Spoiler-free book review

Genre: Fantasy, romance, contemporary YA

The first of the Simon Snow trilogy, the fantastical world of Carry On has a peculiar origin story. Rainbow Rowell’s previous book, Fangirl, explored the fanfiction the main character wrote of a fictional Harry Potter-esque franchise. The popularity of that fictional world’s fanfiction garnered so much interest that it led to its own trilogy—how spectacular; Carry On is a fantasy fiction derived from a fanfiction of a fictional character’s fanfiction of a fictional world based off another fictional world.

Try saying that faster than your mouth abandons you.

The novel reads like a contemporary romance taking place in a fantasy world akin to that of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, without being so similar that one might accuse it of mimicry. It certainly is not the latter; it is a story that holds its own and that has earned its praise.

Full disclosure, it is the first romance novel I have ever read. (except for Far from the Madding Crowd, to be fair). It’s certainly the first queer romance story I’ve ever read. It is complicated—or rather complimented—by a well-done and satisfying love triangle (something that in my opinion is rather rare to find). The outcome is not so predictable, and I was glad that the story kept me guessing all along the ride.

Though the story does start a little slowly, spending perhaps a little too much time depicting the obsessive anxiety our hero feels in the mysterious absence of his nemesis, I am quickly gripped when that nemesis finally shows up. I became so invested in the brewing intimacy between the two main characters—two mortal enemies—that I was racing through the political plot just to see more of it. That’s not to say the political plot was a chore. It was surprisingly layered, introspective, and had its twists and turns, showing you both sides of the coin in a fair way.

The quality of a villain can make or break a story. In Carry On, it holds the story up firmly. The villain (or I should say villains) presents a creepy, mysterious and intimidating aspect to the story. I won’t go further lest I spoil the twists, but needless to say that this is an area the story will not disappoint you with.

A key feature in Rainbow Rowell’s world building in this book was the nature of magic. It really does set it apart from the Wizarding World that she was inspired by. I love the way magic works in the book. Incantations are derived from phrases used by both magical and non-magical people, that hold importance and widespread usage. The more famous the phrase (like, “Clean as a whistle!” or “Up, up and away!”, or even nursery rhymes, which are considered especially powerful incantations), the stronger and more long lasting the spell. Should a phrase or saying fall out of favour, the spell no longer works.

It’s brilliant. Such a unique take on the idea of incantations. 

To conclude, I believe that fans of Harry Potter will love it, but so will anyone looking for a fresh take on the magical genre, especially when seeking a good love story which keeps you hooked from start to finish.

If my review left you yearning to learn more, I invite you to visit an independent, more in-depth review that had helped me decide to get the book.

Happy reading!