced me of actually reading the book. Thank you fro you review and for saying that it is not a fanfic… I think each book is unique and even better when it has monsters, fights, and powers… I like anime and stuff so I think that is why I have considered this book for so long XD
I hope you could check my blog! I hope you like it :3
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I hope you like it! I actually have two copies now – the original hardback and the new paperback. I couldn’t say no to that new cover!! It’s a really fun story. 🙂 I will definitely check your blog out. Thanks!
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Awww thank you!! I hope you like it! :3
I have done that with The Hunger Games, I bought the metallic paperback editions haha I wish to read them all over again ❤
It seems to be a funny story! I am not sure but it is LGBTQ or is just me? Maybe I am confused haha
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Carry On has so much going on in it! It’s fun, it’s fantasy, it’s adventure, it’s mystery. AND yes, there is also LGBTQ, although I don’t want to say more than that because…SPOILERS! 🙂 It’s a great story.
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Yeah… no no spoilers are bad … they give you cancer or something… haha I will read it for sure! Thank you! :3
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