From the Bookshelf of Reads With Friends…

Carry On (Simon Snow, #1)

Rainbow Rowell,

Jim Tierney (Illustrator)

Start date: November 9, 2015

Finish date: November 15, 2015

Discussion: Carry On

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Carry On

Sun 11/15 | P. 440-517 (Ch. 76-END)
By Shannon · 5 posts · 33 views

last updated Dec 01, 2015 06:08AM

Sat 11/14 | P. 365-439 (Ch. 65-75)
By Shannon · 2 posts · 16 views

last updated Nov 15, 2015 12:23PM

What Members Thought

Oct 22, 2015 Shannon rated it really liked it

I ended up enjoying this a lot more than I thought I was going to. It was cute and there were a lot of unique aspects to it with the characters and the story that made sure it was it's own thing. However, this wouldn't exist without Harry Potter and honestly I don't think it would hold up if you hadn't read Harry Potter. Also, if this were the final Harry Potter book I think I would be disappointed. It takes a long time for anything to really happen and then when it finally did it was cute and f ...more

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Jan 03, 2016 Jamie (Books and Ladders) rated it liked it

See what our collection thoughts were in our BAMF Review on Books Are My Fandom

I thought that while this one was good, it wasn’t the be all, end all of books as I had been hearing about. I had never read a Rainbow Rowell book before but I had read her short story in the anthology My True Love Gave To Me. It was my favourite story in there so I knew I would be a fan of at least the writing style in Carry On. However, the book felt too short even though it was over 500 pages and it left me wanting ...more

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Aug 26, 2017 Jen Eure rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own

I don't understand why people say this is a parody. Obviously Rainbow drew inspiration from Harry Potter, but I think she did a great job making a new world. The magic is different, the villian is different, the resolution is different. And while you can tell who the main 3 characters are inspired by, I think Rainbow did a good job setting them up as their own characters. Overall I really enjoyed this book, the reason I docked a star is because it was hard for me to get into. Up until Baz entere ...more

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Jun 20, 2016 Eve rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-rockmytbr-challenge

http://functioninginsanity.blogspot.c...

Rating: 5 Stars

If you don't know by some miracle Carry On follows the characters we grew to love in Fangirl, the fictional series that Cath was obsessed with and wrote fanfic for centering around Simon Snow, the most powerful mage there is. At the school for magicks he is surrounded by his best friend Penny, his girlfriend Agatha and his roommate and nemesis Baz. The world is being tormented by the Humdrum who is sucking magic out of the world and it's up http://functioninginsanity.blogspot.c...

Rating: 5 Stars

If you don't know by some miracle Carry On follows the characters we grew to love in Fangirl, the fictional series that Cath was obsessed with and wrote fanfic for centering around Simon Snow, the most powerful mage there is. At the school for magicks he is surrounded by his best friend Penny, his girlfriend Agatha and his roommate and nemesis Baz. The world is being tormented by the Humdrum who is sucking magic out of the world and it's up to Simon to figure it out. No relaxing in your last day of school when you're the chosen one and savior. This book is slammed full of everything from magic, ghosts, love and kissing (duh Rainbow Rowell book here), mystery and so much more.

This book. I can totally see the obsession behind it and how people would re-read as soon as they finish because it just evokes all the feels! Seriously! First it has a vague Harry Potter feel and that alone is enough to make one nostalgic. Then add in Simon and Penny and Baz and you have a wonderful time. The way it is written just makes you laugh so hard at times while 'awing' or worrying at others.

Carry On is told from several different POVs and it swaps throughout giving you insight from different perspectives. From the start I loved Simon. He is easy to love and while we only get to know Baz through him for the first part of the book it was so very different. I was conflicted because in the Carry On sections of Fangirl I adored Baz and just hearing everyone talk I knew I would adore him but in the start I didn't much like him but I could tell things were fluid and easy to change in both Simons opinion and my own. I also loved his relationship with Penny. This is the perfect relationship for me they are friends no matter what but they never have romantic feelings for one another. Grant it at one point I was wishing him with her over Agatha just because I never liked her character at all.

Baz…when Baz shows up in the story oh do I quickly love him. I loved his perspective so much. While I loved Simons questioning and random spacey thoughts I also equally loved Baz's rather darker at times view. He is so interesting from the start and he comes in with a bang for sure. I don't even know when I or Simon went from disliking him to liking him it just happened so naturally that it's impossible to know. Watching them bicker and banter as they room together forever being on opposite sides and finally having something to work towards together, a mystery to solve was perfect.

There is so much happening in this from the character dynamics to the war between the old families and the mage, the Humdrum and his threat to the world, and the mystery of a death and how they all wind and blend together into one cohesive story is amazing. I LOVED this book. When I finished I was so filled with so many emotions it was insane. I wanted to burst to tell people about this book so badly. The romance involved in this book had all my favorite Rainbow Rowell trademarks that just make me jump with joy. I also appreciated some aspects that could be drawn out and made a whole story on being easily resolved! While there were a few lose ends left that have me dying to know more, I was so full finishing this I feel it had everything I could have wanted or needed to make it a beautiful and perfect book for me.

So basically I LOVED it. ...more

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