Carry On, Wayward Son

[alaterdate]

Bit of a double feature for this one as I collect my thoughts on Rainbow Rowell's Carry On & its sequel Wayward Son.

For someone who is supremely annoyed by the proliferation of Harry Potter references in everything, I sure did enjoy a novel inspired by the series. I've seen all the HP movies, don't think I digested much there, and only read the Sorcerer's Stone, so while I could see similarities in the big themes and tropes it never felt like fanfiction to me like it did to others who love HP (too much). To me, it felt more like a lampoon party. Not just of Harry Potter, but of all urban fantasy chosen one stories. (Ok, I'm thinking of Percy Jackson which is middle-grade, but YA & Adults still gush over that shit.)

The first time I read Carry On, I thought it was garbage. The writing is so cheesy with "deep" lines peppered here and there that are, frankly, atrocious.

"You were the sun, and I was crashing into you."

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Not to mention its written in first person. I loathe first person.

The second time I read it... I loved it. It's like loving a trashy romance novel because it ticks all the boxes. Carry On was actually pretty funny. The world was interesting and even though it throws you into the story at the end it clearly has a history that is easy to understand in context. The characters are refreshing (except for Penelope). I was quite interested in where Agatha's arc was going and she's the kind of character that makes me wish the best for her. I loved Basilton. The drama queen. The badass. The Sasuke.

There's still not really anything to praise about Rowell's writing, but once you let yourself settle into the cheesiness those awful lines are actually highlight worthy. As long as nobody else sees them. The jewel of Rowell's abilities, there is one I assure you, is her characterization of absolute maniacs. The villain is bonkers. I loved it. I loved the choice of villain and their motivations and their manipulative actions. There's also a couple of real badass mom characters that I enjoyed. A good romp.

Wayward Son is not nearly as good as Carry On. The first one was written as a stand-alone though and this is clearly part of a duology since there will be a third book. This book focuses much more on the characters and sidelines what there is of the plot (not much). They basically stumble into stuff for no real reason, all of them, including Agatha. I guess that tracks with how generic fantasy action stories go, but this book takes itself more seriously than Carry On did.

My biggest gripe was Penelope. She was so racisttt. She was an asshole the entire book and even more annoying than ever. She was tolerable, fine, in the first book, but I've come to hate her. She's probably going to get an arc where she stops being magic-racist and gets a new boyfriend. Yuck, because the love interest being set up for her is too good for herrrr. I get that she was upset from earlier events, but that doesn't excuse her being a ding damn hypocrite and a real jerk.

Rowell brings in another batshit villain, but she does nothing with him. Tragic, because she's good at writing that type of man. She also introduced a new vampire character with a fringe haircut and I could only picture Caleb Vatore from the sims 4. Heh. I LOVED Shepard, another new character. Looks like he'll be joining ''the gang''. Feel like this guy could have a spin-off of his own, he's that interesting.

There was a lot of relationship angst for Simon & Baz, but it wasn't as compelling as the tension in the first book. The book pops in at some weird place in their relationship and they don't address or reconcile it at all in this book. There's also a "he's cheating on me!" drama moment that weakly comes and goes. The plot wasn't interesting and the romance wasn't interesting. Bit of a let down for a sequel, but they are always a toss up.

Oh, she should have also let Agatha actually do something if she's truly trying to break down these tropes.

Still looking forward to the third book in which I foresee these unfinished arcs being tied off.

Get your hands on Carry On for a fun time (if you don't let the cringe get to you). Hold off on Wayward Son 'till Any Way the Wind Blows releases.