Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road
Melina Marchetta
YA Contemporary
Standalone 
Paperback, 432 pages
9 March 2010 (First published in AUS; 2006) by Harper Teen US

Goodreads Ratings: 4.16/5
My Rating : ALL THE STARS IN THE UNIVERSE

In this lyrical, absorbing, award-winning novel, nothing is as it seems, and every clue leads to more questions.

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future.

"You just have to belong. Long to be."

"By blood?"

"By love."

Do you know what's beautiful? its THIS BOOK.
Do you know which book I love? its THIS BOOK.

Do you know which book I'm planning to reread every year? its THIS BOOK.

Do you know which book made me cry so effortlessly? its THIS BOOK. (i didnt notice there were tears until my cheeks got wet)

I'm going to make it my life mission starting from now to make sure everyone I know has read this book at least once. And that includes you. Until then, we're not friends.

Its YA but its not very YA bcs its light yet its heavy. Its fluffy yet so full of heartbreaking tragedies. Definitely suits all ages.

(PUSH THROUGH THIS BOOK EVEN WHEN YOU ARE FEELING CONFUSED. ITS GONNA BE WORTH IT, I PROMISE YOU.)

Wise word from my friend Farah :

"I spent the first 50-100 pages of the book in a tug-of-war of boringness and this-scene-makes-me-want-to-read-the-book-more. EVERY TIME I felt like giving up on the book, Marchetta bait me with this scene that made me intrigued to find out what happens next. And it works! EVERY TIME."

(watch her review video here) 

SEEEEEEEEEE?!!1!?!?!?1!!!1?!?!

The only word that describe this book so perfectly is this; BEAUTIFUL.

“It's funny how you can forget everything except people loving you. Maybe that's why humans find it so hard getting over love affairs. It's not the pain they're getting over, it's the love.” 

Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows
Six of Crows #1
Leigh Bardugo
YA Fantasy
Paperback, 465 pages
29 September 2015 by Henry Holt

Goodreads Ratings : 4.41/5
My Rating : 4/5

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. 

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. 

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

“Six people, but a thousand ways this insane plan could go wrong.” 

If you’ve been on social media, you probably have heard of Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo’s new series. Which, you probably have seen the book cover too. ISNT IT PRETTY AND GLORIOUS?!!!! I wish I have the hardback edition where the page spine is painted black. Such beauty.

Six of Crows tells the story of six amazing characters who are put together for an almost impossible heist mission with great rewards awaiting them. We have Kaz Brekker, Inej, Matthias, Nina, Jesper and Wylan to gush over but more on that later. This story takes place in the same world as Bardugo’s previous trilogy; The Grisha Trilogy—but they have totally different perspectives altogether. This is my first time reading Bardugo’s work so I need a bit of getting used to the Grisha world but the author herself totally helps by explaining the world building here and there within the pages of the book.

Okay moving on to what I like about Six of Crows :

1) THE CHARACTERS. Leigh Bardugo totally excels in writing diverse characters. THEY ARE ALL AMAZING WITH A BIG FAT CAPITAL A. Each one of them is very distinctive with very different personalities from each other, yet still amazing in their own way. If there is one thing to say about Six of Crows, its definitely this. 

Kaz Bekker is ruthless, heartless, a genius criminal prodigy and a bit of an asshole here and there but still loveable all in the same time. Inej is a woman of colour who is brave and passionate. Nina is one kickass character for me. She’s fierce, full of compassion, bold and MY FAV WOMAN CHARACTER HERE. Matthias is like this one huge teddy bear (hes not fat, if that’s what u thinking lol) who tries to act all fierce BUT SO ROMANTIC INSIDEEEEEEEEE. /dies/ Jesper appears to be funny but he has this depth in him that I like. And then we have this cute clueless Wylan.

2) THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES. They are all so different yet the dynamic they have when they are together is palpable. JUST LOOK AT THIS.

“Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?"
"Knife to the throat?" asked Inej.
"Gun to the back?" said Jesper.
"Poison in his cup?" suggested Nina.
"You're all horrible," said Matthias.”

And this too!!!!!!!!! I actually laughed lol.

"Jesper knocking his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. "Fine. But if Pekka Rollins kills us all, I'm going to get Wylan's ghost to teach my ghost how to play the flute just so that I can annoy the hell out of your ghost."

Brekker's lips quirked. "I'll just hire Matthias' ghost to kick your ghost's ass."

"My ghost won't associate with your ghost," Matthias said primly, and then wondered if the sea air was rotting his brain.” 

3) THE SHIPS. THIS BOOK IS A SHIPPER’S PARADISE. I really love how the romance element in Six of Crows isn’t overly done like some other books. I mean, its there but not that much??? Just enough gestures and thoughts that wont make you cringe. They were all briefly written that made you yearn for more and more. AND THERE IS NO LOVE TRIANGLE YEEHAAAAA!!!! (I hate that stuff)

We have Kaz & Inej with all their vulnerabilities. Matthias & Nina WHOSE RELATIONSHIP SCREAMS ANGST AND HATRED AND PASSION AND SEXUAL FRUSTRATION AND MORE OMG GIVE ME MORE OF THEM GIVE MEEEEEEEEE. And then we have my favourite couple of all, Wylan & Jesper because FLUFFINESS AND GAY AND CUTE AND FLIRTY AND DHGCUKWCUWDCGEWUFFBWEUHWEBUWE goodbye

“I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.” 

“It's not natural for women to fight."

"It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.” 

 “Wylan blushed deeper, and Jesper shook his head. “Play piano, too?” “Flute,” said Wylan defensively.
 “Perfect.”

4) THE ACTION. The tricks and actions in this book is intense and genius. There is always something to expect from Kaz and he always delivers. At some point of this book I shrieked because of the sudden gore this book has. It's almost like Game of Thrones.

Naturally, I have some issues with this book too.

1) IT HAS A PAINFULLY SLOW START. I almost give up, I swear. Its not until 100 pages or so that the plot starts to pick up. But once youre sucked in, youre sucked in.

2) NONE OF THESE CHARACTERS ACT LIKE THEIR OWN AGE. I could’ve sworn that at some points, I had a doubt on Kaz’s real age. He thinks like how a 28 years old leader/mastermind would think, for God’s sake. I mean, if you want your characters to be 17, make them at least think like 17 years olds. They are all so painfully mature that its hard to imagine them as teenagers. I had to readjust my imagination lol.

All in all, Leigh Bardugo can totally write. If I haven’t yet convinced you to pick Six of Crows up, I’ll say it again. READ. IT. I don’t care when you are going to read this book, but you need to read this book at some point of your life. Just read it, and then we’ll talk. The sequel (Crooked Kingdom) will be released on 22^nd September 2016.

My SoC reaction tweets can be found at #thesurayareadsSoC thread in Twitter 

“When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing.”- Kaz Bekker, Six of Crows

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Illuminae
The Illuminae Files #!
Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Trilogy
Young Adult Scifi
Paperback, 608 pages
20th October 2015 by Knopf Books

Goodreads Rating : 4.31/5
My Rating : 5/5

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. 

READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT

Ok tbh I've been trying to write a proper review of this book since 8.30pm but I failed. I got writer block or anything u call it, but try as hard as I may, I couldn’t fully express what I want to say about Illuminae in an interesting way. I already typed 4 paragraphs of my review but I stopped because it isn’t what I want.

So im just gonna write this in point form lol.

•  The hype over this book is justified. I can guarantee that. I'm so so glad that I get to read this book and enjoy it. (This book intimidates me tbh)

•  It’s a scifi + dystopia. Its perfect for scifi lovers, really, And probably star wars lovers too because it mentions the space, space war, spaceships and some other aerospace things.

•  Illuminae is told in a very very unique way—Its in footage style. We have IMs, emails, hacked documents, journal entries, pictures, transcription of surveillance videos etc etc, which revolves around spaceships, an attacked planet, a robot/machine and 2 amazing characters. I don’t know how Amie and Jay did that but they nailed it!!! Not only that the unique and cool formatting enhance your reading experience, it also makes you feel  various type of feels for the characters.

• VERY VERY PRETTY COVER ART!!!!!! My edition is the paperback one. The hardback in its naked form is gorgeous too. I might buy the hardback edition once I found a good deal on it because hardbacks are expensive here. I love the book too much <3

•  I LOVE THE MAIN CHARACTERS. KADY GRANT IS MY SPIRIT ANIMAL. AND EZRA MASON!!!!! <3 <3<3<3<3<3 FOR HIM.

• I got sucked in immediately when I was introduced to both these characters. I like them both even as individuals with all their characters. Kady is an intelligent girl hacker with her ‘I do what I want to do and I do it my way, y’all are stupid anyways’ attitude and Ezra with her charming witty self. I was definitely won over, big time.

• AIDAN. God, I don’t know what to make of AIDAN. I hate it. I love it. I cried for it. I pitied it. I want to kill it. I want to hug it. I feel all of those things for AIDAN. You’ll understand me when you get there.

• VERY VERY INTERESTING PLOT I SWEAR!!!!!!! AND THE PLOT TWISTS!!!! I DIDN’T EVEN SEE THEM COMING!!!!! My God.

• Have I mentioned that I cried while reading this book?

COMPLAINS I HAVE FOR ILLUMINAE

1.    Truthfully, Illuminae is so hard to understand T___T. I had to ask a friend to explain the basic plots for me to be able to confirm what I have in mind. That happened because of the unique formatting and lots & lots of scientific terms. (Im ashamed because im a biochemistry student but I always find it hard to understand scifi books tsk)

2.    There are still a few things I don’t understand but some of them are cleared up once I had a discussion+fangirling session with Hanan.

3.    One of the reasons for the confusion is that we don’t really have a background story before Kerenza was attacked. The story starts right where the attack happened and it moves forward after that, with very few notes about the past. Some readers felt that they couldn’t really connect with the characters because of this.

4.    This book contains a lot of cuss words but they are all blacked out as in highlighted with black highlighter so you couldn’t see them. It gets annoying at some points but those blackened words can be predicted. If you prefer a cuss free book, then this is for you.

5.    The romance bit is okay but at some parts it gets cheesy. I found this being said by a reviewer and I couldn’t agree more :

     "I’ve read a decent amount of reviews touching on the subject of the romance aboard Illuminae and how it was too much, too cliche. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail, but the one thing I kept in mind when reading the ‘love story’ bits was this: when your family is gone, and you have the one person that you used to love in front of you, the only remnant of your home planet, what would you do? (& I advise that all prospective readers keep it in their head, too.)"

Kady & Ezra is still OTP, though <3

TIPS TO READ ILLUMINAE

• Make sure you have someone you can go to in case youre feeling confused/need explanation. You can always PM me :)
• Focus. Don’t think of anything while reading this book. It requires your utmost attention

SPOILER/DISCUSSION (Quickly scroll pass this if u haven’t read the book yet)

1.    Zhang. When he met Kady at Alexander, he said something like, “I do it for you” or something like that. I don’t really get it. What does he mean by that???? Was he in love with Kady or???/

2.    WHEN THAT ONE PARTICULAR CHARACTER DIED OMG I WAS SO SHOCKED I COULD BARELY RESPOND. I WAS HEARTBROKEN.

3.    Ezra’s mom????? WTF WAS THAT??? God, I need book 2.

4.    I was in absolute emotional pain when AIDAN was dying T_____T Poor AIDAN T____T

*SPOILER ENDS*

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably have seen my outrage over Illuminae since yesterday so please read this book and fangirl with me. Please.

WARNING : ok so i understand that there is a lot of hype surrounding this book. Just because I love this book, doesnt mean that this book IS SUPER GOOD. it may not match your taste because I believe this book isnt for everyone. You may hate the book despite my overflowing praise for it. I also have a few complains like i mentioned above so i understand if some people find it overhyped. I just dont want people to go all 'im disappointed. i dont find this book entertaining at all' on me.

If you haven’t known yet, Warner Bros and Brad Pitt has signed Illuminae up to adapt it into a scifi movie. Honestly? I dont know. Illuminae is unique as a book because of its formatting. Lets just see how Warner Bros will deliver the uniqueness of Illuminae in movie form.

OH AND THE SEQUEL OF ILLUMINAE IS CALLED GEMINA!!!!!!

(This review I did still fail to express what I want to say about Illuminae sigh)

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

November 9
Colleen Hoover
Stand Alone
New Adult
Paperback, 320 pages
10th November 2015 by Atria Books

Goodreads Ratings : 4.54/5
My Rating : 4.5/5

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

“When you find love, you take it. You grab it with both hands and you do everything in your power not to let it go. You can’t just walk away from it and expect it to linger until you’re ready for it.” 

Finally.

If you’ve been my friend, you would know how much I anticipated to have this book in my arms and kiss the hell out of it. I’ve been there waiting the entire year just to have a touch at this book. I’m pretty sure at some points my friends got annoyed at me for my constant sighing and whining because I’m not that good that waiting.

But all those months of waiting finally paid off because HOW IN THE WORLD DID COHO MANAGE TO WRITE THIS ENTIRE PLOT?1!?!?1?1!!!!!

Ben the Writer meets Fallon the Transient in a restaurant in LA on November 9^th when they are both 18. Fallon is an ex-teenage actress whose career died the moment she had scars marking half of her face and body due to some accident when she was 16. After realizing that they both have intense attraction and palpable chemistry going on—but couldn’t be a couple due to wrong timing, they later make a pact to meet each other on November 9 every year at the same place and same time without any form of communication in between. And now we have a story to unfold.

“Sigh"

"Did you just say sigh? out loud? Instead of actually sighing?

"Eye roll”

LOL that’s me right there. I always said “sigh” instead of actually sighing

The premise of spending only 1 day each year with a stranger you barely know is unrealistic, but isn’t that romantic? LOL. Damn it if I say I don’t wish for a set up like this with someone as attractive as Ben. To put your trust in someone to come see you even after a whole year of not talking and hoping that they wont disappoint you is bewildering and exciting. And in those 1 year, anything can happen. CoHo proves that statement with this book. 

Okay moment of truth.

This book doesn’t grip me as much as it grips others. Not until somewhere in the middle of the book. The first few chapters are cringe-worthy. I went all wtf at Ben for his cheesy lines and then at some cheesy moments here and there. I dislike some parts of the early chapters. I think this is why I cant give it a full on 5 stars.  Not until the third November 9 that I started to feel things. And boy, the roller coaster ride I went through last night? Its worth it. The hours I spent not sleeping is worth it.

Moving on to the 4 best things I like about this book.

1) Ben the Writer is not much of a reader despite being an aspiring author. He reads but not as much as Fallon does. That girl is a huge sucker for the romance genre and being me,  I got super ecstatic!!!!! There are a few mentions on the typical plot of a romance novel that I’m so familiar with and those tiny little details (alpha-male, book-worthy kiss, grand gestures) thrown in between the pages of November 9 and I couldn’t love it more. Also, there’s the whole talk about TBR piles and insta-love and whatnots.

“So just to be safe, if kissing scenes are something you like most about books, what’s your least favorite thing? I need to know so I don’t screw up our story.”

“Cliff-hangers,” I say immediately. “And insta-love.”

He makes a face. “Insta-love?”

I nod. “When two characters meet and supposedly have this great connection right off the bat.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Fallon, I think we might already be in trouble if that’s one of your least favorite things.”

2) Naturally, being a romance novel itself, November 9 also has its own grand gesture. That mega thing one of the characters did to fix their relationship. And THAT grand gesture in the book? THAT MIGHTVE BEEN THE BEST GESTURE IVE EVER READ. And the most tragic and saddening gesture all at once.

3) When you talk/discuss about November 9 with fellow readers who also have read the book, there's one huge thing to talk about. The plot twists. THE MINDBLOWING PLOT TWISTS. THE ‘HOW COULD YOU WRITE SUCH HEARTBREAKING PLOT TWISTS, YOU CRUEL AUTHOR?!!!! DO YOU NOT HAVE HEART?!!1?1?!!’ PLOT TWISTS. Notice that s there? Yep. You're gonna have to face quite a few numbers of plot twists. Be warned, people. In all honestly, I can sense something bad and heartbreaking is coming due to the response I got from my friends.  So when I read the book, I was on high alert the whole time. I didn’t let myself grow attached to the characters too much. I kept on imagining the worst possible scenario and came up with a few theories (I got one of my theories right). I texted my friend Kimberly at 2am—telling her my theories and predicted whats gonna happen next and being a good friend that she is, she went all, “LOL that’s funny but yeah it could happen”. But nothing my mind plotted could come close to the actual plot twists. NOTHING.

4) Ben's family. Or Ben's brothers to be exact. OH OH AND MILES AND TATE ARE FEATURED IN THE BOOK YESSSSSSSS!!!!

November 9 is a book with unexpected plot twists, gripping, addictive and will throw you in for a whirlwind of emotions. Although there are a few disappointing things, I have to say that November 9 holds the best plot line CoHo ever written yet. (Excluding Never Never that is.)

“Whether or not the couple ends up together at the end of a book doesn’t determine whether that book has a happy ending or not. As long as the two people end up happy, it doesn’t really matter if they end up happy together.” - Ben Kessler

Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan

Love and Other Foreign Words
Erin McCahan
Stand Alone
Young Adult Contemporary
ebook, 336 pages
1st May 2014 by Penguin Group 

Goodreads Ratings : 3.9/5
My Rating : 4/5

Can anyone be truly herself--or truly in love--in a language that's not her own?

Sixteen-year-old Josie lives her life in translation. She speaks High School, College, Friends, Boyfriends, Break-ups, and even the language of Beautiful Girls. But none of these is her native tongue--the only people who speak that are her best friend Stu and her sister Kate. So when Kate gets engaged to an epically insufferable guy, how can Josie see it as anything but the mistake of a lifetime? Kate is determined to bend Josie to her will for the wedding; Josie is determined to break Kate and her fiancé up. As battles are waged over secrets and semantics, Josie is forced to examine her feelings for the boyfriend who says he loves her, the sister she loves but doesn't always like, and the best friend who hasn't said a word--at least not in a language Josie understands.

Leon of Bookalicious suggested me this book few months ago, saying that this is my type of book. "You will love it," he said. I read the blurb and I replied, "Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know." I wasn't interested at the time. 

Today, 19th November 2015, I decided to give it a try and now all I can say is, "Leon knows me well."

Love and Other Foreign Words is about a girl named Josephine "Josie" who is a 15-going-16 high school girl and also a fast-track college girl (Shes THAT genius.) ((The book will explain to you about her school life)). She has a different view about the world, like genius people would. (Think Don Tillman of The Rosie Project but less weird). Josie loves languages and she has her own way to interpret words and languages. 

“I can speak the languages of lots of groups and learn others with some ease, but no matter how fluent I am, when I'm not speaking Josie, I am merely acting. We all are when we interact outside of our natural cultures. It is inevitable, because it is impossible to be fully yourself in a foreign language.” - Josie

The story starts with Josie who disagrees with her sister Kate over the guy Kate chooses to marry, saying that Kate is making a mistake. She tries to make her sister understands that George with a silent p is the wrong man for her while Kate disagrees and says that Josie knows nothing about love. And now we have a story.

One thing by the way, ISNT THE COVER JUST SCREAMS CUTE ?!!!!

Moving on.

Josie is a weird girl. She sometimes comes of as a genius & funny but other times shes just plainly irritating but tolerable-and-can-still-be-loved kind of irritating. Sometimes shes rude and too much. Its just who she is and she cant help it. Shes not perfect and I get that about her. I feel for her, though. Cant say that she and her feelings are relatable to me but I can definitely feel her. I feel her in every way possible. I understand her heartaches, her curiosity, her frustration, and I understand her when she's completely numb and clueless. I really really love that connection between me and Josie. 

I love almost all characters in this book. I love Stu (can i have a Stu too, please?), Kate, Maggie, Ross and Sophie. I love the dynamic between Josie&Stu, Josie&Kate, Ross&Maggie&Josie, Josie&Sophie, Stu&Sophie. They totally spiced up the book even more! 

The ending is totally predictable!!! And I really really love it!!!! But I especially love how the author made it seems oblivious yet so obvious with the right amount of sweetness. Its very natural and not so suddenly thrown, if you get me. 

I love love love how the author connects the title of the book with the content of it. Love and Other Foreign Words. This book discusses all the 'foreign' words there is in the most creative way. Most importantly, this book discusses the topic love itself brilliantly because 'love' means A LOT of things. Romantic-love is one thing but family-love and sisterhood-love is another and both parts are excellently delivered by the author.

I read this is in the ebook form and I might just buy the physical book soon, or at least when I have the money to do so. In the meantime, I'm gonna private message all of my friends and force them to read this book. I AM FORCING YOU TO READ THIS TOO, in case if you dont realize it yet.

"Sometimes, people think they are in love when they choose to see in ties, none of the bad ones-- only the qualities they most admire, none of the flaws or the obstacles. “Good becomes perfect, but perfect is an illusion. And illusions are like all spells—temporary and soon broken. And when that happens, feelings change.”

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On
Rainbow Rowell
Fantasy Young Adult
Paperback, 517 pages
6th October 2015 by MacMillan

Goodreads Ratings: 4.27/5
My Rating : 4/5

Simon Snow is the worst chosen one who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story—but far, far more monsters

THIS IS A SUPER LONG REVIEW

If you have read Fangirl, you must have known where Carry On comes from. But just to make things clear, I’m gonna explain. This is going to be a bit twisted and this twistery is called Metafiction. Carry On is a story about Simon Snow and Baz where these two characters comes from the book Fangirl. In Fangirl, Simon is the hero of a series of children’s adventure novels written by Gemma T. Leslie (she is totally fictional) and he is also the subject of Cath’s famous fanfictions. (Cath is the leading character in Fangirl). Rainbow Rowell, being the awesome person that she is, decided to bring Simon and his friends to life and now here we are.

You don’t have to read Fangirl to understand Carry On, anyway. The Simon&Baz in Carry On is nothing like Fangirl’s Simon&Baz because this time, it is all about Rainbow Rowell. Not Gemma. And certainly not Cath. Or maybe this is Rowell’s fanfiction of Gemma’s story. That could be it too, come to think of it. BUT YOU SHOULD READ FANGIRL ANYWAY IF YOU HAVENT YET BECAUSE OF THE AWESOMENESS THAT IS LEVI. You can find my review on Fangirl HERE.

Carry On starts right off at Simon Snow’s 8^th and Final Year at Watford, a magic school in England. Slowly the readers are introduced to various characters (Baz, Agatha, Penelope, The Mage, etc.) and the whole setting starts to take place. There are a few tidbits and stories from Simon’s past 7 years and adventures in school to help you understand better.

This book is told from various POV. It has more than 5 POVs if I am not mistaken. My favourite POV would be of Baz. I swear to God his mind is SO ADORABLE LIKE I CANT EVEN KIND OF ADORABLE. I imagine Baz would be some sort of a Draco-ish guy. Cold, sarcastic and he sneers a lot. (Although towards the end he’s nothing like Draco). Imagine Draco Malfoy with the whole cold demeanor but with a really cute thoughts inside. Isnt that just adorable?

“For a moment -- not even a moment, a split second -- I imagine him saying, 'The truth is, I'm desperately attracted to you.' And then I imagine myself spitting in his face. and then I imagine licking it off his cheek and kissing him. (Because I'm disturbed. Ask Anyone.)” - Baz

NOW DO U GET ME?!?1?1!?1?!!!!1

Carry on has quite a slow start. The world building takes up 150+ pages which may bore you but hold on. Everything will be worth the wait, I assure you. Also, within this pages, ypu’ll notice the striking resemblance it has with Harry Potter. It made me feel like I was reading a fanfiction rather than an original story. (THERE WAS EVEN A SCENE FROM TWILIGHT INSIDE LMAO)   But the similarities end somewhere in the middle and you will start to see the magickal (no, this is not a typo.) that is Carry On.

I know nothing about Simon’s world to be honest. The only reason I badly want to read this book is solely because of Simon&Baz and nothing else. (I have a HUGE knack for gay romance tehee) ((I honestly don’t know why girls are so into slash fiction. Maybe it’s the same reason as why guys love lesbian porn. Idk idk.)) (((WHICH REMINDS ME: CARRY ON IS A GAY-THEMED FICTION. Simon and Baz are both very good looking guys who falls in love with each other. Thought I should give a heads up in case if you were wondering or in case youre a homophobic))) BUT OH MY GOD THE ROMANCE. I SWEAR TO GOD ROWELL DEFINITELY EXCELS IN WRITING THE ROMANCE DEPARTMENT.

Simon and Baz is just urgh. Annoyingly cute is the best way to describe them I gotta say. (I’m sure Penelope would agree with me on this one). The sexual tension is so strong it’s a wonder why Simon and Baz don’t realize it themselves. There were a lot of kissing and innocent touching that got me squealing so hard. If you don’t know yet, I am now a hardcore shipper of them both. OH OH AND BAZ IS TOTALLY MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER. THERES NO COMPETITION AT ALL. Baz is totally bae but he isn’t anyone’s bae. Simon holds him alone, there should be no one else.

“The whole prophecy is bollocks," I say. "'And one will come to end us. And one will bring his fall.' Did I also bring my own fall?""No," Baz says. "That was me. Obviously.""How did you bring my fall? I stopped the Humdrum myself."Baz looks back at his phone, bored. "Fell in love, didn't you?” 

GOD DAMN IT, BAZ. /fans self/

Romance apart, the whole adventure part came out as a surprise for me as I was not expecting it at all but I enjoyed it! The spells used in this book is ridiculous but so freaking funny!!! The spells goes from “Up, Up and Away” (levitating/accio spell) to “Have a break, Have a Kit Kat” (breaking things/give something a rest kinda spell lmao). I CRACKED UP A LOT! Oh, Mrs. Rowell, you funny, funny thing.

*SPOILER DISCUSSION*

1) So Rowell jumped straight to Simon’s final year in school with VERY LITTLE tidbits of the past 7 years. Simon’s adventures in the past 7 years were plainly described that I was left wondering ‘what actually happened?’ Its like 2 people telling stories to each other and suddenly you jumped in mid-conversation, totally clueless, but these two people just continue the conversation from where they left off without feeling you in the details. Do you get me?

2) I can’t imagine Simon with wings and tail. I honestly cant. Since he lost his magic, hes not considered as a magician anymore. But with the additional wings and tail, what is Simon exactly? Is he a monster? He certainly isn’t a Normal.

3) I LOVE the epilogue. I love how besides everything, Rowell cares about her characters. I love how Rowell decides that these characters of hers can decide what to do with themselves. How they can break stereotypes if they want to. Its incredible and its very refreshing.

4) I don’t get the deal with Simon’s creation/birth. Does it involve dark magic?

5) The prophecy. Lol where does that even came from?

*SPOILERS END*

I somehow feel like theres a huge patch in the story that I miss. A lot of things left me confused and it bugs me since the plot holes kinda ruined my reading experience.

All in all, Carry On has the perfect amount of adorableness, amazing characters, thrilling magical adventures and every bit of Rainbow Rowell that you can ask for.

(COME BACK HERE ONCE YOU’VE READ THE BOOK SO YOU CAN READ THE SPOILER SECTION AND DISCUSS IT WITH ME, I BEG YOU.)

“At Watford, Magic is just the air we breathe. It's not what separates us from each other; it's what keeps us together.” 

― Rainbow Rowell, Carry On