Carry On

Title: Carry On
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 517
Rating: 4.5 Stars
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Baz and Simon have been living in the same dorm room since the two first came to Watford at the small age of 11.  Now, the two 18 year old enemies are living out their last year as the brewing war against the evil insidious humdrum begins. However, as the two are forced to place their trust in each other, they realize that maybe the tension growing between them both has less to do with hate than they thought.

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Let me just say, I had no idea how much I'd enjoy this book. It was absolutely captivating and addictive. I read Fangirl and really didn't like the excerpts from Cath's fanfiction.  If you felt the same way, do not be afraid to start this book. It's absolutely amazing. 

This book is written as the 8th book in a series, so you don't go into it entirely understanding the background of the book. However, Carry On is loosely based on the relationship between Baz and Simon, and getting inside the heads of the characters allows you to invest yourself in the relationship easily. 

Carry On is definitely one of the books you read for the characters- at least in my opinion. The plot isn't something I cared all that much about, and I think that has something to do with the fact that the reader doesn't see Simon Snow grow up. But, I definitely cared about the characters, and their relationships.  It was just such a fun book to read, and I really, really enjoyed watching the relationship between Simon and Baz develop. 

That's where I took off half a star, though.  It took practically half of the book before I actually found myself glued to it's pages.  It felt like a slow start, just because you're picking up in a world that's already been "established".  You aren't invested in the plot. Once the relationship involving our main character picks up, the story gets more interesting.  

I'm not making much sense here, but I truly enjoyed this book. It's rather difficult to cohesively express what it is about this book that I liked, but I think, if I had to sum it up, it'd have to be the refreshing romance. Everything about it is developed so perfectly; I had to set the book down and just breathe every so often because of how overwhelmingly perfect things were. 

So, whether or not you liked the fanfiction bits in Fangirl, and whether or not you've read Fangirl, I think you'll find yourself surprised by how much you like this book.