The Optimized Cookie

Howdy ya’ll! Today we’re reviewing:

Title: Carry On

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Summary:

SIMON SNOW IS THE WORST CHOSEN ONE WHO’S EVER BEEN CHOSEN.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right. Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. 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.

What are my initial thoughts of the book?

To say the least, I could say that this book is one of my top books I’ve read this year – for many reasons. I loved how this book took into light two unconventional characters – characters out of the stereotypical ones we’re all used to reading. As you may or may not know, I am a big fan of YA Fantasy books and stories so the book being about magic and spells and powers were just another reason for me to love the book even more.

Simon Snow is a funny and innocent character and a not-so-much of an expert when it comes to magic, but when he does harness it, he could become one of the most powerful mages in the world of magic. I found it so interesting whenever he would “off” himself because he has so much power in him he doesn’t even realize it. And of course, as any other protagonist may have, he has his very own arch nemesis, Baz.

Baz is my favorite character in the book, to be honest (and I already love all the characters in this book). He is a magician slash vampire and he’s snotty and witty and humorous and the so-composed-on-the-outside-but-freaking-out-inside type which I love. We also get to know more about him and his family in this book and why he is the way he is today. My heart just goes out to Baz – for everything that he’s been through and for how he faces them. I love him.

Other characters are easy to love in the book, personally. Penelope, Simon’s best friend is just so adventurous it’s infectious. And Agatha, Ebb, Lucy, EVERYONE.

The kind of world in this book is something of second nature to all of you sci-fi fans, or fans of Harry Potter and the like. I love how Rainbow integrates several pop culture references in this book and how she puts in on a different perspective. There are lot of phrases which are so common and mundane for all of us, then here comes Rainbow turning it around in the best way possible – through magic!

This book also features the different points of views of the characters which isn’t confusing at all, it actually makes the story even clearer and easier to understand. I found this world easy to jump into so I think for those of who you are yet to read this wouldn’t have a difficult time reading. 🙂

A few spoilery thoughts:

I really think I’m not alone on this one: SIMON AND BAZ SCENES ARE SO SO SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. (There aren’t enough so’s in the world to help me emphasize this.) In the first parts of the book, roughly the first hundred fifty, Baz is nowhere to be found. Simon goes crazy looking for him and thinking about where he’d run off to or what the snakes happened to him why he wasn’t attending school especially since it’s their last year in Watford. This, in turn, makes me even more curious to know where in the world Baz is.

Then we get to know he was kidnapped by bloody numpties and his aunt Fiona rescuing him and all. *phew* (Plus this is actually the reason I only kind-of hate Fiona.) And later on he mentioned being hopelessly in love with Simon since their fifth year and I was like

Then as we read on, Simon now realizes he kind of likes Baz, too. *DOUBLE HEARTS*

I don’t read LGBT books that much because honestly, some really don’t suit my taste as to how authors portray characters like these. But Rainbow Rowell did an amazing job on making this relationship in her story a gay one. I LOVE IT. It was really elaborated and substantiated for me and as a reader I was really satisfied and was left craving for more Simon-Baz moments.

The spells in this book use words that are common, after reading the book and reading the terms, I may or may not pronounce them as spells… *GUILTY*

Bottom line is this book is very easy to get lost in and also very easy to love, at least in my opinion. And I would highly recommend this to you ❤ Prepare to be blown off your seats, people.

If you liked this book and have other book recommendations for me feel free to share your thoughts with me on my Twitter and/or on my Goodreads . 😀