Sometimes - actually, a lot of the time - she writes about lovesick vampires and boys with dragon wings. Sometimes she writes about teenagers ( Eleanor & Park, Fangirl). Sometimes she writes about adults ( Attachments and Landline). Rainbow Rowell writes all kinds of stuff. Purchase LinksĪmazon UK | Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | iBooks About Rainbow Rowell Author Bio It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell novel - but far, far more monsters. 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.Ĭarry On is a ghost story, a love story, and a mystery. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right. Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen. Despite being the so-called Chosen One, destined to rid the world of the magic-sucking Humdrum, he can barely heat the contents of a teapot without cracking the china.įor a first foray into fantasy that has all the romance and wonderful characterisation I’ve come to look forward to from this author, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell gets 10/10 rainbows. Simon, though, takes this to a whole new level. In fact, beyond Defence Against the Dark Arts, his performance is decidedly average. True, Harry Potter isn’t exactly the best student to pass through the Hogwarts education system. One aspect of this novel that really appealed to me was Simon’s utter incompetence as a magician.
Whatever the reason, I fell hard for this particular vampire and drank in every word of his and Simon’s developing relationship. I’m not sure whether it’s his don’t-care arrogance, the ever-present air of danger, or the hint of vulnerability that occasionally shows through the chinks in his armour.
Baz, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. I never swooned over Edward Cullen or Stefan Salvatore, or even Stefan’s bad boy brother Damon.
I’m not generally a reader who finds vampires inherently sexy. I was already familiar with Penny’s brilliance and no-nonsense attitude, with Agatha’s disdain for her own magic, and of course with Simon and Baz’s turbulent enemies-to-lovers romance. What was so unique about this one, however, was the extent to which I felt I knew the characters before even opening to the first page, as though I were reconnecting with a group of old friends. Perhaps it’s little wonder I loved this book, given my lifelong soft spot for school stories. So, having already been introduced to Simon and Baz and their adventures at the Watford School of Magic, I couldn’t wait to dive into this. Rainbow Rowell planted the seed for this story in her novel Fangirl, which is probably my favourite of her titles, although it’s hard to choose. Much as I enjoyed this book on my first read, I appreciated it even more this time around. This is my second time reading Carry On, since I wanted to reacquaint myself with it before picking up the sequel.