Try to “Carry On” Without This Book



Sarah Toole
Carry On
Rainbow Rowell

Of the many books I have read in my life, Carry On is assuredly my current favorite, with magic, mystery, and an adorable love story subplot.

Simon Snow is the protagonist of Carry On, the “Chosen One”; the one who will save all wizards from some unspeakable evil, known as the Insidious Humdrum. Simon, however, is pretty awful at magic. The story begins at the start of his eighth and final year at Watford, where he has to make his way from the children’s home he has stayed at during the summer back to school. He is attacked by a goblin, disguised as his taxi driver, but defeats it and walks the rest of the way. Once he arrives at Watford though, things aren’t much better. His roommate Baz is missing, Agatha, his longtime girlfriend, breaks up with him, the Mage- who’s the Dumbledore equivalent to Watford- is rarely around and isn’t very helpful when he is, and he’s being Visited- the term for when spirits come back through the Veil of the living and deceased worlds- by Baz’s mother.

As stated above, I simply adored this book so, so, so much. The characters are instantly loveable, with believable traits and flaws. The point of view switches around, mostly from Simon to Baz, and occasionally to Simon’s best friend, Penelope, Agatha, his ex-girlfriend, and Lucy, whose true identity is unknown until later on. The elephant in the room is the obvious Harry Potter parallel, and Rowell has said it is what inspired her. Watford and Hogwarts, the Mage and Dumbledore, Simon and Penelope as Harry and Hermione, and the English/British setting, to name a few. The plot is drastically different. As this book was kickstarted by Rainbow Rowell’s other novel, Fangirl, in which the Simon Snow series is the most well-known series in the world, this does make sense. The diversity in the book is appreciated, with a bisexual character, a half-Indian character, and a few gay characters all featured in prominent roles.

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who has read any of Rainbow’s previous novels and enjoyed them; LGBT members or Allies; fantasy readers; mystery fans; hopeless romantics; Harry Potter fans, and anyone who wants a book to rip their heart out and stomp all over it (in a good way).

Finally, a sequel is coming out in 2020, The Wayward Son, so if you do choose to read Carry On, there’s that to look forward to!

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