Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Hey, I’m Finn; I’m a 17 year old in the valley who loves to read, and loves writing about what he reads just about 10x more. The analysis and application of literature is the second lyric in a duet between reader and author, and I love being a part of that!
How many of us have the “it hurts too good” feeling for a spoiled ending? The “edge of your seat, just push me off, but not yet!” feeling? The affectionate thrill of knowing what
happens before you appropriately get there is an equally exhilarating and infuriating feat. Few will venture to the final page of their novel, and fewer will be satisfied with the jarring jump ahead. However, Rainbow Rowell captures the sweet spot of ‘knowing the ending’ in her striking fantasy novel, Carry On.
Acting as an implied finale to an on-going story, Carry On follows the ferocious and rambunctious life of the magical world’s ‘Chosen One’, Simon Snow. Within this beautifully
crafted story, discover striking fantasies of spell casting, creature killing, and classical heart-throb vampires, all wrapped up in Rowell’s exquisite romance skills. Forgo the exhausting, overdone plotlines of dreamgirls and love triangles, and embrace the innovative allure of falling in love with unlikely soul-mates, authentic queerness, and discovering a way to exist outside of the expectations of being the protagonist.
Simon must defeat the Insidious Humdrum (a malicious evil with a familiar face), talk to
spirits, attempt to control his overpowered magic, and differentiate between killing or kissing his
newly made, and most unlikely, partner, who happens to be a vampire, a room-mate who eats
Salt and Vinegar chips in bed, and a whole lot more Simon never expected to reveal. Lose
yourself in the magical mystery of it all, and then find yourself all over again in the captivating
weaving of real connection, all in Rowell’s incredible novel.
