I got this softcover at Barnes and Noble, for another release copy of this entertaining book. (The setup: in Fangirl (which I hadn't read when I first encountered Carry On), there's a wildly popular series of novels based on Simon Snow and his adventures at wizarding school, including an ongoing rivalry with vampire/wizard Baz. Yep, totally expies of Harry Potter and co. Anyway, in Fangirl the main characters have been writing fanfic based on this series for years and are devoted to shipping Simon and Baz - but real life begins to get in the way. In Carry On we get to read a more fully realized version of the Simon/Baz fanfic without any reference to its fiction-within-fiction origins, and it's great fun!)

This was an entertaining read, with plenty of nods to magical-boarding-school tropes (and more than a hint of intentional Harry-Potter-fanfic, in a nice way) but with its own twists and sensibilities. I liked the whole bitter-enemies-forced-to-be-allies vibe, and the switching viewpoints (Simon, Penelope, Baz - though he doesn't turn up in the first person until well into the book, Agatha, and... others whose existence is a surprise). And the plot's good, with suspense (of the will-we-survive kind as well as the will-they-or-won't-they romantic complications) and humor (lots of that) and some heartwarming bits. I'll definitely look for more of Rowell's work!

[There's a TV Tropes page on the book, with some entertaining tidbits. Update: there's an audiobook, too!]

I'm adding this book to imawinn2’s Magical Mystical bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop soon. Enjoy!

Taken from the box.

Wow! This book really captures the feel of late 2000's Harry Potter archives like The Leaky Cauldron. It definitely feels like Drarry-fic spiraling into the author's own 'verse with the names filed off, and that's not a bad thing. The fact that this cheerfully embraces popular tropes and equally happily flips them on their heads is a technique I feel like I rarely see outside of parody and more humor-focused takes on genre fiction. This has plenty of humor, and the snarky voice of our main character stands out strongly among the frequent POV shifts, but the overall earnestness of the high-drama story somehow keeps it from being too ridiculous.

This was definitely a enjoyable, quick read, with a hefty dose of nostalgia for me. I think I would have been even more into this had it been published during my peak Potterhead days!

One of the starter books for the Vampire Bookbox

This journeyed to me as part of the recently-unstalled Vampire Bookbox. Since these books have been out of circulation for the last five years, I am setting them aside to use for a new round.

Added to the new edition of the Vampire Bookbox

Choosing this from the vampire bookbox 🧛‍♂️