Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

On a rainy day in June, I was at my local library when a particular book caught my eye because of its stunning cover illustration. That book was Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Published in 2015, this 528 page tale is a magical take on the life of Simon Snow who first appeared in Rowell’s Fangirl. Carry On is set in a world of its own, so readers can read it individually as well. If you love Rainbow Rowell and J.K Rowling, you are guaranteed to enjoy every single page of this masterpiece.

This novel is separated into 4 sections, each more grandiloquent than the last. The story is narrated from a first-person perspective, alternating between selections of main characters, but primarily from the viewpoint of Simon Snow and Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch, aka Baz Pitch.

From the very first page, the magical nature of the story and Harry Potter-like feeling is established. Although characters like Simon are similar to Harry Potter, The Mage to Dumbledore, Penelope to Hermione Granger and Baz to Draco Malfoy, Carry On carries the reader into a world of its own.

The first section of the book follows one of our two protagonists, Simon Snow, who is a student at the Watford School of Magicks. The inspiration taken from Harry Potter can be clearly seen here as Watford and Hogwarts bear a lot of similarities. Both magical schools are located in Britain and teach young wizards and witches the essentials of magic. Watford is run by The Mage, which is the highest title one can hold in the world of Carry On. Like any other YA fantasy novel, Carry On has its fair share of antagonism as well. The main antagonist of this novel is The Humdrum, who makes his first appearance when Simon is returning to Watford. I cannot reveal much about The Humdrum without spoiling the novel, but it’s worth remarking Rowell did an absolutely fantastic job in connecting this character to Simon. From the moment Simon returns to Watford, The Mage is committed to protecting Simon from The Humdrum. I could not help but feel a little suspicious about just why The Mage cared so much about one of his many students. The Mage and Simon shared a close rapport throughout the book; however, the surprise twist revealed later in the novel is baffling to say the least.

In my opinion, the climax of the book begins towards the end of the first section: “When the figure steps forward, I recognize him at once. Tall. Black hair swept back from his forehead. Lips curled up in a sneer. . . I know that face as well as my own. Baz. I stand up too quickly, knocking my chair over. Across the room, a mug falls to the floor and shatters – I glance over and see that Agatha is standing, too. Baz steps towards us. Baz.” After 150 pages of reading about Baz in the form of Simon’s POVs and flashbacks, we finally get to meet him. It’s preposterous just how quickly I fell in love with Baz’s character. Rowell built a strong sense of anticipation throughout section one and I was filled with exhilaration. I also felt like a major gap in the story was filled after Baz’s arrival/return. From here on, the air of the story takes a turn for the better. That is because of the interactions between Simon and Baz. While there are other relationships in the story, like Simon and Penny, its Simon and Baz’s connection that truly becomes the focal point of this novel. What I loved the most in this book was the development of Simon and Baz’s relationship,- from how they were destined to be roommates in Watford, forced to be civil despite their differences in their closed chamber, to reluctantly becoming the center points of each other’s lives, to finally accepting their  feelings for each other. Rowell deserves to be congratulated for creating this bond between them which many, like me, fell head over heels in love with. One of my favorite exchanges, that properly sum up Simon and Baz’s relationship: 

“What you are is a tragedy, Simon Snow. You literally couldn’t be a bigger mess.” 
He tries to kiss me, but I pull back. “And you like that?”
“I love it.” He says.
“Why?”
“Because we match.”

The other major character that deserves a special mention is Penelope Bunce, Simon’s best friend. I favored her over all of Simon’s other friends. She is caring, intelligent, loveable and brave. Her contributions to the plot were quite salient and I enjoyed all her interactions with Simon and Baz.

I will not spill much because I do not want to ruin the book for anyone, but I will say this: every page of this book had me hooked. I finished this huge book in the span of three days! There is a sense of elation and built-up anticipation right from the start that has the ability to grasp the reader’s attention. Personally, the end of the book caused me some confusion among other emotions.

Despite the feelings of confusion I felt in the end (which I overcame fast), I was not one bit disappointed about anything in this book. As I already mentioned previously, Simon and Baz’s relationship stood out to me the most. This is one of my favorite books and as of June 2020, I have read this book six times! I highly recommend this masterpiece to anyone wanting to lose themselves in a magical world of excitement, love and passion.