Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Published October 6th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin

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.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters. 

My Thoughts
…There will be a threat, that we’ll be dark and divided – that magic itself will be in danger, and that there will be a mage who has power no one else has ever dreamt of, a magician who draws his power from the centre of the earth. He walks like an ordinary man, but his power is like no other….
What an entertaining and creative story that mixed fantasy, mm and new adult all into one caldron of pure magic. I quite liked this one!

I knew when I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell that she had something going with her fan-fiction of Simon and Baz. I enjoyed the small excerpts she included throughout the book and thought on numerous occasions how her fanfic element would make a great standalone. I was right!

Carry On allows Simon, Baz, Penny and Agatha to take center stage in their own story as they battle the Insidious Humdrum that threatens their magical world. The most unlikely of characters become allies in this story as they fight battles, uncover mysteries and ultimately forge relationships that will redefine who they thought they were.

I loved how Rowell didn’t hesitate to take a popular premise and put her own spin on things. Yes, I won’t deny that the parallels to Harry Potter were glaring, but I feel that was done purposely. You can’t ignore how the Insidious Humdrum reflects dementor qualities at times. It’s hard not to miss the familiar spells. You also have a wizard who will save the magical world with a best friend named Penelope who has a knack for magic and uncovering mysteries. It’s quite clear that Watford is much like Hogwarts and Ebb is your resident Hagrid.

However Rowell takes these elements and makes them her own with an added splash of what reminds me of Malfoy’s character and making him into Baz who is in love with Simon. Edgy I tell you! All of the similarities did not for one second take away from the fun of being catapulted into a world of magic, good versus evil, and friendships that stand the test of hardship.

I loved what Rainbow Rowell did with this story and how she made it her own. Taking a tour down memory lane where the streets are called something different and the characters have their own personalities was a fun adventure in fantasyland. Loved it.

5 Suns

Upcoming Release and Author Tour: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Waves of Fiction is exciting to announce the upcoming release of Rainbow Rowell's newest novel Carry On.  Check out the book details and upcoming author tour as we eagerly await its release!!

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Expected publication: October 6th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin

Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

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Upcoming Author Tour

If you're lucky enough to reside in one of these cities, we hope you can make the tour and tell us all about it. Check it out!

Review: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

Landline by Rainbow Rowell Published July 8th 2014 by St. Martin's Press

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

My Thoughts

I first stumbled upon Rainbow Rowell when I read her young adult novel, Eleanor & Park. I loved the story and flash back moments, so I had no hesitation jumping into her new adult novel Fangirl. As with the first, my second experience with Rowell was just as bliss. Most recently, I’ve moved on to her adult novel Landline, and I have to admit… Rainbow Rowell is not only quickly making her way to the top of my favorite authors list, but she’s immediately proven that she can pen a wonderful story for any age genre.

In Landline, we meet Georgie and Neal who met seventeen years prior in college and have been married now for fourteen. They have plans to visit Neal’s family for Christmas, but that all comes to a screeching halt when Georgie lands a possible opportunity for a television pilot. Neal decides to take their two children to Omaha and leave Georgie behind to work on her project. However, that decision proves to be the culminated pressure point that might break their marriage.

When Neal leaves, Georgie realizes that her marriage is in trouble. As the days pass, she and Neal don’t communicate and Georgie begins to stay at her mother’s house because she just can’t face her empty home during the holidays. Desperate to connect with her husband, she retreats to her childhood bedroom where she can talk to Neal from the past through an magic landline phone.

Yes… yes… I get that it sounds a bit odd, and I’ll admit I was somewhat confused when it all started. However in the end, I really liked this plot device Rowell used that forced me to consider if there was something Neal and Georgie did or said in the past that contributed to their failing marriage in the present. Is there a way to fix what you have and pull the pieces together?

Bottom-line, I really enjoyed this story. It was subtle in many ways, as well as easy to relate to. A story about a marriage that becomes consumed with work, responsibilities and children is very real. The pressures and hardships are not uncommon and to hear someone else’s version and realization creates a connection that I often long for in fiction.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell is a worth story with unforgettable characters. After three pleasant experiences with Rowell, I have no hesitation diving into other stories by this author.

4 Suns

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Published September 10, 2013 by St. Martin's Press
Purchase: Amazon / B&N

About the book:A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love. 
Cath is a Simon Snow fan.
Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .
But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.
Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.
Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.
Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.
For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?
Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?
And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Thoughts:
Fantastic. It's been a long time since a book made me laugh and cry. Beautifully written!

Cath and her twin sister, Wren, are starting college. Wren is outgoing and ready to live up her college years while Cath is an introvert who loves writing fanfiction and keeping to herself. Cath is so relatable and I loved her! I'm a fangirl myself (Twilight obsessed), as well as a slight introvert, and I could totally picture myself in her shoes. It made the story that much better.

Cath is just trying to cope with being a freshman, her twin sister becoming distant and a major party girl, and worrying constantly about her dad being alone.

She becomes friends with her roommate Reagan and Reagan's friend, Levi. And Cath starts coming out of her shell. She still loves writing her Simon Snow fanfiction, but she's starting to open up and let people in a little. Everything about this story just made me happy - it was so sweet! I love every character in this book and the roll they played, and the constant witty banter was hilarious.

And the love story was the sweetest and left me giddy. There is just so much love in this book - between friends, siblings, parents and I found myself getting emotional more than once. I went into this book without reading any reviews and I'm really glad I did - so I don't want to give too much away.

I feel like so many people can relate to this story - a lot of us with our internet friendships and love of reading. I know I could relate and that's what made me love Cath and this story so much! I laughed and cried by the end, and not many books can do that to me. It was a wonderful read and I highly recommend.

I've also read Attachments by this author and loved it equally. If you haven't read a book by Rainbow Rowell, you need to do it asap!

5 Suns