I read the Harry Potter books when I was growing up. I’m not sure I would have considered myself obsessed with them, but I did attend the midnight releases for books four through seven, I own all the books and movies, and I actually spend long moments of time thinking about the best way to introduce these wonderful stories to my children. I never thought I would read a book that even came close to the story of friendship, loyalty, and bravery I so enjoyed as a child. Then I picked up Carry On. I don’t want to misrepresent anything here. Rainbow Rowell is extremely talented, yet her world, though similar, is not identical to J.K. Rowling’s. I don’t know that anything will ever be incredible enough to draw me back into the world that so encompassed me as a child, but Rowell’s novel Carry On comes the closest I have yet found. Since I read this novel after reading Fangirl, I knew a little bit about what was going on in the plot. I would recommend reading it in this order because it helped me to contextualize parts of Carry On that may have otherwise confused me. In the novel you follow the hero Simon Snow and his friends (or enemies) Penny, Agatha, and Baz. Their adventure begins when the veil is lifted, and Baz’s mom comes through from the dead to ask him to avenge her death. Baz (who is a quasi villain figure in the novel) is not there to here his mother’s plea, so she passes the information to Simon, sending him on a wild adventure. This novel is full of mages (wizards), vampires, spells (designed from witticisms and sayings), and all other sorts of magic that will surprise you. I read this fairly quickly because the world Rowell creates is so engaging, making it easy to connect with her characters and their struggles. (I will make one note, there is some language in the novel; I did not find it upsetting, but it might be worth considering if you have younger readers.) Overall, I was quite pleased with this novel and happy that I picked it up off the shelf. If you miss the Harry Potter in your life or just really like to read fantasy, you should definitely go check this book out! Here’s to finding a good book!
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